Fuhgeddaboutit! Honda teams up with the Brooklyn Nets and the Barclays Center.
Apparently, sporting fever is spreading in the wake of the Olympics.
American Honda Motor Co. Inc. has signed a multi-faceted strategic marketing agreement with Barclays Center and the Brooklyn Nets. It is Honda’s first-ever major sponsorship with a sports and entertainment venue on the East Coast. It will position Honda as a Founding Partner for Barclays Center, which will open in late September.
The Japanese maker has gained the naming rights for one of the clubs in the arena which will now become the Honda Club. Additionally, with Barclays Center emerging as the home of major college basketball on the East Coast, Honda will be the presenting sponsor of the “Brooklyn Hoops” Winter Festival college basketball tripleheader featuring Michigan vs. West Virginia, St. John’s vs. St. Francis of Brooklyn and Fordham vs. Princeton, on Saturday, December 15.
Honda will have an interactive display on the arena’s main concourse. Kia already has similar displays set up in more than a dozen NBA venues around the country.
Honda’s sponsorship rights also include a major advertising presence via the “Street-to-Seat” brand signage at all Barclays Center events, as well as exposure on radio during Brooklyn Nets games and in-arena signage during Nets games at Barclays Center.
“New York is undeniably an important region for Honda and the alliance with Barclays Center and the Brooklyn Nets is a great fit within our marketing efforts in the Northeast. We couldn’t be more excited to be part of this landmark venue,” said Michael Accavitti, vice president of marketing operations, American Honda Motor Co., Inc. “Barclays Center is an innovative venue that aligns well with the Honda brand and we’re looking forward to being a part of the action and excitement in Brooklyn.”
The debut of the Nets this autumn will be a real test for the team, which had previously been playing in the Meadowlands, across the Hudson River, as the New Jersey Nets.
“We are thrilled that Honda is making such an important statement by selecting Barclays Center as its first-ever major partnership with a sports and entertainment arena on the East Coast,” said Barclays Center and Brooklyn Nets CEO Brett Yormark.
It has been a year of big sports marketing deals, Kia amping up its NBA association and General Motors signing a series of partnerships with foreign teams. That includes a $559 million deal with Manchester United, one of the world’s most storied soccer teams. That partnership, however, reportedly became the downfall of Joel Ewanick, GM’s former global marketing chief, when it turned out he tried to hide the true price tag by spreading it out over several other marketing projects.