July 24, 2008
The Big Ten Conference and Nissan have announced a marketing agreement which makes Nissan the exclusive automotive sponsor of the Big Ten throughout the 2008-09 academic year.
As an official sponsor of the Big Ten, Nissan will be granted marketing opportunities for all 25 conference sports, including each of the Big Ten Championships or Tournaments. Benefits also include promotional and on-line opportunities, special event and on-site marketing, tickets and hospitality, use of the Big Ten mark and presence in select publications.
During the upcoming college football season, Nissan also will partner with SPORTS ILLUSTRATED to sponsor the SI Evolution of the Game Tour, an interactive mobile tour and custom publication that celebrates the growth of the sport. Nissan is also proud to once again be the presenting sponsor of the Heisman Trophy and invites fans to vote at www.theheismanvote.com to have a say in who deserves the coveted trophy this year. In the past two years, a staggering 2.8 million fan votes were cast to contribute to Nissan’s vote for the Heisman.
The SI Evolution of the Game Tour experience highlights the Heisman Trophy, celebrates the history of college football, and allows Nissan to extend its ongoing relationship with SPORTS ILLUSTRATED. The nationwide SI Evolution of the Game Tour presented by Nissan and managed by Creative Presence Partners on behalf of SPORTS ILLUSTRATED, will make the following Big Ten game stops during the 2008 college football season:
• Penn State at Ohio State, October 25, 2008
• Ohio State at Northwestern, November 8, 2008
As part of the extended relationship with SPORTS ILLUSTRATED, Nissan will be the exclusive sponsor of a special SPORTS ILLUSTRATED collector’s edition Evolution of the Game custom publication celebrating the rich history of the sport and Big Ten football. The commemorative magazine will feature the iconic moments, players and games that have helped evolve the great game of college football. The Big Ten will take a starring role in the publication with excerpts from SPORTS ILLUSTRATED feature stories on Harold “Red” Grange, Bubba Smith and Orlando Pace.
“The Big Ten is proud to welcome Nissan as the conference’s exclusive automotive sponsor,” said Big Ten Commissioner James E. Delany. “Nissan’s extensive involvement with college football, including serving as the presenting sponsor of the Heisman Trophy, makes them a natural fit with the Big Ten, which has produced more Heisman Trophy winners than any other conference. The Big Ten looks forward to working with Nissan to maintain and enhance the opportunities provided to more than 8,500 student-athletes at our 11 institutions.”
“College football remains the centerpiece of Nissan’s strategy in large part because of the intense passion of the fans with which we can connect on a very deep level,” says Christian Meunier, vice president, Nissan marketing. “This partnership with the Big Ten and SPORTS ILLUSTRATED further enhances the consumer experience for the fans. This program not only generates Nissan brand association within key properties like the Heisman Trust, but also acts as a platform to increase Nissan brand opinion.”
“The Big Ten has always been an important and popular part of SPORTS ILLUSTRATED and SI.com’s trusted coverage of college football,” said Andrew Judelson, Chief Marketing Officer for the SPORTS ILLUSTRATED GROUP. “We’re thrilled to join forces with Nissan and the Big Ten to bring college football fans this dynamic, multimedia platform which casts a spotlight on the Big Ten’s role in the evolution of college football.”
About the Big Ten Conference
The Big Ten Conference is an association of 11 world-class universities whose member institutions share a common mission of research, graduate, professional and undergraduate teaching and public service. Founded in 1896, the Big Ten has sustained a comprehensive set of shared practices and policies that enforce the priority of academics in student-athletes’ lives and emphasize the values of integrity, fairness and competitiveness. Big Ten universities provide in excess of $100 million in athletic scholarship aid to more than 8,500 men and women student-athletes who compete for 25 championships, 12 for men and 13 for women. Conference institutions sponsor broad-based athletic programs with more than 270 teams. For more information, visit www.bigten.org.
About Nissan North America
In North America, Nissan's operations include automotive styling, engineering, consumer and corporate financing, sales and marketing, distribution and manufacturing. Nissan is dedicated to improving the environment under the Nissan Green Program 2010, whose key priorities are reducing CO2 emissions, cutting other emissions and increasing recycling. More information on Nissan in North America and the complete line of Nissan and Infiniti vehicles can be found online at www.NissanUSA.com and www.infiniti.com.
About Sports Illustrated
SI is a multimedia sports brand that takes the consumer into the heart and soul of sports. The SI franchise is anchored by SPORTS ILLUSTRATED, the most respected voice in sports journalism which reaches a weekly audience of nearly 21 million adults, and www.SI.COM, the magazine’s 24/7 sports news website that delivers more than 150 original stories to its users each week. The SI franchise also includes SPORTS ILLUSTRATED KIDS (www.sikids.com), a monthly magazine targeted to kids age 8 and up; GOLF MAGAZINE and www.GOLF.COM; www.FANNATION.COM, a social networking and sports news aggregation platform; www.SIONCAMPUS.COM, a website dedicated to college sports and the college sports lifestyle; SI PRESENTS the magazine’s specialty publishing division; as well as SI BOOKS, SI PICTURES, SI PRODUCTIONS, SI DIGITAL and SI EVENTS. Founded in 1954, SI is a division of Time Inc., the world's leading magazine publishing company and a subsidiary of Time Warner.
About Creative Presence Partners
Creative Presence Partners, Inc. (CPP) is an Atlanta-based integrated marketing firm.
CPP's services include brand strategy, concepting, visual identifications, national retail promotions, advertising and the creation and execution of large-scale sampling, experiential and event productions. CPP has received numerous industry awards including Adweek's Buzz Marketer of the Year, the Horizon Sports Marketer of the Year and AMA Amy Awards and can be found on the web at www.cppatl.com.
