from http://www.northjersey.com/sports/giants/20005299.html

Welcome to 'Metlife' Stadium Tuesday, June 17, 2008

Last updated: Tuesday June 17, 2008, EDT 4:32 PM BY JOHN BRENNANSTAFF WRITER

MetLife on Monday became the first of five major sponsors for the new Meadowlands football stadium, gaining "cornerstone sponsor" rights for the southeast corner of the stadium.

Each corner of the $1.5 billion facility, which so far is ahead of schedule for a mid-2010 opening, will feature a separate sponsor. The National Football League's Giants and Jets also will sign up a predominant sponsor that will have naming rights for the league's only two-team stadium.

The cornerstone deals are for a reported $8 million annually, while experts have estimated the naming-rights partner could pay $25 million to $30 million per year. The combined fees, even split two ways, would be a bonanza for the Giants and Jets relative to other sponsorship revenues collected by rival teams.

Mark Lamping, chief executive officer of the New Meadowlands Stadium Co., said that the Jets and Giants are deliberately limiting the number of commercial partners in the stadium.

"With less clutter, you have added incremental value," Lamping said. "It's like the television broadcast of the Masters," which has fewer sponsors than normal golf telecasts.

Team officials have talked previously of signing up partners in various major sectors such as telecommunications, automotive or pharmaceutical. Lamping said the categories are not locked in, but he acknowledged that no other insurance company would be in the running for a major sponsorship.

MetLife and the other corner sponsors each will have "exclusive presence with permanent signage at their entrance," Lamping said. Those partners also gain the only permanent signage on a corner scoreboard, and a "dominant presence" on that portion of the concourses.

Lamping said that 140-year-old MetLife, a multinational insurance and financial services provider, fit the teams' desire for sponsors that are "a leader in their industry." An agreement in principle is in place, with "definitive documents" expected to be signed in the next few weeks.

The naming-rights sponsor would have a visible presence between the end zones and across both sides of the stadium, Lamping said.

The football teams are seeking major commitments from businesses in uncertain economic times, but one sports economist said that doesn't necessarily mean it will be difficult to attract partners.

"Some industries are in rougher shape than others, like Wall Street financial firms," said Marc Ganis of Chicago-based SportsCorp, who expects the naming rights to go for "well above" $20 million per year. "But the mass-market firms still will spend on advertising. Auto manufacturers learned in the last down cycle that you can't skimp on advertising to sell more cars. And the oil companies are doing great."

The new stadium is being built just northeast of 32-year-old Giants Stadium, which also has been the Jets' home since 1984.

MetLife already sponsors three blimps that are familiar sights at sporting events, and it has partnerships with professional football, baseball, golf and tennis. MetLife sponsors the Yankees' clock that counts down to the team's last days at their venerable stadium.

Bill Webster, vice president of advertising and sponsorship for MetLife, said the company had been approached "by virtually every [new] facility in the area."

He added that the combination of the Giants' Super Bowl win in February, the presence of two franchises in one building, and the limited commercial exposure in the stadium all weighed in favor of becoming partners at the new football facility.

Losing the name Giants Stadium blows, but this is the world we live in...

I just hope I get to Giants Stadium one last time before it closes.

as an aside; I can see why the players union would like to include all football related revenue in the CBA

$20 million per team just for naming rights x 32 teams = $640 million the owners are getting directly and is not considered part of the "total football revenue"

If that was included in the CBA, that is an extra $11.9 miliion to the salary cap of each team just from the naming rights

(the current CBA ratio is 59.5% of total football revenue)

from giants.com

MetLife: First Cornerstone Partner in New Stadium

JUNE 16, 2008

NEW YORK – MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) has reached an agreement in principle to be the first major marketing partner of the new Meadowlands stadium in New Jersey, future home of the New York Giants and New York Jets. As a Cornerstone Partner, MetLife will have the exclusive naming rights to brand one of the four main entrances to the new stadium as well as one of the four main scoreboards inside the stadium. MetLife will also become the official life insurance company of the Giants and Jets.

"We are incredibly pleased that a great company like MetLife is the first of our four cornerstone sponsors," said Mark Lamping, president and chief executive officer of New Meadowlands Stadium Co. "The cornerstone sponsors will anchor the four corners of the new stadium and help make possible the best fan experience both inside the seating bowl and in the concourses. We are proud to welcome such a high quality company to this historic project and look forward to a long partnership together."

“This is a unique opportunity to promote MetLife, the leading life insurance company in the U.S., at a new state-of-the-art NFL facility,” said Beth Hirschhorn, MetLife senior vice president, global brand and marketing. “It will not only deliver tremendous national exposure, but it also allows us to create a brand experience for sports fans and concert goers.”

This sponsorship fits in perfectly with MetLife’s significant sports promotion strategy, which includes its three blimps (Snoopy One, Two and Three) and its premier TV network partnerships to cover major PGA TOUR and USGA golf events including the US Open, LPGA events, and Major League Baseball and NFL football games.

MetLife is a sponsor of the 2008 New York Yankees, as well as their interactive countdown clock commemorating the last season at Yankee Stadium, and has a presence at Madison Square Garden for NY Rangers and NY Knicks games and is a sponsor of a major U.S. cycling team.

The parties will be working toward definitive documents in the coming weeks.

Celebrating 140 years, MetLife, Inc. is a leading provider of insurance and financial services with operations throughout the United States and the Latin America, Europe and Asia Pacific regions. Through its domestic and international subsidiaries and affiliates, MetLife, Inc. reaches more than 70 million customers around the world and MetLife is the largest life insurer in the United States (based on life insurance in-force). The MetLife companies offer life insurance, annuities, auto and home insurance, retail banking and other financial services to individuals, as well as group insurance, reinsurance and retirement & savings products and services to corporations and other institutions. For more information, please visit www.metlife.com.

from Giants.com

Anheuser-Busch signs cornerstone partnership

JUNE 19, 2008

NEW YORK - The New Meadowlands Stadium Co. announced today that Budweiser and Bud Light will become the second cornerstone partner of the greatest stadium venture in National Football League history. The agreement grants Budweiser and Bud Light a significant presence in and around the new Meadowlands Stadium when it opens in 2010, and extends the beers’ malt beverage sponsorship of both the New York Jets and the New York Giants. With the signing of this sponsorship deal, 50 percent of the cornerstones have been sponsored by leading international companies.

Fans arriving at Meadowlands Stadium will enjoy pre-game festivities and live music and in the 25,000 square-foot Budweiser and Bud Light branded plaza on the stadium’s north side. Inside the northeast corner of the stadium, fans will find a multi-tiered, 4,000-6,000 sq. ft. per level sports bar – perfect for catching up on all the league’s action while enjoying the stadium’s festive atmosphere. Once inside the bowl, Budweiser and Bud Light bring the action to fans by sponsoring one of the stadium’s featured 40 x 130-foot HD video display boards.

“Anheuser-Busch is the undisputed leader in their industry and one of the most respected sponsors in all of sports,” said Mark Lamping, President and Chief Executive Officer of New Meadowlands Stadium Co. “Their commitment to this historic project helps make possible our goal to create the pre-eminent worldwide sports and entertainment destination. From the pre-event activity outside of the stadium to the unprecedented amount of video within the seating bowl and public spaces, everything about this stadium is designed to provide fans with the best possible experience.”

“Anheuser-Busch has a great relationship with both the Jets and Giants, and our collective ingenuity helped create the best possible arrangement for branding Budweiser and Bud Light and the new Meadowlands Stadium,” said Tony Ponturo, Vice President of Global Media and Sports Marketing for Anheuser-Busch, Inc. “We’re honored to be a cornerstone partner of the Meadowlands and to be a part of the success of the Jets and Giants for many years to come.”

“When New York Jets’ and New York Giants’ fans enter the New Meadowlands Stadium for the 2010 football season, they will be walking into a facility that preserves the greatest qualities of the original Meadowlands, such as the fantastic sightlines to the field, but is transformed by public spaces and technology that deliver a 21st Century experience,” said Giants Chairman and Executive Vice President Steve Tisch. “The stadium will be one of the most advanced sports and entertainment complexes in the world, pulsing with a state-of-the-art infrastructure that will enable the teams to take advantage of new technological developments well into the future.”

“This sponsorship is a significant milestone as we move toward our opening in August 2010,” said John Mara, Giants President and Chief Executive Officer. “With more than 14 thousand tons of steel already erected, 45,000 cubic yards of concrete poured, and 680,000 man-hours logged, we are well on our way to creating one of the finest stadiums in the world.”

Anheuser-Busch will maintain a significant presence in all Jets and Giants radio network broadcasts. As official beer sponsors of 28 NFL teams, Budweiser and Bud Light will also maintain a significant presence on all local and national game broadcasts, and are the exclusive alcohol beverage category advertiser on the Super Bowl broadcast through 2012.

The Meadowlands and Anheuser-Busch will continue to promote community outreach programs including the Good Sport Program and recycling. The Good Sport Program allows fans to register as designated drivers and enjoy non-alcoholic beverages during the games. Registration points for the Good Sport program will be located throughout the main concourse level.

The recycling program provides recycling receptacles outside the stadium throughout the parking lots as well as on Meadowlands Stadium property. Proceeds of the recycling program benefit local environmental charities.

Budweiser American-style lager and Bud Light American-style light lager are the world’s best-selling beers. Based in St. Louis, Anheuser-Busch ranked No. 1 among beverage companies in FORTUNE Magazine’s Most Admired U.S. and Global Companies lists in 2008.

Anheuser-Busch is one of the largest theme park operators in the United States and one of the world’s largest recyclers of aluminum cans. For more information, visit www.anheuser-busch.com.

What the hey, i watch most games on tv, and on tv every field is one hundred yards you can't tell unless your at the game live. Which living upstate i try to get to some. I just hope the NFL doesn't become NASCAR and mention sponsorship every ten minutes.

Bigblue25 wrote:What the hey, i watch most games on tv, and on tv every field is one hundred yards you can't tell unless your at the game live. Which living upstate i try to get to some. I just hope the NFL doesn't become NASCAR and mention sponsorship every ten minutes.

I hear that BigBlue. As long as its on the stadium and not on the jerseys and field.