Citi Closes Its Umbrella On The Rose Bowl
Written by Daniel Turner, Wednesday June 23 2010
Citi Corp. has officially ended its seven year run as sponsor of the Rose Bowl. The Grand Daddy of all bowl games is currently up for grabs with Citi citing ESPN’s restrictions over how its sponsorship money would have been allocated.
When ESPN out bid the Fox Network for the BCS package they also took over marketing and advertising rights. Part of the deal that ESPN has been promoting for the past four months involves all of the bowl sponsors signing on for season long advertising. Citi claims that the package weighed them down by having to spend money to advertise on telecasts that they didn’t deem necessary to their budget.
Some industry insiders believe that the ongoing realignment of conferences has created an uncertainty that made Citi uncomfortable spending money beyond their Rose Bowl commitment. Others cited Citi’s uncertain economic future as the reason why they are stepping down as sponsors of the New Years Day classic. While Citi’s future is murky, it cannot be argued that other companies are also approaching the BCS package with caution and ESPN’s marketing efforts have yet to reach their desired level.
While the package may be a tougher sell than anticipated there are corporations that are interested in sponsoring the Rose Bowl. Foremost is AT&T who is considering reentering their sponsorship of the game. Unique to the Rose Bowl is their insistence that the sponsor does not eclipse the venue. Therefore it is “The Rose Bowl Presented by Citi” as opposed to the “Tostitos Fiesta Bowl”.
While ESPN attempts to nail down a sponsor for the Rose Bowl they are also seeking an Orange Bowl sponsor since FedEx ended their 21 year agreement. It appears certain that Allstate will continue to sponsor the Sugar Bowl, but negotiations are still underway with Tostitos regarding the Fiesta Bowl.
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