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Thursday, February 23, 2006
CIAA evolves into sports
marketing juggernaut
Continued from page 1A
look at ourselves as among
the best in the country When
you have that kind of audi
ence and it’s a captive audi
ence, there it is.”
That audience is expected
to be at least 120,000 strong
next week for the annual
basketball tournament. As
the crown jewel in the
league’s athletic crown, the
tournament has fueled the
dAA’s evolution into a social
and marketing juggernaut.
“We just found there’s a
great brand identity with the
CIAA,” said Graham Denton,
North Carolina Carolina
president of Chariotte-based
Bank of America. “It’s a
broader picture as we like
sports (marketings As we
brand our name (the CIAA)
is a very powerful event’
The CIAA has 17 partner
ships, including Fortune 500
giants Coca-Cola, Anheuser-
Busch, McDonald’s and Ford
Motor Co. Tbgether, they’re
providing more than $2 mil
lion in scholarships, a first in
the league’s history Under
Commissioner Leon Kerry,
the conference has built the
CIAA into a marketer’s
dream
“Commissioner Kerry says
you’ve got to have butts in
the seats,” McLeod said.
“You’ve got to have people
who will see their product.
That’s what its about at the
end of the day - moving the
product”
Bank of America and North
Wilkesboro-based Lowe’s are
part of the N.C. contingent,
and Charlotte broadcasters
WJZY-TV, WBAV and WPEG
radio are also on board.
Sponsoring the (CIAA has
“exceeded expectations” in its
first full year, said Tbrarie
Durden, director of Russell
Athletic Corp.’s HBCU
Group. “As a
conference,
they’re good
business part
ners. It also
helps the
schools.”
Russell,
which has
relationships
a graduate of CIAA member
Livingstone College and
\M
Denton
Kerry
with four of five historically
black conferences, provides
uniforms for every CIAA
school as well as equipment
for the Charlotte tourna
ment. It also pumps a por
tion of proceeds fiom the sale
of HBCU gear back to the
schools.
Basketball is what the
CIAA is known for, but it has
sponsorship deals in place to
support all sports. For
instance, Salisbury-based
Food lion sponsored tailgate
parties during football sea
son. As the league’s longest-
running partnership. Food
Lion also recruits heavily
fix>m HB(TUs in its territory
along the Atlantic Seaboard.
“We’ve been a partner for
13 years,” said Eric Watson,
Food Lion’s
vice president
of diversity
and inclusion.
“We have
1,200 stores
located in the
southeast and
Mid-Atlantic,
which is right
in the footpiint of the (TIAA.
“The foundation of the
relationship is if you’re going
to support deserving stu
dents, it makes good sense.”
CIAA fans will see Bank of
America’s message outside
the arena, too. The bank is
sponsoring seminar, infor
mation booths and savings
account programs at the
Charlotte Convention
Center. It’s also hosting a
pep rally Monday at
Founders HaU.
“We foimd that many indi
viduals won’t go to the
games, but will take advan
tage of Fan Fest,” Denton
said.
And everything else CIAA
next week.
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