The ING New York City Marathon is pulling in an expanding circle of sponsors as the multi-million dollar revenue race widens the range of sponsorship categories.
The New York Road Runners Club, which owns the NYC Marathon, has added six new sponsors to its growing roster this year. Toyota is the new automotive sponsor—supplanting SmartCar—and pushing its eco-friendly Prius and Highlander hybrids. The male and female Marathon winners will each win a Prius.
Hugo Boss becomes the official business attire and fragrance for the event, suggesting the affluence of the runners—with average household incomes of $130,000. The strong German representation in the race was the primary reason Hugo Boss was pursued as a sponsor for the past three years, according to Ann Hinegardner, senior vice president of business development and marketing strategy for New York Road Runners.
Andalucia Tourism is another new sponsor, reflecting marathon runners’ travel impulses, Hinegardner said, who added NYRR also spoke with Mexico and South Africa tourism officials as potential sponsors.
The core sponsorships, such as official drink (Gatorade), official footwear (Asics) and water (Poland Spring), were already filled in long-term deals, Hinegardner noted. The heightened profile of the race over the last few years has helped NYRR explore new partnerships, Hinegardner said.
“We’re attracting a much broader category of sponsorships,” she said.
Garmin joins the race as GPS sponsor this year, pushing the Forerunner 50, a high-tech device for runners to track their training sessions. Newcomer Zicam handles the homeopathic analgesic category.
The new deals will help NYRR reach an estimated $10 million worth of sponsorships, according to the Sports Business Journal. (NYRR exceeds that in registration fees for the race.)
Dunkin’ Donuts is in the mix for the second year as official coffee, providing coffee— hot and iced—for runners. Dunkin’ Donuts locations along the race route will offer free iced coffee to onlookers on race day, Nov. 4. And a Dunkin’ Donuts Super Truck “store on wheels” will debut during the race.
Dunkin’ Donuts will also enter 20 runners in the marathon as part of an “Everyday Joes” team. The group, designed to promote marathon running, conducts local running clinics leading up to the race and will also sell socks this year to support the Dunkin’ Brands Community Foundation.
The Robin Hood Foundation, a new non-profit sponsor that works to raise awareness about New York City poverty, will stage a “block party” at the 20th mile of the race in the Bronx. The goal of the party is to raise funds to support physical education at the school.
In its fifth year as title sponsor, ING has created the ING Run for Something Better program. Launched in 2004, the initiative funds community and school-based running programs in the markets where ING sponsors running events.
Among established sponsors, Continental Airlines is once again title sponsor of Saturday’s International Friendship Run of 18,000 runners. Avis sponsors the Wheelchair Division Race and Athletes with Disabilities Race, and wrap its airport shuttle buses in Marathon-themed ads. Asics will sell co-branded ING NYC Marathon merchandise at a 19,000-square foot Marathon store in the Central Park Marathon Expo Center, where other sponsors will also have exhibit space. Asics will also give each runner a free T-shirt.
Each sponsor also receives advertising space in the Marathon program.
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