Men’s and Women’s Basketball, Football for 15-University Partnership
PLANO, Texas – Learfield Sports announced today it has launched a multi-year, integrated national sponsorship platform for Koch Industries, Inc. as the privately held company embarks on a broader initiative into collegiate sports marketing.
The partnership tipped off during the 2014-15 basketball season at 15 select universities in states and will run through the 2017-18 athletic season.
Koch looks to Learfield to help tell its story to the dedicated college sports fan base and university communities. Centered around men’s and women’s basketball and football, the platform provides Koch multiple opportunities for heightened brand awareness through in-venue signage; digital inclusions and social media campaigns; game sponsorships; and radio broadcast features. Additionally, Koch will have opportunities to honor its employees or alumni through in-game, on-the-field or on-the-court recognition.
Learfield Sports, which manages multimedia rights for nearly 100 collegiate properties, secured the broad-based sponsorship program for Koch with its 10 university partners involved – Iowa; Iowa State; K-State; Minnesota; Oklahoma; Oklahoma State; SMU; Texas A&M; Texas Tech and Wisconsin. Rounding out the 15 schools are Arkansas-Fayetteville; Houston; Kansas; Nebraska and TCU.
Engagement at the university level will be complemented by national and regional exposure with the Missouri Valley Conference, also a Learfield partner, in which Koch will garner extensive branding opportunities during the men’s and women’s basketball championship tournaments. MVC’s 10 member schools are Bradley; Drake; Indiana State; Illinois State; Evansville; Loyola (Chicago); Wichita State; Missouri State; Southern Illinois and Northern Iowa.
“College sports are a great fit for us and we’re excited to lend our support to these schools,” said Steve Lombardo, chief communications and marketing officer for Koch Industries, Inc. “Like student athletes, our 60,000 U.S. employees understand that hard work and team spirit are fundamental to winning and success.”
“We’re pleased to help Koch Industries dive into the dynamic marketplace of collegiate sports and develop a meaningful program across many states and many schools to help drive home their goals of being able to give back to the college communities and bolster recruitment awareness,” said Learfield Sports’ Executive Vice President, National Sales Roy Seinfeld. “There is a special passion and loyalty among the college sector that is like no other, and we’re fortunate to bring this to life for Koch Industries and their many brands in what we believe will be an outstanding opportunity for them across the board.”
About Koch Industries, Inc. Based in Wichita, Kansas, Koch Industries, Inc. is one of the largest private companies in America with annual revenues of about $115 billion, according to Forbes. It owns a diverse group of companies involved in refining, chemicals, grain processing and biofuels; forest and consumer products; fertilizers; polymers and fibers; process and pollution control equipment and technologies; electronic components; commodity trading; minerals; energy; ranching; glass; and investments. Since 2003, Koch companies have invested more than $70 billion in acquisitions and other capital expenditures. With a presence in about 60 countries, Koch companies employ more than 100,000 people worldwide, with about 60,000 of those in the United States. From January 2009 to present, Koch companies have earned more than 930 awards for safety, environmental excellence, community stewardship, innovation, and customer service.
About Learfield Sports Learfield Sports’ rich history includes four decades of developing trusted, long-term relationships with some of the most revered institutions and associations in the world of college sports. The company has prominence in all of the major conferences and titles the prestigious Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup with award co-founders NACDA and USA Today. Learfield represents collegiate institutions, conferences and arenas for their respective multimedia rights and sponsorship initiatives, and offers these partners with professional concessions and ticket sales, licensing and trademark consulting and digital platform expertise through its owned companies. To learn more about Learfield’s history, businesses and job opportunities, please visit www.learfieldsports.com.