Dallas (Sept. 25, 2009) – Learfield Sports and FanDrive Media announced today that they have agreed to a three-year partnership effective with this 2009-’10 athletic year. The relationship will provide a steady entry point for FanDrive Media to promote its mobile marketing expertise and text applications to the more than 50 universities represented by collegiate multimedia rights holder Learfield Sports.
FanDrive Media already has deals in place with six of Learfield Sports’ partners – Missouri, Iowa, Iowa State, Indiana, Toledo and Texas A&M. These and other properties can utilize the FanDriveLive! SaaS platform to create and manage their mobile media channel and FanDrive services to provide aggregation and messaging.
“Fans are using their phones for more than just text. They’re consuming content – and lots of it – and advertisers are always looking for new ways to become part of that,” said JB Vick, president of FanDrive Media. “We’re focused on creating fun and relevant mobile entertainment technology, so teaming up with Learfield Sports made perfect sense for us. Now they have put in place a means by which advertisers can make a single national ‘mobile marketing buy’ across multiple markets and sports properties all while running a single campaign.”
At sporting events across the country, fans are now participating in the action through means such as sending their own text messages that appear on arena video boards; “pulling” for their team in mobile tug-o-wars on the screen; sending in their own mobile pictures to see them shown on the stadium big screens; entering contests and sweepstakes using their mobile phones; texting security when needing to alert authorities anonymously and signing up to receive mobile coupons.
“Our strategic relationship with FanDrive Media presents our partners and sponsors with an interactive way of communicating with fans,” said Learfield Sports’ Senior Vice President Mike Behymer. “In today’s world, we would be missing out on a tremendous opportunity if we didn’t help our sponsors and partners embrace the benefits and visibility that can be gained through targeted mobile marketing initiatives.”
FanDriveMedia (FDM) is a mobile technology company that creates software (SAAS) products which generate mobile media opportunities that are sold into the sports, education and entertainment markets. Clients are provided with simple functionality over an array of sophisticated mobile software applications. The software platform enables them to monitor, market, mine and monetize the mobile media back channel to their audience. FDM was co-founded by J.B. Vick, Stan Kasten, owner and President of the MLB Washington Nationals and Will Sanders, former CFO of Turner Broadcasting.
In addition to its individual school relationships, Learfield Sports manages the multimedia rights for the Big Ten Conference, Western Athletic Conference and Missouri Valley Conference. The company also titles the Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup, oversees marketing partnerships for the Black Coaches & Administrators (BCA) and provides exclusive sports programming to more than 1,000 radio stations nationwide. It is an operating unit of Jefferson City, Mo.-based Learfield Communications, Inc., which made its initial foray into the world of sports marketing in 1975. For additional information and the complete collegiate portfolio, visit learfieldsports.com.
Posted on Friday, September 25, 2009