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January 11, 2010
Momentum strategy: Haier sponsorship deal for Barclays Center finally announced seven months after report, but is it really "lucrative" (as per NYT)?
Atlantic Yards Report
More than a year ago, on 12/2/08, Nets CEO Brett Yormark claimed there were nine founding partners, or sponsors, for the Barclays Center.
A 9/16/09 Barclays Center press release about suite sales cited eight founding partners, despite a 6/19/09 New York Times City Room blog report on Haier as "another lucrative sponsorship deal."
Strategic timing
Now, Sports Business Daily (subscribers only) finally confirms the Haier partnership "in a deal that comes two weeks after owner Bruce Ratner closed on the planned $800 million arena."
Actually, the timing might better be described as announced rather than signed the wake of the closing. It's an effort to demonstrate momentum for the arena.
Indeed, according to the summary on NetsDaily, “The closing helps us with the fence-sitters who wanted to wait until we closed on the arena deal,” said Brett Yormark.
Related...
SportsBusiness Journal, Haier is 9th founding deal for Nets [subscription required]
The New Jersey Nets have added appliance and electronics maker Haier as a Barclays Center founding partner, a deal that comes two weeks after owner Bruce Ratner closed on the planned $800 million arena in Brooklyn, N.Y. Nets Sports & Entertainment President and CEO Brett Yormark [said]...
Posted by eric at January 11, 2010 10:48 AM