WWE Marketing Presentation Report
January 26, 2011
Report by Torch VIP member Cabledude

This morning, I attended a WWE-sponsored webinar for entertainment marketers. WWE is constantly looking for potential promotional partners, and they are still looking for sponsors for this year’s WrestleMania, so the purpose of this webinar was to entice prospective companies to partner with WWE to reach their fanbase. Overall, it was a pretty interesting presentation, particularly if anyone wonders how sponsors get incorporated into WWE television and live events. It also gave a small window into the “corporate machine” that is WWE.

Newsworthy Presentation Highlights

-- WWE does not plan to cut the number of PPVs from the current slate of 13 per year, according to Joe DelGrosso, Senior Vice President of Partner Sales. DelGrosso said WWE has established a "new standard" of 13 annual PPVs (12 monthly and WrestleMania). He said it will likely be the "minimum" going forward, implying they could add PPV events in the future.

-- WWE is bringing back the Diva Search contest. Julie Stenz, WWE's Director of Partner Marketing, said there will be a ten-week competition during WWE's "regularly scheduled" WWE programming and there will be sponsorship opportunities for the Diva Search segments.

-- WWE plans to make Los Angeles the annual home of Summerslam, arguably WWE's second-most important PPV of the year. It was implied that Summerslam will be held in Los Angeles every year going forward due to the availability and access to Hollywood celebrities.

***

Detailed Recap

How the webinar was billed: Athleticism, personality, humor, unpredictability – the WWE brand of entertainment delivers drama, competition and constant thrills you simply can’t get anywhere else - along with an enormous and passionate fan base whose loyalty is unparalleled.

On January 26, Joe DelGrosso, Senior Vice President of Partner Sales and Julie Stenz, Director of Partner Marketing for World Wrestling Entertainment will invite marketers into the WWE Universe, sharing information about the company’s multi-platform marketing capabilities, highlighting recent case studies and detailing unique partnership opportunities like WrestleMania and Fan Axxess. Discover why WWE is one-stop shopping for marketers seeking integrated and turnkey programs – that deliver results. Learn why partners return year after year. And see for yourself why Ad Age recently named WWE one of the Hottest Brands for 2010.

Mr. DelGrosso started the 45-minute presentation with a basic property review of the WWE brand, calling it the “world’s largest moving entertainment juggernaut.” Slides were presented highlighting WWE’s average annual revenue of $500 million, 35 percent of which comes from international. Mr. DelGrosso explained that WWE is comprised of five major components, all of which offer sponsorship opportunities:

-- Live Events (300 a year)
-- TV Events
-- Consumer Events
-- Digital Events
-- WWE Studios

WrestleMania was of course highlighted as the WWE version of the Super Bowl. I think Mr. DelGrosso pointed to the Orlando WrestleMania as one of the most successful from a partnership standpoint.

From there, Mr. DelGrosso played a "Who is WWE" video to further showcase the WWE brand and lay out statistics WWE proudly touts to prospective advertisers & the public at large. After the video, Mr. DelGrosso returned to showing more slides designed to excite advertisers. Here are just a few of the highlights:

-- The 13 WWE monthly PPVs create spikes in fan engagement and excitement. At the end of the webinar, Mr. DelGrosso responded to whether WWE would ever consider cutting the number of PPVs. He explained that they had gone from 14 PPVs a year to 13 PPVs a couple of years ago, but the scheduling of one PPV a month plus Wrestlemania is the new standard and that 13 PPVs a year will likely be the minimum going forward.

-- WWE has a unique fan base not reached through traditional sports.

-- 88% of viewers watch RAW live.

-- WWE has over 75 million “monthly touch points,” meaning an advertiser can reach the WWE audience through print, digital, live events, movie product placement, etc.

-- The 13 annual PPVs gross over 5 billion buys annually.

Julie Stenz then took over the webinar and highlighted some successful partnerships WWE has cultivated with advertisers. In particular, Ms. Stenz pointed to Twix, 7-Eleven, and Slim Jim as partners who have enjoyed tremendous success by partnering with WWE.

-- Twix was incorporated into Summerslam with on-air Summerslam “recall moments” as well as signage and placement on the website, live events and WWE magazine. Twix will renew their partnership with WWE in 2011.

-- 7-Eleven is a multi-year partner who has been given co-branded promotional assets as sponsors of PPVs, live events, etc. Ms. Stenz said that the WWE-branded 7-Eleven collectible cups sell out quickly each year. In addition, 7-Eleven has received visual & verbal ID on WWE television, logos on the announcer tables, digital integration and of course, WWE leverages on-air talent to sell more product.

-- Slim Jim is WWE’s longest-running promotional partner. Slim Jim’s most recent partnership with WWE leveraged the star power of WWE superstar Edge, who appeared in on-air spots, digital trailers, and print ads. (This portion of the presentation eerily reminded me of the scene in Beyond the Mat when a then WWE-executive likened WWE Superstars to The Muppets).

Ms. Stenz went on to lay out current opportunities WWE has available to advertisers. Apparently, WWE is still open for business for this year’s WrestleMania. Sponsors can come aboard for a 5 week promotional period (Feb 28th-April 3rd).

Mr. DelGrosso explained, “As a presenting sponsor, an advertiser can receive tremendous exposure through integrated multi-platform activation across all WWE properties.” Opportunities remain open for Fan Axxess Exhibits during WrestleMania weekend as well as local Atlanta opportunities.

Ms. Stenz highlighted that opportunities for Summerslam and most other PPVs for the calendar year are also available. “Our monthly PPVs offer unique promotional windows, long-term or short-term,” she said. It was implied that Summerslam will be held in Los Angeles every year going forward due to the availability and access to Hollywood celebrities.

Ms. Stenz went on to showcase two other sponsorship opportunities WWE hopes to capitalize on this year:

-- Diva Search – A flexible 24 week flight (featuring branded segments) is open for this 10 week competition during regularly scheduled WWE programming. This was touted as WWE’s version of “American Idol.” No mention of Tough Enough.

-- Tribute to the Troops – Going into its 9th year, this event has become a staple. An exclusive presenting sponsor opportunity exists which can include product placement and high visibility on Raw & Smackdown.

Mr. DelGrosso closed the presentation by showing a slide which highlighted the Ad Age endorsement of WWE as “the hottest brand of 2010.” The slide also touted the award the Stand Up for WWE campaign received and the fact that John Cena was dubbed “the most influential Social Good Champion” for his work with Make-A-Wish.

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