Leading Brand Executives Share Secrets to Sponsorship Success During IEG's 30th Annual Sponsorship Conference

CHICAGO, IL--(Marketwired - Apr 19, 2013) - Dozens of leading sponsorship and marketing executives from the world's biggest brands took the stage over four days of presentations to discuss sponsorship at IEG's (www.sponsorship.com) 30^th annual sponsorship conference. The event, themed Über Sponsorship: Break the Mold and Shape the Future, took place this week in Chicago and consisted of nearly 100 sessions, workshops and receptions, attracting an audience of over 1,200 sponsorship professionals.

In her opening keynote Monday morning, IEG Chief Insights Officer Lesa Ukman described her vision for keeping sponsorships and partnerships relevant to target markets and valuable for brands, and rightsholder partners provided a "state-of-the-industry" during which she noted sponsorship's explosive growth, driven by digital and social media.

Discussions throughout the week focused on all aspects of sponsorship and marketing -- ranging from the importance of dominating local markets, which was championed by MillerCoors EVP, Chief Marketing Officer Andy England -- to the growing trend of social innovation and entrepreneurship among brands, highlighted by (RED) CEO Deborah Dugan.

Executives also emphasized the importance of clearly defining brands' ideologies. Jim Stengel, former Global Chief Marketing Officer of Procter & Gamble and current President/CEO of The Jim Stengel Company, urged marketers to build their brands around an ideal, pointing to the rebranding of Pampers diapers to focus on improving babies' lives. Frank Cooper, CMO Global Consumer Engagement of PepsiCo, highlighted Pepsi's partnership with Beyoncé as an example of how intent -- not content -- is king. Mr. Cooper discussed how brands need to build social consciousness into their core behavior in order to integrate with the world around them.

"IEG's 30^th annual sponsorship conference was another big success that brought together the most innovative, dynamic marketing thought leaders to discuss cutting edge topics in sponsorship," said Laren Ukman, CEO, IEG. "There were plenty of great discussions and debates which offered key insights to our attendees, and we look forward to delivering another great event next year."

Learn more about IEG at www.sponsorship.com.

About IEG Consulting
IEG Consulting leads the way in sponsorship solutions. With over 30 years providing insights, evaluation, and guidance, our teams bring unparalleled perspective and proven methodology to every challenge.

We partner with top brands and properties to create fresh strategies, evaluate opportunities and maximize results. Our clients rise above competitors, meaningfully engage audiences and achieve lasting impact.

A unit of WPP's GroupM, IEG, LLC is connected to specialty sibling communications companies in media, digital and activation. GroupM is the leading global media investment management operation that also serves as parent company to WPP media agencies including Maxus, MEC, MediaCom, and Mindshare.

For more information about IEG and the sponsorship industry, please visit www.sponsorship.com or call 800/834-4850 (outside the U.S. and Canada, 312/944-1727).