Have you forgotten to do your holiday shopping and are running out of time to find gifts to WOW your friends and family?!? The Sponsorship Space has you covered this year with the Last Second Sponsorship Holiday Gift Guide. These brands are lighting up the world this holiday season, coming up with creative products, innovations and collaborations throughout 2020 for the world to enjoy.
For the business traveler itching to get back on the road | $6.99-$3,495
Amidst one of the toughest years the hotel industry has ever faced, hotel brands had to look for creative ways to open new revenue streams and give their most loyal customers a way to stay connected to what they love most about their favorite hotels.
Major hoteliers such as Marriott, the Westin, and Ritz-Carlton have taken their accommodation staples to e-commerce via Marriott Bonvoy Boutiques. Consumers can visit the website to pickup all types of signature brand items such as Marriott’s Attune Scent, a Sheraton Waffle Weave Robe and even a Ritz Carlton Mattress.
This is a great move for these hotel brands as they have loyal followings who love to support them and connections to supply chains through normal purchasing for the hotels to reutilize inventory typically used throughout their properties.
Who wouldn’t want an Edition Hotel Alpaca Throw Blanket for $450?!?!?
For the friend who forgets it’s Sunday | $3.49
Chick-fil-A (CFA) has an avid following and is often touted for its top-tier customer service. CFA was even named the #2 “most loved” quick service restaurant brand of 2020, according to Morning Consult. As one of the most popular fast-food chains, CFA gets done in six days what other fast-food restaurants need seven days for.
The brand is notorious for closing its doors on Sundays, originally a religious based decision, continues on to give employees a day of rest. This decision is part of what creates scarcity and the cult following behind Chick-fil-A, so much so that the chicken purveyors leave an estimated $1.2 billion in revenue on the table annually.
Where do forgetful (or hungover?) CFA fanatics turn to get their chicken fix on Sunday?
In March, Chick-fil-A brought their famous Chick-fil-A Sauces to retail at Publix, Walmart, Target and Winn Dixie throughout Florida. Now CFA fans can now get their beloved sauces and smatter it on anything, any time, any place.
Chick-fil-A isn’t just raking in the profits either, 100% of the proceeds from the retail sale of Chick-fil-A sauce goes to the Remarkable Futures Scholarship Initiative. This initiative will award $17 million in scholarships to 6,700 Chick-fil-A employees this year.
Another one of our favorite Chick-fil-A moves this year? Creating at-home do-it-yourself cooking tutorials using menu items in a content series called Nightly Nuggets.
For the friend who loves beer and hates COVID-19 | $19.99
As COVID-19 wreaked havoc across the world in early March, many alcohol brands stepped up to help fight the Pandemic. Breweries and distilleries had a unique opportunity to reengineer their alcohol making process into an virus fighting process by pumping out hand sanitizer.
Some brands made the decision to donate product, while others used the opportunity to capitalize on a market need with no supply and over tapped demand. Anheuser Busch turned six of their breweries into temporary hand sanitizer production facilities, generating and donating over 500,000 bottles of hand sanitizer throughout 20 states.
For smaller craft breweries like, Big Storm Brewery in Clearwater Florida, the transition to hand sanitizer allowed the company to help fight the virus, open a new revenue stream, and keep employees employed.
2020 has been the year to help others out, and many alcohol companies saw an opportunity to step up to fight the global Pandemic. Stopping production of product in favor of making hand sanitizer most likely hurt the bottom line in the short-term, but decisions like these have long-term positive effect on brand equity.
For the friend who balls out on and off the court | $750-$5,350
The NBA has always sat at the intersection of pop-culture and fashion. Nike went from being a performance basketball shoe to arguably the most recognizable fashion brand in the world. In fact, the only fashion brand Nike sits behind in terms of brand value according to Forbes Most Valuable Brands of 2020 is Louis Vuitton.
What started with Michael Jordan and Nike, has launched a blend of sports and lifestyle wear. We’ve seen players build their own apparel companies, endorse product lines and approach game-day wardrobes as if they were in a NY Fashion Week runway show.
Louis Vuitton took notice and partnered with the NBA on an exclusive collection called LVxNBA. This collaboration speaks to the synergies and spotlight the NBA can provide a luxury clothing brand such as Louis Vuitton. The concepts within the collection are based off player fashion trends when traveling, arriving to games and during press conferences.
Much like the apparel athletes wear on the court, people have taken notice to wardrobe style choices off the court as social media outlets and influencers give people a peak behind the curtain into the everyday lives now more than ever.
For the Uber Eats fan who wants to eat local | $12.00
Do you ever wish you could eat airline food for breakfast lunch and dinner? Probably not, but now you have the chance to do so! Regional Canadian airline Air North, Yukon’s Airline has stepped into the food delivery game, offering their meals for purchase that can be delivered directly to your door (unfortunately only if you live in the Whitehorse, Canada area).
Air North’s service, branded Flight Kitchen, offers a wide variety of entrees, vegetarian options and desserts. Menu items includes options such as breakfast burritos, chicken pot pie, and six flavors of cheesecake.
Similar to hotel brands offering their signature products via e-commerce, airlines had to think about altering their businesses models when COVID-19 hit. Air North was able to look at their verticals and find revenue streams to help buoy the massive revenue losses the airline incurred since the Pandemic brought the industry to a standstill. Although this offer is limited to a very small area of Canada, we commend the airline for thinking creatively and providing a needed service.
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