Tim Cole is the Sustainability Program Manager of Virginia Beach Schools and founder of the HR Sustainable Living Expo. Tim, who is a valuable advisor to the ISC, is one of the leading experts in sustainability and schools. Now, Tim is extending his program successes with the creation of this event which will introduce and develop an educational and collaborative opportunity for a critical region of the United States, the Hampton Road area, in regard to sustainability.

The ISC is supporting the HR Sustainable Living Expo and encourages sponsors to contact us for information on how to participate in this important event. The Expo will include speakers and exhibits with the first day focusing on how local businesses can reduce their impact on our natural resources, operate more sustainably, and perhaps even save a little money while providing a better workplace. The second day is designed to answer many questions that local residents have regarding sustainability. Learning venues will range from edible landscapes and urban gardening to bee keeping and alternative energy opportunities for your home.

The Nike vision has a long-term commitment and supported by two clear tracks:

1. The first is to Make Today Better: taking account of our impact areas (including waste, water, energy, toxics and labor) and working to both improve and redefine business performance.
2. The second involves Design the Future by unleashing innovation and embedding sustainability into our product and manufacturing approaches.

In order to maximize the impact of the collective efforts, Nike has stated the critical importance of collaboration,
“As a company with an extensive supply chain, we have learned over the years that our impacts, both environmental and social, create a complex set of challenges that cannot be solved by one company on its own. We also recognize that if companies work alone, the best that will be achieved is incremental change, rather than the transformation of markets and economies that is required. To that end we are accelerating the transparency of our data, knowledge sharing and tools and encouraging deep collaboration across the system in which we operate.”

Great work from Nike and congratulations to Hannah for the leadership role and development of real solutions through sustainability.

A general comment should be made as to the fiduciary responsibility of a franchise to its respective league. The purpose of the league, it seems, isn’t to support the national team, but to create a stable and thriving league to support its fans, sponsors, athletes and staff. There doesn’t seem to be a consideration to the international players in the WPS and that is very short-sighted and oblivious. Soccer has had its share of failed operations, but hopefully this one will soon be rectified. On a positive note, the MLS is thankfully riding the wave of current and past passions, becoming stronger every day and carrying the flag for all of with hope. Let’s keep working on this so our daughters can have a future in pro soccer.

Considering that the NBA may be looking at another labor disturbance in six years, it is time that sponsors collectively address the situation and press the issue to defend financial commitments and brand reputations. Professional sports thrives on fan passion and these events erode the trust and generational equity fans have invested and created in them. The industry rents that passion – we don’t own it. Sponsors have a fiduciary responsibility to fans and through the ISC they collectively have the opportunity to raise the efficiencies of the industry. Otherwise, accountability and justification of sponsorship commitments will be affected.

The program was highlighted by Waste and Recycling News

The additional information for fans to embrace recycling at home is exactly what the ISC has been promoting for sports teams to do. This is a next generational opportunity for brands to engage fans through their respective sustainability initiatives, so make sure you include sponsors in the process. They have a wealth of knowledge, experience and the ability to add value to the program. Increased relevance is key for sponsors.

A major program we promote is Sponsor Initiative Marketing™.

Many corporations are committed to sustainability and it is crucial that the properties they sponsor have aligned values. It is also important to promote the sustainability initiatives of these sponsors. By doing so, the property increases the relevancy of its sponsors and deepens the engagement between sponsors and fans. If done right, this ultimately increases the value of the sponsorship to the sponsor.

If a corporation has recycling as a core sustainability initiative, develop a recycling program and tie-in the sponsor.
We encourage properties to continue to have their own respective charities, but they are losing out on a valuable opportunity to build sponsor awareness and reputations by ignoring their initiatives. Another case-in-point is shirt sponsorships. It’s great to put a charity on a shirt and bypass the sponsor and its associative revenue, but you are depositioning sponsors as a whole and losing out on the opportunity to connect a charity or initiative to a sponsors thus winning on all sides.

Sponsor Initiative Marketing and the leveraging of sustainability in the industry will create more meaningful opportunities for current sponsors and bring new ones into the fold

Without the passion of fans, there is no sports industry. Without the passion of fans, there are no sponsors.
Unfortunately, that passion is being leveraged to the breaking point, leveraged and in many cases, abused. If we don’t address these abuses, we kill a critical positive force of society.

The ISC focuses on sustainability because it is a crucial commitment to the future of most industries as well as the planet. Yet in many cases, the sports industry is the antithesis of sustainability. For too long our industry has increased costs upon fans and sponsors while failing to appreciate the benefits of that support and acting in a financially responsible way.

This isn’t an issue of if players and or owners making too much money – that is based upon what the market will bear.

This is a case of the industry living up to its contract between the fans and sponsors. The industry must act more responsibly. As an example, soccer is at an all-time low suffering from corruption accusations, and despite this, it continues to work on a “business-as-usual“ basis. The ISC sponsors have to create an outside analysis of the situation. This is demanded by the commitments of corporate sustainability.

In the case of labor issues, the ISC and sponsors have neither the desire nor intent of dictating the management of sport, but we do demand that you live up to your obligations and deliver a product – we can’t and will not accept threats of labor stoppages every three or four years from leagues.

The ISC and sponsors are coming together in a show of support of the fans and their passions. This is our right as we protect our collective interests. If we stand by and do nothing, we are equally at fault.

Unfortunately, the biggest story of 2011 for America might be the labor issues of the pro leagues. The NFL and NBA are trying to avoid a shut down. The NHL has an agreement that will run through 2013-14, and MLB is looking good, but needs to work on having e new agreement by end of 2011.

This does not bode well for sponsors. The main and most important reason a corporation becomes a sponsor is to align with the passion of the fan. These labor issues make it very difficult for long term sponsor planning and activation. Disruption in schedule damages the ability for sponsors to earn an ROI/ROO. This takes them “out of the game” – not only are they without an engagement platform with fans, their competitors are still out there with their respective opportunities.

Many of the sponsor members of the ISC have no intention of taking sides in the issue as many work with both sides. The situation is unfair to the fans and sponsors and becoming a grave concern with sponsors and sponsorship in general. The ISC will continue to have discussions between sponsors to see what their opportunity of influence and perspective can achieve. This is an issue that is not limited to the official sponsors of the respective leagues, but affects all sponsors. Let’s get it done

The power of sponsorship is dependent upon full integration, but many fail to deliver the value of Web inclusion. The industry has to commit to co-branded content and making the sponsors more apparent and relative.

Many Web sites have no inclusion of sponsors, yet have a sponsorship click through to sell to sponsors. Why do sponsors accept this?

Also, the practice of selling “online sponsors” and providing them positioning on the site without incorporating the property’s overall sponsors diminishes the real value of the sponsorship.

This also portrays sponsors as “less than important” in the eyes of fans. This depositioning is damaging to sponsors and the industry as a whole.

A good example of making sponsors relative is the PBR, Professional Bull Riders. They not only position their sponsors’ logos on the homepage, but provide content tying the sponsors to the PBR. Of course it helps when your property CMO is industry icon, Dockery Clark, formerly of Bank of America and Miller Brewing – she understands delivering value to sponsors.

Properties that merely link a sponsor Web site from their site are losing out on the opportunity to leverage the Web to deepen the engagement between sponsors and fans.