What's in a Name: Ontario Airlines' Stadium Naming Rights Deal

For nearly a century, owners of U.S. professional sports teams have lobbied respective governmental bodies for public subsidies to build stadiums and arenas across the country, using franchise relocation as leverage. Myriad justifications have been used as a defense for the public subsidization of this private enterprise, ranging from the economic impact of capital intensive projects to the psychic regional benefit of being a host city to a professional sports franchise. But do these justifications hold up under increased scrutiny? In this case, students are placed in the position of the Mayor of Oakland as she is faced with a dilemma regarding publicly subsidizing a new Raiders stadium. Students will examine the issue through the lens of multiple key stakeholders, and will ultimately have to decide whether the city should utilize public funds to keep the Davis family happy and the Raiders in Oakland, or withhold funding for public good and risk the franchise relocating elsewhere.

This case study places students in the real world decision-making process acting as the Canadian Olympic Committee’s (COC) brand protection team faced with high-profile incidents of ambush marketing that arise in the months prior to the 2014 Sochi (Russia) Winter Olympic Games. The case study provides the actual ambush marketing assessment form utilized by the COC to assess the severity of ambush marketing incidents and challenges students to provide a course of action from both a legal and business perspective.

In 1998, Puma, a multinational company based in Germany that sells footwear and athletic apparel, signed a 10-year sponsorship agreement with NBA player Vince Carter. 'Vinsanity' was a short lived and tumultuous foray into basketball for the brand, but twenty years later Puma Basketball is back. The case analyzes Puma's evolved brand positioning alongside its recent flurry of 2018 and 2019 activity: an NBA league deal, Jay-Z's creative brand role, multiple player endorsement deals, the launch of a signature NBA All-Star Weekend shoe, and the growth of a formidable portfolio of music and cultural influencers. Students gain valuable insight into the footwear category while critically analyzing the brand's story arc through the sport of basketball; then, they must work through a competitive analysis and go-to-market strategy addressing Puma's future in basketball. Will this re-launch succeed?

After 20 years, "These Guys Are Good" - one of the longest standing brand campaigns in professional sports - was retired. In its place came "Live Under Par", a fresh, fan-forward brand campaign aimed at acquiring and engaging next-gen sports fans under new Commissioner Jay Monahan's leadership. The case outlines the history and structure of the Tour, detailing the brand evolution of "the world's premier membership organization for touring professional golfers." Why did the Tour shift strategy, and how is the organization delivering against its new "Live Under Par" call to action? How does this evolved positioning align with the Tour's media partners, fans, sponsors, players and events? Students are tasked to think critically about the Tour's repositioning move and the future challenges facing the sport of golf, before applying lessons from the case to a specific Tour event.