Your client
at wrestling events
For fans of WWE wrestling, there's a lot more than TV
By Diego Vasquez
Nov 8, 2010
The WWE's audience skews young and male, but another attractive thing about its audience is its diversity. It's very popular among Hispanics and blacks, where it ranks among the top 20 on TV and draws a big audience at live events.
That makes those WWE events a good place for advertisers who want to reach young, diverse crowds.
Though advertisers have voiced concerns about raunchiness in the past, over recent years the entertainment company has made a conscious effort to keep its content PG to appease both parents and advertisers.
Advertisers can have a presence at weekly WWE events, sponsor one of its pay-per-view events or take part in fan fests that lead up to larger events such as Wrestlemania.
To find out how to get your client’s message at WWE events, read on.
This is one in a Media Life series on buying out-of-home venues. They appear weekly.
Fast Facts
What
Advertising and sponsorship at WWE events around the world.
Who
The WWE handles advertising and sponsorship at its events.
How it works
There are a huge number of WWE events held each year.
The best attended are the pay-per-view events, 13 of which will be held next year. The largest of those is April's Wrestlemania, followed by August's SummerSlam.
The WWE also holds Axxess events, or fan fests, during the Wrestlemania and SummerSlam weekends.
WWE also produces two televised shows that air from a different city each week. "Raw" airs live on USA on Monday nights, and "Smackdown" airs on Syfy on Fridays.
There are also two separate non-televised tours that hold dozens of events year round.
There are three main ways for brands to get involved with these events. The most visible is to sponsor one of the pay-per-view events.
The WWE accepts presenting sponsors, meaning a brand's name and logo will be seen in all of the promotional materials and ads leading up to the event.
The second way for brands to get involved is the Axxess events, two-day fan fests that take place during Wrestlemania and SummerSlam weekends.
The Axxess events are much like the fan areas at major sporting events such as the Super Bowl or Major League Baseball All-Star Game. Sponsors set up booths and displays, allowing them to interact with fans.
For example, at this year's SummerSlam Axxess, Syfy sponsored an area where fans could act out the signature entrances of their favorite wrestlers, then download a video of themselves online.
7-Eleven had an area where fans could try its chicken wings, and Twix had a photo station where fans could take photos with current and past WWE wrestlers.
The final way for advertisers to get involved at WWE events is setting up booths in the concourse areas of the arena where the event is taking place to interact with fans. Mattel has photo areas where fans can take pictures of themselves that make it appear as though they've been turned into a WWE action figure.
Arena scoreboards can also be used. For example, a brand might sponsor a segment that runs on the screen in between matches, or a movie studio might run a trailer during an intermission.
Markets
The WWE hits most major markets each year, although not all of the events are televised.
Numbers
This year's Wrestlemania in Glendale, Ariz., brought in 72,219 fans, while 72,744 attended in 2009 in Houston, 74,635 in 2008 in Orlando, and 80,109 in 2007 in Detroit.
Other events such as SummerSlam are held in smaller arenas and attract between 18,000 and 22,000 fans.
How it is measured
The WWE tracks attendance at its events, and TV ratings can also be used for televised events.
What product categories do well
Frequent WWE advertisers include snack foods, armed forces, convenience stores, retail, toys, video games and soft drinks.
Demographics
Wrestling fans are 60 percent male and 40 percent female, according to the WWE.
Twenty-two percent of fans are under 18 years old, with 23 percent ages 18-34, 25 percent 35-49 and 30 percent 50 or older.
Among adults who watched wrestling in the past 12 months, 16 percent have an annual household income below $15,000, according to Scarborough Research. Ten percent are between $15,000 and $20,000, 8 percent between $20,000 and $25,000, 16 percent between $25,000 and $35,000, 24 percent between $35,000 and $50,000, 17 percent between $50,000 and $75,000, and 9 percent at $75,000 or more.
Making the buy
Lead time varies depending on the event. A presence at an individual event can be handled just a week or even days in advance, while larger sponsorship deals can take months to negotiate.
Pricing also varies. The WWE doesn't discuss pricing but becoming a title sponsor for one of its large pay-per-view events costs in the multi-million dollar range.
Who’s already at WWE events
Recent or current WWE advertisers include Mattel, ConAgra , Twix/Mars, Burger King, Army National Guard, Proctor & Gamble, 7-Eleven, Pepsi Max and Castrol.
What they’re saying
“Our fans are so passionate that they tend to go where our product is leading them. They will certainly want to find out more about our sponsors--if they're associated with us fans think they must be pretty on the ball." –
Eddie Hill, senior vice president of marketing at the WWE
Web site info
WWE
http://www.wwe.com
Wrestlemania
http://www.wwe.com/shows/wrestlemania
Summer Slam
http://www.wwe.com/shows/summerslam
WWE Raw
http://www.wwe.com/shows/raw
WWE Smackdown
http://www.wwe.com/shows/smackdown
WWE Corporate
http://corporate.wwe.com
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