At the end of fall quarter, DU Athletics and Recreation announced Chrysler motor company has signed on as an official sponsor of DU Athletics and Recreation. The two-year deal, brokered via Denver Sports Properties, makes Chrysler the exclusive auto rights holder in the university division.
“[Chrysler] felt like the university would be a good fit for their platforms and the demographic would be a great place to showcase their products,” said Brad Ferrell, general manager for Denver Sports Properties.
DU declined to comment regarding the amount of money the deal was worth.
“We usually don’t disclose investment for the sake of the client,” said Ferrell.
According to Ferrell, DU started discussing a sponsorship deal with Chrysler as early as October 2011, after inviting them to a hockey game.
“We were able to get an audience with them and just kind of talk with them about what DU is all about and provide them a little knowledge about the university and our athletic programs, and they seemed to really take to it,” said Ferrell.
The deal was finalized in June 2012. As part of the new sponsorship, Chrysler will be able to display vehicles at any athletics event. They will also receive media benefits, according to Ferrell.
“With our relationship with ROOT Sports, ESPN and Mile High Sports, they receive 30-second commercial spots and in-game features within our broadcast,” said Ferrell. “They will also have some web presence on denverpioneers.com.”
Chrysler will sponsor basketball’s starting line-ups and the Ram Trucks Power Play during hockey games. It will also be featured on the new LED scores table for advertising during 2-minute periods of basketball games, as well as on signage in the Ritchie Center, Peter Barton Lacrosse Stadium and Ciber Field.
Ferrell stressed that the new sponsorship not only benefits Chrysler but DU as well.
“We really want our partners to want to be here as much as we want them to be here,” said Ferrell. “We want to not only help promote what their product line is, but we also want them to take ownership with the university and take us to the marketplace as well, let their consumer know that they have a relationship with the University of Denver.”
In December, Chrysler offered $1,000 of DU bonus cash to add on to any incentive currently on a Chrysler product, according to Ferrell. This gave DU faculty $1,000 off any current Chrysler product.
“It was another way for them to extend a benefit across the campus instead of just leveraging the university for a marketing platform, their way to provide something outside of just athletics,” said Ferrell.
Before the deal, DU hadn’t secured an auto sponsor for over a decade; the last sponsorship was with Toyota from 1999 to 2001.
“The auto category historically is one that loves to participate in athletic programs; it’s sort of a natural fit with the numbers of folks coming through at various games,” said Senior Associate Athletic Director for External Relations, Jeff Howard.
With regards to the sponsorship’s future, Ferrell said he wants to continue to see the university and Chrysler support the people affiliated with DU, including the fans.
“We’ll continue to collaborate with the Chrysler marketing department on ways to provide a benefit to our faculty, staff, friends, students and alumni, to want them to buy a product of Chrysler’s because of their relationship here at the university,” said Ferrell.
