A tip from Puppy Bowl IX: Sponsorships are the new revenue stream

A screenshot of GEICO and Animal Planet engaging social media users on Facebook during Puppy Bowl IX.

Times are changing for the television industry.  In fact, there is a shift to nonprofit news organizations over for-profit news.  Technology and consumer trends are changing, and media companies are still struggling to keep up.  The biggest issue, that I have written about time and time again, is the need for more revenue since advertising dollars are becoming digital pennies.  A recent Knight report highlighted the nonprofit style of media management, and one of the trends is gaining revenue from sponsorships.  In my research project, Puppy Bowl IX did just that.

GEICO is known for its lovable mascot, the GEICO Gecko.  You would think that an insurance company and a television cable show would not go together, but the GEICO Gecko himself is an animal character.  Since Puppy Bowl IX is an animal show, a sponsorship can be formed.  Animal Planet joined forces with the GEICO Gecko this year for the annual Puppy Bowl event on social media.  The key was to make the sponsorship of value to both social media consumers (the GEICO and Animal Planet crowd).