Colts run two-minute sales drill

The Indianapolis Colts continue to be leaders in innovation—and I’m not talking about Peyton Manning’s on-field audibles or Bill Polian’s scouting and drafting system.

The Colts sales and marketing staff has done its fair share of excelling during crunch time. The franchise lost Chevrolet as a major sponsor and a handful of smaller sponsors after last season. Last month, Tom Zupancic, the team’s sponsorship and marketing chief, wasn’t optimistic the Colts could reach last season’s sponsorship revenue level. That money is key to the team’s health because it goes straight into its bank account and not subject to league revenue-sharing.

This month, however, Zupancic is feeling much better. Today, he told IBJ that the Colts finalized a deal with Indiana Farm Bureau to become one of the first NFL teams to have a practice jersey sponsor. The league only told teams they could pursue such a sponsorship four months ago.

And to maximize the deal’s value—and the team’s take this year—the agreement needed to be signed before the start of training camp Aug. 2.

When it comes to sponsorship sales, signing a mid six-figure deal in less than four months, that’s a two-minute drill that would make Manning smile.

To read more about the Colts-Farm Bureau deal, click here.

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