Getting in the Sponsorship Game

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In our April issue, we wrote about how entrepreneurs can get into the ever-expanding world of event sponsorship. Here's a link to our story. Believe it or not, event sponsorship is a $16.8 billion industry. Though large companies dominate the space, small companies are increasingly putting their marketing dollars into the amorphous realm of "experiential marketing." (See our article for a look at what it costs to sponsor everything from BBQ festivals to the ritzy Sundance Film Festival)

The AP reported today that the Boston Marathon broke a 112-year tradition by agreeing to place ads from sponsors on the starting and finish lines. The Boston Marathon certainly isn't free of sponsorship -- companies large and small line up to attach their names to the event. But it's worth noting that since 1897, the event's finish line, the terminus of so many elite runners, has been kept unbranded. Did the non-profit that runs the Boston Marathon make the right decision? Do you think the presence of advertisements at the finish line does anything to tarnish the marathon's brand?