Verizon Makes Big Investment (And Endorsement) in the Mobile Market

Gerard Tollefsen - March 29, 2010

In some of my recent blog articles, I have discussed the growth of mobile marketing as it relates to the boom in SmartPhone sales.  This tremendous growth has provided an opportunity for businesses to look toward mobile users as a source of potential revenue by promoting their company to this burgeoning user base.  There are a number of opportunities for businesses to make a splash in the mobile market no matter how big or small.  A neighborhood pizzeria can benefit from a local marketing campaign targeting mobile users who rely on their phones to find restaurants while “on the go”, think Google Maps and Yahoo Local Maps.  This is an obvious case of how local marketing and mobile phones work hand in hand for local businesses.  But even the big players are jumping in head first (and dollars first) into the mobile market.

Verizon Wireless recently signed a deal with the NFL to be their official wireless sponsor to the tune of $720 million dollars over the next 4 years!  That’s a significant investment (and endorsement) which speaks volumes to how Verizon sees the future of mobile marketing.  Prior to signing the deal, I imagine Verizon crunched the numbers on how they can recoup the investment in partnering with the biggest sport in the US.  It is a major deal for Verizon, one which they were able to land while competing with Sprint for the title of “Official Wireless Sponsor of the NFL”.  Verizon Wireless operates the largest wireless voice and 3G data network, serving more than 91 million customers, and now those customers have access to exclusive content from the NFL on their mobile phones.  Who would have thought 5 or 10 years ago, you would be able to watch highlights of the NFL on your cell phone?

John Stratton, Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer for Verizon Wireless spoke of the deal, “For Verizon Wireless, it is NFL content delivered over our 3G network so football fans can extend the excitement of the sport long after the last touchdown of a season. And the NFL content is customizable in that consumers have options from video to ringtones to alerts; the choice is theirs.”  This quote gives you a glimpse of how Verizon sees this deal as a way to increase not only their brand, but drive future revenues from mobile users who have an insatiable appetite for everything cutting edge.