New sports marketing firm targets fans
Photo/Robert M. Cook
Brian Corcoran launched Shamrock Sports Group, a sports marketing firm, in March
Brian Corcoran spent more than 20 years working for some of the most well known sports marketing businesses in the United States before he decided to open his own firm in Portland.
Shamrock Sports Group officially opened for business on March 1 on Commercial Street and already has three clients: Red Bull Air Race, Goulian Aerosports and the Arena Football League. After working for NASCAR and most recently the Fenway Sports Group in Boston, Corcoran understands how to help his clients and corporate sponsors generate revenue.
He says sports fans are the cornerstone of sports marketing, which requires "the ability to capture the passion points of those fans."
When he evaluates what corporate sponsors would work best for his clients, Corcoran says he looks at the DNA of both parties to cultivate the best partnerships. For instance, the AFL is a very male-centric sport whose viewers are 70% men.
"It's a big party and then a football game breaks out," is how Corcoran describes the atmosphere at any one of the games played by the league's 15 teams.
As a result, Corcoran says he would go after businesses like Home Depot, Lowes or power tool manufacturers like Sears Craftsman or Stanley to display their banners and have a presence with all forms of multimedia.
Sponsors want to surround fans by 360 degrees via TV, print, social networking, phone apps, on field and in stadium banners, ticket stubs and many other ways, he says. Corcoran believes his new business has the expertise to serve clients and corporate sponsors very well.
Corcoran says the firm's three clients should generate about $500,000 in sales revenue in 2010. He estimates that number will grow to $1 million and his staff will double from five to 10 full-time people by late 2011 or early 2012.
During his time at NASCAR, Corcoran spearheaded efforts to land the largest sports sponsorship in U.S. history with the series entitlement of the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, reported at $750 million.
Corcoran hopes to grow his business from three clients to six clients by March 2011, but he is not looking to take on too many clients.
"We don't judge our success by the length of our client roster," he says.
He wants to serve a select number of clients really well. When asked how many clients he would prefer to serve at one time, Corcoran replied, "the ideal number for us is a half-dozen."
Corcoran also hopes to recruit his share of young talent by offering as many as 12 six-week internships each year to sports marketing students who attend area colleges like the University of Southern Maine or St. Joseph's College.
Besides sponsorship and multimedia sales, property analysis and optimization, Corcoran says Shamrock also provides green consulting for clients to help them adopt eco-friendly practices and promote their image as an environmentally responsible company.
Shamrock expects to benefit from the corporate sponsorship market as it signs more clients to anywhere from 12- to 24-month agreements to three- to five year contracts.
While multimedia advertising budgets in North America decreased 8.5% in 2009, sponsorships are projected to grow in 2010 by 3.4%, totaling more than $17 billion in North America, according to Corcoran.
Corcoran, 41, says that being able to open his own sports marketing firm in Portland is special because he grew up in nearby Old Orchard Beach.
"It's a dream come true to be launching Shamrock Sports Group. I'm home after spending 20 years away building winning partnerships with some of the biggest blue chip brands and sports properties. Now I want to build on those accomplishments and build a quality, honest and successful sports marketing agency here in Portland," said Corcoran in a statement on the company's website.
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