Month: August 2022

Notre Dame Global Partnerships (NDGP), the multimedia rightsholder for the University of Notre Dame Athletics Department, today announced an expanded multiyear affiliation with the Allstate (NYSE: ALL) Corporation, which will become a Championship Partner of the program. Through its enhanced partnership, Allstate and Notre Dame will collaborate on new community focused initiatives as well as virtually displaying its digital branding on field goal nets during Notre Dame Football broadcasts on NBC and Peacock.

“We’re excited to deepen our relationship with Allstate, a leading brand in sports and their industry,” said University of Notre Dame Vice President and James E. Rohr Director of Athletics Jack Swarbrick. “Having the opportunity to bring together two of our great partners, NBC and Allstate, that support collegiate athletics at the highest levels was something we couldn’t pass up.”

In addition to Allstate’s unique in-game digitally infused field goal nets during home games, the brand will appear on physical nets at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on October 8 when Notre Dame takes on BYU in the 2022 Shamrock Series on NBC and Peacock.

“As Allstate kicks off its 17th year supporting college football nationwide, we could not be more excited to partner with one of the sport’s most iconic brands: the Notre Dame Fighting Irish,” said Allstate’s Director of Sponsorships and Consumer Engagement, Dan Keats.

“We’re excited to welcome Allstate as a fully-integrated partner into our Notre Dame Football broadcasts, expanding from advertisements to virtual on-field signage and presenting partner of our halftime show,” said Peter Lazarus, EVP, Ad Sales, NBC Sports. “This is the perfect example of how our three-decade relationship with Notre Dame can bring Championship-level benefits to sponsors, viewers and fans.”

Notre Dame Global Partnerships, a joint venture between Legends and JMI Sports, facilitated the partnership.

Comprehensive Collaboration Includes Premium Seating, Ticket Sales,

Marketing, and Business Intelligence for Wildcats Athletics

Northwestern University Athletics and Legends, a global premium experiences company, today announced a multi-year partnership that will enhance the fan experience at Wildcats’ sporting events and maximize Northwestern Athletics revenue generation through a streamlined, data-driven sales approach. As part of the overarching agreement, Legends will manage premium seating, ticket sales, marketing and business intelligence for football, men’s and women’s basketball, volleyball, and other ticketed Northwestern varsity sports.

“We are excited to launch this comprehensive partnership with an unparalleled industry leader as we expand our sales and marketing infrastructure,” said Northwestern’s Combe Family Vice President for Athletics and Recreation Dr. Derrick Gragg. “Our external team led by Sr. Associate Athletic Director, Tyler Jones along with Legends’ expertise will immediately position Northwestern Athletics to deliver an enhanced experience to our fans and allow us to generate critical additional resources to support the holistic development of Wildcats student-athletes.”

Legends will also support Northwestern Athletics in its approach to optimizing revenue generation and curating experiences for all fans as part of the University’s efforts to reimagine and rebuild Ryan Field, inclusive of premium product development and pricing, corporate hospitality, premium seating and ticket sales. Northwestern Athletics initially engaged Legends in 2021 through its research arm, CSL, to conduct a comprehensive study on improving the overall fan experience, which included a survey and series of focus groups to solicit direct feedback from ticket holders, alumni, and other fans. Additionally, Legends Project Development and CSL are supporting the ongoing, exploratory project planning for the new Ryan Field initiative.

“Legends has proven to be an invaluable partner since our collaboration began in 2021, and we are excited to introduce the Legends Way to the Wildcats community,” said Deputy Director of Athletics Jesse Marks. “Their robust sales, data analytics and proven facility development expertise will greatly enhance Northwestern Athletics’ reach within the University, Evanston and greater Chicagoland communities, providing an innovative experience and a first-class level of service throughout the sales and development process.”

“The college athletics landscape is rapidly evolving, and Northwestern University has fully embraced what it takes to be on the leading edge of the sports fan experience today—and into the future,” said Michael Behan, Chief Operating Officer, Collegiate Partnerships, Legends. “We are excited to partner with such a renowned university and athletics program and to leverage our expertise and development strategy to help invigorate and enhance the experience for the Wildcats’ community and supporters.” 

The latest collaboration bolsters Legends’ position as the leader in advising university athletic departments on identifying opportunities to enhance fan experiences and optimize revenue streams on new and renovated facility projects, having partnered on University of Notre Dame, University of Oklahoma, University of Southern California, Villanova University, University of Wisconsin-Madison, University of Utah, and San Diego State University, amongst others.

Melvin Lenzy Named Chief Brand & Innovation Officer

Matt O’Neil Named Chief Content & Experience Officer

Legends announced today the appointment of two sports and entertainment industry executives to oversee marketing, creative, content, communications and events for the growing global data-intelligence fueled premium experiences company. Melvin Lenzy has joined as Chief Brand & Innovation Officer and Matt O’Neil as Chief Content & Experience Officer.

“With the accelerated growth of Legends global business, we are excited to have Melvin and Matt, two talented executives with deep industry experience, join to further advance and innovate the overall marketing efforts for our company and on behalf of our clients,” said Mike Tomon, Co-President and Chief Operating Officer, Legends.

Collectively, Lenzy and O’Neil will manage marketing, creative, content, communications and events for the company, each focusing on different business verticals with the collective goal of helping drive business growth and revenue across all areas. They will work closely with Legends’ clients to provide marketing and branding consulting to heighten the customer experience, as well as develop revenue generating strategies to optimize awareness and sales.

Lenzy is a 25+ year business, brand and strategic marketing veteran and has been the brand architect of some of the world’s biggest brand marketing campaigns. He has driven strategic business and marketing initiatives for iconic sports brands EA Sports, Konami, NBA2K, The National Football League, and NIKE, where he spent 15 years of his career. Prior to joining Legends, Lenzy was the Global Head of Marketing for the NBA2K Franchise at 2K Sports.

A seasoned sports and entertainment executive, O’Neil’s vast branding, content and marketing experience spans top professional sports teams and leagues, brands, and university athletic departments. He previously oversaw all facets of marketing, media and content creation, and game entertainment for the Dallas Cowboys and New York Red Bulls, and for the past five years ran his own content and marketing agency, Ichi Go, where he worked with the New York Jets, Boston Celtics, New Jersey Devils, Ohio State, and Genesis Motor America, among others.