By Sue Cruver The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo is fortunate
to have a vast number of companies involved as major corporate sponsors.
Why do so many companies embrace the Show? They do so because it makes good
marketing sense and promotes corporate visibility. They do so because it
gets their employees involved and benefits something everyone believes in
-- the education and future of young people. Major corporate sponsors give
for many of the same reasons other supporters of the Houston Livestock Show
and Rodeo give, but they do so at higher levels.
The Kroger Company has been a Show sponsor for 11 years. It is one of those corporate partners that has broadened its support over the years, involving itself in a number of areas -- from auction animals to chuck wagons to becoming the official sponsor of the RODEOHOUSTON pay-per-view cable series.
The 1998 Show marked the eighth year for Kroger to sponsor a chuck wagon and the sixth year to donate a calf in every rodeo calf scramble. The company also underwrote a lamb auction scholarship, supported the rabbit exhibit, sold discounted carnival tickets in its stores, and co-sponsored the three petting zoos and the national anthem salute at each rodeo performance. When the concept of pay-per-view evolved at the Show, Kroger stepped forward as an initial sponsor. Company officials were attracted to the program because of its high quality and the fact that it also would reach thousands of people who couldn't come to the rodeo. It was an effective way "to get the Kroger name out there," said Gary Huddleston, manager of consumer affairs. For Kroger, the Show fits well with its company philosophy. "It stands for family values," said Huddleston, "and the neighborhood grocery is part of that family." Another longtime corporate sponsor is Conoco, which has sponsored the Conoco 10K Rodeo Run since 1988. The run started as an employee race prior to the annual Rodeo Parade and is now part of the Parade Committee's activities. It generates thousands of dollars each year for the Educational Fund and, in 1998, involved more than 800 Conoco employees and family members. To date, Conoco has contributed $772,000 to the Show's Educational Fund. "Conoco has a very big volunteer ethic," said Sue Collier, director of community affairs and a Parade Committee vice chairman. She added that the run is Conoco's largest annual employee volunteer project anywhere in the world. "Our sponsorship pays for the cost of the run. We do this so that 100 percent of the proceeds can go for scholarships." Funds are generated through entry fees. "We have a very successful partnership with the Show," continued Collier. The benefit to her company is not only the satisfaction of helping students, but also the leadership development and spirit-raising opportunity it affords Conoco employees. Other corporate sponsors tell of similar reasons for their involvement. Diamond Shamrock has been buying steers in partnership with its vendor sponsors for a number of years. In 1998, the company became a day sponsor for the rodeo finals performance featuring John Michael Montgomery. "This was our biggest level of participation," said Gary Kramer, Diamond Shamrock's Houston merchandising manager and a Corral Club Committee captain. "It was great exposure for us, and it was good to help kids." He went on to explain that, with his company's buying the Stop N Go convenience stores in the city, the sponsorship provided some good advertising and promotional opportunities. Working with local radio stations, Diamond Shamrock gave away rodeo tickets and a truck to listeners. Employees also were able to pass out 50,000 promotional giveaways at entrance gates on their sponsor day. The Show also attracts support from outside the state of Texas. DIRECTV, headquartered in El Segundo, Calif., made its first on-site appearance at the Show with a booth in 1997 and, in 1998, was the sponsor of AGVENTURE Plaza. "The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo was attractive to us," said Steven Condon, director of marketing. "We carried the pay-per-view and were very impressed." He recognized the opportunity to leverage his company's services through sponsorship. "Cable has a historic involvement in the local community," Condon explained. "We are a national broadcaster. It is difficult for us to get involved directly." He went on to say that this year's participation allowed DIRECTV to show, rather than tell, what it does and to interact personally with the public. Many of the activities in the AGVENTURE Plaza were in alliance with some of the company's channel partners, such as Outdoor Life, Comedy Central and Disney. Condon said the experience resulted in "lots of synergy." PrimeCo Personal Communications is another example of a company partnering with the Show in a way that promotes what the company does -- communications. Both in 1997 and 1998, PrimeCo, along with KHOU-TV Channel 11, sponsored the Rodeo Information Network. With television monitors set up throughout the Astrodome complex, the audio/video service provided visitors with the latest news, directions to key attractions and event information, as well as music and educational videos. In 1998, PrimeCo also sponsored the PrimeCo Cam, the helmet camera worn by rodeo clowns to give rodeo spectators a close-up view of the action. With Houston being one of PrimeCo's major markets, Cynthia Ciangio, director of marketing, said, "We feel we got a good return for our sponsorship in terms of sales and visibility during the Show." She also pointed to the fact that her company found the Show attractive because of its benefit to youth and the fact that the people of Houston hold such ownership in it. "It is in the very fabric of the community." Fiesta, a Houston-owned company, has been the proud sponsor of the Go Tejano Mariachi Invitational since it began 10 years ago, as well as a float underwriter in the Rodeo Parade. In 1998, Fiesta also co-sponsored the indoor fireworks display in the Astrodome. "We take pride in what we do and how we support the theme of the Show," said David Newcomb, grocery buyer for all 32 Fiesta stores and a Show director. Support included bringing Tejano music stars into the Fiesta markets, advertising on Spanish-language radio and giving away rodeo tickets in a drawing. Newcomb also takes pride in the fact that the 1998 Go Tejano Day set an all-time Show grounds attendance record, influenced quite possibly by Fiesta's activities. Houston Industries, Inc., like other corporations, sponsors many events in the city of Houston. The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo is one that the company has supported "for a very long time," said Dan Bulla, general manager of external affairs. "We do so because it is a worthwhile event, a fun thing and is big for the city."
He added, "This year [1998] brought an unprecedented level of participation and visibility for us." That visibility came through the sponsorship of the Show's eight gigantic, high-resolution PowerVision video screens and the multimedia spectacular, "Stepping Proudly Toward the Future." In many ways, Houston Industries' philosophy of support reflects that of all corporate Show sponsors. "It reaches a very broad base of diverse people -- family-oriented people that we want to reach," said Bulla. "It also raises a lot of money for kids of diverse backgrounds." With that said, what better reasons could a company have to become a sponsor of an event dedicated to benefiting youth and supporting education.
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