Expect to see plenty of Powerade cups and coolers on the sidelines of University of Toledo games for many seasons to come.
UT will receive $4,525,000 in sponsorship fees over 10 years in exchange for making Coca-Cola its exclusive beverage provider, according to terms of a recently released final contract that went into effect this month.
UT announced in June it would no longer be a Pepsi campus.
That means thirsty gulpers at UT are now reaching for beverages such as Powerade sports drinks, Dasani water, and Coke and Diet Coke.
The finished Coca-Cola contract spills the details on benefits UT will receive, including $475,000 in sponsorship fees in the contract’s first year and $450,000 annually for the next nine years.
The annual pop sum is a sizable increase from UT’s expired deal with Pepsi, which paid the university $135,000 for pouring rights and athletic sponsorship money in the former contract’s final year.
Coke also will spend $22,610 a year for marketing programs and $16,692 a year for merchandise items such as menu boards.
The bottler will spend $40,000 in the first year for athletic marketing and sideline equipment, followed by $10,000 annually each subsequent year. It also will donate up to $3,000 in beverages each year for faculty and student events.
The university will receive a 50-percent commission from vending machine sales.
Commission revenue and sponsorship fees will support student programming and the athletic department, according to UT spokesman Brandi Barhite.
In return, Coke gets to place its signs at the Glass Bowl and Savage Arena and use UT’s logo and mascot for marketing beverages.
The agreement calls for Coke to receive, at no cost, a 30-second video commercial during each home football and basketball game, radio spots during regular season football and basketball broadcasts, and ads in game-day programs, among other perks.
Coke will be credited as the “presenting sponsor” of the UT-Bowling Green State University football game. BGSU also is a Coke campus.
UT agreed to give Coca-Cola university swag, including four tickets with airfare and accommodations to each Rockets football bowl game appearance, eight season tickets for football and basketball, and $1,000 worth of UT logo gear a year.
Contact Vanessa McCray at: vmccray@theblade.com or 419-724-6065, or on Twitter @vanmccray.
First Published August 26, 2015, 4:00 a.m.
