Seattle Art Museum Cutting Expenses

The Seattle Times reports that the Seattle Art Museum is closing its three buildings for two weeks next year, reducing its staff and instituting a two-week furlough in an effort to balance its budget.

BP's Olympic Sponsorship

BP announced in February that it would be a sponsor of the 2010 and 2012 U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Teams, as well as the 2011 U.S. Pan American Team. The deal is estimated to be worth between $10 million and $15 million.

Today I read a blog on the London Evening Standard:
"BP is taking advice from a London PR agency about how to handle its sponsorship of the 2012 Games.

As the clean-up operation from the oil spill in the US continues, the firm is wondering how much publicity it can dare generate on the back of the 2012 deal.

It is the backer of the "Open Weekend", a cultural festival which will take place in July to mark two years to go to the Games. But the headache for the oil firm bosses is whether there could be a backlash from promoting this work.

It can only be a coincidence that a press release for BP's Olympic mentoring programme "Young Leaders" was pulled at short-notice this week. Apparently this was because the young participants were tied up with exams. A case of heads down all round, it would appear."

BP chose to sponsor the Olympics because they felt it was a perfect platform to promote their green initiatives. If you were in BP's situation, how would you handle the Olympic sponsorship?

Social Media and Measuring Value

The AFP conducted an online poll that showed that 2/3 of nonprofits use social media but only 17% actually measure the value for their organizations.

It is a bit shocking that nonprofits are spending energy in the social media space but not measuring value and outcomes. I would suggest that they begin by determining their goals and then deciding what needs to be measured. This could range from pageviews, fans, followers and interactions, to press/blog coverage and conversion rates. The key is to identify the data points that map directly back to your goals.

Walgreens Donates Times Square Billboard to the National Center for Learning Disabilities

Crain's New York reports that the National Center for Learning Disabilities will get free use of Walgreen's Times Square Jumbotron billboard for five days!

Walgreens "donated five days of use of its Times Square Jumbotron billboard, above 1471 Broadway, to the National Center for Learning Disabilities. Spots on the 17,000-square-foot digital video display will run four times an hour for 30 seconds through this Saturday."

Oh, and by the way, the National Center for Learning Disabilities (NCLD) will host their 33rd Annual Benefit Dinner tonight. "The evening honors Charles Walgreen III, Former CEO of Walgreens, who will be presented with the Spirit of Achievement Award by Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg. James Carville, the American political consultant, will be presented with the Distinguished Advocacy Award. The evening’s emcee is TV Newscaster Paula Zahn. The Benefit Chair is Nancy Poses, and the Dinner Chair is Wade Miquelon, EVP, CFO, Walgreens.

Way to go NCLD!

Brooklyn Ball

The Brooklyn Museum showed us that breaking away from tradition can pay off. As I posted here, the museum put on a whimsical event that garnered terrific pre and post press on the Brooklyn Ball. Check out bizbash.com for more pictures of the event.

Bing Sponsorship

WNBA team, the Seattle Storm landed a sponsorship deal with Bing. According to the Seattle Times, "The Bing logo will replace "Storm" and "Seattle" on home and away jerseys and warmup shirts. The multiyear deal is worth at least $1 million annually, according to Storm CEO Karen Bryant. It will include KeyArena advertising; joint promotions through Bing maps, video and visual search; integration between Bing and Storm scavenger hunt; and sponsorship of the Junior Storm Initiative community program."

To learn more about the Jr. Storm Initiative, go here.

Brooklyn Museum, American High Style: Fashioning a National Collection

The Brooklyn Museum is holding their Brooklyn Ball this evening where they will "break with the traditional arrangements of years past. A newly conceived event will focus on fashion, fun, and culinary excitement as only Brooklyn can do it! Jennifer Rubell, whom New York Times senior art critic Roberta Smith credits with “laying waste to the prolonged ordeal that is the benefit dining experience,” will present Icons, an interactive food journey through the Museum including drinking paintings, suspended melting cheese heads, and more."

In addition, those in attendance will be able to preview the American High Style: Fashioning a National Collection exhibition which opens to the public on May 7.