TED Conference 2009: Corporate Sponsors

From Google.org to Gucci, TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design.) boasted 39 corporate sponsors  – 17 with noted initiatives – for it’s recent 2009 conference, TEDTalks line-up on Feb 2-7, 2009.  This appears part of a growing trend for brands to bring more meaning to their advertising.  Other than outpricing or simple descriptive / comparison branding initiatives, the focus has shifted into“What are you doing to make a difference?”, tell me about it and I’ll be more likely to listen.

The ubiquitous conference attendee Esther Dyson wrote a 2008 Huffington Post piece on TED’s sponsors and their ad business model:

The TED pitch – ably delivered by Tom Rielly – is that you (a giant oil or car company, a soft-drink maker) can best attract a modern following not by interrupting people with ads all the time, but by reaching opinion leaders and by participating in and sponsoring their activities. Talk to them in a place where you are trusted such as Monterey-taken-over-by-TED. Sponsor meaningful, thought-provoking activities; you don’t need to show a commercial onstage (other than a brief mention by TED curator Chris Anderson).

Not to lay off on the ad sauce in 2008, she also reported in the WSJ, about “The Coming Ad Revolution”:

Facebook, unwittingly or on purpose, has been teaching people to manage their own data about themselves. Facebook’s launch of the Beacon service — which informs Facebook of members’ activities (i.e., purchases) on other sites — was a PR fiasco. But it still familiarized millions of users with the notion that they can control information about themselves online — and determine to whom it is visible.

This WSJ article actually reads better to what Adrian Sexton and others have been saying about Facebook’s BEACON project – that it would have revolutionized if it hadn’t angered so many privacy peeps. Note: they should have called it Project BACON, as it would have brought it home if they hadn’t introduced into the market with such a lack of user invitation and/or PR humility – recent Facebook TOS snafu, anyone?

What might seem like a horribly complex and tedious task to their elders — categorizing “friends,” managing news feeds, handling intersecting communities of contacts — feels natural to the Facebook users of today. They want more granularity of control, not less.

The new model creates a more trusted environment for reaching high-value, frequent purchasers, whether of airline tickets, electronics, clothes or other items. Where does that leave the less-frequent purchasers? Probably looking to their friends rather than to advertising for advice. I’m an expert on travel; my friends may look to me for hotel choices. When I’m in the mood to buy a book or a new computer, I’ll check out what my friends on Facebook are doing.

So, what does this say about TED sponsors – well, if you have a product that potentially changes the world or helps those in need, then it’s worth a consideration.

I’d personally like to see TED adopt a “BEACON” like approach – tell us what the ‘great thinkers’ are viewing/buying/doing – what is their sponsored lifestream – shouldn’t someone like Google or Microsoft support this endeavor going back to past TEDs and in between their semi-annual conferences. Now that’s a model that TED’s audience and aspirational attendees could get into.

As TED’s location has upgraded from Monterey (very select, elite attendance) to Long Beach (bigger space, still $6k/attendee…). From TED’s sponsor page, they give a good number of testimonials from their sponsors:

• “TED is a think tank for humanity. It is a gathering of exceptional individuals, all with the ability to make a difference. We come, we listen, we participate, we learn, we apply and we improve. At its core, TED is a community built on innovation and invention, and this is consistent with our principles. We also sponsor TED because it inspires us and helps inform our thinking, both personally and professionally, throughout the year.”
  — Don Levy, Senior Vice President, Sony Pictures
• “Sponsoring TED is like underwriting the future and those who will have a significant role in leading the way.”
  — Michela O’Connor Abrams. Publisher, Dwell magazine
• “As a startup company launching a new product, TED was instrumental in providing us access to tastemakers and VIPs. The exposure TED provided was unmatched by any other event!!”
  — Thomas L. Meyer, Worldwide Manager, Public Relations, Sonos Inc.

And they promote the $50k-$1000k sponsorships:

• Recent sponsors have included Adobe, Aliph, AMD, Autodesk, BMW, Branch Home, Conde Nast Portfolio, Desktop Factory, Ethos Water, Exclaim, Google, Grey Goose Vodka, HotStudio, Icon Estates Wines, Intel, Lexus, Microsoft, Method, Motorola, The New Yorker, Palm, Proflowers, Six Apart, Sony, Steelcase, Sun, Target, Tesla Motors, Viewpoint, Vosges Haut-Chocolat, Weider History Group, and WIRED.
• Sponsorships start at $50,000 and go up to $1,000,000. Each is tailored to the unique atmosphere of TED and the intentions of the sponsor.

Last, we like the idea that TED sponsors cover conference fees and travel/accommodations for those who can add insight, but not cash, to the process. From TED Global 2007′s sponsor page:

• We are proud to announce major support for TEDGlobal from key TED partners AMD, GE and Google.
• Thanks to their generosity, we are able to provide fellowships to this event for 100 individuals who we believe have an important role to play in Africa’s future. These fellowships will cover the conference fee, plus travel to Arusha from within Africa, and accommodation.

In conclusion, TED has pioneered a sponsorable think tank model, but how does it extend or innovate it going forward, given global recession, a smaller “Davos,” and other changes. We’ll examine and suggest, as we’re big TED fans.