Northwestern Mutual partners with NCAA

Milwaukee-based Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company has signed a corporate partnership with the National Collegiate Athletic Association, CBS Sports and Turner Sports.
The agreement gives Northwestern NCAA marketing and promotional rights for life insurance, wealth management and retirement services TV, online and through social media. The life insurance company was also granted usage of NCAA trademarks and logos.
Northwestern Mutual will be a presenting sponsor of the 2012 NCAA March Madness series on TBS, CBS, TruTV and TNT. The agreement also includes career recruitment events and coaches’ clinics on several college campuses.
"Northwestern Mutual is proud to enter into this partnership with the NCAA, CBS Sports and Turner Sports to support young men and women who combine the pursuit of excellence in athletics with a drive for higher education," said John E. Schlifske, chairman and CEO of Northwestern Mutual. "This partnership is a natural fit for Northwestern Mutual because we already invest in education."
Northwestern Mutual hopes the advertising campaign will help recruit thousands of new financial representatives and financial representative interns in 2012, the company said.
"We’re excited about working with Northwestern Mutual, a great iconic brand, which shares the core values of the NCAA," said Will Funk, senior vice president of NCAA partnerships and branded programming for Turner Sports ad sales. "We’ve built a comprehensive customized activation plan across March Madness television, digital and mobile which will showcase and integrate Northwestern Mutual into the fabric of the Turner/CBS coverage. We’ve also created unique grass roots marketing opportunities for the Northwestern Mutual financial advisors to get involved at the local level across all 89 NCAA Championships including the Division I Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships, College World Series, Frozen Four, Lacrosse Championships, College Cups and many others taking place at over 800 sites across the country."