Naming rights

The main indoor arena in Salt Lake City was known as the Delta Center from 1991 to 2006. In 2023, Delta Air Lines re-bought the naming rights.
The arena in Salt Lake City pictured in 2006, a temporary banner covering the previous branding

Naming rights are a financial transaction and form of advertising or memorialization whereby a corporation, person, or other entity purchases the right to name a facility, object, location, program, or event (most often a sports venue), typically for a defined period of time. For properties such as multi-purpose arenas, performing arts venues, or sports fields, the term ranges from three to 20 years. Longer terms are more common for higher profile venues such as professional sports facilities.[1]

The distinctive characteristic for this type of naming rights is that the buyer gets a marketing property to promote products and services, promote customer retention and/or increase market share.

There are several forms of corporate sponsored names. For example, a presenting sponsor attaches the name of the corporation or brand at the end (or, sometimes, beginning) of a generic, usually traditional, name (e.g. Mall of America Field at Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome); or, a title sponsor replaces the original name of the property with a corporate-sponsored one (as is the case with most sponsored sports venues), with no reference to the previous name.

  1. ^ Kamiya, Setsuko, "You name it: Rights for more municipal sites go on sale", Japan Times, 20 September 2011, p. 3.