Ever heard of the Eiffel Tower presented by L'Oréal or the Starbuck Seattle Space Needle? Of course not.
Unlike many of the structures across the globe its being compared to by backers, the SkyRise Miami tower could feature some serious corporate branding.
When by asked New Times to clarify whether SkyRise was selling naming rights for the entire tower or just certain features, an executive at Berkowitz Development Group only offered a "no comment."
But multiple documents available on SkyRise's website make clear mention of selling "naming rights" and "branding opportunities."
One such document dated October 2014 [available in PDF here], boasts of "sponsor benefits" including the "Opportunity to brand the newest and most visible iconic destination in South Florida" and "limited partner clutter, high-impact engagement opportunities." It also mentions, "sponsor signage throughout site," "prominent positioning in social media + digital platforms" and "product placement within venue."
Another document uploaded in November makes specific mention of "naming rights" as a revenue source [PDF available here].
Ironically the same presentation compares the tower to other premier observation towers across the globe, with none of the specifically mentioned having corporate naming rights.
Of course, unlike many of those other towers the $430 million project will be privately funded. Well, mostly. The project secured $9 million in publics funds from the county for surrounding infrastructure projects. Politically ambitious school board member Raquel Regalado and local billionaire activist Norman Braman have filed suit against the developers, the city of Miami and Miami-Dade County, claiming that the public funding invalidates a previous city vote that promised the tower would be completely privately funded.
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