Pushing Olympic cachet

"McDonald's Restaurants has created an on-line community for Canadian Olympic fans, while Bell Canada is taking mock medal podiums to a shopping mall near you.

Olympic sponsors used to rely primarily on television advertising to show off their rings. But they are increasingly turning to a wider range of marketing tools to align with athletes and the Olympic movement.

�Television ... will continue to be important, but it's definitely just one component in the overall tactical activation,� said Garnet Nelson, managing partner of Altius Sport Marketing in Vancouver, which advises on sports sponsorships."

Bank of America extends its NASCAR connection with new deal -- Newsday.com

"Bank of America Corp. announced Tuesday that it has reached a new five-year agreement with International Speedway Corp. to sponsor four race tracks, including California Speedway near Los Angeles.

It's the latest of several recent high-profile deals involving NASCAR and the nation's second-largest bank, which for years paid little attention to the marketing potential of stock-car racing despite being based in Charlotte, the sport's hub. "

Traffic to NBC Olympics Web site rises

NBC's Olympics Web site, carrying more video of competition than ever before, is seeing increases in usage even as television viewership is down.

The http://www.NBCOlympics.com site already drew more than 167 million page views, surpassing the 145 million page views during the entire 2002 Winter Games in Salt Lake City with more than a week of competition left in Turin, Italy, according to NBC Universal."

Reebok Marketing Campaign Draws Criticism

The images that sell Reebok sneakers these days are edgy.

A controversial television ad last year had 50 Cent, a former drug dealer who has rapped about being shot nine times, counting aloud the bullets that were fired at him. The rapper laughs and then looks into the camera as a voiceover asks, 'Who do you plan to massacre next?' The ad was withdrawn in Great Britain.

These days, however, there�s more money in selling to teenage males - a reality not lost upon Adidas-Salomon AG, which completed a $3.8 billion buyout of Reebok International Ltd. Jan. 31 and plans to keep the Reebok brand name alive. Reebok's profits rose more than 20 percent in both 2003 and 2004, and were up 37 percent through the first nine months of last year.

'Promotion and marketing footwear, or any clothing, is not, and must not be a moneymaking tool referencing gun violence, drugs or gangs,' said Liz Bishop-Goldsmith, president of Rosedale, N.Y.-based Mothers Against Guns. "

Kwan still could take gold with sponsors

"For Michelle Kwan � and her endorsement potential � the future is no longer just one gold medal away.

Visa will keep airing its Michelle Kwan ads.


After dropping out of the Olympics over the weekend because of a groin injury, the most decorated star in U.S. figure skating history may be best-remembered for what she never won: an Olympic gold medal.

That could cost her future sponsorships. 'Finance 101 will tell you, if you take the value of her figure skating revenue streams and discount it, this is a multimillion-dollar disappointment,' says Paul Swangard, managing director of the Warsaw Sports Marketing Center at the University of Oregon"

Marketing Marlins a massive task

"Students in Scott Becher's Sport Marketing graduate class at Florida Atlantic have had some real-life assignments through the years, from writing a marketing program for Dolphins quarterback Jay Fiedler to devising a promotions plan for the Florida Panthers.
But this semester's assignment is a doozy: Find a way to get South Florida excited about the Marlins.

Any advice, professor?

'Be honest with your fans, find ways to give fans an experience that no other sports or entertainment product can rival,' said Becher, who runs Sports & Sponsorships Inc., a promotions agency in Hollywood. 'Then cross your fingers that somehow this young team is able to perform beyond their expectations.'"

MasterCard, Slim Jim Go To the Extreme

"NEW YORK --The Dew Action Sports Tour said yesterday it has added MasterCard as its official payment brand and ConAgra Foods' Slim Jim as the official salty snack. MasterCard and Slim Jim join a roster that includes the Tour's founding partners, all of which return as sponsors in 2006.

Under terms of the deal, MasterCard and Slim Jim receive Tour-wide category exclusivity and fully integrated marketing benefits, including TV ads, print promotion, event signage and branding, online assets, grassroots marketing elements, hospitality and inclusion in the Tour's multimillion-dollar marketing campaign, per the Tour's promoters. "