Holiday Inn to sponsor MLB and the Braves - Atlanta Business Chronicle:

Holiday Inn to sponsor MLB and the Braves - Atlanta Business Chronicle:: "Holiday Inn hotels has become the 'Official Hotel of Major League Baseball,' inking a three-year sponsorship deal with the league.

Holiday Inn also unveiled five new club sponsorship agreements with the Atlanta Braves, Chicago White Sox, Cincinnati Reds, Los Angeles Dodgers and Minnesota Twins.

Brought to you by Cingular Financial terms were not disclosed.
Holiday Inn, a division of InterContinental Hotels Group (NYSE: IHG), which has its North American headquarters in Atlanta, said the sponsorship marks the largest relationship in U.S. professional sports between a league property and a member of the hotel industry. "

Chron.com | (PRN) The NBA is a Slam Dunk With Avid Fans in San Antonio; Sacramento, CA; and Indianapolis, IN; According to Scarborough Sports Marketing

Chron.com (PRN) The NBA is a Slam Dunk With Avid Fans in San Antonio; Sacramento, CA; and Indianapolis, IN; According to Scarborough Sports Marketing: "Scarborough Sports Marketing, the leading provider of in-depth information on American sports fans, released an analysis which finds that San Antonio is not only top local U.S. market for Avid NBA Fans* but consumers in this market are nearly four times as likely as all adults nationally to be Avid NBA Fans. Thirty-three percent of San Antonio adults indicated in the Scarborough Sports Marketing analysis that they are Avid NBA Fans -- meaning they are 'very interested' in the NBA. Sacramento, CA (19 percent of consumers are Avid NBA Fans), Indianapolis, IN (18 percent), Memphis, TN (17 percent) and Detroit (17 percent) round out the top local markets for Avid NBA fans. Nationally, nine percent of adults are Avid NBA Fans. "

semissourian.com: Story: Rowdy the Redhawk used for more than sports promotion

semissourian.com: Story: Rowdy the Redhawk used for more than sports promotion: "Rowdy the Redhawk is more than a mascot intended to help boost attendance and school spirit at sporting events. The colorful, costumed mascot also helps brand Southeast Missouri State University itself, according to Dr. Charles Wiles, the university's sports marketing director.

'Rowdy has been wonderfully successful for us,' said Wiles, who also taught marketing at the university for 33 years. 'Rowdy is probably more important to the other aspects of university marketing than he is for the athletic department.' "

The Game: Baseball TV Spots Are In Play; MLB Fans Are 'Cutting Edge'

The Game: Baseball TV Spots Are In Play; MLB Fans Are 'Cutting Edge': "IT'S an oxymoronic fact of sports marketing that companies spend a lot of money to advertise during TV sports events, but that teams themselves spend very little on media to get their word out to the public.

Anheuser-Busch spent more than $220 million on ads during sports programming in 2005, and six other marketers each spent more than $90 million, per Nielsen Monitor-Plus. By comparison, only four pro teams had ad budgets last season that topped $3 million (Chicago White Sox, New York Jets, Los Angeles Clippers and Chicago Bulls), and only another 10 managed to top $2 million. That means teams have to act proficiently and efficiently in planning for ROI."

Business First of Louisville: Taco Bell, Fox Sports in sponsorship pact - 2006-04-05

"Taco Bell Corp. and Fox Sports have reached a four-year sponsorship agreement, in which Taco Bell will be the 'official quick-service restaurant' of collegiate football's Bowl Championship Series.

Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

The agreement runs from 2007 to 2010 and provides Taco Bell with the right to use the logos of the Fiesta Bowl, Orange Bowl, Allstate Sugar Bowl and the new BCS National Championship Game for promotional purposes. "

Bloomberg.com: U.K.

"Manchester United, seeking to regain its status as soccer's richest team, signed the U.K. game's biggest-ever shirt-sponsorship agreement with American International Group Inc., the world's largest insurer.

United, England's Premiership champion eight times in 13 years, will receive 56.5 million pounds ($99.3 million) over four years to emblazon New York-based AIG's name on its Nike Inc. shirts and other gear, the club said on its Web site. "

San Francisco Business Times: BofA adds exec for NASCAR sponsorships - 2006-04-06

"Bank of America Corp. has hired former Sprint Nextel sports marketing executive Jill Gregory to head the bank's burgeoning portfolio of NASCAR-related sponsorships.

Gregory is one of two Sprint Nextel sports marketing executives leaving the company after helping launch its title sponsorship of NASCAR's Nextel Cup series.

At BofA, she will be senior vice president and strategic marketing executive, a newly created position. "

Stock Market News and Investment Information | Reuters.com

Stock Market News and Investment Information Reuters.com: "Topping a long-cherished sports achievement is usually cause for celebration and an excuse for a marketing bonanza, especially when it involves baseball -- America's national pastime.

But the allegations about steroid use around slugger Barry Bonds have clouded the atmosphere as the seven-time Most Valuable Player closes on Babe Ruth's 714 home runs, the second-highest career total behind Hank Aaron's 755.

Bonds, 41, has hit 708 home runs and looks set to add to the total when the Giants' season opens Monday."

Stock Market News and Investment Information | Reuters.com

Stock Market News and Investment Information Reuters.com: "Topping a long-cherished sports achievement is usually cause for celebration and an excuse for a marketing bonanza, especially when it involves baseball -- America's national pastime.

But the allegations about steroid use around slugger Barry Bonds have clouded the atmosphere as the seven-time Most Valuable Player closes on Babe Ruth's 714 home runs, the second-highest career total behind Hank Aaron's 755.

Bonds, 41, has hit 708 home runs and looks set to add to the total when the Giants' season opens Monday."