Digital phone service carrier Omnipoint has been named
the exclusive wireless communications sponsor for the Mets,
according to Bernhard Warner of BRANDWEEK. Terms of the
three-year deal were not released, but it includes brand
exposure on rotational signs behind home plate, in the
outfield and concourse; an ad in the '97 team yearbook
featuring Mets closer John Franco; and Mets and NL news
reports will be available to Mets-Omnipoint co-branded
handsets, available this spring (BRANDWEEK, 3/24 issue).
CAL PITCHES SWEEPS: MLB corporate sponsor True Value
will hold a Father's Day "Play Catch With Cal" sweepstakes,
with the winner getting the chance to toss a ball with
Ripken....Fruit of the Loom's Pro Player sports licensing
division named Ft. Lauderdale-based Harris Drury Cohen (HDC)
as its new agency for its estimated $10M ad budget following
a three-month review....One of the first ads that A-B will
debut for Budweiser, featuring work from S.F.-based Goodby,
Silverstein & Partners, will be called "Left Field" and
linked to the opening of the MLB season. The ad features a
fan in the bleachers holding cups of beer for his friends,
who have temporarily left. Then the batter hits a home run
and the ball heads right at the fan (BRANDWEEK, 3/24 issue).
