MN-based Target is "trimming its sponsorship of major"
pro sports teams, "in part because of a belief that those
sports no longer reach mainstream -- or even upscale --
consumers but only a corporate elite," according to John
Rofe in a front-page report in the SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL.
Target has "already allowed a half-dozen agreements to
expire in the past two years," and its Sales Promotion
Manager Rod Eaton said the company is undergoing a "re-
evaluation of whether we're getting what we want to get out
of these relationships." But Eaton said that the company's
sponsorships of the T'Wolves and CART's Chip Ganassi racing
team "would not be affected" by the re-evaluation. For more
on Target re-evaluating its sports sponsorships, see this
week's issue of the SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL (10/25 issue).
BRINGING SOME HEAT: BRANDWEEK's Terry Lefton reports
that Gulden's, a "stadium standard," will become "baseball's
official mustard" next season, marking "easily MLB's most
synergistic sponsorship since it brought in Bubble Yum" in
'98. The "association will likely be used to tout" the
company's Spicy Brown Mustard. Gulden's "bought into MLB's
annual FSI earlier this year and is a sponsor of several"
teams, including the Yankees (BRANDWEEK, 10/25 issue).
