Former NFL coach Mike Ditka "can be seen in a
Blockbuster commercial for video rentals" via J. Walter
Thompson, Chicago, during ABC's pre-game Super Bowl coverage
Sunday, according to George Lazarus of the CHICAGO TRIBUNE.
In the spot, Ditka tries "to persuade a popcorn vendor to
rent 'Runaway Bride'" and explains, "You don't want me to
lose this job, too?" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 1/27).
THE PARTICIPANTS BENEFIT: In N.Y., Richard Wilner cites
sports marketers as saying that Super Bowl players such as
Rams QB Kurt Warner and Titans DL Jevon Kearse -- "regional
stars who sell a lot of jerseys and T-shirts -- could turn
into overnight icons able to carry" national ad campaigns
and marketing programs if they are successful during
Sunday's game (N.Y. POST, 1/27). According to Beckett.com,
Warner's first-ever NFL trading card was priced at $0.25 at
the start of the season, but is now actively trading at $35,
a 14,000% value increase (Beckett.com)....In TX, Bohls &
Cantu reported that Rams coach Dick Vermeil has "started a
wine enterprise with a close friend and will soon turn out
his own brand of cabernet" (AMERICAN-STATESMAN, 1/26).
SUPER BOWL NOTES: ET's Mark Steines previewed many of
the ads running during ABC's Super Bowl XXXIV broadcast,
including John Nuveen & Co.'s spot featuring Christopher
Reeve walking and Dimension Film's trailer for the new Ben
Affleck movie, "Reindeer Games," set to open February 25.
Steines also profiled Disney's "halftime spectacular," which
will try to keep viewers "watching" the game ("ET," 1/26).
...PVI will insert virtual ads for several sponsors in the
int'l feed of the Super Bowl, including Charles Schwab in
the global telecast; GM, TriMark Investors, Canadian Tire,
Dynamic Mutual Fund and North Star Mall in the Canadian
telecast; and Tecate in TV Azteca's Mexican telecast (PVI).
