The LPGA Tour has signed General Mills' MultiGrain
Cheerios to a three-year sponsorship agreement, which
includes sampling at LPGA events. The LPGA logo will appear
on boxes of the product beginning next month, and General
Mills plans to leverage the partnership through a variety of
LPGA-themed promos. MultiGrain Cheerios will donate up to
$250,000 to the American Heart Association (LPGA). LPGA
Tour Commissioner Ty Votaw told CNBC's Bill Griffeth on "The
Edge" that Cheerios deal is "one of the biggest, if not the
biggest, sponsorships in our history." Votaw: "We announced
[Wednesday] that three of our players, Janice Moodie,
Cristie Kerr and Lorie Kane, are going to be appearing on
cereal boxes in a major integrated promotional marketing and
public relations campaign. And we've been able to associate
this campaign with the American Heart Association to further
develop our cause-related marketing that we've been able to
do in areas such as breast cancer and osteoporosis in other
sponsorships." Griffeth reported that the deal comes as the
Tour is celebrating its 50th anniversary and has "enjoyed
enormous growth in record television coverage and exposure
over the past few years." Votaw, on the draw of women's
golf: "I think it's because our athletes are probably among,
if not the most, accessible, approachable, professional,
intelligent, good-looking, mature, professional athletes out
there, and I think corporate America wants to associate
themselves with those kinds of role models" (CNBC, 7/13).
