Coca-Cola's Sprite brand will "return as sponsor of NBA
All-Star balloting this year, with ballots distributed at
more than 2,500 movie theaters," according to Andy Bernstein
of the SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL. The NBA "distributed more
than" 28 million ballots last year through movie theaters
and arenas, and Coca-Cola "spent more than" $15M promoting
its tie to the program (SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL, 7/17 issue).
PROTECTING THEIR TURF: BRANDWEEK's Terry Lefton writes
that Braves and Coca-Cola execs "were less than effervescent
at the sight of a Pepsi balloon floating over" Turner Field
during last week's Home Run Derby, held the night before the
All-Star Game. While Pepsi is a "legitimate MLB national
sponsor," Coca-Cola has a sponsorship agreement with the
Braves at Turner Field, and Lefton writes that "only heavy
pressure" by Braves President Stan Kasten and "subsequent
jawboning by MLB to Pepsi kept the balloon from hovering
over the All-Star Game itself." While Pepsi did conduct
sampling at the event, Coca-Cola "pressured MLB and local
establishments hosting baseball shmoozefests to pour Coke in
favor of Pepsi. [But] only at the MLB Gala, held at the
Coke-affiliated CNN Center, did it have any success since NO
branded soda was available" (BRANDWEEK, 7/17 issue).
