DirecTV will break a $10M-plus campaign for its NFL
Sunday Ticket service early next month, which will feature a
"fan-focused creative to tap into the emotional side of
sports," according to Terry Lefton of BRANDWEEK. The
campaign, from Deutsch, L.A., "uses a style derivative of
NFL Films, in which a voiceover rhetorically examines fans'
dedication to the NFL" and features the tag, "Never Miss a
Moment." Four 30-second ads air August 3 and run for six
weeks on network TV, including preseason NFL games on Fox
and CBS, as well as on cable and syndicated programming.
Additionally, radio ads "hit national sportstalk nets, with
print runs" slated for SI, The Sporting News, USA Today and
newspapers in NFL markets (BRANDWEEK, 7/24 issue).
MAKING THE SPONSOR ROSTER: The SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL's
Andy Bernstein cites sources as saying that Merck has inked
a "one-year, seven-figure sponsorship deal" with the NFL for
its Zocor cholesterol reduction drug. The deal will be
announced today, when Merck is "expected to introduce" Bill
Parcells and Joe Montana as company spokespeople. But Merck
will "not receive the usual promotional rights" of an NFL
sponsor, as Zocor will "not be able to co-brand with NFL
trademarks or be called an official product of the league."
The deal "marks the first time" the NFL has signed a
prescription drug as a sponsor (SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL, 7/24
issue)....Lefton reports that while the "highly contested
'official mattress of the NFL' designation is apparently not
in the cards," MN-based Select Comfort is "close" to an NFL
sponsorship deal. Select has used NFL players, including
Vikings WR Cris Carter, in "infomercials the past few years"
and has a tie to an athletic trainers' group that has its
product in 10 NFL training camps (BRANDWEEK, 7/24 issue).
