Wachovia Partners With NFL Giants To Boost Awareness In N.Y.

By Joe Oliver & Schuyler Baehman, The Sports Business Daily

Wachovia has signed on as the exclusive and official financial services partner of the NFL Giants. The three-year deal coincides with the July 28th opening of the company's first financial centers in Manhattan and includes TV, print, online and stadium signage components. Giants VP/Marketing Rusty Hawley told THE DAILY that the Wachovia agreement is the most significant deal that team has ever had in the financial services category, but noted that the Giants have had previous relationships with First Union and First Fidelity, both now under the Wachovia banner.

N.Y. STATE OF MIND: Wachovia Dir of Corporate Marketing Sponsorships & Alliances Dan Fleishman discussed why the company selected the Giants as a partner to help market in the N.Y. area: "They have been a premier franchise over a number of years, and their fan base ... very well aligns with ours." More Fleishman: "This really helps bolster our more traditional banking presence in New York while helping to really announce our brand conversion from First Union to Wachovia in the New Jersey and Connecticut markets." When asked if the company would sign Giants players to endorsement deals to help leverage the deal, Fleishman said, "We are extremely pleased with the contents of the deal as it stands today" (THE DAILY).