Marketplace Round-Up

Nike Offering “Mudcloth” Shoe To Help With Global Fund to Fight AIDS In Africa

U2 lead singer Bono announced at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, that Nike will be among a group of companies “that will introduce new products to support” the Global Fund to Fight AIDS in Africa. Nike’s Converse unit will offer a Chuck Taylor All-Star shoe that is “made of African mudcloth.” The companies will donate a portion of their revenue from the products to the cause (BLOOMBERG NEWS, 1/26).

HEAD START: With ING sponsoring this weekend’s ING Miami Marathon & Half Marathon, IEG Sponsorship Report Senior Editor Bill Chipps said ING’s international strategy of sponsoring running events “is a smart move.” Chipps: “It gives them ownership of marathons. That breaks them through the clutter of companies in other sports.” Chipps added that it also “provides a consistent message and marketing platform across the globe.” ING Senior VP/Diversity Marketing Ricardo Lopez Valencia said, “There’s a correlation between running a marathon and planning for your future. Everyone can run a marathon with discipline, dedication and time and everyone can plan for their financial future in the same way” (MIAMI HERALD, 1/27).

NOT IN THE CARDS: In Toronto, Rick Westhead reported Upper Deck told the CFLPA that it “won’t proceed with plans to print a series of CFL cards.” A union official said that the company “doesn’t believe there’s a market for a CFL set.” CFL players have been without trading card revenue since Pacific folded in ’04 after a two-year deal with the CFLPA that paid the union “roughly” US$10,000 a year (TORONTO STAR, 1/26).