Marketplace Round-Up

In Denver, Andy Vuong reported an online survey sent to Nuggets and Avalanche fans “is really Qwest’s effort to see if its sports marketing deals are paying off.” The survey begins with questions about the teams but moves into eight questions about Qwest, including, “When Qwest sponsors events and sports that you follow, how likely are you to consider trying their product or service?” The company is conducting surveys in markets with naming rights or sponsorship deals. Qwest Dir of Sponsorships & Events Rich Karlis said, “It gives us an opportunity to look at how we’ve messaged, how effective it’s been and what things we would change” (DENVER POST, 2/22).

QUICK CHANGE: NASCAR Nextel Cup drivers Johnny Sauter and Jeff Green are switching sponsors on their Haas CNC Racing cars at the Auto Club 500 Sunday. Sauter’s No. 70 car will have a Best Buy paint scheme, while Green’s No. 66 will feature Yellow Freight. Green is assured a spot in the field, but Sauter must qualify (SCENEDAILY.com, 2/22).

Johansson's Reebok Clothing Line Launches Next Week

MAD, MAD WORLD: Intersport has won the rights to use the “March Madness” trademark after filing suit against the NCAA in Cook County (IL) Circuit Court last March for the term. Intersport has produced March Madness-branded TV programming dating back to the ’80s, and the company secured a federal trademark registration for the phrase in ’89 (Intersport).

NAMES & FACES: Actress Scarlett Johansson’s new Reebok clothing line, called Scarlett [heart] Rbk, launches next Thursday. The line features “brightly colored sneakers, short-sleeved hoodies and tees with heart-shaped cutouts” (PEOPLE, 2/26 issue)....Golfer Tom Lehman has signed a two-year extension of his endorsement deal with Automatic Data Processing (ADP). Lehman will be involved in ADP’s marketing campaign, wear the ADP logo while competing and appear as a spokesperson at corporate events (ADP).