New Balance, "Sesame Street" Team For Co-Branded Children's Shoes

New Balance has teamed with "Sesame Street" on a "co-branded collection of children's shoes that will debut in July" across major retailers including Finish Line, Foot Locker and Hibbitz Sporting Goods, in addition to its own stores, according to Eric Newman of BRANDWEEK. The shoes, which carry a premium price point of $43 for infant styles and $65 for grade-school styles, will be backed by a national campaign that includes TV spots during "Sesame Street" and print ads starting in the July issues of both Cookie and Parenting magazines. Themed street sign displays carrying the "Sesame Street" nameplate will "anchor the children's section" within New Balance's own retail network. New Balance Dir of Global Marketing & Brand Management Christine Maddigan said that the partnership is "mutually beneficial for both brands, offering 'Sesame Street' access to the specialty athletic retail segment while providing New Balance with the TV show's name as an anchor for its kids business." New Balance has a four-year, multi-million dollar sponsorship agreement for "Sesame Street" until 2010, and the company is the "exclusive national sponsor" of Sesame Workshop's traveling museum exhibit, "Sesame Street Presents: The Body," which runs through 2010 (BRANDWEEK, 5/12 issue).