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Marketing and Sponsorship

Marketplace Roundup

USA TODAY's Bruce Horovitz writes social media is a "slam-dunk marketing strategy" for companies advertising around the NCAA men's basketball tournament. It has "so utterly infiltrated" the tournament that marketers are "knocking their cyberheads together to come up with creative ways to keep consumers engaged." Coca-Cola is "so gung-ho that it's upped its social-media spending around the tournament tenfold." The company this year broke its Coke Zero Social Arena, and it "will spend more than 20% of its tournament budget on social media this year compared with 2% last year." Meanwhile, Hershey's Reese's Peanut Butter Cups brand is "coaxing fans to visit its Facebook page with the lure of shooting a half-court basket for $1 million at next year's tournament" (USA TODAY, 3/18).

BACK TO BASICS: The WALL STREET JOURNAL's Mike Esterl reports PepsiCo is "attempting to put a big new charge into its U.S. soda business after losing more ground last year to Coca-Cola Co. in their decades-old cola wars." The company "plans to spend 30% more to pitch its beverages on U.S. television in 2011 than in recent years." Some analysts said that PepsiCo "has been too focused on its other businesses in recent years, including a relaunching of the sports drink Gatorade and new forays into more nutritious snacks, at the expense of its U.S. soda business." PepsiCo Beverages Americas CEO Massimo d'Amore said that the company is "'totally committed' to expanding its soft-drink sales and plans to launch a new television-advertising campaign for its flagship Pepsi-Cola this summer" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 3/18).

ON DECK: Victoria's Secret PINK and MLB Properties on Thursday announced the expansion of their exclusive assortment of co-branded merchandise to include 12 new teams, bringing the total number of clubs to 23. The spring collection will feature the D'Backs, Orioles, Indians, Rockies, Tigers, Brewers, A's, Giants, Mariners, Rays, Rangers and Nationals (Victoria's Secret). By the '12 season, MLB "expects all 30 clubs will be represented" (USATODAY.com, 3/17).

SPANGLISH : In Jacksonville, Francine King wrote, "Every time I see the 'El Heat' playing the 'Los Spurs,' I want to throw something at my television. ... I honestly don't understand how Hispanic NBA fans could view the league's lame attempt at selling more jerseys as anything but offensive to their language and their culture." If the NBA really wants to "draw a new demographic, then commit" and "translate the whole thing." King: "Los Spurs should be Espeulas. El Heat should be El Calor. Los Bulls should be Toros. ... I'm not sure what exactly the NBA is afraid of: losing the teams' branding maybe or confusing non-Hispanic fans?" (JACKSONVILLE.com, 3/17).

SBJ Morning Buzzcast: March 25, 2024

NFL meeting preview; MLB's opening week ad effort and remembering Peter Angelos.

Big Get Jay Wright, March Madness is upon us and ESPN locks up CFP

On this week’s pod, our Big Get is CBS Sports college basketball analyst Jay Wright. The NCAA Championship-winning coach shares his insight with SBJ’s Austin Karp on key hoops issues and why being well dressed is an important part of his success. Also on the show, Poynter Institute senior writer Tom Jones shares who he has up and who is down in sports media. Later, SBJ’s Ben Portnoy talks the latest on ESPN’s CFP extension and who CBS, TNT Sports and ESPN need to make deep runs in the men’s and women's NCAA basketball tournaments.

SBJ I Factor: Nana-Yaw Asamoah

SBJ I Factor features an interview with AMB Sports and Entertainment Chief Commercial Office Nana-Yaw Asamoah. Asamoah, who moved over to AMBSE last year after 14 years at the NFL, talks with SBJ’s Ben Fischer about how his role model parents and older sisters pushed him to shrive, how the power of lifelong learning fuels successful people, and why AMBSE was an opportunity he could not pass up. Asamoah is 2021 SBJ Forty Under 40 honoree. SBJ I Factor is a monthly podcast offering interviews with sports executives who have been recipients of one of the magazine’s awards.

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