Marketplace Roundup

AD WEEK’s Anthony Crupi noted Nissan last Saturday debuted a new campaign starring past Heisman Trophy winners including Barry Sanders, Marcus Allen, and Doug Flutie. Like a hybrid of MTV’s “The Real World” and HBO’s “Hard Knocks,” the “Heisman House” concept “gathers under one roof many of the most celebrated college football players of the last 30 years.” The spot aired on “ESPN Saturday Night Football on ABC” and will run each Saturday night throughout the college football regular season. Nissan has “cued up four 45-second Heisman House spots.” The spots are “an extension of Nissan’s ongoing association with the Heisman, which includes sponsorship of a season-long campus tour as well as print, digital, and other cross-platform buys” (ADWEEK.com, 9/2).

ACE IN THE POCKET: In N.Y., Claire Atkinson noted during Stacey Allaster’s two-year tenure as WTA Chair & CEO thus far, league revenue “is up 10 percent year on year, while sponsorship revenue is up 60 percent.” Sony Ericsson is “the biggest supporter” of the WTA, having spent $86M "on the sport since 2006.” Allaster is “currently negotiating for an extension of the current marketing deal, which will culminate at the end of 2012.” In the last few months, the WTA “has signed programming deals with Tennis Channel and ESPN that will take the year-end championships through 2013.” In addition, Allaster has “been working hard to grow interest in the sport in Asia” (N.Y. POST, 9/4).

SAM I AM: Charter Communications announced Rams QB Sam Bradford will star in its new ad campaign. The campaign kicked off yesterday with cable and broadcast TV ads, in print, online and via outdoor media. The creative features Bradford alongside other Charter customers and employees. Charter is the first large St. Louis-based company for which Bradford has agreed to serve as a spokesperson. This comes after Charter recently expanded its deal to sponsor the Rams (Charter). As part of the Rams' deal with Charter, the team’s press conferences, interviews and studio shows “will be conducted in the newly renamed Charter Studio at the team’s facility.” Charter will also “carry additional team-related VOD programming including player profiles and cheerleader footage” (CABLEFAX DAILY, 9/7).

RIDE WITH ME: Cycling teams Leopard-Trek and RadioShack will merge “to form a new cycling squad for the 2012 and 2013 seasons.” Leopard-Trek on its website Saturday said that the team “will be rebranded as the RadioShack-Nissan-Trek Professional Cycling Team and use Leopard-Trek’s existing World Tour license.” The Luxembourg-based team will be managed by Johan Bruyneel (BLOOMBERG NEWS, 9/5).