Kia Motors America today will debut "Time to Shine," a 30-second TV spot via David & Goliath that features Clippers F Blake Griffin. In the ad, an inline skating Griffin is towed by an Optima to a ramp that allows him to dunk on a 45-foot-high basketball hoop. The spot will debut on a variety of prime time, late night and cable programming. Griffin is the only current NBAer with a global marketing relationship with an automaker (
Kia Motor Sports).
SHOP 'TIL YOU DROP: In Chicago, Ed Sherman reported the White Sox are "in the process of putting the finishing touches on a new sports apparel store" at U.S. Cellular Field. The team hopes to "open the store, which will be next to the Bacardi at the Park restaurant ... just prior to Thanksgiving." White Sox CMO & Senior VP/Sales & Marketing Brooks Boyer said that the store "will have apparel from all the pro teams in town, plus Northwestern, Illinois, Notre Dame and beyond on the college front." Boyer: "We want this place to be a destination for fans to get their sports apparel" (CHICAGOBUSINESS.com, 10/20).
THE NEW FLYING SQUIRREL: USA TODAY's Steve Gardner reports MLB Cardinals fans "have adopted the 'rally squirrel' as their unofficial postseason mascot, and the furry creature seems to be everywhere around this baseball-mad town." St. Louis-based Olympic Sporting Goods store Owner Greg Domian said, "I've restocked (squirrel T-shirts) probably five times. It's been very good for business. (Fans) just can't get enough right now." Gardner notes chocolate rally squirrels "are selling so quickly, a local candy store can hardly keep up with demand" (USA TODAY, 10/20).
CLOTHES MAKE THE MAN: ESPN BOSTON's Mike Reiss noted Patriots coach Bill Belichick helped "spark a surge of sales at the team's Pro Shop" after wearing a "bye week" hoodie Tuesday during his weekly press conference. There was only one of the cream-colored sweatshirts at the team's shop yesterday, as the "rest had flown off the shelves since pictures of Belichick surfaced Tuesday." Reiss: "All it took was for him to show up at his Tuesday news conference in the hoodie, followed by the ever-growing media relaying the images, to spark the unexpected surge" (ESPNBOSTON.com, 10/19). When asked during the press conference Tuesday if it was his "bye week" hoodie, Belichick smiled and noted, "Might be." When it was noted that style had not been seen from Belichick before, he said, "You don’t want to make it too popular and take over the gray one" (ESPNBOSTON.com, 10/18)
