MARKETING WEEK’s Suzanne Bearne reports Castrol has “extended its contract with Real Madrid and Portugal star Cristiano Ronaldo for a further two years.” Ronaldo “first signed with the motor performance brand” in September ’09. The partnership has seen the soccer player “host an exclusive training session at Real Madrid’s training ground and challenge consumers to race against a giant projection of himself in an event called ‘Challenge Ronaldo’” (MARKETINGWEEK.com, 11/15).
NOT YOUR REGULAR CHIN STRAP: The GLOBE & MAIL’s James Christie reports former NHLer Keith Primeau will endorse a “U.S.-manufactured chin strap called the Impact Indicator” designed to “measure the forces absorbed by the head over time.” The chin strap is “not yet approved for hockey helmets by the Canadian Standards Association.” It costs “about $200, lasts for two years and is being worn in the United States by more than a thousand youth football players.” Primeau said that the Impact Indicator “doesn’t prevent concussions but indicated when someone should come out of a game.” Christie notes a company-supplied explanation states that the device “has a green light and a red one -- the latter being illuminated when forces reach a 50-per-cent probability of a concussion” (GLOBE & MAIL, 11/15).
WHATEVER FLOATS YOUR BOAT: Macy’s Studio VP John Piper appeared live via satellite on NBC’s “Today” this morning. Piper previewed some of the newest floats that will appear in the 85th Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, one of which will be presented by the NHL and Discover. The float will have kids skating on it and taking slap shots at a turkey made of barn wood, with a hockey puck serving as the eye of the turkey. Piper said that the float will represent the first hockey game of the year on the Friday after Thanksgiving, presented by the NHL and Discover. The game will be a “special game between the Red Sox and Bruins.” After the interview, NBC’s Matt Lauer remarked, “By the way, if the Bruins play the Red Sox in hockey, I am betting on the Bruins” (“Today,” NBC, 11/15).
FOR EVERYTHING ELSE...: MasterCard Worldwide has signed a three-year sponsorship agreement with the Sony Ericsson Open to be the tournament’s official card and preferred payment method. As part of the deal, MasterCard will offer its cardholders exclusive access to the global presale of tickets before they officially go on sale on Jan. 2 (Sony Ericsson Open).
