This year marks the first time perennial Super Bowl advertiser Go Daddy "has not gotten its initial [commercial] scripts turned down by the network hosting the game," and company Senior Exec VP & CMO Barb Rechterman said that Go Daddy has "learned what networks will and won't accept." Rechterman: "We're starting to get a little more aware of what they're looking for and what will pass and what won't pass." She added, "In earlier years, we weren't buying a lot of television at that point. We were buying the Super Bowl." AD AGE's Brian Steinberg noted the company now "understands that certain dialogue or flashes of skin can trigger network honchos' greatest fears" (ADAGE.com, 12/8).
LOOK SHARP: Ralph Lauren will design "the official uniforms for the American team to wear" in the '12 London Games Opening and Closing Ceremony. It will mark "the third time Lauren has been the official outfitter for the American teams," having designed clothing for the '08 Beijing and '10 Vancouver Games. The U.S. Olympic collection will hit retail on May 15, "except for the opening ceremony clothing, which won't be unveiled until July." Ralph Lauren will also create "apparel and accessories for American athletes to wear in the Olympic village" (AP, 12/8).
IT'S IN THE STADIUM: MARKETING WEEK's Michael Barnett notes Electronic Arts has "launched a 'permanent pop-up' at [EPL club] Manchester City's Etihad Stadium, as part of a wider content partnership that will see a range of club-specific content developed." The structure, "located in the stadium’s City Square event space, houses Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 machines playing EA’s FIFA 12 game." The partnership also "sees two staff at EA’s FIFA headquarters in Vancouver, Canada, dedicated to producing game-related content around Manchester City, which forms part of the club’s three-year mission to increase engagement with fans around the world using digital channels" (MARKETINGWEEK.co.uk, 12/9).
FLYING HIGH: Frontier Airlines announced Thursday it had inked a deal to extend its sponsorship as the official airlines of the Rockies for four additional years, from '12-15. Frontier’s sponsorship includes providing a majority of the team’s corporate and group travel (Frontier Airlines).
