Qualcomm Stadium's Temporary Rebranding To Snapdragon Stadium Began Last Night

San Diego-based wireless chip maker Qualcomm “took the wraps off its temporary renaming of Qualcomm Stadium to Snapdragon Stadium Friday, showing off the new signage that will promote the company’s mobile processors that power about 300 smart phones,” according to Mike Freeman of the SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE. Blue signs “that used to say Qualcomm have been replaced by red Snapdragon signage in the stadium itself and in the surrounding parking lot.” The renaming “is collaboration” between the city, the Chargers and the San Diego Bowl Game Association, and represents “a first in the area of stadium naming sponsorships.” The company estimates that the three games taking place during the Snapdragon change -- including last night's Ravens-Chargers matchup, the Dec. 21 San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl and the Dec. 28 Bridgepoint Education Holiday Bowl -- “will reach more than 30 million TV viewers and 150,000 fans in attendance.” Qualcomm's Snapdragon chips are “expected to begin competing more directly with Intel next year as Snapdragon moves up into laptop computers” (SIGNONSANDIEGO.com, 12/16). In San Diego, Tod Leonard noted Qualcomm VP/Global Marketing, Communications & PR Dan Novak, who helped spearhead the deal, would not “reveal what it cost to make the temporary changes -- which included hauling down the eight giant Qualcomm letters from atop the scoreboard.” But he did say, “It was cheaper than a 30-second ad on the NBC broadcast ... It was actually very reasonable” (SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE, 12/19).

THE NAME GAME: NBC's crew calling Ravens-Chargers last night made mention of the stadium's new name during the broadcast. NBC's Al Michaels said, “This stadium's been around since 1967. It was Jack Murphy Stadium for a while, then Qualcomm bought the naming rights. Qualcomm has a new product, believe it or not, called Snapdragon, so for the next couple of weeks this stadium will actually be known -- there it is -- Snapdragon Stadium.” A camera panned to an illuminated Snapdragon sign in the stadium. NBC's Cris Collinsworth said, “Snapdragon’s one-for-one so far.” Michaels: “Last night I’m trying to think about Howard Cosell saying, ‘Hello again everyone and welcome to Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego, California. The end of civilization as we know it’” (“Ravens-Chargers,” NBC, 12/18).