Packers QB Aaron Rodgers said that he is “interested in doing more commercial work and possibly getting a chance to act on television.” Rodgers, who tops THE DAILY's list of the most marketable NFL players, said that his work on the State Farm ads “had worked out well for him.” Rodgers: “I would love to do many more things like that.” He hinted that “there was ‘new stuff in the works’ related to his work with Associated Bank and Ford Motor Co., two of his other clients.” He also said that he “had some hopes of appearing on some TV shows” (JSONLINE.com, 2/1).
A NIFTY FIFTY? The WALL STREET JOURNAL’s Ben Cohen notes the NFL is four years away from its 50th Super Bowl and wonders, “How can the world's most powerful sports league get around putting a big, fat ‘L’ on hundreds of thousands of souvenir T-shirts?” Baker Street Advertising Exec VP & Exec Creative Dir Bob Dorfman also asked, “Wouldn’t that be a nice time to switch over to Arabic numerals?” Cohen notes the “loser gesture” is made by “forming the letter L on your forehead with your index finger and thumb.” The gesture is “so universal that some brand experts believe the 50th Super Bowl might emphasize those pleasingly round Arabic numerals more than the traditional Roman ones.” Ponturo Management Group CEO Tony Ponturo: “Who knows? They may not use the L” (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 2/2).
HOOD WINKED: Patriots Owner Robert Kraft appeared on “The Dan Patrick Show” yesterday and was asked about coach Bill Belichick’s trademark hoodie he wears on the sidelines. Patrick asked, "Do you ever say to him, ‘Don’t wear the hoodie anymore?'" Kraft said, “Our marketing people and the Reebok folks came. They didn’t like him wearing the hoodie, and I sort of like the hoodie a lot because we’re not about selling jerseys or clothes. We’re about winning football teams and that’s what he is, and the key managers I have in anything, I want them to be true to themselves and not be phonies” (“The Dan Patrick Show,” 2/1).
TURNING TO TWITTER: In Phoenix, Mike Sunnucks reported execs at Tempe-based tech company Insight feel the brand has “matured past the need for a bowl game sponsorship and now should focus on business-to-business marketing.” Insight “will continue its sports sponsorship” with the D'Backs and NFL Cardinals and “hopes to build its B2B presence on Twitter.” The company is “slated to pay the Cardinals $5.7 million through February 2014 as part of its sponsorship and marketing deals at the University of Phoenix Stadium.” Insight Senior VP/Marketing & Product Marketing Brian Davis said that the Fiesta Bowl scandal “involving improper campaign contributions and spending by fired CEO John Junker was not part of Insight’s decision to end its title sponsorship” (BIZJOURNALS.com, 2/1).
