In Detroit, Dave Birkett reports Lions QB Matthew Stafford is "much more in demand" this offseason after his "breakout 5,000-yard season and the Lions' first playoff appearance in 12 years." Stafford spent a few days in Indianapolis last week "conducting radio and TV interviews on behalf of DirecTV, signing autographs for Courtyard hotels and walking red-carpet events with the help of Van Heusen menswear." Stafford said before last week's NFL Honors show, "It's different as far as things like this, going to the Super Bowl, getting chances to work with companies, do opportunities with them. There's more of them now than there was 12 months ago. That stuff's not that big of a deal to me." He added, "I might pick the Super Bowl weekend or another thing here or there to do, but I'm not out there doing a bunch of stuff. Football's more important to me than doing this stuff" (DETROIT FREE PRESS, 2/10).
AMAZING RACE: CAMPAIGN magazine's Daniel Farey-Jones noted there are "plenty of jokes about airlines and baggage but British Airways is making the subject the focus of an Olympics-related TV ad, which features an international suitcase race." The ad, which was released Thursday, features a girl's British bag "racing luggage from other nations to the arrivals hall." The spot ended with the line, "2012. We're ready. To fly. To serve" (CAMPAIGNLIVE.co.uk, 2/7).
HEART OF THE PARK: BMW has "revealed plans for its stunning pavilion at the heart of the Olympic Park which will be used to highlight their latest vehicle innovations and house a range of interactive visitor exhibits." The company is "providing a fleet of around 4,000 vehicles to transport athletes and officials during the Games and will use the new venue in Stratford to highlight their commitment to sustainability." The pavilion will be "built on an elevated site above the Waterworks River, between the Olympic Stadium and the Aquatics Centre" (London DAILY MAIL, 2/8).
ANOTHER ROUND: Univision Deportes signed an exclusive deal with Publicidad Virtual and inked MillerCoors to be one of the first advertisers to take advantage of its virtual advertising technology. The first ads will run during coverage of Liga Mexicana matches. MillerCoors is a premiere sponsor of Liga Mexicana programming. The advertising will run on the matches that appear on Universal Network, TeleFutura, Galavision and Univision Deportes, which is scheduled to launch later this year (John Ourand, THE DAILY).
