Castrol, which signed on as the official motor oil of the NFL last season, is "pairing up" with NFL Draft prospect Robert Griffin III, "using him to promote its Castrol Edge product," according to Darren Rovell of CNBC.com. Griffin will be "featured in banner ads for the premium synthetic oil brand, along with a game that allows consumers to see how fast they can get him to run." He also will "promote the partnership through Twitter, which he joined last week." His handle, @RGIII, "already has almost 90,000 followers." Castrol Sponsorship Promotions & Creative Services Dir Carolyn Eckert said, "The fact that this partnership is unexpected is one of the reasons it has worked so well. Our first year with the NFL exceeded our expectations. It has really brought our ‘Strength To Perform’ motto to life." Eckert added, "The challenge in our business is that it’s hard to get people to sample our product. Seeing the NFL shield helps us get there." Castrol, which is BP's "leading lubricants brand, battles with Mobil 1 in the premium oil space." Eckert said that promotions with retailers to move product "have yielded even more robust sales." Castrol offers sales incentives "like NFL merchandise and tickets to its top performers." This is the third endorsement deal for Griffin, who previously signed an agreement with adidas and is the cover athlete for EA's "NCAA Football '13" (CNBC.com, 4/9).
