AD AGE's Alexandra Bruell reported Procter & Gamble "has hired Omnicom's Ketchum and Marina Maher Communications to handle global PR for its future Olympic efforts." A P&G spokesperson said that the PR assignment "covers the company's corporate Olympic program globally, regionally and in the host country." The spokesperson added while it does not include brand work, "it will facilitate more coordination and integration with brand programs." The spokesperson also said that the team will work toward both the '14 Sochi and '16 Rio Games, but "there will not be a brand agency leader" (ADAGE.com, 12/10).
SHAKEN, NOT STIRRED: In London, Christian Sylt reported F1 CEO Bernie Ecclestone is "negotiating multi-million dollar sponsorship deals with a vodka brand, which would become the official spirit of Formula One, and a mobile phone operator." LVMH, the Paris-based luxury goods conglomerate which also includes Louis Vuitton and Tag Heuer, is "thought to be in pole position to land the vodka deal with its Belvedere brand." Belvedere is distributed internationally, but it "does not enjoy as wide recognition as rivals such as Smirnoff and Absolut." It is "unclear with which telecom company F1 is in talks" (London TELEGRAPH, 12/10).
THIS BUD'S FOR YOU: CNBC's Tom Rotunno on his Twitter account reports Bud Light, the official beer sponsor of the NFL, will "be bringing back the 'Bud Light Hotel'" for Super Bowl XLVII in New Orleans. Bud Light will spend 3,000 hours "to transform a 200 room hotel," and the project will include "550 hand towels, 250 pillows and 1,500 shampoos" that will feature Bud Light branding (TWITTER.com, 12/11).
SKATER BOY: New Balance yesterday announced that it will enter the skate footwear market through a license agreement with California-based Black Box Distribution. The company will market performance footwear and apparel for skateboarding, to be branded as New Balance Numeric or NB#. The brand will officially debut at the Jan. 4 Agenda Trade show in Long Beach, where team announcements and additional marketing plans will be revealed (New Balance).
