Representatives for both 49ers QB Colin Kaepernick and Ravens QB Joe Flacco said that “the focus will remain” on Super Bowl XLVII this Sunday and “not on cashing in off the field,” according to Liz Mullen of SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL. XAM Sports PR & Marketing Dir Shawn Smith said that Kaepernick has “agreed to one pre-Super Bowl deal, but it is unlikely he will sign any long-term partnerships before the game.” She added that she “has received numerous calls from corporations interested in a potential relationship with Kaepernick.” Smith said, “I am not bringing those deals to him right now. That is the way he wants it and that is the way it has to be.” A source said that the endorsement Kaepernick “did agree to do was with the Milk Processor Education Program for the ‘Got Milk?’ Super Bowl campaign, which traditionally debuts the Friday before the Super Bowl.” Smith said that there “is a possibility that Kaepernick will do an ‘I am going to Disney World’ deal that is traditionally done by the game’s MVP and that she has been contacted by late-night talk shows eager to book her client.” JL Sports VP Tom Kleine, the marketing agent for Flacco, said that it “was possible Flacco will agree to a Disney deal, but it is unlikely he will do anything that requires him to sit for a commercial or photo shoot.” Kleine added that he “was contacted by representatives of the Milk Processor Education Program about a ‘Got Milk?’ advertisement but turned them down because Flacco was focused on football” (SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL, 1/28 issue).
SIBLINGS IN SYNC: AD AGE’s Michael McCarthy wrote neither 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh nor Ravens coach John Harbaugh “has the kind of boisterous John Madden-like coaching personality that appeals to Madison Avenue.” Still, sports-marketing experts said that together they “could pull off the type of sibling ad campaigns done” by Giants QB Eli Manning and Broncos QB Peyton Manning for Oreo, DirecTV and ESPN and tennis players Venus and Serena Williams for Apple iPhone and Avon. Octagon First Call Managing Dir David Schwab said, "They're more powerful as a pair than they are individually. They would make more money, too" (ADAGE.com, 1/28).
GET YOUR HEAD IN THE GAME: Football equipment maker Xenith announced that it has extended its partnership with Ravens RB Ray Rice, who began serving as an ambassador for the company in ’12. Rice will continue to promote Xenith’s X2 helmet while now serving as the face of Xenith’s national player safety campaign and promotions for the company (Xenith).
