Barclays Center Signs Two-Season Marketing Deal With Recently Revived BlackBerry

Barclays Center has "struck a two-season marketing deal with" BlackBerry, according to Garett Sloane of the N.Y. POST. A source said that the deal is "valued at" $1-5M. Barclays Center Senior VP/Corporate Sponsorship Mike Zavodsky said that BlackBerry and its new Z10 phone will get "prominent ad placement throughout the arena -- plus its own customer 'experiential' area and a suite-level lounge." He said BlackBerry is paying for "brand domination" at the arena, where people will see marketing for the smartphone maker from "street to seat." Sloane notes BlackBerry has been "on a marketing push of late to revive its market share in smartphones since losing ground to the likes of Apple and Samsung." BlackBerry has "targeted other sports," like F1, with a reported $12M deal announced in February. BlackBerry also markets "heavily with the NHL." Barclays Center has "similar deals with Calvin Klein and MetroPCS for branded 'mini-neighborhoods' within the arena" (N.Y. POST, 4/4).