Menu
Marketing and Sponsorship

Shaq-i-licious: O'Neal Inks Deal With Arizona Beverages For Image On Soda Cans

TNT analyst and former NBAer Shaquille O’Neal has agreed to a deal "with Arizona Beverage that will put 50 million Shaq Soda cans in circulation in June,” according to David Kaplan of FORTUNE magazine. O’Neal in the deal with Arizona Beverage will "get a small percentage of wholesale sales." His decision to partner with Arizona "was based chiefly on a desire to help the beverage maker launch a new category.” Two years into retirement, O'Neal makes “more now than he did most years throwing down slam dunks.” O'Neal from early on in his NBA career “was an object of Madison Avenue's desire.” But that he is “more of a marketing phenomenon today than he was in his NBA prime is partly due to luck: He's instantly recognizable.” In addition “to peddling Gold Bond, Icy Hot, and manly jewelry at Zales," Shaq also "has a comic book in development, and he's a Silicon Valley investor.” Still, he “works hard at it.” Shaq & Co. “assembles his two dozen corporate partners" to compare notes, "share ideas, and invent Shaq suffixes” (FORTUNE, 5/20 issue).

KEEPING IT REAL? AUTOMOTIVE NEWS' Vince Ford Jr. noted TNT's Charles Barkley on Monday night's episode of "Inside The NBA" took a shot at O'Neal "about his LaCrosse ads by saying O'Neal was rubbed down with Gold Bond Lotion to fit in." That led to the following exchange:

    Barkley: "Had to grease your body to get in that Buick."
    O'Neal: "It takes me two seconds to get in my Buick."
    Barkley: "Kenny (Smith) told me only you and one of your kids can fit. You have to go to the amusement park with just one kid at a time."
    O'Neal: "It's probably true."

Buick Communications Group Manager Nick Richards yesterday confirmed that O’Neal “does indeed drive a Buick,” and that O'Neal's black ‘13 Buick LaCrosse -- his “first -- was delivered to him earlier this month.” Richards said, "Ever since he started doing those spots, he and Charles have been going back and forth on the show." He added that the ads “have performed well.” Richards: "From an advertising standpoint, his spots have copy tested better than anything else we've done" (AUTONEWS.com, 5/14).

SBJ Morning Buzzcast: March 25, 2024

NFL meeting preview; MLB's opening week ad effort and remembering Peter Angelos.

Big Get Jay Wright, March Madness is upon us and ESPN locks up CFP

On this week’s pod, our Big Get is CBS Sports college basketball analyst Jay Wright. The NCAA Championship-winning coach shares his insight with SBJ’s Austin Karp on key hoops issues and why being well dressed is an important part of his success. Also on the show, Poynter Institute senior writer Tom Jones shares who he has up and who is down in sports media. Later, SBJ’s Ben Portnoy talks the latest on ESPN’s CFP extension and who CBS, TNT Sports and ESPN need to make deep runs in the men’s and women's NCAA basketball tournaments.

SBJ I Factor: Nana-Yaw Asamoah

SBJ I Factor features an interview with AMB Sports and Entertainment Chief Commercial Office Nana-Yaw Asamoah. Asamoah, who moved over to AMBSE last year after 14 years at the NFL, talks with SBJ’s Ben Fischer about how his role model parents and older sisters pushed him to shrive, how the power of lifelong learning fuels successful people, and why AMBSE was an opportunity he could not pass up. Asamoah is 2021 SBJ Forty Under 40 honoree. SBJ I Factor is a monthly podcast offering interviews with sports executives who have been recipients of one of the magazine’s awards.

Shareable URL copied to clipboard!

https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Daily/Issues/2013/05/15/Marketing-and-Sponsorship/Shaq-Mkting.aspx

Sorry, something went wrong with the copy but here is the link for you.

https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Daily/Issues/2013/05/15/Marketing-and-Sponsorship/Shaq-Mkting.aspx

CLOSE