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Marketing and Sponsorship

Microsoft Tailored Sideline Tablets To NFL's Demands, Says Exposure Has Been Worthwhile

Microsoft "knew it would be doing business with a meticulous partner" when it agreed to a long-term sponsorship of the NFL last year, and the development of the company's Surface tablets specifically for use on the league's sidelines "offers a window into the relationship between the NFL and its business partners," according to Ken Belson of the N.Y. TIMES. In "months of discussions with NFL teams, technology experts and the league’s competition committee, Microsoft was told the tablets had to be rugged enough to survive drops, easy enough to use in a hurry and big enough for several people to see its screen at once." The devices "had to work in extreme temperatures (hot and cold), resist glare and hold a battery charge for a full game, and they had to work on a secure wireless network without delays." A cart holding up to 16 tablets "had to have strong wheels so it could be rolled onto the sideline; a tilted top to prevent cups from being left there; and a power supply, a heater and a cooler inside to maintain optimal tablet performance." Microsoft "insisted that the box be painted cyan, the same color as the tablet." As the NFL heads toward midseason, the "toughened tablets ... have blended into the sidelines." Microsoft Chief Marketing & Strategy Officer Yusuf Mehdi said that the company's NFL deal "was money well spent."  The NFL "spoke to several technology companies before settling on Microsoft, partly because it could produce a tablet for the sideline and turn the Xbox into a conduit for NFL content." NFL Exec VP/Media and NFL Network President & COO Brian Rolapp said, "I’m not sure where sponsorship deals end and media deals begin. People spend a lot of time on a 30-second commercial trying to convey the attributes of their product. This actually shows it" (N.Y. TIMES, 10/16).

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