Cavaliers F LeBron James dressing as Progressive Insurance spokeswoman character "Flo" for Halloween was "part of a new digital campaign that Progressive is calling 'The Switch,'" according to Kristina Monllos of AD WEEK. The effort "will include the brand's first video Instagram spot later this week." The brand "has been rolling out shots of LeBron and Flo on Instagram this week." Progressive CMO Jeff Charney in a statement said there is "much more to come on Instagram and other channels" (ADWEEK.com, 11/5).
JUST DO IT ALREADY: The WALL STREET JOURNAL's Sara Germano noted Nike's "much delayed" LeBron 12 NSLR shoe line "will be released Dec. 1." James' new shoes "will now appear two full months after their original scheduled launch in China and roughly eight weeks after they were to become available world-wide." Nike last month said that the "initial launch would be delayed due to a small cosmetic issue." Nike has "produced a signature line of sneakers" for James "each year he has played in the NBA" (WSJ.com, 11/5). In Portland, Matthew Kish writes James is "big business for Nike and the No. 1 active basketball endorser." NPD Group VP/Industry Analysis Matt Powell said that Nike sold $300M in James products "in the U.S. last year, including his signature shoes." Powell added that sales of Nike's James products "are up" more than 25% this year. Kish wrote if Nike's LeBron James division "was a standalone business, it would be the 17th-largest public company in Oregon" (BIZJOURNALS.com, 11/5).
