Farmers Insurance Group received almost $6M "in free media exposure for putting its name" on AEG's Farmers Field proposal, which now "will never be built," according to Front Row Analytics data cited by Eben Novy-Williams of BLOOMBERG NEWS. Farmers' payments "weren’t set to begin until the 65,000-seat stadium was completed," and the past four years of "discussion about the stadium" generated $5.84M in exposure. Front Row Senior VP Eric Smallwood: "It has to be one of the best non-naming rights, naming rights deals ever." Farmers Insurance CMO Mike Linton said that the company "has no plans to pursue a sponsorship deal with another NFL team or stadium" (BLOOMBERG NEWS, 3/12). Meanwhile, tourism leaders in L.A. said that now that AEG "has dropped plans to build a downtown stadium for an NFL team ... the city can focus on expanding and modernizing" the L.A. Convention Center to "attract bigger, more profitable gatherings." Central City Association of L.A. President & CEO Carol Schatz said that in addition to "upgrading the convention center ... downtown L.A. needs more hotels built within walking distance of the center and L.A. Live." She added that hotel developers "are ready to build around the convention center ... noting that AEG recently announced plans to add 755 rooms to the J.W. Marriott hotel in L.A. Live" (L.A. TIMES, 3/12).
