On Long Island, Neil Best notes Eric Hornick, who works as a statistician for Islanders telecasts, was approached last year by a team fan blog "seeking permission to commission a T-shirt inspired" by a feature from his own blog. Hornick runs regular posts in a series called "It Happened at the Coliseum," in which he "recalls a memorable event at the arena on that date." Hornick agreed and "chose Make-A-Wish Metro New York" to receive proceeds from the shirt sales. Blogger Joe Buono then "hired a designer to incorporate highlights of the Isles' history at the Coliseum, from 'Tonelli to Nystrom' to 'Bossy 50 in 50' to the current team's rallying cry of 'Yes! Yes! Yes!'" As of yesterday, 791 shirts "had been sold" and more than $10,800 "had been raised for Make-A-Wish." Best: "Not bad for a product available only online that has no promotional budget, just word of mouth and social media" (NEWSDAY, 3/24).
STOP AND START: In Chicago, Mike Imrem wrote college basketball games "would be even better if the grown-ups let the youngsters play instead of stopping the game every other dribble for TV commercials." So much advertising time has been sold "that it's like the game is mere filler between sales pitches." Imrem: "Somebody has to ante up the cash that goes to everybody in college sports but the stars of the show themselves" (Chicago DAILY HERALD, 3/23). ABC's Jimmy Kimmel referenced Capital One's new ad campaign and said, "If watching the games this year taught me anything, it’s that I would really like to take a road trip with Charles Barkley, Sam Jackson and Spike Lee" ("Jimmy Kimmel Live," ABC, 3/23).
ROYAL RUMBLE: VARIETY's Brian Steinberg reported NBCUniversal and WWE "are tag-teaming ... to get a tighter hold on advertising dollars." WWE programs have run on USA Network "for about a decade and on Syfy for a little under five years." Yet during that time, NBCU "supervised the sales of TV advertising around the two properties while WWE handled a lot of digital and social marketing." This year, the two "promise to take on all comers with a broader marketing plan." In the "first marketing pact made under the new arrangement, Viacom’s Paramount has signed up ... to promote its new 'Terminator: Genisys' film" through its July release. Wrestler Triple H "will make a grand entrance" at WrestleMania 31 for his match against Sting "using imagery from the movie" (VARIETY.com, 3/24).
