In Baltimore, Jeff Barker notes following recent criticism, Under Armour "defended its brand" of basketball, which it said is used by 10 D-I teams. UA Senior VP/Communications & Entertainment Diane Pelkey said the company's 695 ball meets all mandatory National Federation of State High School Associations specifications, "which are the guidelines the NCAA uses to ensure the standardization of game balls across the NCAA." In addition to being used by 10 D-I schools, Pelkey said that it is the "official tournament ball for the Western Athletic Conference" (Baltimore SUN, 2/18).
40 FOR 40: The Atlantic 10 is continuing its year-long celebration of its 40th anniversary with a multimedia campaign that stretches across TV, digital and social media. The "Undeniable For 40" campaign builds upon the success of the A-10's "Who Wants Next" branding campaign. The campaign is composed of two TV commercial spots, a 30-second and 60-second version, a microsite (Atlantic10.com/40) and social media fan vote. The campaign extends onto the league's official Facebook and Instagram accounts, where fans can vote for the best moment of the past 40 years via a bracket-style activation through February. The development and delivery are being managed by Philadelphia-based branding agency 160over90 (Atlantic 10).
COMEDIC CHOPS: In San Antonio, Nick Moyle notes Spurs C Boban Marjanovic, starring with teammate Danny Green and former NBAer Sean Elliott in an ad for World Car, "makes his debut grooving to some Eastern European techno in the driver's seat of a new Nissan." This is a "good audition for his inevitable debut" in the Spurs' notable commercials with local grocer H-E-B (MYSANANTONIO.com, 2/17).
TO THE LAB: In Denver, Monica Mendoza reported Factory Design Labs has "designed a radical ad campaign for London-based Head Racquet Sports." In a new 30-second spot, which was "created by Factory’s Zurich, Switzerland and Denver teams, Head introduces its new Graphene XT Radical racquet" endorsed by Andy Murray. The strategy was "built around how the Radical is far from a traditional tennis racquet in both its aesthetic and composition." The commercial "has a futuristic, abstract feel" (BIZJOURNALS.com, 2/16).
