The HOLLYWOOD REPORTER noted David Beckham has "announced his first foray into grooming," as French skincare brand Biotherm Homme "tapped the soccer superstar as its first global ambassador." Beckham will "make his debut as the face of the brand in a campaign for its best-selling gel moisturizer, Aquapower, set to be released online in June." The multiyear partnership, which was "inked between the L’Oreal-owned brand and Seven Global," also includes the "development of a skincare and grooming collection, which is set to hit shelves" in '17 (HOLLYWOODREPORTER.com, 5/9).
PATRIOT GAMES: AD AGE's E.J. Schultz cited a filing with the federal Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau as showing that Budweiser has "sought approval for new labels that replace the Budweiser name with 'America.'" Replacing "Budweiser" with "America" -- "even for a limited time -- would supercede previous attempts at patriotic marketing." A-B InBev U.S. Marketing VP Jorn Socquet "foreshadowed Bud's summer marketing by suggesting the brand would make use of the Olympics and Fourth of July celebrations, as well as the Copa America soccer tournament that will be played in the U.S." Budweiser is an official USOC sponsor (ADAGE.com, 5/6).
SHOPPING CENTER BACK: In DC, Steven Goff reported DC United is "close to finalizing a sponsorship deal with Safeway." It is "unrelated to negotiations involving naming rights for the new stadium at Buzzard Point." The Safeway pact is also "unrelated to the jersey sponsorship, which belongs to Leidos" through the '18 MLS season (WASHINGTONPOST.com, 5/9).
FINAL FRONTIER? In Boston, Christopher Gasper writes the NBA is the "first of the so-called Big Four sports leagues" to allow teams to put ads on jerseys, but if there "is no fan fury, it won't be the last." There must be "some safe space in sports where you’re not being pitched, prodded, or implored to buy something." The sports experience already "involves being inundated with advertising." Gasper: "Putting ads on the jerseys is going too far" (BOSTON GLOBE, 5/10).
