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LeBron James Helps Intel Promote Driverless Car Technology In New Ad Campaign

LeBron James stars in a new Intel commercial in which he shows off the company's self-driving-car technology, marking the "first big ad push for driverless vehicles," according to Danielle Muoio of BUSINESS INSIDER. In the ad, an "apprehensive James crawls into the back seat of an autonomous vehicle, watching the car guide itself on its own." James eventually "acclimates to the car, saying he wants to keep it." It is the "first advertisement to be shown to a general public audience for a fully driverless car." Airing a commercial with James is a "sure way to get the word out" that Intel is "working on self-driving-car tech" (BUSINESSINSIDER.com, 10/9). THE VERGE's Andrew Hawkins noted the broadcast and digital ad campaign will "lead up to the NBA season opener" between James' Cavaliers and the Celtics next Tuesday. Intel "thinks it is best positioned to overcome consumer apprehension toward driverless cars, and what better way to do that than to make" James the "smiling, bearded face of its public effort" (THEVERGE.com, 10/9). FORTUNE's Kirsten Korosec wrote the car featured in the spot "looks a lot like a Kia Cadenza -- although all branding of the vehicle is blocked in the ad." Intel would neither "confirm nor provide details on the make and model of the vehicle, but James and Kia have been linked before." Kia featured James in a series of ads for the '16 Kia K900 (FORTUNE.com, 10/9).

SBJ Morning Buzzcast: March 25, 2024

NFL meeting preview; MLB's opening week ad effort and remembering Peter Angelos.

Big Get Jay Wright, March Madness is upon us and ESPN locks up CFP

On this week’s pod, our Big Get is CBS Sports college basketball analyst Jay Wright. The NCAA Championship-winning coach shares his insight with SBJ’s Austin Karp on key hoops issues and why being well dressed is an important part of his success. Also on the show, Poynter Institute senior writer Tom Jones shares who he has up and who is down in sports media. Later, SBJ’s Ben Portnoy talks the latest on ESPN’s CFP extension and who CBS, TNT Sports and ESPN need to make deep runs in the men’s and women's NCAA basketball tournaments.

SBJ I Factor: Nana-Yaw Asamoah

SBJ I Factor features an interview with AMB Sports and Entertainment Chief Commercial Office Nana-Yaw Asamoah. Asamoah, who moved over to AMBSE last year after 14 years at the NFL, talks with SBJ’s Ben Fischer about how his role model parents and older sisters pushed him to shrive, how the power of lifelong learning fuels successful people, and why AMBSE was an opportunity he could not pass up. Asamoah is 2021 SBJ Forty Under 40 honoree. SBJ I Factor is a monthly podcast offering interviews with sports executives who have been recipients of one of the magazine’s awards.

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