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Marketing and Sponsorship

Cowboys Merchandising/Legends close to locking up Longhorns

D allas Cowboys Merchandising/Legends is close to securing apparel rights for much of the University of Texas licensing program, one of the country’s largest, and a longtime Collegiate Licensing Co. school.

Industry sources tell us that the agreement, not yet fully papered, is similar to Dallas Cowboys Merchandising’s USC deal, under which a Legends predecessor struck a 10-year pact in 2011 to manufacture, license and distribute USC-branded apparel, with the exception of on-field gear.

The University of Texas has one of the largest college licensing programs.
Photo by: GETTY IMAGES
In the case of Texas, those on-field rights are owned by Nike, as they were when USC signed with what was then called Silver Star Merchandising. This is a bellwether deal for Dallas Cowboys Merchandising/Legends; the University of Texas has been ranked as CLC’s top-selling school for a remarkable nine consecutive years.

> NEW MENU: Along with the regime change at MLB will be a change in the league’s corporate sponsor roster. Quick-service restaurant Taco Bell is the latest to depart and one that is particularly disappointing, since it marketed baseball precisely where it needs help, within the vital young male demo. Bayer and Firestone also are departing as MLB sponsors (SportsBusiness Journal, Feb. 16-22).

Taco Bell leaves after 11 years as an MLB corporate patron, with rights in the QSR and casual-dining categories. The merchant of mass-market Mex sponsored the annual celebrity softball game as part of All-Star Game festivities.

Taco Bell and its “Steal a Taco” promo are out at MLB.
However, what was easily the QSR’s most memorable MLB activation took place during the World Series: the “Steal a Base, Steal a Taco” promotion, which offered a free taco from 2 to 5 p.m. one day to all customers if a base was stolen during the World Series. That traffic-building contest was staged three times: in 2007, 2008 and 2012. It generated considerable buzz and turned into a grand sampling opportunity for Taco Bell, anchored by a large media buy on World Series rights holder Fox, which included an appearance by the base stealer whose theft ostensibly bought free tacos for America.

No word on why Taco Bell cashed in its MLB chips. As for a QSR replacement, round up the usual suspects, Captain Renault. Nearly all of them pour MLB sponsor Pepsi.

> BIGGER EAST?: The new Catholic Big East returns its basketball tourney to Madison Square Garden March 11-14, with Dr Pepper Snapple Group’s Sunkist Ten low-cal soda leading the parade of new sponsors, which also includes Nike, in a three-year head-to-toe deal. Sunkist will activate with point-of-sale at more than 300 retailers in the New York market. Renewals include Gatorade and Geico, which is back for three years after a one-year test drive with the rechristened conference. Geico gets media and on-court branding, in the form of basket-stanchion and seat-back signage. Big East CMO Ann Crandall said she’s also shopping for sponsors in the wireless and sporting goods retail categories.

> MUD WRESTLING: Cliff Kaplan’s Equity Sports Partners is the new sponsorship agency for the Tough Mudder endurance/obstacle series, which begins its 2015 season in Florida on Saturday. Sponsorships for Tough Mudder were sold by Apel for the past 18 months and the agency switch follows last year’s installation of Dan Weinberg as Tough Mudder’s vice president of global partnerships.

Tough Mudder is promising improved sponsor integration and branding on and around the obstacles that highlight its events. As far as sales targets, despite Under Armour’s presence since 2011 and the recent signing of Anheuser-Busch and Chipotle, Kaplan said he sees further opportunity, noting the absence of brands from heavy spending categories like insurance, wireless and auto, any of which might covet Tough Mudder equities of endurance and strength.

Another mission for the new agency is to plot a media strategy. The 5-year-old property, with events in North America and abroad, has achieved impressive organic growth, with 2 million participants, but is still looking for the right media deal.

“We’ve been built without the traditional ‘TV first’ model, but when you look at what UFC and Fox did with the ‘The Ultimate Fighter,’ we think there’s a reality show and competition angle that could work for us,” said Weinberg, who is on his second tour of duty with Tough Mudder.

Terry Lefton can be reached at tlefton@sportsbusinessjournal.com.

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