Marketplace Roundup
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DEI Losing Sponsor With
Menard's Departure |
NASCAR driver Paul Menard will leave Dale Earnhardt Inc. (DEI) at the end of the season to drive for Yates Racing in '09. Menard will be taking his primary sponsor, his father’s Menards hardware chain, with him to Yates (Menards Racing). The AP's Jenna Fryer wrote the move leaves DEI "with just one full-time sponsor, three drivers and horrendous economic conditions that combine to create a bleak outlook." Bass Pro Shops sponsors Martin Truex Jr.'s No. 1 Chevrolet, but sponsorship from the U.S. Army "is expected to leave DEI at the end of the year ... and that leaves DEI without funding for" the No. 8 car driven by Aric Almirola. DEI's Regan Smith's No. 01 car "has had very limited sponsorship all season" (AP, 9/29).
NOT DESERTING: In Phoenix, Peter Corbett reports FBR "will honor its commitment" to title sponsor the PGA Tour event in Scottsdale next year. However, FBR Exec VP/Marketing Bill Stephens said that the company "will cut back substantially on the 600 to 700 clients and employees the company hosts" at the tournament due to "fallout from the mortgage and credit crises." FBR Open Chair Tim Louis said that the cutbacks "are not likely to have a severe impact on the Open." Louis: "We have a lot of support from other corporate sponsors" (ARIZONA REPUBLIC, 9/30).
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| Smith Appearing In Latest Spot From Bojangles |
NICE CATCH: Panthers WR Steve Smith is appearing in a new spot for Charlotte-based QSR Bojangles called "Leap" that breaks this week in several markets in North and South Carolina. The ad, Smith's first solo ad appearance for the chain, depicts Smith running down the field, catching a pass and leaping into the crowd to celebrate a touchdown. While hanging in the stands, Smith helps himself to a fan's Bojangles chicken. The spot, via Eric Mower & Associates, Charlotte, was filmed at Bank of America Stadium and will air throughout the NFL season. Kansas-based 10 Sports Marketing negotiated the deal on behalf of Smith (Bojangles).
PERFECT FIT: Foot Locker yesterday said that it plans to buy Delias Inc.'s CCS business for $102M in an attempt to "boost its appeal with teenage skateboarders." The "all-cash deal for CCS is expected to close within 60 days." CCS in '09 is "expected to have revenue of $80[M]," and the brand will "add to Foot Locker's profit in the first full year of operation" (REUTERS, 9/29).
NOTES: Golf Channel’s Tim Rosaforte said the upcoming schedule for PGA Tour member Anthony Kim, which sees him play in at least five different countries before the end of the year, will give him a “lot of facetime over the next couple of months, maybe replacing Tiger Woods in terms of that new ‘it kid’ we’ll see on TV all over the world” ("Golf Central," Golf Channel, 9/29)....Last night’s episode of ABC’s “Dancing With The Stars” featured footage of Misty May-Treanor from an AVP tournament in Manhattan Beach, California, but the signage surrounding the court was blurred out ("Dancing With The Stars," ABC, 9/29).
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