Marketplace Roundup
Pirates President Frank Coonelly confirmed that GM "didn't renew its sponsorship deal" with the team. Coonelly said that GM told the Pirates that it would "end its relationship with the team after one year." GM's contract for its Chevy brand expired at the end of the '08 season. Coonelly: "It was a very significant deal for us." BLOOMBERG NEWS' Danielle Sessa noted Coonelly "wouldn't be specific on the value of the agreement." GM has an agreement with MLB that runs through 2010 (BLOOMBERG NEWS, 12/9).
THE NEW ODD COUPLE: TIME.com ranks the top 10 ads of '08 and lists T-Mobile's campaign featuring Heat G Dwyane Wade and TNT's Charles Barkley as its No. 1 effort. TIME's Gilbert Cruz wrote Wade and Barkley "prove themselves to be one of the better comedy duos to grace the small screen in recent years." Barkley is "wonderfully self-effacing and Wade does exasperated like a pro." Meanwhile, Spurs G Tony Parker makes a cameo in the No. 4 ad on the list, Microsoft's "I'm a PC," while the No. 9 ad is the Guitar Hero spot featuring Lakers G Kobe Bryant, Yankees 3B Alex Rodriguez, U.S. Gold Medal-winning swimmer Michael Phelps and skateboarder Tony Hawk (TIME.com, 12/9).
LIFE'S A BEACH: Visa has replaced American Express as the preferred card of Pebble Beach Resorts in a four-year deal valued in the high-six to low-seven figures annually by industry sources. Visa gains exclusive POS and some global promotional rights, but the deal will not restrict the use of competitors credit cards at the resort (Jon Show, SportsBusiness Journal).
GIFT GIVERS: In Michigan, Dave Gershman reported the Univ. of Michigan (UM) athletic department is giving its leftover Nike athletic clothing and shoes to "thousands of veterans and soldiers serving in Iraq." UM ended its 13-year sponsorship relationship with Nike last year and signed an eight-year contract with adidas. The donated gear included "more than 1,000 pairs of athletic shoes," along with T-shirts, gloves, pants and coats (ANN ARBOR NEWS, 12/6).
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