Names & Faces: Lewis, Tuck To Appear In Latest SoBe Super Bowl Ad
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Lewis, Light, Tuck To Take Naomi Campbell's
Place In Super Bowl XLIII "Dancing Lizards" Ad |
In this week's SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL, Terry Lefton reports Pepsi's SoBe Life Water brand will "reprise its award-winning 'Dancing Lizards' ad" during Super Bowl XLIII, but this year it will be a "trio of NFL players sharing the dancing floor" with the animated reptiles. Ravens LB Ray Lewis, Giants DE Justin Tuck and Patriots OT Matt Light will appear in the ad "dancing to 'Swan Lake' by Tchaikovsky, among other tunes." For Lewis, a role in a "high-profile ad like this represents a complete rehabilitation for him" after pleading guilty to obstruction of justice in '00, as the spot "could be one of the most popular ads on NBC's broadcast" (SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL, 12/15 issue).
NEXT BIG THING: In N.Y., Joe Lapointe wrote under the header, "Helping Others, And Himself: Filling Big Shoes, Giants' Tuck Receives And Loves Newfound Attention." Lapointe noted Tuck, who graduated from Notre Dame with a business degree, "does not just talk about giving back," as last week he "participated in two charitable events." But "along with philanthropic work, Tuck makes himself available to the news media and fans to an unusual degree." Octagon Senior VP/Athlete Marketing Tom George said that he "coached Tuck to do TV interviews by making eye contact, saying 'thank you' and using the interviewer's first name." George said of Tuck's star turn, "I can see it coming. He's being anointed" (N.Y. TIMES, 12/14).
ECONOMIC IMPACT: As part of a look at athlete endorsements, WMG Basketball Managing Dir Bob Myers said, "As far as we go and how the economy has affected us and athlete marketing, it's really stemmed the tide of future deals more than affected current deals. I do think we're going to see an impact on deals going forward, the ability to generate new deals in a lot of different marketplaces." Meanwhile BDA Sports Management VP/Marketing Bill Sanders, who reps Rockets C Yao Ming in the U.S., said, "In Yao's case, there's been no sign of anyone pulling back. That's mainly because his partnerships, most of them, are long-term" (HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 12/15).
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