Marketplace Roundup
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Blake Making Switch From Nike To
Fila With Next Week's Australia Open |
U.S. tennis star James Blake will begin wearing Fila at next week's Australian Open after spending his career with Nike. The deal is expected to be formally unveiled soon. Blake is currently 10th in the world rankings. See next week's issue of SportsBusiness Journal for more on the Blake deal (Daniel Kaplan, SportsBusiness Journal). Fila has also signed Sony Ericsson WTA member Anna Chakvetadze to an endorsement deal. Chakvetadze, who is currently ranked No. 18 in the world, will debut Fila's Baseline Apparel collection and the Alfa shoe during the Australian Open (Fila).
TAYLORMADE NEWS: TaylorMade-adidas Golf has cut 70 employees from across all areas of the company due to the current economic climate. TaylorMade-adidas Golf President & CEO Mark King in a statement said, "Difficult times require difficult decisions. We're confident that the steps we're taking now will allow our company to remain strong during these turbulent times." Meanwhile, TaylorMade Golf recently signed 17 PGA Tour members to new endorsement contracts for '09, with notables including Paul Goydos, Frank Lickliter, Steve Lowery and Duffy Waldorf (THE DAILY).
IS IT IN YOU? AD AGE's Bob Garfield reviews Gatorade's new "What's G?" campaign, via its new agency TBWA/Chiat/Day, L.A., and writes, "People are talking about G. This is what a teaser campaign is meant to do. Therefore, for TBWA, so far, so good." It would "appear that the new agency is reaching still farther, not to 'Be like Mike' but to be like Nike, associating G with all the emotion and beauty and glory of sport." There are "worse things for a sport drink to be than synonymous with athleticism." Garfield gave the campaign three stars (ADAGE.com, 1/12 issue).
BEST BUDS: Fox Soccer Channel has signed an advertising agreement making Budweiser the new official sponsor of "Super Sunday +," a show that features highlights, interviews, tactical breakdowns and commentary on every weekend's soccer action. Budweiser replaced Bass Ale as the official program sponsor with last Sunday's program. Bud also became the exclusive beer sponsor of Barclay's English Premier League coverage on the network. Terms of the agreement were not available. An announcement is expected today (Tripp Mickle, SportsBusiness Journal).
DROP KICK: BRAND REPUBLIC's Ed Kemp reports Italian bank UniCredit Group will replace MasterCard as a "principal sponsor of the UEFA Champions League, bringing to a close a relationship dating back" to '94. MasterCard is currently "midway through its final season as a Champions League sponsor." It is believed that UEFA and UniCredit will make an official announcement "in the next few months." MasterCard has sponsorships with the European Championships and the FIFA World Cup (BRANDREPUBLIC.com, 1/13).
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