Land Shark Will Not Be On Dolphin Stadium For Super Bowl XLIV

By Terry Lefton, Editor-at-Large

The Dolphins and Jimmy Buffett are set to announce the renaming of Dolphin Stadium as Land Shark Stadium tomorrow at 10:30am ET, and a few salient details have emerged about what is already one of the year’s most talked about deals. Most importantly, while the NFL Pro Bowl and Super Bowl are scheduled to be played in the facility, the NFL will not allow the Land Shark name to be used during its jewel events. Therefore, the facility will revert to Dolphin Stadium next January. So in essence, Land Shark Stadium will be an eight-month naming-rights play. However, it is unclear whether Anheuser-Busch, which brews the beer under license with Buffett’s Margaritaville marketing arm, would include Land Shark among the six or more Super Bowl spots it airs as part of its category exclusivity during the game. "[The Dolphins] are still looking for a naming-rights sponsor interested in the Super Bowl and Pro Bowl rights, and possibly a longer term beyond that,” said a senior marketer with knowledge of the deal. Sources cautioned not to view the deal solely as an entitlement, since there are a wide variety of other considerations, including Buffett’s new role as a minority investor in the team, performances at the stadium and a possible Margaritaville Lounge within the facility. Other sources said Buffet has rewritten “Fins,” one of his signature tunes, to become the new Dolphins theme song. Buffett is scheduled to perform that tomorrow and do an appearance on NFL Network with Dolphins Owner Stephen Ross.

DEAL PART OF LARGER PLAY: Some in the business of selling naming rights have criticized the deal as devaluing naming rights overall, but the source close to the deal said it is part of a larger play. “This is going to be seen by many as a naming-rights deal, but there is so much more,” the marketer familiar with the deal said. “When you look at what would be possible to get for naming rights this year, which might have been zero, versus the deal that was fashioned -- this was some of the most creative marketing I have seen, at a time when marketing dollars are almost impossible to come by. As it rolls out, you’ll see that it is less about naming rights and more about changing the game entertainment experience at Dolphins games.”

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