Marketplace Roundup
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Law Firm Jumps In At Last Minute To Fund
Mike Skinner At Lowe's Motor Speedway |
In Daytona Beach, Godwin Kelly reported Daytona Beach-based law firm Rue & Ziffra and the Daytona Live project "jumped in at the last minute to fund" Randy Moss Motorsports' No. 5 Toyota driven by Mike Skinner for Friday's NASCAR Camping World Truck Series North Carolina Education Lottery 200 at Lowe's Motor Speedway. The race aired on Speed, and Skinner said of Rue & Ziffra's sponsorship, "We all know they don't practice law up here, but Speed has great coverage, and this is about keeping things local." Rue & Ziffra Marketing & Advertising Manager Shane Snipes said there are a "ton of people who follow Mike in Daytona and in Orange and Osceola counties." Snipes added that the sponsorship is a "one-time opportunity, but 'maybe the start of a long-term relationship'" (NEWS-JOURNALONLINE.com, 5/15).
IN THE PITS: ESPN.com's John Schwarb noted the sponsorship relationship between Kenny Bernstein Racing (KBR) and A-B "had been synonymous in NHRA drag racing; in fact, in all of motorsports," as "no active team/sponsor combination could match the 30 years that KBR had with" A-B. But when A-B announced that it "would step away from drag racing both as a team and league sponsor, the team's future was tossed into the air." The KBR team does not "lack confidence on race weekends, but navigating the sponsorship maze, especially in a recession, is another challenge." KBR Owner Kenny Bernstein said that the team has "'one or two sponsors on first base, with another three or four in the dugout,' and that it's still early enough in the season not to panic for 2010" (ESPN.com, 5/14).
DISTANCING THEMSELVES: BLOOMBERG NEWS' Dan Baynes reported the "sex scandal that has embroiled Australia's National Rugby League is prompting sponsors, including Coca-Cola Amatil Ltd., to revise their contracts and may deter other companies from backing the popular sport." A documentary that aired May 11 detailed a group sex incident that occurred involving players in '02, and sponsors are "concerned their image may be tarnished by players' off-field behaviour." Coca-Cola Amatil spokesperson Sally Loane: "We want to protect our brand and our name. ... We don't want our sponsorship diminished and we certainly don't want adverse publicity against us as sponsors" (BLOOMBERG NEWS, 5/16).
TEEN SPIRIT: Coca-Cola is searching for 10 U.S. teenagers who exemplify positive living in their community to carry the Olympic Flame in the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Torch Relay when it visits Calgary January 18-19, 2010. U.S. gymnast Shawn Johnson and taekwondo athlete Steven Lopez, both Coca-Cola "Ambassadors of Active Living," will join the 10 teen torchbearers in Calgary (Coca-Cola).
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