Marketplace Roundup
In London, Matthew Beard reports France-based Eurostar is "in talks to become the official rail company" of the '12 London Olympics in a tier-two sponsorship worth up to US$31.8M. Under the proposed deal, the company "would provide thousands of free rail tickets to Olympic athletes and officials travelling to the capital from the European mainland." In return, Eurostar "would be given exclusive marketing rights by" LOCOG and be "entitled to use London 2012 branding on its trains." Eurostar is "thought to be favourite because of its international services" (London EVENING STANDARD, 5/22).
DON'T WORRY, BE HAPPY: VANOC officials said that they are "not worried General Motors could not honour its commitment as a major sponsor" for the '10 Vancouver Games after the manufacturer Wednesday announced that it is "axing 40[%] of its Canadian dealerships." GM pledged C$14M in cash and C$53M in value in kinds when it signed on to become an Olympic sponsor in '05. VANOC said that "all of its sponsors have been delivering on what they had committed to the Games" (CBC.ca, 5/20).
IN THE ROUGH: GOLFWEEK.com's Gene Yasuda noted Texas-based retailer Golfsmith Int'l acquired MacGregor Golf this week and with the sale, golfer Greg Norman said that he is "fully divested from MacGregor and stepping away from the golf equipment business -- with the exception of serving as an endorser for TaylorMade Golf." Norman: "I'm out of hard goods for the conceivable future. The golf equipment industry is not conducive for mid-tier brands." But Yasuda noted Golfsmith is "banking on the fact that MacGregor still has life as a proprietary 'house' brand for its retail chain, Internet site and catalog business" (GOLFWEEK.com, 5/20).
PEOPLE'S CHOICE: In Orlando, Matt Murschel noted USC football coach Pete Carroll Wednesday "took to his Twitter account to ask Trojan fans what jerseys USC should produce and sell for the upcoming year." Carroll "even has a link to a poll up on his website, PeteCarroll.com." But what is "unusual about the poll is that it asks you to vote on not only the number but it includes the names of current players associated with the numbers" (ORLANDOSENTINEL.com, 5/21).
LOOKING GOOD: Tiffany & Co. has unveiled the earrings Maria Sharapova will wear during the French Open: an aquamarine and diamond drop design in 18 karat white gold. Per Tiffany's deal with Sharapova, the jeweler provides earrings for her to wear at each Grand Slam tournament as part of its Tiffany for Maria Sharapova line (Tiffany & Co.).
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