Fight Club

Thursday, March 13, 2008 | 8:58 a.m. | By Patrick Kinmartin | Comments | Print

Mixed martial arts, perhaps better known as MMA, didn’t receive a lot of attention during Wednesday’s discussions, but Anheuser-Busch’s Tony Ponturo talked in the opening session about why his company has become involved in the sport.

"The key is to know your consumer and follow your consumer," he said. "We've seen a study that shows a young male can identify 10 UFC fighters, but not 10 players on the (St. Louis) Rams."

MLS Commissioner Don Garber welcomed the idea of MMA being a major force on the sports scene.

"It's a phenomena,” he said. “It's great to see there's room in this industry for a new sport."

Coca-Cola’s Bea Perez cautioned that MMA advertisers have to be "very cognizant" of the potential reaction of certain sizable portions of their consumer base, particularly mothers.

"If we're going to invest in something that (offends) her,” she said, “we're going to lose an important consumer who really has some pull."