Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines (RCCL) is "close" to
signing a $5M contract to sponsor NBC's Super Bowl XXXII
halftime show on January 25 in San Diego, according to Terry
Lefton of BRANDWEEK. RCCL President Jack Williams said that
the deal "was not yet inked but that he expected to complete
it within several weeks." Williams added that RCCL's recent
acquisition of Celebrity Classic Cruise Lines gave it a
"broad enough sales base" to "justify the expenditure."
RCCL also sponsors the PGA and Senior PGA Tours. McKinney &
Silver, Raleigh, handles RCCL advertising (BRANDWEEK, 9/15).
DETAILS: As part of the deal, RCCL will get two 30-
second spots worth $1.3M -- one in the first quarter and one
after the Halftime Show; two 5-second sponsor billboards
before and after the Halftime Show; and five 10-second
"teaser" spots, two during the first half of the Super Bowl,
two during NBC's AFC Championship game and one during an
undetermined playoff game. RCCL also gets title sponsorship
of NBC's "Behind the Scenes at the Super Bowl" show, two in-
stadium video screen spots, scoreboard mentions, inclusion
in "the usual seat giveaways with other NFL sponsors," a
one-page ad in the Super Bowl program, 100 Super Bowl
tickets, and additional hospitality (BRANDWEEK, 9/15).
