American Suzuki Motors announced a multi-year marketing
partnership valued at $35M with the Downtown Athletic Club
(DAC) and two Time Warner divisions -- Time Inc. and Turner
Broadcasting -- to support Suzuki's sponsorship of the
Heisman Trophy (see THE DAILY, 7/26). Initial print ads for
the campaign will hit newsstands this week, including a
series of specially created multi-page sections in Time
Warner publications Entertainment Weekly, Life, People,
Sports Illustrated and Time. Other media components include
CNN, CNN/SI, TNT, CNN Airport Net, CNNSI.com and "Heisman
Heroes" on-screen slides to appear in movie theaters in
several major markets. The program is expected to generate
1.3 billion impressions (American Suzuki Motors).
GIVING THE HEISMAN: In N.Y., David Koeppel writes that
Suzuki's three-year, $1.5M deal with the DAC to sponsor the
Heisman "does not include title sponsorship" of the event's
awards presentation show, as ESPN holds the rights. As part
of the deal, fans will be able to vote for their top three
Heisman choices at Suzuki dealerships, with the top vote-
getter receiving one of 922 official votes (N.Y. TIMES,
8/17). Also in N.Y., Luke Cyphers writes that the deal
provides a $500,000-a-year "shot in the stiffarm to the
ailing DAC, which emerged from bankruptcy in June."
Meanwhile, Time Warner may expand its relationship after
this year, and "has been discussing the possibility of
broadcasting the annual Heisman banquet" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS,
8/17). Heisman Trophy Exec Dir Rudy Riska said that neither
Wendy's, the USPS nor Chase Manhattan, the award's other
sponsors, are paying more than $375,000 a year for their
associations (Jonathan Tamari, BLOOMBERG, 8/17).
