Office products supplier W.B. Mason has signed a pair of two-year sponsorship deals with the Nationals and Orioles, expanding beyond its prior MLB pacts with the Yankees, Red Sox and Phillies. The deals come in tandem with a substantial new entry by the company into the DC-Baltimore market. Assets in the deals include outfield wall signage; suite access and tickets; and inventory on MASN, including title sponsorship of the clubs' respective postgame shows on the RSN. "Every market we've been in before where we've used baseball, it's shown itself to be a great selling tool, so we see big opportunity here, too," said Jeffrey Kirsch, W.B. Mason branch manager for Maryland, DC and Northern Virginia. Company and team execs said longer deals were originally discussed before settling on the two-year terms. Financial terms were not disclosed. "They've got a unique business model, and they're growing like gangbusters," said Nationals VP & Managing Dir of Corporate Partnerships John Knebel. "They're making a big bet on this market" (Eric Fisher, SportsBusiness Journal).
THESE BOOTS ARE MADE FOR WALKING: In Boston, gossip columnists Shanahan & Goldstein report Patriots QB Tom Brady and his dog were in a Pasadena park this week "shooting a TV commercial for UGG." Brady was "wearing what looked like a SnorriCam, a device used by moviemakers that’s rigged to the body of an actor." During the two-day shoot, he was "also wearing UGG boots." Brady signed a deal with the brand last November (BOSTON GLOBE, 6/17).
CENTURY CLUB: Fila has announced a marketing campaign coinciding with the brand's 100th anniversary in '11 that will complement the release of several commemorative Fila collections. A dedicated microsite at Fila.com offers a chronological history of the brand, while Fila will open a museum in Italy near where the brand started. Fila already has released a series of 100th anniversary "Champions Collections" of tennis apparel, which endorser Kim Clijsters is wearing Grand Slam events this year. Clijsters will not play at Wimbledon, which begins Monday, after withdrawing due to a foot injury (THE DAILY).
HAVE TO GIVE PROPS: The Int'l Licensing Industry & Merchandisers' Association on Tuesday night named NASCAR Team Properties the Best Sports Program of the Year. At the annual Int'l Licensing Expo in Las Vegas, NASCAR Team Properties was recognized as having put together a strong program that continues to improve business (NASCAR).
