Qualcomm Stadium is "temporarily replacing its corporate moniker ... with the name of one of its chip brands," as the venue will be known as Snapdragon Stadium beginning Sunday for an 11-day period, according to Terry Lefton in this week's SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL. During that time span, the stadium "will play host to a Chargers Sunday night game against Baltimore along with two college bowl games" -- the San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl on Dec. 21 and the Bridgepoint Education Holiday Bowl on Dec. 28. Snapdragon is the brand Qualcomm "has given to its multiprocessor designed for mobile applications, which are used by 30 manufacturers." Qualcomm VP/Global Marketing Dan Novak: "What we're looking to do is raise the volume on awareness for Snapdragon -- let people know it is the heart of their smartphone, and then build awareness and eventually preference." Novak added that the change "was in the works for several months." Lefton reports the name change "required new agreements with the city, which owns the stadium; the Chargers; and the Holiday Bowl, which administers both bowl games." During the 11 days, "every existing Qualcomm sign will be wrapped in a Snapdragon dressing, and the company will employ other media as part of a larger branding campaign for Snapdragon" (SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL, 12/12 issue). In San Diego, Mike Freeman reported after the three games, the Snapdragon signage "will be removed and the stadium will revert back to Qualcomm Stadium." Qualcomm will not release terms of the deal, but Novak said that the effort "will be less than the price of a 30-second commercial" in the Chargers-Ravens game (SIGNONSANDIEGO.com, 12/9).
