GM Global CMO Joel Ewanick Thursday said that soccer “has a much larger global fan base than American football, underscoring why a five-year Chevrolet marketing deal with global soccer powerhouse Manchester United is a better way to promote cars than a Super Bowl ad.” Ewanick said that the NFL has about 400 million fans “compared with about 3.5 billion fans of soccer.” Of those, about 659 million "are fans of Manchester United.” Ewanick said that GM “isn't cutting back on its advertising during NFL games, or in the U.S.,” but that GM will “boost total advertising with the NFL” (DETROIT FREE PRESS, 6/1).
WHERE'S WALDO? In N.Y., Sam Borden noted the U.S. Soccer Federation “has experienced the expected reaction -- both positive and negative -- after the recent debut of its new home uniforms for the men’s and women’s national teams.” After using a “relatively standard design for its last iteration, the latest versions have drawn criticism for, among other things, looking a little bit too much like something out of ‘Where’s Waldo?’” Nike Global Design Dir for Soccer Thomas Walker said that “from a design standpoint the lack of an established precedent is liberating” (NYTIMES.com, 5/31).
HONORING THE PAST: Warrior debuted the new EPL club Liverpool home jersey with features that honor the team’s past. Designs were inspired by the team’s ’64-65 uniform and the amber yellow Liver Bird emblem has been re-introduced, reminiscent of the strip worn for the ’76-85 seasons (Warrior).
OFF THE BENCH: MLB has selected Baseball HOFer Johnny Bench as its '12 spokesman for its Play Sun Smart Program aimed at raising awareness toward skin cancer prevention. Bench will take part in a variety of promotional appearances on behalf of the Play Sun Smart effort, including ones on "Fox & Friends," WFAN-AM, MLB Network, SiriusXM and at AT&T Park in S.F. Bench was recently diagnosed and treated for basal cell carcinoma, the most common type of skin cancer, on his lower eyelids (Eric Fisher, SportsBusiness Journal).
