General Motors yesterday said it was working with Beyoncé to incorporate the new Chevrolet Corvette Stingray into her Super Bowl XLVII halftime performance but "it did not work out." GM over the past two weeks called rumors of the vehicle's involvement in the halftime show "speculation." In Detroit, Snavely & Bomey write associating the Corvette with Beyoncé would have “added to an avalanche of publicity for the car, which was revealed Jan. 13 on the eve of the Detroit auto show” (DETROIT FREE PRESS, 2/5).
UNIFORM DECISIONS: NBA Exec VP/Global Marketing Sal LaRocca said that the "target debut" for the league to include ads on jerseys is the '14-15 season. In Indianapolis, Anthony Schoettle writes, “NBA owners are leaning toward approving a 2-1/2-inch-by-2-1/2-inch ad placed on either the upper-left or upper-right corner of the jersey. Right now, owners want only one ad per jersey.” A source said that if advertisers "take to the ads, owners will consider adding a second patch.” Schoettle notes one proposal on the table is for teams to share 25% of the "collective jersey advertising revenue," which "gained momentum at an owners meeting in Miami in mid-January” (INDIANAPOLIS BUSINESS JOURNAL, 2/4 issue).
FOREIGN AFFAIRS: MARKETING magazine’s John Reynolds reports London Games sponsors have been “accused of abandoning their commitment to the Olympic legacy, with the Greater London Authority struggling to raise funds for sports-participation projects.” London's city government has committed to investing $11M (all figures U.S.) in "grass-roots projects in the capital over the next two years.” To boost that sum, it has “approached domestic sponsors of London 2012 ... with requests for funding of between” $787,000 and $1.6M. Sources said the GLA has “failed to secure any backing from brands as yet” (MARKETINGMAGAZINE.co.uk, 2/5).
OFF THE RAILS: Canadian National Railway has announced that it will be "modifying its sponsorship position in Canadian golf beyond 2013, electing to focus its efforts on Canadian youth and grassroots golf.” It will “cease to be the title sponsor of the Canadian Women's Open and Canadian Women's Tour at the end of this year” (GLOBE & MAIL, 2/5).
