Delta has signed on as the new official airline of the Seahawks and MLS Sounders. The multiyear deal gives Delta entitlement to the 7,500-seat club level at CenturyLink Field, which will now be known as the Delta Sky360 Club, along with videoboard and other gameday enhancements. Delta now has marketing deals with 12 NFL teams. Seahawks and Sounders President Peter McLoughlin noted Delta picked up the team's charter business last season, which spawned this larger deal. McLoughlin: “We were under indexed versus average NFL club deals in the airline category and now we have one of the largest." He added that with the new deal, Seahawks' sponsorship revenues will have increased more than 15% over last year. McLoughlin said, "We’re not the biggest NFL market, but our objective is to be among the top (sponsorship revenue) teams in the league and deals like this are a big step in that direction." Alaska Airlines has a year left on its smaller marketing deal with the Seahawks, and since it is a marketing partner of Delta, those rights may continue even longer than that (Terry Lefton, Editor-At-Large).
STRONG WINDS: The Bears on Friday announced Ford, Microsoft, State Farm, Cancer Center Treatments of America, Red Robin, Sherwin-Williams, Tempur-Pedic, Bridgestone and Hillshire Brands as new partners for this season. They also renewed 95% of their corporate relationships from '12 and expanded their deal with MillerCoors as a HOF partner. Ford now is the "Official Car and Truck" of the Bears. Grocery chain Jewel-Osco also renewed its partnership with the team and now is the "Official Grocery Store" of the Bears (Bears).
JUST CHARMING: AGLAMSLAM.com's Heather Zeller noted jeweler Alex & Ani has "designed a licensed line of expandable wire bangle, embellished with" NFL team charms. The initial collection includes the Ravens, Bills, Bears, Cowboys, Broncos, Packers, Texans, Dolphins, Patriots, Giants, Jets, Eagles, Steelers, Redskins and 49ers. Additional team bangles "will launch later in the season" (AGLAMSLAM.com, 9/9).
WHO DAT: The New Orleans Advocate for Falcons-Saints created a 24-page special edition to celebrate former Saints player Steve Gleason, "who was honored at Sunday's game for his courageous fight" against ALS. The papers were draped over fans' seats in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. The edition was "made possible by a marketing deal" between the Saints and the newspaper. More than 200 volunteers "showed up Saturday night to distribute the sections" (THEADVOCATE.com, 9/9).
