Octagon's Doug Hendrickson, the agent for Seahawks RB Marshawn Lynch, said that his client "earned in the mid-six figures" from licensing the phrase "Beast Mode" in '13. ESPN.com's Darren Rovell noted Lynch has "two registered trademarks, to use the term on clothing and hats, and has two trademarks pending to be able to use 'Beast Mode' on sunglasses, headphones, bracelets and cleats." For the companies Lynch chooses to work with there is "a typical" 20% sales royalty fee, and Lynch "has to approve every design." Lynch thus far "has given a stiff-arm to Nike, which pays him to endorse its products." Hendrickson said that things "could change on the Nike front" with the Seahawks advancing to the Super Bowl, and if his client is "presented with the right side deal." Lynch has an "exclusive autograph deal with Washington-based Mill Creek Sports." But Hendrickson said that the two sides "haven't come to terms on a deal that would allow the company to have Lynch sign 'Beast Mode' along with his autograph" (ESPN.com, 1/17).
THE RAINBOW CONNECTION: AD AGE's Alex Kantrowitz cites Kantar Media data as showing that with Lynch heading to the Super Bowl, the "free exposure for Skittles could be worth" up to $5M. That figure was reached by "building a model based off camera time and mentions of Skittles by broadcasters" during the Seahawks-Saints playoff game. It also "included the assumption of a short segment" about Lynch's "relationship with the candy." Kantar Media found that the total advertising value "could be upwards of" $7M, but the $5M number was "drawn from a slightly tempered 'sponsorship value' calculation which accounts for the fact that being talked about by others is worth less than using screen time to air your own tailored message" (ADAGE.com, 1/17).
BATTERY LIFE: In Boston, Kevin Paul Dupont wrote Duracell's ad featuring Seahawks FB Derrick Coleman is an "excellent, moving piece," by Saatchi & Saatchi, N.Y., and "could be the leader in the clubhouse for 'best in show' these next couple of weeks when TV is saturated with talk about Super Bowl commercials and the running and rerunning of the commercials themselves." There is "a lot to like about both the Coleman commercial and his story." His Q score is "never going to reach those of the big boys," but "so what?" His story is "real, compelling, relatable" (BOSTON GLOBE, 1/19). Coleman was profiled on NBC's "Nightly News" Friday in a segment called "Breaking the Sound Barrier." NBC's Brian Williams said Coleman has become a "role model" for other hearing-challenged people" ("Nightly News," NBC, 1/17).
GOOD CALL: In Omaha, Michael Kelly notes Broncos QB Peyton Manning "audibled 'Omaha!' 31 times at the line of scrimmage" in yesterday's AFC Championship Game against the Patriots. Because eight Omaha companies "said they would donate $100 for every time he shouted 'Omaha!' that means $24,800 for Manning's charity, the Peyback Foundation for at-risk kids" (OMAHA WORLD-HERALD, 1/20).
