Iditarod has been suffering financially and lost Wells Fargo bank as a major sponsor last yearIDITAROD TRAIL COMMITTEE
Louisville-based Brown-Forman, the maker of Jack Daniel’s whiskey, has "dropped its long-running sponsorship of Alaska’s Iditarod sled race," according to Rachel D'Oro of the AP. Jack Daniel’s Global PR Manager Svend Jansen said that the company decided to go a "different direction by shifting most of its marketing efforts to a partnership" with the NBA, which reached a multiyear deal with the spirits brand in '17. He added that a campaign against the Iditarod by PETA "had nothing to do with the decision." Iditarod COO Chas St. George said that organizers were "notified by Jack Daniel’s that the company made the move to focus on sponsorships in other areas." St. George: "We are confident that we will continue to grow the race with new sponsorship opportunities." The Iditarod has been "suffering financially and lost Wells Fargo bank as a major sponsor last year." Organizers have "blamed animal rights activists for pressuring sponsors" (AP, 6/27).
