In Houston, Ileana Najarro noted AntPool, a Chinese cryptocurrency company, announced an "official sponsorship" with the Rockets for this NBA season. The company "plans to expand into the U.S. market through Houston." AntPool will "host an exhibition" at Toyota Center on Jan. 19 through the Rockets deal. Rockets Owner Tilman Fertitta "recently began accepting cryptocurrency at a luxury car dealership he owns" (CHRON.com, 9/24).
RINSE & REPEAT: In Cincinnati, Dave Clark noted Chiefs TE Travis Kelce and Eagles C Jason Kelce are "starring in a new advertising campaign" for Cincinnati-based Procter & Gamble. The campaign is around P&G's "first beard-care products, including Old Spice Beard Oil, Beard Balm, Beard Conditioner and Beard Wash." The Kelce brothers played football at the Univ. of Cincinnati (CINCINNATI.com, 9/24).
GETTING A LYFT: The NFL Panthers "announced a new sponsorship" with Lyft in a deal that includes both pick-up and drop-off zones near Bank of America Stadium. The deal also includes "in-stadium advertising" (TWITTER.com, 9/24).
I'M ON A BOAT: In Ft. Lauderdale, Ira Winderman reported Shaquille O'Neal recently became a "spokesman for Carnival Cruise Line." O'Neal said, "Before I got the deal, I told [Carnival Chair and Heat Owner Micky Arison] ... 'I owe you an apology.' I said, 'I used to live across the street and I used to see these ships and automatically assumed they were boring.'" But O'Neal said he was "doing a photo shoot one day" aboard a Carnival ship, and he "didn't realize they had all this stuff." O'Neal: "Once it was over, I said, 'Micky, let me help the world know what's on this ship'" (SUN-SENTINEL.com, 9/22).
