Reebok is pushing out the 10th anniversary Allen Iverson signature shoe next month with a campaign highlighting Iverson’s durability and longevity in the NBA.
The $125 Answer IX, which incorporates the latest version of Reebok’s Pump technology, launches on Nov. 2. A television spot from Reebok agency McGarry Bowen, New York, shows Iverson on a training table with graphics superimposed on him detailing the 50 or so various injuries he has suffered in more than a decade of NBA competition. A limited line of AI retro jerseys is tied to the launch.
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| The new Iverson shoe (bottom) launches next month. |
As for Iverson’s impact on Reebok eternally chasing Nike’s cachet of cool? “We sell a lot of [AI] signature product, but he came into the league as sort of the anti-Jordan, so he’s been an important lifestyle icon for our brand,” said Que Gaskins, Reebok’s vice president of lifestyle and entertainment marketing. “You’ve had a lot of kids looking for something different and he’s become Reebok’s face for the mix of sports and lifestyle culture — which is at the root of our brand.”
NBA AND PLAYERS EXTEND LICENSING DEAL: The NBA has quietly extended the licensing agreement with its players association for an additional six years. Since 1995 the league had guaranteed $30 million annually to the NBPA for combined logo rights and group rights to its players’ names and faces. Under the new agreement, that escalates to $40 million by the end of the deal. New components of the deal are the use of players in the mushrooming wireless category for things such as ring tones and cell phone video games.
“Without the collective bargaining cloud hanging over us now, there is more interest from retailers and more collaboration with the union — more than we’ve ever had,” said Sal LaRocca, senior vice president, NBA global merchandising. He would not discuss specifics of the renewal. We’re told Dan Wasserman’s ForSport consulted with the NBPA on the deal, but he would not comment.
GET OUT THE VOTE: The NFL’s new telecom sponsor, Sprint, will replace Ameriquest as presenting sponsor of this year’s NFL Pro Bowl balloting. In addition to voting for their favorite players on NFL.com and in-stadium on paper ballots, fans can vote for their favorite player in specific positions — quarterback, running back, wide receiver, interior lineman, inside linebacker, strong safety and free safety — by using Sprint text messaging.
A sweepstakes overlay offers voters a trip to the game in Honolulu, along with a variety of backstage access experiences. The NFL will be running TV spots on its asset media promoting balloting on NFL.com beginning with game telecasts on Oct. 23. Balloting runs through Dec. 13.
The Pro Bowl squads are made up of the consensus votes of fans, players and coaches. Each group’s vote counts one-third toward determining the 43-man rosters that represent the American Football Conference and National Football Conference. NFL players and coaches will cast their votes Dec. 19-20. Last year, a record 61 million votes were cast; Indianapolis Colts QB Peyton Manning garnered the most ballots with 1,075,089; while Philadelphia Eagles QB Donovan McNabb received 993,530. This year’s Pro Bowl team will be announced Dec. 21 on the 2006 Pro Bowl Selection Show on ESPN.
FOUR TO SCORE: AOL, Dos Equis, Toyota and Pfizer’s Viagra ED medication are in as top-level sponsors of Sports Illustrated’s “Sportsman of the Year” presentation. The deals include ad inventory in SI and on SI.com. Activation plans see AOL tying the launch of AOL.com with exclusive rights to Webcast a Q&A session with the person selected as Sportsman of the Year at the Dec. 6 SI party. Under its “eXXclusive aXXcess” marketing initiative, Dos Equis is offering a VIP trip to the Sportsman of the Year celebration in New York City, and a six-day/five-night trip to Mexico. Toyota has developed adjacent placement for its ads that surround SI’s weekly “Faces In The Crowd’’ feature. Viagra will also have a sweepstakes offering a trip to the year-end banquet, and entrants must register and supply demo info and an e-mail address. The announcement of Sportsman of the Year will be made on Dec. 6 and appear in the Dec. 12 issue.
“As we build out all of our marketing platforms beyond [ad] pages, we’re competing for dollars that traditionally went to sports property sponsorships,” said SI chief marketing officer Jeff Price. “What we have convinced people of is that we can make their sponsorship and advertising dollars work better together than separately.’’
PERFECT FOR NFL COUCH POTATOES: Licensed products marketer Baseline Sports, Norfolk, Va., is producing a new line of NFL-licensed furniture bearing team logos and colors. The line will include sofas and recliners from $500 and up. More popular teams, such as the Dallas Cowboys, Oakland Raiders and Pittsburgh Steelers, will be available at a variety of retailers in time for the 2005 holiday season. The new license taps into a current trend that sees consumers spending more for higher-priced licensed home furnishings. Coming soon: NFL rocking chairs. Other leagues have also developed recent furniture deals; this is the NFL’s first one since the late 1980s.
HERE & THERE: We’re aware of the differing restrictions on intellectual property, but nonetheless, we’re intrigued that Anheuser-Busch has no problems, nor compunctions, mocking Babe Ruth’s called shot in a new Bud Light ad running during MLB’s postseason broadcasts. New NFL sponsor Burger King had hoped to craft ads and digitally insert its BK spokescharacter into film footage of some of the NFL’s greatest plays, but it was turned down flat by the league. … Sources within the executive placement community tell us the NHL is looking for a CMO, with the emphasis for the job being on marketing, rather than sales. … Bob Weber has moved in as head of sales at the WNBA, with a title of GM, WNBA sales. Weber comes from a magazine sales background, and most recently was vice president and publisher of AmEx Publishing’s Travel + Leisure Golf. He has also worked for Haymarket and Meredith Publishing. … NYC 2012 failed to land an Olympic bid for the Big Apple, but its marketing staffers continue to land good jobs within the industry. The latest landing sees Chad Blankenship joining ESPN as an associate director of brand management. He’ll be working on the ESPY Awards, The Great Outdoor Games and other initiatives. … Brian Mieth joins Omnicom’s Icon marketing agency, as vice president of sports and event marketing. Mieth was last with Active International, another agency specializing in the exchange/disposal of corporate assets, including sports sponsorships no longer deemed relevant or necessary by the original buyer. … Keith Cutler joins CBS/Viacom Television Station Group’s Digital Media division, which owns and operates 40 CBS and UPN local affiliate TV stations. Cutler will be senior vice president of advertising sales and business development, heading up the national sales (and all revenue generation) for the local CBS/UPN TV station Web sites and their other wireless content. The former Turner exec was most recently senior vice president of partnerships at the LPGA.
Terry Lefton can be reached at tlefton@sportsbusinessjournal.com.
