Having covered sports licensing for longer than any other reporter, this Nike/Fanatics/MLB commotion is like no story at all, except that spring training is a time of excessive access for players. Similarly, the emperor appears to be something without clothes. There's not much to discuss. Does anyone think this will continue to be a big draw at All-Star Games? By the opening date?
“Too many cookies will make you sick, but not eating any cookies will make you even sicker.” — sinclair lewis
Molson Coors, on behalf of its Miller Lite brand, is launching one of the most famous beer campaigns of all time, McCann Erickson's classic “Tastes Great/Less Inside” ad, just in time for March Madness. It is being replayed accordingly.
The original ads began in the mid-1970s, and the campaign is widely regarded as one of the best in the household goods category. A number of spots for the updated “Tastes Great/Full Belly” were filmed by Hungry Man Productions in and around Pasadena's Rose Bowl earlier this month, agency officials said. The new version of Miller Lite All-Stars includes David Ortiz, Reggie Miller, JJ Watt, Jorge His Posada, Mia Hamm, and actor Luke Wilson, and is layered with a '70s theme and unforgettable catchphrase. I always wanted to drink beer. And it became even less. ”
When it launched in the 1970s, Tastes Great/LessFilling's efforts included athletes from the sports world, including Mickey Mantle, Deacon Jones, Bubba Smith, George Steinbrenner, and Billy Martin (reenacting their matches). Many famous people (at the time limited to retired athletes) were in attendance. Feud), Dick Butkus, and John Madden (we hear they may appear in the updated campaign via digital images).
The original campaign has become so entrenched in pop culture that it has become commonplace for different seating sections at sporting events to shout “delicious” and “not filling” to each other. His SI Funk Deford, who also appeared in at least one ad, wrote a book about the campaign in 1984.
Miller, who still has major team sponsorship deals with the Cowboys and 14 other NFL teams, has generally avoided using athletes in national campaigns in recent years, but Watt has He recently participated in the fall football campaign.
For the first time in decades, AB InBev Quaf is no longer the top seller in the country, as Bud Light ceded its No. 1 market share to Modelo. Does Miller Lite have a chance to improve its standing? We'll see if everything old can be new again.
Wasserman is a sports marketing agency for Molson Coors.
The late John Madden, who was part of the original campaign, could appear in a new spot via digital imagery.
Would you sell a team that has no name, logo, team colors, coach, or players? That falls into the “been there/done that” silo for Jess Smith, who was named the new president of San Francisco's WNBA expansion team, which begins play next year.
After four years as CRO of NWSL's Angel City FC in charge of sponsorships and then all revenue, Smith couldn't be more comfortable promoting a product that is still largely still at Skunk Works. I feel it. Smith, the 2023 SBJ 40 Under 40 honoree, said at the recent NBA All-Star weekend in Indianapolis that he spoke with 10 potential sponsors.
While building the brand is a top priority, Smith said he also has sponsors close to signing. She is hiring ticket and sponsorship salespeople while also developing a culture that is cordially and economically connected to the Warriors.
“The ownership here is passionate and obviously used to success, which is great,” Smith said. “But we know we need to build our own culture because selling women's sports is very different on several levels.”
SentinelOne retains Horizon Sports & Entertainment as its sponsoring agency of record for the purpose of managing the cybersecurity company's sponsorship of the Aston Martin F1 Team. HS&E's duties include strategy setting, activation, hospitality, and measurement.
SentinelOne has been a sponsor of the Aston Merton F1 Team since 2021 and recently extended its sponsorship (with support from HS&E) until 2025.
Cloud security and cybersecurity, along with the fast-growing B2B sector as a whole, have been touted by many in the business community as opportunities for increased sponsorship.
- Comcast's Xfinity brand is in talks with NASCAR about a new deal starting in 2025, but this could still be the last year of title sponsorship for the Xfinity Series, according to SBJ's Adam.・Stern reports.
- PUMA used NBA All-Star Weekend to showcase its latest collaborations with athletes, combining fun and fashion and connecting with pop culture, writes SBJ's Xavier Hunter.
- Vision Insights, which launched its Decoder fan and sponsorship analytics platform last March, has begun working with its fifth MLB franchise, the White Sox, SBJ's Joe Lemire reported.
- ACC and Dr. Pepper have a new deal through 2026 that will see the brand become the conference's exclusive soda sponsor, SBJ's Ben Portnoy reports. The deal also includes the Crush line of soft drinks (part of the Dr Pepper family).
- IMG Academy and Under Armor have agreed to a multi-year sponsorship extension that will keep the Baltimore-based apparel company as the academy's sole outfitter, notes SBJ's Wes Sanderson.
- Powerade ran its first ad featuring USC men's basketball guard Isaiah Collier and LSU women's guard Frauge Johnson, who joined as NIL ambassadors last month, SBJ's Austin Karp notes.
