Ichiro Keeping Sponsors on Deck; Tennis Pros Net Furniture Deal - Brief Article

Brandweek, July 16, 2001 by Hilary Cassidy

Along with the spectacular weather and the winning ways of the host team, everyone at last week's Major League Baseball All-Star Game in Seattle was talking about Mariners rookie Ichiro Suzuki. He drew the loudest cheers at the stadium and had the largest entourage at the league's gala party.

To date the Japanese player has kept a low endorsement profile. Clearly, though, he is in demand. Fans lined up for three-and-a-half hours at the John Hancock FanFest hoping to nab the specially produced All-Star card of Ichior, made by Fleer as part of a joint set produced by MLB's card partners. The card, 10,000 of which were made, was available free with the purchase of five packs of Fleer product (or for $75 on eBay). Dealers at FanFest's card show said demand for Ichiro product, because it is so scarce, could rival that of Tiger Woods.

Other All-Star notes: Anheuser-Busch and MLB both scored when Dale Earnhardt Jr. won the Pepsi 400 at Daytona the weekend prior to the All-Star Game. Earnhard't car sported a special paint job promoting Budweiser and the game ... Labatt did a little ambush marketing, handing out "Hit it Here" cardboard signs to fans heading into the Home Run Derby ... A hot topic among sports marketers at the event was how to meaningfully measure the impact of sponsorship on bottomline sales. Though the consensus was that there has not been a decline in sports marketing dollars available, how and where that money is spent in a tightening economy will be more closely evaluated than ever.

American tennis stars Andy Roddick and Jan-Michael Gambill, both repped by Ken Meyerson of SFX Sports, have signed an endorsement deal with Houston-based Gallery Furniture and the Westside Tennis Center, site of the U.S. Clay Court Championships. Jim McIngvale founder/owner of both Gallery Furniture and the tennis center, is in the second year of a five-year commitment to host and run the Houston tournament. The players will serve as spokespersons for the store, appearing in ads and promotional materials. Both are committed to play in the 2002 and 2003 U.S. Clay Court Championships, which Roddick, 18, won earlier this year. Steve Rosner of 16W Marketing cut the McIngvale deal.

The Gravity Games has signed Web portal iWon.com to a promotional partnership sources say is worth roughly $1 million, including more than $300,000 in advertising in such Emap action sports publications as Skateboarder and Bike.iWon.com will offer two sweeps on its site: one, from July 16-Aug. 20, will offer a trip for two to attend the Gravity Games while another, from Sept. 30-Nov. 30, will be tied to NBC coverage with the chance to win a Toyota vehicle. The sweeps will be promoted on iWon.com and on the Gravity Games' Web site, during NBC telecasts and in Emap magazines. iWon.com also will create a Games section within its site and coordinate targeted e-mail campaigns to encourage attendance and tune-in.

The Gravity Games is slated to take place in Providence, R.I., Sept. 1-9, with taped coverage airing Sundays on NBC from Sept. 30-Nov. 25.

Also in the world of alternative sports, Earthlink has inked a deal valued at $200,000-300,000 with the Subaru Gorge Games to be the Games' "official high-speed Internet service provider." Earthlink will receive spots in the two NBC broadcasts of the Games (Aug. 26 and Sept. 2) and on-site signage. Earthlink also will sponsor a team in the event's Adventure Race.

The Gorge Games will be staged July 14-22 in Hood River, Ore.

Strike Ten Entertainment and Atlanta-based Leading Edge promotions, in partnership with Miller Brewing, are rolling out a national promotion aimed at league bowlers offering the chance to attend the 2002 Super Bowl in New Orleans. Through the "Bowl Your Way to the Super Bowl" program, available as a turnkey promotion to bowling centers, keglers who participate in a special fall league will be eligible to win the trip, and each participant will receive a Brunswick Viz-a-Ball branded with the logo of any NFL team. Miller, an NFL sponsor, signed a deal with several bowling organizations earlier this year making its brands the "official beers of bowling."