Visa Drives Hard at NFL; Spurs' Twin Towers Rule

Brandweek, Nov 22, 1999 by Terry Lefton

Visa is close to completing a four-year extension of its NFL sponsorship, a re-up that will extend its term as the league's official payment card through 2004. The leading credit-card brand continues to get club and league marks, but sources said Visa paid a "healthy increase" to gain a platform for its longstanding "and they won't take American Express" claim. The NFL was again unable to deliver the Super Bowl as a paradigm for the long-running campaign, but agency sources said the Pro Bowl will be used as a creative platform in future advertising from BBDO, NY. The inability of MLB to deliver a "World Series won't take AmEx" ad claim cost it a national sponsorship with Visa a few years back. The new four-year NFL deal matches the expiration date of affinity credit-card issuer MBNA, which has issued more than 1.5 million cards bearing NFL logos since Visa first purchased its NFL sponsorship in 1995, making it difficult for Visa to walk away from the deal.

Just as Tim Duncan and David Robinson, his fellow twin tower on the NBA champion San Antonio Spurs, dominated the league's hardwood last year, so they are grabbing much of what has been a shrinking market for endorsements by NBA players As last year's playoff MVP, Duncan generated considerable off-season activity. Topps will use his autograph on "chase cards;" Nortel Networks will use Duncan in a print testimonial campaign; Famous Fixin's will market a cereal named after Duncan in Texas and North Carolina, where he played college hoops at Wake Forest. Hallmark plans a Christmas ornament featuring the 6-foot-11 forward/center for holiday 2000 and he's also slated to make an appearance in the milk mustache campaign. Duncan has inked a two year extension of his Sprite endorsement pact and added a year onto extant contracts with Schick and S.C. Johnson, which will continue with the Robinson/Duncan TV ad for its Edge shaving gel. As noted here (Brandweek, Oct. 4), with Michael Jordan retired, Robinson remains one of the league's most sought-after players for national TV ads, having filmed more than 15 since entering the NBA in 1987.

Extra Innings: Steve Horowitz, who ran business development for the NFL Quarterback Club, has left the league ...Dick Law, who headed consumer products for MLS, has left to run Hicks Muse's soccer interests. His departure leaves the MLS minus a top licensing or sponsorship executive since corporate marketing vp Kathy Carter left earlier this year for ISL ...Jack Fitzgibbons joins Seiter & Miller Advertising, N.Y., as group account director after marketing stints with the USTA and the NFL ...N.Y. Knick Marcus Camby is close to signing endorsement deal with Smallworld.com. Genesco Sports, Dallas, is Smallworld's sports agency of record.