How Social TV Is Changing the Field for Sports

All kinds of media companies are trying to crack the social TV code — and those that produce live sports are no exception.

Sports fans’ deep engagement and tendency to sports talk ought to be a perfect fit for social media, executives from ESPN, Major League Baseball and WWE said at Ad Age’s Social Engagement/Social TV conference on Wednesday. “Sports tends to be perfect for this,” said Bob Bowman, CEO of MLB Advanced Media.

The opportunity for fans to dictate their own conversations is compelling, Mr. Bowman added. “They haven’t been told what to say yet,” he said. “They haven’t heard from experts on TV. What they tweet is their original thoughts.”

The traditional TV platform will persist at least as well in sports as in any other genre, Mr. Bowman suggested. “People will always watch sports on the largest screen they can find,” he said. The second screen is just complementing viewers’ traditional experience. (www.adage.com)

A Desert Survival Guide You Can Eat, Courtesy of Land Rover

Land Rover wants you to know it’s got your back — and your stomach. To emphasize that you could take the sturdy vehicle into any type of environment and be protected from scorching temperatures and deadly animals, Y&R Dubai created a guide explaining the basics of survival in the Arabian Desert.

The guide contains tips on how to use indigenous flora and fauna, and comes wrapped in reflective packaging that you can use to signal for assistance. And when things get really, really tough, you can eat the book, which was made of edible ink and paper and has a nutrition value close to that of a cheeseburger.

The guide was given away as a supplement to the cars’ manual. (www.adage.com)

Brad Pitt Endorsing Chanel No. 5? Just Another Pretty Face

Women have worn it for decades. Andy Warhol put it on one of his posters, and Tilar Mazzeo wrote a book about it. Now one of Hollywood’s most famous actors will reportedly be its face.

According to numerous reports that surfaced today, Chanel No. 5 has named Brad Pitt a spokesman for the brand. The move would mark the first time a man is featured in ads for the fragrance, which has historically been marketed as a classic scent for elegant women. It could also be a sign that Chanel No. 5 wants to diversify its core audience (given the popularity of unisex scents) or to appeal to women with a good-looking guy.

The story goes that the Coco Chanel’s first attempt at marketing the fragrance was what you might call a 1920s-style flash mob. She supposedly invited a number of stylish women to a restaurant in Grasse, France, the perfume capital of the world, and spritzed them with Chanel No. 5. (More on that here at the Wikipedia page). (www.adage.com)

Fuel 21st Inc. Becomes An Official Sponsor Of Infineon Raceway

Infineon Raceway and Fuel 21st Inc. have entered into an agreement that will make the Napa (Calif.)-based company an Associate Level Partner in the raceway’s Accelerating Sustainable Performance program.

Fuel 21 is an ethanol gel fuel made from sustainable sugarcane, which provides intense heat that lasts longer than other warming fuels. Fuel 21 performs better than other conventional fuels, plus it’s all-natural, non-toxic, sustainable and cost-effective.

The company’s products include portable fuels for use in food service, retail and government for emergencies and disaster relief. As part of this new relationship, Fuel 21 will also become the “Official Food Warming Gel Fuel of Infineon Raceway” and a partner at the raceway’s green performance summit, to be held in September.

The program builds on the raceway’s strong operational record as a sustainable business in areas like recycling and water conservation, with new initiatives such as a major solar-electric installation and a series of demonstrations featuring the latest in high-performance green vehicle technologies. (www.sponsorship.com)

The Rinks And Anaheim Ducks Announce Partnership Agreement With Pacific Premier Bank

THE RINKS Development Program and Anaheim Ducks today announced that the program and National Hockey League (NHL) club have signed a five-year partnership agreement with Pacific Premier Bank. As part of today’s announcement, Pacific Premier Bank is the Exclusive Bank of THE RINKS.

“We are thrilled to have Pacific Premier Bank as the Exclusive Bank of THE RINKS Development Program and its five locations,” said Vice President of THE RINKS Art Trottier. “Locally based in Costa Mesa, Pacific Premier Bank is committed to the same Southern California communities that all five RINKS locations serve.”

Elements of the partnership agreement include the presence of Pacific Premier Bank at all RINKS locations, including Anaheim ICE, Westminster ICE, Huntington Beach Inline, Irvine Inline and Corona Inline. Pacific Premier Bank will receive branding opportunities at each location, on www.The-Rinks.com, and the five individual facility web sites (AnaheimIce.com, WestminsterIceRink.com, CoronaInline.com, HBInline.com and IrvineInline.com). Pacific Premier Bank will also have the ability to install and operate one ATM at each RINKS location; receive title sponsorship of the Anaheim Ducks High School Hockey “Player of the Month” award; receive tabling opportunities during various RINKS tournaments; and the opportunity to be featured in various tournament-related RINKS publications.

“We are excited about the opportunity to partner with THE RINKS,” said Pacific Premier Bank President & CEO Steve Gardner. “We share a love for hockey and supporting our communities. THE RINKS brings the best hockey and skating experience to its customers, just as we provide the best banking service to Southern California businesses and consumers.” (www.sponsorship.com)

Texas Tennis Open Signs Come On! Apparel As Official Clothing Sponsor Of The Ball Kids And Officials

The 2012 Texas Tennis Open, which will feature many of today’s top WTA professional tennis stars, announced today that Come On! Apparel has signed on to be the official clothing sponsor for the ball kids and tournament officials.

The 2nd annual Texas Tennis Open, which is part of the WTA, is an ‘International Level’ tournament with prize money of $220,000, and features a singles draw of 32 players and a doubles draw of 16 teams. The tournament, which will play host to an international field of players, will take place August 17 through August 24, 2012 at the Hilton DFW Lakes Hotel in Grapevine, Texas.

“We are extremely pleased to sign a clothing sponsor partner like Come On! Apparel, ”said Chris Giordano, Texas Tennis Open Tournament Director. “The Come On! brand is clearly a great fit with our event and we look forward to outfitting the ball kids and tournament officials with this progressive tennis apparel line.”

Come On! was also the official clothing of the ball kids at the 2012 ATP Delray Beach International Championships. Founded in 2011, the Come On! brand was developed based on the sports phrase yelled by many athletes to motivate themselves while on the court or the field. (www.sponsorship.com)

Ad Sales Propel AMC Profit

AMC Networks Inc.’s first-quarter earnings rose a bigger-than-expected 45% as increased advertising revenue drove the cable-network operator’s top-line growth.

AMC Networks—operator of its namesake movie channel AMC, Independent Film Channel, Sundance Channel and WE tv—was spun off from cable-operator Cablevision Systems Corp. (www.wsj.com)

Combating Olympic-Class Odors

OLYMPIC advertisers tend to highlight the grit and determination of athletes, but a Procter & Gamble brand is taking the unusual approach of pointing out that a team stinks.

In the olfactory sense, that is.

Febreze, the air and fabric freshener, is sponsoring the Olympic wrestling team from Azerbaijan. A new television commercial shows four unitard-clad members of the team — Haji Alijanov, Jamal Magomedov, Rafiq Huseynov and Sharif Sharifov — wrestling and lifting weights in a shabby London gym.

“We did a Febreze experiment with the Azerbaijani wrestling team,” begins a voice-over. “Can Febreze Air Effects defeat the smelly air in their gym for good?” (www.nytimes.com)

Red Bull’s Signature Series signs inaugural sponsor

Alli Sports, the action sports arm of NBC Sports Group, and Red Bull Media House have announced watch brand Casio as an inaugural sponsor of the Red Bull Signature Series, a new action sports property that covers the Red Bull X-Fighters, the Red Bull Cold Rush and the Red Bull Crashed Ice World Championships.

Under terms of the agreement, Casio’s G’zOne model becomes the official handset of the Signature Series in addition to serving as the presenting sponsor for five Red Bull Signature Series broadcasts on NBC and its associated channels.

According to an official press release, ‘As part of the fully integrated package, Casio G’zOne will receive commercial units, in show branding within all 35 hours of programming, activation opportunities at multiple events, marketing and digital benefits and exclusive content features in all shows’ (www.sportspromedia.com)

Nordstrom Is Tops In Luxury Brands

While every store catering to the wealthy boasts about its exceptional service, exceptional bling and exclusive merchandise, Nordstrom comes in tops again in the latest ranking from the Luxury Institute.

“The consistency is kind of astounding,” Luxury Institute CEO Milton Pedraza tells Marketing Daily. “We’ve been tracking this for seven years, and while Nordstrom isn’t always No. 1, it’s always close. It really is the master of the craft.”

The study includes U.S. shoppers who earn at least $150,000 per year (with an average of $292,000 and a net worth of $3 million), and evaluates shopper perceptions of

a brand’s store personnel, the environment and level of satisfaction with the overall experience. This year, Nordstrom earns an 8.41 out of 10. (www.mediapost.com)