Celebrity endorsements have been around for as long as sports have been a part of popular culture.  The idea has been to match a well-known athlete with a company to help improve its image and more importantly, move sales of a particular product.

Some athlete endorsers have become closely associated with a particular product.  Here are a few examples:

If I said Joe Dimaggio, you might associate him with Mr. Coffee.

Joe Namath?  You’d probably throw out pantyhose, Noxema or even Susy Kobler (okay, the last one was not exactly an endorsement).

If I mention Peyton Manning, there would be too many commercials and associations to count.  My guess is you may remember the funny Sony spots with actor Justin Timberlake.  Each time a business decides to hire an athlete, they put their brand and reputation on the line.  Let’s not forget how fast brands fled Tiger Woods after he was caught cheating on his wife.

In most cases, the famous athlete is helping to drive the brand.

But if I mentioned the name Isiah Mustafa, would you be able to answer which professional teams he played for much less the brand he is associated with today?

Mustafa’s commercials have been a hot on TV and just as big on the internet.

According to a Wikipedia bio, Mustafa signed as a rookie with the Seattle Seahawks in 2000 and eventually played for the Tennessee Titans practice squad before playing in Barcelona of the NFL Europe.  While he has appeared in a few television shows (Ugly Betty, Days of Our Lives and NCIS), the Old Spice commercials have gone viral on the internet.  After completing the planned commercials for TV, Old Spice connected with online users by having him answer actual questions people mentioned via Twitter including helping with a wedding proposal.

This ingenious campaign has generated millions and millions of page views for a brand that not long ago was looked by consumers as old and crusty — your dad’s product.  Now, it is hip, young and online buzz worthy.  I am interested to see what it means for the product’s bottom line.

All of this by an athlete many of us did not even know.

If you want to see additional personal responses, here’s the link to the Old Spice YouTube channel

Sometimes, I run across an interesting business fact that I pass along to a friend.  You probably have done this as well.  In marketing terms, it is called Word of Mouth Marketing.

In the last day or so, I have noticed a few notes in different media that I thought you would find interesting too.  In no particular order…..

First from Sports Illustrated’s June 21st edition with Stephen Strasburg on the Cover.

• “In 2008, the most recent year for which figures are available, (University of) Texas led the nation in total athletic revenue, amassing a jaw dropping $138.4 million — almost $20 million more than second-place Ohio State.
• “The New York Giants and Jets were offered — and declined — $25 million for the naming rights to their new stadium by a dating website, Ashleymadison.com which targets adulterers.”
• “Inside the ballpark (at Cleveland’s Progressive Field) memorabilia stands sold Strasburg T-shirts ($25) and replica jerseys ($100) alongside Indians merchandise.”
• “Within two months of his father’s death on September 26, 2007, when the season ticket base had shrunk to a skeletal 3,400 in the wake of four straight losing seasons, Rocky (Wirtz) hired John McDonough away form the Cubs to be Hawks’ President.

From the Los Angeles Times

• “(Magic) Johnson, who owns about 5% of the team (Lakers), said his first hope was that Phil Jackson would return as coach, one of the “big decisions” facing a franchise whose profit margin shrunk because it had the NBA’s largest payroll as advertising revenue declined and season ticket revenue remained the same.”
• “The Lakers, with their game 7 victory over the Boston Celtics, produced championship rating for ABC, and the game worked the same magic on Twitter.  The website had already experienced record activity from the World Cup.  On an average day, Twitter gets about 750 Tweets per second, for a total of about 65 million a day.  The top three tweeted goals of the week.  Japan scores against Cameroon on June 14 with 2,940 tweets per second; Brazil’s first goal against North Korea on June 15, 2,928 per second; and Mexico ties South Africa on 11 with 2,704 per second. Then, the Lakers, with the franchise’s 16th title Thursday night, set a Twitter record, generating 3,085 tweets per second as the game ended.”

From Major League Baseball on Kansas City Getting the 2012 All-Star Game

• “It is estimated that revenues from the Midsummer Classic will amount to $70 million to Kansas City and its environs,” (Bud) Selig said.  He later estimated that local charities would benefit by $4 million or more.”

From the Web

• The National Association of College Directors of Athletics (NACDA), headed by its president, Randy Spetman who is the Director of Athletics from Florida State University is in Anaheim for a week-long conference starting today.  The conference runs from June 19-25.

The 2010 All-Star game is a few weeks away, but leave it to the Disney team to launch a unique way to promote the mid-summer classic while tying the baseball event to consumer products and the Orange County-based theme park.

The promotion came about as a partnership between Disney Consumer Products and Major League Baseball Properties.  Here is the concept:  Disney desgined thirty-six varieties of life-sized MLB-themed Mickey Mouse statues across heavily populated destinations throughout Southern California in honor of the 2010 MLB All-Star Week festivities.  As you can see to the right, I took a picture of this Arizona Diamondback Mickey which was showcased at the of the local Orange County outdoor malls.

The week-long all-star festivities take place July 9th – 13th in Anaheim, Calif. As part of the previously announced new collaboration between the organizations.  In addition to the Diamondbacks Mickey, the statues are being placed in high-profile areas throughout Anaheim, Los Angeles, and surrounding areas in Southern California.  This includes includes Angel Stadium, Anaheim City Hall, Downtown Disney, the Kodak and El Capitan Theatres in Los Angeles as well as L.A. Live and the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

The 36 life-size statues, commissioned in conjunction with MLB licensee Forever Collectibles, are uniquely decorated with bold graphics featuring each of the 30 MLB Clubs as well as four All-Star designs, an American League and a National League design. Each life-sized statue is 7.5 feet high and weighs 989 pounds.

I have included a complete list of statues and locations at the end of this entry.

“Major League Baseball is excited to bring the 2010 All-Star Game to Anaheim and we want fans all throughout Southern California to feel like they are a part of the entire experience,” said Howard Smith, Senior Vice President, Licensing, Major League Baseball in a press release. “As an iconic figure, Mickey Mouse is the ideal ambassador to connect fans with the premiere sporting event of the summer.”

As part of the overall promotion, miniature versions of each of the statues are available in a 7.5-inch size through MLB.com and DisneyStore.com, as well as additional retailers including MLB stadium shops, Walgreens and Dick’s Sporting Goods. Photos of all variations are available at MLBPressBox.com and DisneyConsumerProducts.com.

All-Star Game Disneyland Esplanade (near Disney’s California Adventure)

All-Star Game (Angel Stadium) — The Grove Anaheim – Front Gate All-Star Game

(Stars & Stripes) — Anaheim Convention Center – Outside Main Lobby Entrance

All-Star Game (Vintage) — Anaheim City Hall

American League — Hilton Anaheim – Lobby

National League Mickey — Anaheim Marriott – Outside Main Entrance

Angels — Angel Stadium of Anaheim – Home Plate Gate area

Astros Long Beach Towne Center – Promenade

Athletics The Muzeo, Anaheim – S. Anaheim Blvd

Blue Jays — Orange County Performing Arts Center, Costa Mesa – Main Entrance

Braves — Disneyland Esplanade (near Disney’s California Adventure)

Brewers — The Strand at Huntington Beach-5th St. & Pacific Coast Hwy

Cardinals — Downtown Disney – Outside Build-A-Bear Workshop

Cubs — Orange County Zoo, Orange – Main Entrance

Diamondbacks — The District at Tustin – The Promenade

Dodgers — Music Center – Performing Arts Center of L.A. County Plaza

Giants — Fashion Island, Newport Beach – Nordstrom Court

Indians — Industry Rag, N. La Brea – Inside store

Mariners — Kodak Theatre, Hollywood – Visitor Information Center

Marlins — Downtown Disney – outside ESPN Zone Restaurant

Mets — The Irvine Spectrum Center – Carousel Court

Nationals — Victoria Gardens, Rancho Cucamonga – Guest Services

Orioles — Newport Sports Museum – Main Entrance

Padres — South Coast Plaza, Costa Mesa – Carousel Court

Phillies — Hollywood & Highland Center, Hollywood – Central Courtyard

Pirates — L.A. Union Station – Main Hall

Rangers — The Village at Orange – near Game Stop

Rays– Laguna Art Museum, Laguna Beach – Lobby

Reds — Holiday Inn Express Walk of Fame, Hollywood – Outside Main Lobby

Red Sox — Discovery Science Center, Santa Ana – Outside Main Entry

Royals — El Capitan Theatre, Hollywood – Soda Fountain & Studio Store

Rockies — The Market Place Irvine – Near Sports Authority

Tigers — Crowne Plaza Anaheim Resort – Lobby

Twins —  Anaheim GardenWalk – Rock Garden Court

White Sox  – Holiday Inn Santa Monica – Outside Main Lobby

Yankees — L.A. LIVE – ESPN Zone Restaurant Lobby

Background on the 2010 All-Star Game

The 81st Major League Baseball All-Star Game will be played on Tuesday, July 13th in Anaheim and will feature the best of the American League taking on the top players of the National League. Building up to the excitement of the All-Star Game, Major League Baseball will conduct a wide variety of special events and charitable activities for fans both inside and outside of Angel Stadium of Anaheim. At the ballpark, the events will include Taco Bell All-Star Sunday on Sunday, July 11th featuring the XM All-Star Futures Game and the Taco Bell All-Star Legends & Celebrity Softball Game, and Gatorade All-Star Workout Day on Monday, July 12th featuring the State Farm Home Run Derby on ESPN, ESPN Deportes and ESPN Radio. Outside of the ballpark, fans will have an opportunity to experience All-Star Summer through a variety of special events including Major League Baseball All-Star FanFest, the five-day interactive fan festival; the All-Star Game Charity 5K & Fun Run, a charity run/walk on a baseball-themed route to benefit four cancer organizations; and the MLB All-Star Game Red Carpet Show presented by Chevy on MLB Network, a free parade of All-Stars through the streets of Anaheim. The Midsummer Classic will be televised nationally on FOX, broadcast on ESPN Radio and will be shown around the world by Major League Baseball International. For more information about 2010 All-Star Summer, visitwww.AllStarGame.com.

The 2010 World Cup is here and many sponsors and media are taking advantage of the World’s largest soccer tournament,  today, South Africa kicked off the festivities with the 2010 FIFA World Cup Kick Off Celebration which was carried live on ESPN2.

How are sponsors using activation of the event to drive their brand?  Here is one example from Coca Cola. During the 2010 FIFA World Cup, player goal celebrations will be uploaded to a special web site    www.fifa.com/celebrations and fans will be invited to vote for the most outstanding player celebrations online.  All FIFA World Cup players celebrating goals will have a chance of winning. The award will respect the laws of the game.

A press release from Coca Cola goes on to explain, “Coca-Cola will contribute $1,500 to fund the “Water for Schools” initiative in Africa each time a player celebrates a goal. The eventual winner will be rewarded with the first-ever Coca-Cola Celebration Award. Coca-Cola will also donate on the winning player’s behalf an extra $50,000 to the “Water for Schools” program to mark the historic occasion for an anticipated total contribution of $300,000. The “Water for Schools” program is just one part of a $30 million legacy by Coca-Cola to provide at least 2 million people in Africa with clean water and improved sanitation by 2015.”

Not to be outdone, Nike (NYSE: NKE), which also has a very popular viral soccer video associated with soccer.  Called, Nike Football, write the future, the video has been seen by more than 14 million people.  It has great graphics and tells a great story.  See for yourself.

Nike also announced today that it is partnering with Arsene Wenger, Manager of Arsenal FC, the launching of “The Chance,” a global search for talented footballers to join the Nike Academy, a high performance training program, supported by the Premier League in England.

Players can register for “The Chance” at nikefootball.com, where they can use digital assets to create custom campaign materials that build on the inspiration behind “Write the Future.” To support their bid, prospects can insert their image into a video that shows what their future might look like if they won “The Chance” complete with celebrity style pop culture moments. Entrants will also create a Facebook fan page to generate awareness and campaign support to get noticed.

After watching the video and reading the announcement, I am sure you probably are thinking that Nike is an official sponsor of the World Cup, right?  Wrong.  According the FIFA website which lists FIFA partners as well as World Cup Partners, Coca Cola is there but I could not find Nike.

Best Buy didn’t miss its chance for exposure around the tournament, even though they are not listed as an official partner either.  Yesterday, it had itsown release on the wires.   It told telling the world that it will be sending 16 teens from across the United States to Johannesburg, South Africa, June 15-20, 2010, to train at the Coca-Cola International Soccer Camp and attend a World Cup match. The teens, who won the trip through Best Buy’s teen-focused @15 program, will also have the chance to connect with 200 other teens from around the world at the camp and share their experiences in South Africa on www.at15.com.

It was harder to locate information about McDonalds, I did find this as part of their local efforts for activation.

McDonald’s has the exclusive right to select 1408 children for the FIFA World Cup and each country is encouraged to take part in this programme and select/send Player Escorts to the FIFA World Cup.  The McDonald’s Player Escort Programme for the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ provides a “once in a lifetime” opportunity for children from across the world, aged 6 – 10, to walk hand in hand onto the official pitch with their football heroes in front of millions of people. McDonald’s owns sole and exclusive rights to this initiative.  The activation of Player Escort Programme, in particular, the recruitment process, serve to re-in force McDonald’s commitment to balanced active lifestyle, which is the key objective of McDonald’s sponsorship.

During the 2010 FIFA World Cup, the lucky South African children that have been selected will travel to the soccer match with a parent or guardian and experience a unique side of the tournament. Kids coming to South Africa from other countries will enjoy flights, accommodation, sightseeing and meals all courtesy of McDonald’s. (Domestic kids, flights and accommodation are not included.)

Announcements surrounding the world Cup have not been limited only to sponsors.  I also found this on the wire servies.  Intelsat S.A., the world’s leading provider of fixed satellite services, announced that it is providing global transmission services of the World Cup in South Africa. Intelsat will use its terrestrial platform, IntelsatONE^SM, to complement the distribution capabilities of its fleet.

According to the FIFA site, here are their official sponsors:  Coca Cola, Adidas, Emirates, Hyundai-motor, Sony and Visa.  The site also lists as World Cup Sponsors:  Budweiser, Castrol, McDonalds, Continental, MTN.com, Yinglisolar, Seara, Mahindra and Satyam

The sponsorship money has been spent and now the companies are trying to capture additional marketshare and revenue with the activation programs, some of which have been mentioned above.

The matches get underway on Friday with South Africa playing against Mexico and Uruguay taking on France.  The World Cup means millions of eyeballs for media and for sponsors.  Some pay the rights fees and use it to improve their image and to drive others.  Others, use different marketing methods to try and associate themselves with the games.

For a complete bracket list, I wrote about it before and you can link to it here.

I have been sitting on this post for a while but thought it was time to post it.  I have debated for a while if I should even post it but now mad at myself for holding it back for so long.

This is an open letter to the folks at Street and Smith’s Sports Business Journal and the Sport Business Daily as well as to the folks at Sponsorship.com

Dear friends:

Everyone in the sports management business knows you host the IMG World Congress of Sports, which took place in Los Angeles earlier this year.  This event is one of a select few that is a must attend affair for people in our business.  About three weeks prior to this year’s conference, I emailed a request to attend the event and to write about it for this blog.

After the first attempt, no one even bothered to return my request.

So, I tried again.  After the second effort, I received a brief note that stated  the conference was for working media only.

In today’s age of change and Digital 2.0 media, I ask you, what exactly does that mean?  I am not the Los Angeles Times, nor the Associated Press.  I am not KABC TV nor KNBC TV.  This blog, is all about the business of sport.   I write about the the trends, information and people  in the sports business.

There are thousands of people that visit this site every month and some of the leaders in our business have been interviewed here.  Yet, the person in charge of credentialing did not even give me the time of day.

So I ask you, what qualifies as working media today?  How do you define it?  I guarantee it is not the same definition it was two year ago.

What qualifies for working media these days?  There was poor customer service by the staff in that I had to write a second time just to be told I was being denied access to write about the two day conference.  To busy to answer, you are thinking?  Remember, the sports business is, in a large part, customer service.  When  we forget that, we lose the fans that support a particular sport.

The bottom line is, the folks at IMG and the Sports Business Journal missed the boat.  I am guessing that I am not the only “blogger” who has been denied.

Second point.

As many of you know, I am an adjunct professor and teach at the Long Beach State Sport Management graduate program.  Yet, when I brought up the subject of the conference during a class, not one student was even aware that the conference was happening.  Why didn’t the conference offer special rates, seek out interns for the conference or use the students to help make the conference better.  These same students are the future of the industry. Where is the outreach?  Where is the vision?

On to IEG and sponsorship.com.  These good folks had the best of intentions ahead of their annual conference.  In Match they held their 27th Annual event in Chicago and I spoke several times to folks on their team about doing a feature for this blog.

In the end though, I never received the information ahead of the event and was not able to preview it before it happened.  Good intentions and bad execution.

Remember, today, in this fragmented media market, it is about eyeballs and targeted marketing.   They had a great chance to reach people in a non traditional setting but let it slip through their fingers.  Reaching bloggers is more important that ever.  Was I the only one they missed or were there other opportunities? Dunno…..

This is a call to all executives.  Adopt this developing technology, now.  Use the people and the resources that can help your business.  There is so much more these organizations could be doing to help their own cause.

Welcome to the 2010 Masters golf tournament.
Just as the players are planning to tee off today, Nike Golf never misses a beat. The sports apparel company yesterday launched a new Tiger Woods commercial to co-inside with his return to golf. It is genius.  Earl Woods, Tiger’s father, is the voice in the commercial who asks his son a few questions in the 30-second spot.

Leave it to Nike to shake things up and not to shy away from where Tiger has been. The voice from beyond is asking the important questions.

the ad is like a giant Jewish guilt trip my mother would ask of me when I got caught doing something I was not supposed to be doing.  However, this time, it is Tiger’s dad talking.  Have you ever heard the saying ‘I am not angry, I am just disappointed.’

I have the feeling this will played, blogged about and reported on so much in the next few days that it will help Tiger get over the repeated questions in the next few days.

And Nike did it first.

See his video below

Hi all.  Please wait one second for me as I get on this soap box and try not to fall off.

Ok.  There.

I have made it a point to try and never preach here, but after watching a recent episode  The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, I thought it was time we spoke about sponsorship.  During Stewart’s 30 minute nightly broadcast, the comedian and his talented team of writers, comics and  crew went after Bank of America during one of the show segments.  Before we get to the video, I wanted touch on a few things.

1) I am not a customer of Bank of America

2) I have nothing against Bank of America

3) I am only using them as an example for this blog since Stewart skewered them on National TV

That said, let’s take the old 20,000 foot view of sponsors and sports sponsorship.  Anyone involved in sports knows corporate partnerships help both team/organization and potentially the sponsor itself.  Some obvious benefits:

1) Off-sets expenses for the team

2) Tying the sponsor close to the team potentially improves how fans see the sponsor

3) Delivers a new venue for the sponsor to deliver their message

4) Provides the sponsor a new venue to sell their product.

Bank of America is no exception.  They spend a considerable amount of money on sports sponsorships.  Taking a look at their sponsorship website revealed the following:

* The compamy is a Major League Baseball Sponsor

* They also sponsor NASCAR

* They began a sponsorship agreement with the National Football League in 2007.  It appears they are still a sp0nsor.

The web page showcase a few major sponsorship, but I am sure they do much more to generate goodwill as well as some of the points mentioned above.

Now take those thoughts and watch this BBQ.

Part of that comic bit was taken from this video, which Jackie Ramos, a former Bank of America employee, made and posted to YouTube.

Okay, if you have watched either or both of those two videos, you now know that Bank of America took a serious hit to this November, 2009 video .

As a company, you can invest all you want in sponsorships to make you look better and sell more, but if you are not operating in a way that consumers or employees expect, then these videos will become more and more common.

It makes a significant impact on all of the company’s other efforts while still making money.

I do not know Jackie and I do not know if all her claims are true.  However, the damage can be significant (see Dominos scandal which made it to The Today Show).

So, here are a few general thoughts.

1) Always operate in an ethical manner

2) Treat employees like you would like to be treated

3) Always associate with quality people and other quality companies.

The days of businesses just running a simple television advertisement adjacement to a sporting event are long over. For real impact, integration is the key to additional eyeballs.

It appeared the Fox Sports sales team worked hard over the weekend to incoporate one auto dealer into its pre-game show.

Ford, looking to improve its image, positioned itself closer to the National Football league in week six.  During the NFL Pre-game show on Fox Sports this week, the automobile company incorporated its sponsorship in the following ways:

* In studio exposure with a shot of the Ford Taurus left of screen as well as an image right below Michael Strahan, Terry Bradshow, Howie Long and Jimmy Johnson and Curt Menefee.

* The pre-game show was called “the Ford, Drive One Fox NFL Sunday Pre-Game Show” Which Menefee said on-air.

* There was a hosted Ford Taurus Game Day House Party.

* One person from the House Party would win a Ford Taurus and also be rewarded with a trip to the Fox Studios.  They also announced the winner on the show.

* The partnership also featured a lead in bumper to the commercials after the break, encouraging football fans to go to foxsports.com/fordtaurus and sign up for the Taurus winning drive sweepstakes.  Only later did we learn with a graphic on the screen that the contest ends on Halloween, better known as October 31st.

A Ford logo was posted at the bottom of the screen during the third segment of the pre-game show while a ticker ran across featuring the game times of many of the NFL games for week 6.

* Ford logos also appeared in the background when Menefee spoke about the Giants-Saints game.  At one point I counted almost 19 full or partial logos on the TV during a shot of Menefee and Bradshaw.  In any angle that showcased the studio broadcasters, there was some image of the automobile company for the viewer to see.

* Ford also ran two traditional commercials within the show, one  following the opening segment and a second one later on.

*At the end of the pre-game show, it was revealed at Mary Gonzales from Winter Garden, FL was the winner of the Game Day Sweepstakes.  She walked off with a new automobile and a trip to the Fox Sports studio.

While Ford was the title sponsor, they were not the only sponsorship sold by Fox Sports  during the pre-game show.  State Farm had its own segment with banners and mentions.

Even Coors Light got into the integration game by sponsoring Frank Caliendo’s segment:  Frank’s Cold Hard Picks:  Coors Light had branding in the visual leading into the segment

The City of Hope also received exposure  for charitable initiative and a partnership with Fox Sports

If you think the sports business, specifically the business of professional football is above the world-wide recession, think again.

According to Forbes Magazine, which came out with its annual ranking of NFL football teams and their values this week, eight teams declined in value.  Blame it on the recession or blame it on the won-loss record.  The bottom line is the financial statements were headed the wrong way for these eight clubs.  No real surprise the Oakland Raiders led the way (a drop of 7%), the Detroit Lions and Indianapolis Colts (minus 5%), Miami Dolphins (-3%), Atlanta Falcons, St. Louis Rams and Seattle Seahawks (all -2%) and finally the Jacksonville Jaguars lost one percent.  If you want to see which NFL team increased and which decreased in more detail, here are the team valuations.

Jerry Jones and The Dallas Cowboys, were valued at the top of the 32 teams while Daniel Snyder of the Washington Redskins and Robert Kraft and the Patriots round out the top three places.  Robert McNair and the Houston Texas, which only entered the league as an expansion team in 1999 for 700 million dollars and has never been to the playoffs, is the surprise team in this ranking.  Forbes lists them as the sixth most valuable team in the league with a value of $1.2 billion.  They were valued more than the Philadelphia Eagles (7th on list), Chicago Bears (9th) and the six time defending Super Bowl Champs Pittsburgh Steelers (16th).  Are you sure about this, Forbes writers and editors?

Click on any or all of the teams below to see their profile in Forbes.  There are some interesting details.  While the magazine claims the Raiders are last in the league, they still value the franchise at $797 million dollars.  Just a bit more than the reported $180,000 Al Davis paid when he purchased the team in 1966.

MOST VALUABLE TEAMS

1. DALLAS COWBOYS
2. WASHINGTON REDSKINS
3. NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS
4. NEW YORK GIANTS
5. NEW YORK JETS
6. HOUSTON TEXANS
7. PHILADELPHIA EAGLES
8. TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS
9. CHICAGO BEARS
10. DENVER BRONCOS
11. BALTIMORE RAVENS
12. CAROLINA PANTHERS
13. CLEVELAND BROWNS
14. KANSAS CITY CHIEFS
15. INDIANAPOLIS COLTS
16. PITTSBURGH STEELTERS
17. GREEN BAY PACKERS
18. MIAMI DOLPHINS
19. TENNESSEE TITANS
20. SEATTLE SEAHAWKS
21. CINCINNATI BENGALS
22. NEW ORLEANS SAINTS
23. ARIZONA CARDINALS
24. SAN DIEGO CHARGERS
25. ST. LOUIS RAMS
26. BUFFALO BILLS
27. SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS
28. DETROIT LIONS
29. JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS
30. ATLANTA FALCONS
31. MINNESOTA VIKINGS
32. OAKLAND RAIDERS

Anheuser-Busch recently unveiled  a new marketing and advertising promotion that caused quite a stir, both among participating colleges and in the media.  The beer company began advertising a plan can to dress some of its beer bottles in the school colors of select colleges and Universities.  The move comes in part based on comments made by employees at the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).

So I have to ask the question, Do ‘Fan Cans’ make you drink more?  I am responsible, know the dangers of drinking and driving and try to set a good example.  I think alcoholic companies also need to set good examples and be responsible advertisers.   That said, this advertising campaign, in my humble opinion, might influence someone to try the Bud Light brand (see picture), but I don’t know that it will get them to drink in the first place.  A college student who intends on drinking beer, will continue to do so.  Tell me, is this targeted advertising towards minors or a company just affiliating with a college campus?

This is a legal product that is sold at most games and advertised on TV virtually doing all college football games.

All of this comes at a time when InBev, the parent company for AB, recently announced price increases.

“We plan on taking price increases on a majority of volume and in a majority of markets this fall,” a spokesman told the St. Louis Business Journal

If you are going to stop promotions for Beer companies from affiliating with a college campus that promotes a product, then stop take marketing and accepting promotional dollars at Athletics departments.  That is exactly what the University of Wisconsin did today when it announced the university ended long-standing sponsorship partnership with  and Anheuser-Busch and MillerCoors for advertising during Badgers broadcasts. The deals, according to an Associated Press story which ran online today, totaled about $425,000 per year, were stopped after a campus committee suggested stopping the advertising as a way to help prevent college binge drinking.

If a University is ready to take this financial step, then I understand the decision ask a Beer company like A-B to stop a promotion like Fan Cans.

Other companies have also recently attached themselves to college universities as Chicago-based The Parking Spot, came out with their own school colored promotion on its shuttle vans, asking users to choose between UCLA and USC colored vehicles.

So please, answer the question, Do You Think ‘Fan Cans’ make you Drink More?

Here are some other related stories

SMU protests Bud Light campaign

Too Dangerous for College — Newsweek

The Price Hike’s For You – Bloomberg