Weird Baseball Promos

Promo items from sporting events have to rank amongst wedding favour gifts and trade show giveaways as crap that instantly lose their appeal the minute you get them. The folks over at Mental Floss have put together a list of the most interesting promotions and giveaways from MLB teams. To check out the full list click here: http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/84060. Here are some of "highlights" from the list:

• The Chicago White Sox will hand out Bobbleheads of their former heads groundskeeper later this season. I guess the team's assistant travelling secretary will have his day next year.


• The Minnesota Twins will give out Relief Pitcher Matt Capps' Fishing lures to 5,000 fans later this month.


• The Oakland A's will hand out MC Hammer Bobbleheads as part of their 'Let's honour rappers who have blown their fortune" theme week...Oh sorry he served as team bat boy during the 80's? My bad.


• The Pittsburgh Pirates will give out wind-up Pierogi figures, which inexplicably they also offered last year.

Wrestlemania Betting

Memo to degenerate gamblers: Don't say that you don't have enough gambling options.

Bodog was taking bets for this past weekend's WWE Wrestlemania event. Yeah you heard that right you could place bets on a pre-scripted, pre-determind "sporting" event. I guess it's not that different than betting on Tim Donaghy reffed game.

So did you bet on Undertaker paying -1600 as a huge favourite, Snooki in her tag team at -1400 or Edge who paid good money at +350?

Adidas Techfit Jerseys

In anticipation for the NBA all-star game Adidas, the NBA's official jersey supplier rolled out a new performance jersey. The skintight Adidas Techfit Powerweb jerseys were given as an option to each player to wear for the all-star game.

The only player to wear the jersey for the game was Orlando Magic Dwight Howard and he only wore it for the 2nd half of the game - not exactly a ringing endorsement. Not even poster boy Derrick Rose who donned the jersey for a photoshoot wore it. One has to think that Howard being an Adidas pitchman was one of the main reasons behind his decision to wear it.

As for the actual look of the jerseys, Italy's soccer team called and they want their shirts back.

Peak Shoes: China making its NBA mark

Give credit where credit is due, the NBA All-star provides the greatest outlet amongst the four major sports for its players to shine and be showcased. The weekend is all about fun, excess and entertainment from the Celebrity game to the Slam Dunk contest and the actual All-Star Game.

The Dunk Contest encapsulates the weekend better than any other event and it was during this event where the most unlikely underdog got plenty of publicity. With his 2nd place finish JaVale Mcgee of the Washington Wizards not only thrust himself into homes but also his shoes. Mcgee has a shoe contract with China-based Peak Sports. His endorsement deal was fully on display when he changed his shoes for every dunk. The TNT crew got involved talking about the shoes at length, even though some of it was in jest.

Peak, couldn't have asked for better publicity, especially after the NBA winnigest coach accused the Chinese kicks for Ron Artest's foot problems earlier this year.

McGee and Artest are just two supporters of Peaks. The company has also enlisted fellow NBAers Jason Kidd, Kevin Love, Shane Battier, Sasha Sharapova err Vujacic, Kyle Lowry, Carl Landry, Darnell Jackson, Sonny Weems and the retired Dikembe Mutombo.

While they'll never compete on the level of Nike or Adidas by having the likes of All-star Kevin Love under contract, Peak Sports is brand to watch for in the NBA.

Final: You've got to check out the Peak Sports website - www.peaksport.com.hk/en. If just to see the profile they have on Sonny Weems that includes his bio info including a category labeled "Disease and Injuries". Because when you're looking at a company's brand spokesmen the first question that comes to mind is what sort of diseases are they carrying!

JetBlue Offering Super Bowl Party

JetBlue, the US-based airline that offers free TV viewing with each of their seats is cashing in on the Super Bowl excitement and offering what they call "200 Inflight Viewing Parties".

Here's some details from their Press Release:


On the evening of Sunday, February 6, thousands of football fans traveling on JetBlue Airways (Nasdaq: JBLU) can enjoy a Super $1 Drink Special (a) for their first beer, wine or cocktail starting at 6:30 p.m. ET to kick off the championship football game. Thereafter, additional cocktails can be purchased for a small charge. During the game, which is JetBlue's largest single viewership event, the airline estimates that more than 50 percent of customers will be tuned-in on its more than 200 scheduled flights.


Word is the Russian Junior hockey team has already purchased their flight tickets...

Erin Andrews: Conflict of Interest

Interesting article in the NYTimes last week on ESPN sideline reporter Erin Andrews and whether or not she crossed a journalistic boundary.

Andrews has recently become a spokesperson for Reebok's ZigTech footwear line. At first blush there doesn't seem to be anything wrong with that.

But a bit of uproar was caused when the link between Andrews' endorsement deal with Reebok and her comments during the Rose Bowl game were connected. As a sideline reporter during that game she mentioned that players were "slipping in their new Nike cleats".

As a sideline reporter she's well within her duties to pass along that sort of information but when it comes from the mouth of a Reebok spokesperson the message gets tainted.

Polamalu leads Jersey Sales

Pittsburgh Steelers' Safety and Head & Shoulders pitchman Troy Polamalu has the number one selling NFL jersey amongst men and women according to NFLShop.com.

It's a bit surprising to see him outsell Manning and Brady who are the most prominent faces of the league. Also surprising to see back-up rookie QB Tim "Air Virgin" Tebow so high up on the list.

Top Selling Jerseys amongst Men

1.Troy Polamalu, Steelers
2.Drew Brees, Saints
3.Tim Tebow, Broncos
4.Peyton Manning, Colts
5.Tom Brady, Patriots
6.Michael Vick, Eagles
7.Aaron Rodgers, Packers
8.Eli Manning, Giants
9.DeSean Jackson, Eagles
10.Mark Sanchez, Jets


Top Selling Jerseys amongst Women

1.Troy Polamalu, Steelers
2.Peyton Manning, Colts
3.Drew Brees, Saints
4.Aaron Rodgers, Packers
5.Tom Brady, Patriots
6.Tim Tebow, Broncos
7.Miles Austin, Cowboys
8.Eli Manning, Giants
9.Tony Romo, Cowboys
10.Jason Witten, Cowboys

Wonder if Miles Austin and Tony Romo's inclusion on the list are because of the profile they got from their ex-girlfriends (Kim Kardashian and Jessica Simpson)?

Let's just say if Kris Humphries' NBA jersey soars in sales next year we'll know that there's such thing as a "Kardashian effect".

Mark Sanchez: New Kleenex pitch man

Come on, Kleenex this is a campaign ready to be made!

New Jersey Nets: We don't have Melo but our tickets are cheap

Maybe LeBron James, and Phil Jackson's girlfriend and Lakers VP Jeanie Buss were onto something when they mentioned the idea of NBA contraction earlier this month. Monday's game between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the host New Jersey Nets proved to be a less desirable match-up than Ronnie and Sammie.

According to a New York Times article, tickets for the LeBron-less, Carmelo-less game could be had on StubHub.com for as low as 11 cents. Yes 11 cents!!!

By the time the site shut down ticket sales, the least expensive seats available were listed at just 11 cents for the game between the two worst teams in the Eastern Conference.With 22 tickets available at that price, the total to buy them would have been $2.42, though service and delivery fees would have increased the total purchase to a whopping $12.37. A single fan traveling from New York City would spend almost that much just getting to the game and back; transportation from Manhattan to the Prudential Center via New Jersey Transit costs $5 each way.

The lowest ticket actually sold for the game went for a whopping $0.48.

Greg Jennings: I love it when you call me Big Papa

Greg Jennings will have one more game to play this season and that's good news for fans of the Green Bay Packers WR and hamburgers

A&W Restaurants and Jennings have teamed up for a promo offer. Anytime Jennings scores a touchdown, A&W will offer anyone in the U.S. a Papa Burger for $0.85 to match-up with Jennings' jersey number.

The Packs' WR and the restaurant have the deal in place since last year but on a more regional scale.

In 2009, A&W Restaurants began a grassroots partnership with Greg Jennings and offered $.85 Papa Burger Single to Green Bay residents if the receiver scored a touchdown during a game. The popularity of the program quickly expanded in 2010 to reward all Wisconsin residents with $.85 Papa Burger Single. A&W extended the deal to everyone in America for the Conference Championship game - Source: PR Newswire

Unfortunately Jennings didn't score in the game against the Bears.

This type of promo deal opens up plenty of options. What if Rex Ryan's team had made the Super Bowl would Payless Shoes offered Buy One, Get One Free if the Jets won the Superbowl. Maybe free bottles of Head & Shoulders for every Polamalu INT?

Strikeforce Heavyweight Tournament

2011 is a make or break year for Strikeforce coming off a bad 2010. Let's just say 2010 was uglier than Brandon Vera's nose with with Fedor's upset loss to Fabricio Werdum, Jake Shields defeat of highly sought after free agent Dan Henderson followed by Shields' subsequent defection to UFC, only one fight from Alistair Overeem and a disastrous card on CBS that ended up in a brawl and may have scared off network TV from showing another Strikeforce event.

Strikeforce has started off 2011 with a big announcement - they're holding a 8-man heavyweight tournament to crown a super champion and hopefully spark viewer interest.

At first glance the tournament bracket looks more stacked than Scarlett Johansson on one side. With Werdum, Overeem, Emelianenko and Big Foot, Strikeforce has its top-4 HW all grouped together while the other side of the bracket has fighters with plenty a bunch of question marks.

With the way the tournament is structured let's call it what it is - a clever bit of marketing. This is not so much a tournament as it is Strikeforce announcing their matchmaking for the next 6 months to the public.

Let's look closer: the Werdum-Overeem fight is a title fight that Werdum earned after beating Fedor. The winner of the Fedor-Big Foot fight is for the #1 contender spot. The other side of the bracket simply builds up another viable title contender.

Good on Strikeforce for coming up with a clever way to garner some interest in a damaged brand.

Lawsuit against EA Sports is going forward

I originally came across this lawsuit claim over a year ago.

To refresh your memory here's the original posting and an excerpt of what I wrote:

An interesting class-action lawsuit has been brought against EA Sports, the makers of the popular Madden NFL video game series. The lawsuit brought forward by the law firm of Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro represents all Madden purchasers and contends that and I quote "the company engaged in unlawful and anticompetitive agreements that monopolized the market for football videogames and nearly doubled the price of its popular game."

This story really starts in 2004 when EA Sports and the Madden faced a slight competitive threat from the makers of the NFL 2K series. The NFL 2K series were at that point licensed to use NFL player name and likenesses and they successfully targeted the market by pricing their product at $19.99USD, well below the price of the Madden games. Madden responded by significantly lowering their prices and eventually when EA Sports secured exclusive rights to NFL players and their likenesses the threat went away. It was at this point that EA Sports raised the price of Madden games back to the levels they currently are, at a high of $59.95.

Well, guess what? A federal judge has certified the lawsuit from the Hagens Law firm.

"Consumers now have a legal standing to demand that EA refund consumers millions of dollars it made from Madden NFL and other sports titles through what we contend was an illegal price-gouging scheme," said Steve Berman, managing partner of Hagens Berman. "We're gratified by the ruling, and believe it underscores how lucrative and exclusive agreements in the video game industry can come with an inflated price tag for consumers." - Source: PR Newswire

Will you try to get your share from EA?

Ovie vs Crosby - Who you got?

There's no question that Sidney Crosby has been the better of the two NHL wunderkinds this year and it's not even close. The normally dynamic Alex Ovechkin has been fairly quiet on the ice.

Off the ice both stars are creating some buzz with viral campaigns launched by both of their major hockey sponsors, Reebok (Crosby) and CCM (Ovechkin).

So which campaign do you enjoy? Crosby's "Did he really just do that" video that immediately conjures up thoughts of Kobe Bryant's Nike commercial where he jumped over a car. Or do you prefer Ovechkin's uniquely odd WTF commercials.

Crosby:

Ovechkin:

HBO Pens-Caps Series

If tonight's episode of HBO's 24/7 Penguins-Capitals series is even half as good as last week's debut episode it will make for an entertaining hour of TV.

Already the series is creating more buzz and mainstream media attention for the NHL and the two clubs at the centre of the series, than any actual game could. Entertainment Weekly had the debut episode listed as "Tonight's Best to Watch".

The appeal in the series is that the NHL, the Pens and the Caps have granted HBO unprecedented access to film things previously held behind closed doors. The end product is a series that appeals to diehards who get to see another aspect of the players and coaches. For casual fans they're introduced to the personalities of the players that are usually hidden behind cliches given in media scrums.

From Ovechkin's tramp stamps, to Max Talbot's flirting with Santa's helper elves and Bruce F'n Boudreau, the series is must see TV.

MLB App

MLB's "At Bat" app which allows baseball fans to watch live game action through their MLB.com subscriptions for a cost of $14.99 a season was named as Apple's top grossing sports app as well as the top overall grossing app, according to a press release issued by MLB.

According to the release At Bat was accessed 37 million times during the 2010 postseason...or about as many times as people have made the comment 'Blue Steel" on someone's Facebook profile pic.

Kobe & Turkey?

Kobe Bryant has signed an agreement with Turkish Airlines to become their global brand ambassador. Kind of an odd pairing.

"I'm so proud to be chosen as a global brand ambassador for Turkish Airlines. They have been providing travelers with excellent service for 77 years, and I'm glad that U.S. travelers, including my fellow Angelenos, are able to experience Turkish Airlines first-hand," said Mr. Bryant. "Turkey is a country rich in natural beauty and thousands of years of cultural history, and I'm proud to partner with Turkish Airlines to bring that majesty to people around the world." Source: PR Newswire

Kobe seems really pumped about his new role, although he could use a little more time to brush up on his facts. The press release goes onto to say that Turkish Airlines has only been around since 1993.

Somewhere you know Allen Iverson is thinking he could have done a better job.

The Detroit Vikings?

It's good to be a Detroit football fans these days...well kinda. The hometown Lions did defeat their divisional rivals the Green Bay Packers but it it was an absolute snore fest with the offenses looking more pitiful than Angelina Jolie and Johnny Depp's box office figures for 'The Tourist'.

Heavy snows collapsed the roof on Vikes' Metrodome home early Sunday morning in dramatic fashion.



After exploring several options the Vikings and the league picked Detroit as an alternative site to host the rescheduled NY Giants match-up.

The biggest winners ended up being the people of Detroit who got into the game for free. Anyone with a ticket to the originally scheduled game in Minnesota were granted priority seating, and anyone else who lined up at the Ford Field box office were given free tickets on a first come, first served basis.

The Lions ended up distributing more than 30,000 free tickets to fans for the game. So many fans stood in sub-freezing temperatures for the free passes that the Lions closed down the box office after little more than an hour .- Source: USA Today

Ottawa Senators: Marketing Mensa Society

Like many clubs in the NHL playoffs the Ottawa Senators are running a colour-themed campaign which encourages Sens fans to wear red. The slogan of their campaign is "All In. All Red". Apparently the Sens marketing group and their game day promotional groups don't talk because for their first home game of these 2010 playoffs the Sens handed out white towels to their fans. This after playing two games in Pittsburgh where the Penguins successfully showed the Senators how to run a campaign by actually offering the same colour promo items (in this case white t-shirts) as their campaign (the whiteout effect).

Of course, the Senators obvious blunder shouldn't come as that much of a surprise. After all they did deliver us this beauty a few years back.

Adidas Orginals Party

I was a huge fan of last year's commercial from Adidas for their Originals line. It was a house party themed commercial with cameos from tons of athletes, musicians and entertainers all put to a killer remix track of Frankie Valli's Beggin' by Pilooski.

Well, Adidas and the Montreal ad-agency Sid Lee who created last year's campaign are back again with another great ad. This one has a street/rooftop party feel once again with a number of cameos ranging from David Beckham and tennis star Ana Ivanovic to Noel Gallagher from Oasis, Snoop Dogg and Whitney from MTV's The Hills. It's all put to another great retro track Dee Johnson - Why Can't There be Love?

Tiger Woods and the creepy new Nike ad

On the eve of Tiger Woods' Masters appearance and first competitive action (err...golf that is ;) in 5 months, Nike has released a new ad. It's definitely creating a buzz by getting people talking. You can check out the add for yourself but basically it's a stark black & white shot with Tiger staring into the camera as his father Earl Woods essentially questions his decision making. Hearing Earl Woods, who passed away a few years ago is a bit creepy.

My thoughts on Nike and Tiger's motivation behind the ad? I think they're trying to depict Tiger as someone who is suffering greatly for his actions. This is driven home in a heavy-handed manner by the disappointment his father (the most influential person in Tiger's upbringing) expresses to his son. By doing so I think Nike is hoping that people will want to re-embrace Tiger.