Jarden Consumer Solutions (JCS) and World Triathlon Corporation (WTC) have announced a new agreement for JCS to launch a new line of products in the pain relief category.

The product line will appeal to an athletic audience, featuring heated and cold sports wraps that will help athletes with performance and recovery.

Jarden Consumer Solutions’ leadership in the consumer goods marketplace, combined with the established Ironman(R) brand, will allow JCS to commercialize the new line of sports wraps in new markets and capitalize on opportunities to grow and expand in the category.

Mike Fretwell, vice president, marketing, Personal Care and Wellness, Jarden Consumer Solutions, said: “We are very excited to team up with WTC. We look forward to merging our marketplace leadership with their renowned Ironman(R) brand for additional growth. This agreement will allow us to connect with new as well as loyal customers while expanding into new channels of distribution.”

The new line will include three cordless heated sports wraps–back, knee and shoulder–and one cold sports wrap. The heated sports wraps each provide four-hours of deep penetrating heat and are conveniently battery operated, which allows athletes to stay active while wearing the wraps. The cold sports wrap provides targeted reusable cold therapy, helping to relieve sports-related pain.

Mike Pine, Chief Sales Officer for WTC, said: “We’re thrilled to be able to offer our athletes a pain relief product that’s launched by one of the leaders in the consumer products industry. JCS is the ideal partner on a product of this kind – their experience, coupled with our renowned brand and consumer following, will help to make the heated sports wraps a success.”

English League One team Leyton Orient FC announced they have agreed a one year deal with M.D. Motors to sponsor the U/11s team for the 2011/12 season.

M.D. Motors who are situated in Walthamstow, drugs London provide garage services to motor vehicles.

As part of the deal M.D. Motors also offer LOASS membership card holders 20% discount on all services.

LOASS Chairman Steve Jones said, ampoule “I am really pleased that we have a local business supporting a football local club.”

“Tony Marsh LOASS Committee Memmber, has done a great job in securing this deal and the Club wish to thank him and M.D Motors for their support.”

German Budesliga team SC Freiburg has sold the naming rights to its stadium to Mage Solar with the German Bundesliga team’s home now called Mage Solar stadium.

The photovoltaic company is replacing the previous name-giver badenova. With Mage Solar, SC Freiburg has gained a further partner from the energy and ecology industry.

The final decision regarding the re-naming of the stadium is reserved for the City of Freiburg Borough Council, which has the topic on its agenda at its meeting on November 22, 2011.

Mage Solar has been SC Freiburg’s premium sponsor since August 2011, and is supporting the club as a strategic partner. This international company, headquartered at Ravensburg in the federal state of Baden-Württemberg, offers customized photovoltaic system components for solar energy installations on residential, industrial and utility buildings as well as open spaces.

Dr. Markus Feil, CEO of Mage Solar AG, said: “It is important for us to support SC Freiburg and its work in various respects. In order to invigorate our partnership, we are jointly developing long-term concepts – the re-naming of the stadium emphasizes this and marks the next logical step within the framework of this strategic partnership.”

Dr. Heinrich Breit, committee member and treasurer of SC Freiburg, added: “We are delighted that, in Mage Solar AG, we will continue to have a stadium name-giver who suits the Sport Club Freiburg superbly, and who is an important partner for us. With the name change SC Freiburg puts its willingness to make a contribution to the energy turnaround as a German national league club on record once again. On account of its ecological commitment, SC Freiburg has already been playing in a solar stadium since the 1990s, therefore it is even more gratifying that this will be reflected in the stadium’s name. We also thank badenova AG for its sustained and intensive collaboration which will also continue in the future.”

English Premier League team Newcastle United have controversially changed their stadium name to Sports Direct Arena with immediate effect, in a bid to attract a long term naming rights sponsor

The club have been looking for a sponsor for St James’ Park since October 2009, and shortly afterwards renamed it the “sportsdirect.com @ St James’ Park Stadium”. Though it was branded as this within the ground the name was never widely used or accepted – but now they have gone a step further.

Newcastle have looked to the sale of naming rights for Manchester City’s Etihad Stadium and Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium in defence of their plan, but they are both either relatively new or brand new stadia with no historical or traditional weight behind them. Clubs like Liverpool, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur have not sold naming rights for Anfield, Old Trafford or White Hart Lane.

A statement from the club read: “Newcastle United have today announced plans to license the full naming rights to the club’s stadium following consultation with international branding experts. The board are committed to generating additional commercial revenue from advertising and sponsorship opportunities.

“The original naming rights proposal, launched in November 2009, invited sponsors to link their brand to St. James’ Park, but this did not prove commercially attractive. As such, the club will now seek a sponsor who will be granted full naming rights. Until such time the stadium will be renamed the Sports Direct Arena.”

The move is sure to be met with opposition from the Newcastle supporters and will be seen as a considerable own goal by the Ashley camp just as they were receiving support locally with the club riding high.

Michael Cunnah, iSportconnect’s Advisory Board member, believes any potential sponsorships has some risks. “If there is reluctance by sponsors to put their name on a stadium that has had a name for over 100 years will anyone use the new name or worse will the new name antagonise fans and become a real own goal for the sponsor,” he said.

“Newcastle seem to be renaming the stadium now so that, should they move to a new name, the new sponsor’s name will be replacing a name which has been in place in a blink of an eye. Is everyone that naive?” he added.

Newcastle may be taking this approach now due to financial difficulties and the increasing popularity of the club which may attract investors after their their unbeaten start to the Premier League season.

Newcastle Managing Director Derek Llambias said: “To grow sustainably and allow us to invest in our future, we will need to rely increasingly heavily on commercial income. These are very difficult economic times and the board have a responsibility to maximise all revenue streams for the benefit of the club.

“Stadium rebranding offers a lucrative way for clubs to secure significant additional income. When we initially launched our plans at the end of 2009, we invited sponsors to attach their brand to that of St James’ Park.

“However, it has become clear that in order to make the proposition as commercially attractive as possible, a potential sponsor must be given the opportunity to fully rebrand the stadium.

“Naming the stadium the Sports Direct Arena helps up to showcase the opportunity to interested parties. We are now actively seeking a long-term sponsor wishing to acquire full naming rights for the stadium.

“Our shirt sponsorship deal with Northern Rock will also expire at the end of this season, which presents would-be sponsors with the opportunity to acquire both the naming rights and shirt sponsorship deals.”

However Cunnah and former director of marketing at Manchester United and current iSportconnect advisory board member Steven Falk believe trying to sell naming rights to St James Park will be difficult with the stadiums heritage.

Cunnah said: “It seems as though the names of new stadiums such as the Reebok and the Emirates seem to work as it is the only name that the stadium has ever been known by whereas older, more famous stadiums such as St.James’ Park are less easily renamed.”

Falk added: “If the objective is to associate a brand within the very fabric of a club as typified by the stadium, then consistent use of the new title by the key stakeholders (i.e. fans, officials, players, media, regulatory authorities etc.) is required.

“For this reason, the effectiveness of a stadium naming rights strategy is likely to be greatest when applied to a new (or relatively new) development such as the Emirates, The Etihad and the O2.

“Attempting to change the behaviour of anyone associated with football is notoriously difficult to achieve, unless the decision and motives of the change is universally accepted. For example, MU’s decision to rename the North Stand in honour of the manager’s achievements was achieved without any of the rancour normally associated with club-imposed decisions. This is because the motivation for the change is clearly an emotional rather than a commercial one.

“Given the long-term nature of a stadium naming rights deal, it is important to achieve the right balance between brand values, commercial benefit and stakeholder acceptability. Only then will the true advantage of such a deal materialise.”

Click on iSportconnects discussion St James’ Park or Sports Direct Arena? to speak with Michael Cunnah and Steven Falk directly.

The fallout over the scandal at Penn State has caused one of ESPN’s advertisers to temporarily pull its college football TV sponsorship.

In the wake of Penn State’s sex abuse scandal, Cars.com has withdrawn its “Presenting Sponsorship” of “Saturday Afternoon College Football” on ESPN for the next two weeks. 

These games include Penn State-Nebraska, airing at noon this Saturday, and next Saturday’s Penn State-Ohio State game. 

With the scandal already taking the jobs of long-time Penn State football coach Joe Paterno as well as the college president, Graham Spanier, media buyers talked about being cautious about how to advise specific clients who buy college football involving Penn State.

Gary Carr, senior vp/executive director of national broadcast for media-buying agency TargetCast said: “I would probably pull out.” Still another media executive said: “We are asking the question; we haven’t decided yet.”

Another media agency executive did not believe all football viewers will associate the off-the-field events at Penn State with a football game on the field. In addition, some believe TV ratings could rise because of the huge amount of press attention surrounding the game.

Concerning the coverage of the Penn State-Nebraska game this Saturday, Norby Williamson, executive vp of production of ESPN, said in the network’s “Front & Center” podcast on November 10: 

“It’s going to be a balance. You are going to balance the game and the issues surrounding the game — new head coach, new administration. You have to be flexible and fluid, not tied to any rundown. There are questions about how the crowd will behave and how the crowd will react.”

 

 

Sportswear giant Adidas has reached an agreement to acquire Five Ten, bronchi a leading performance brand in outdoor action sports, cheap in a US$25 million deal.

Adidas said its Strategic Business Plan Route identified outdoor sport as a key growth sector, and the manufacturer expects sales in this area to exceed Eur500 million ($690 million) by 2015. The takeover of Five Ten, a leading name in the outdoor market since the mid-1980s, is expected to close in the next two weeks.

Adidas Outdoor senior vice-president Rolf Reinschmidt said: “Five Ten is a leading brand in the technical outdoor market and within the outdoor action sport community. Climbers, mountain bikers and other outdoor athletes around the world highly value their products. It represents an excellent addition to the Adidas Outdoor portfolio and will allow us to expand into complementary market segments.”

Charles Cole, founder and president of Five Ten Cole said the takeover would provide “exciting prospects for Five Ten”.

Adidas also announced that it had raised its sales and earnings outlook for the current year and that it expects earnings per share to increase by 10 percent to 15 percent in 2012. Adidas CEO Herbert Hainer said: “The traction we are gaining as we implement our strategies is especially pleasing as the external environment is not without its challenges, be it the economic uncertainty, stalling consumer confidence or struggling regional competitors.”

 

 

After losing Barclays title sponsorship of the Scottish Open, erectile Scottish golf got another blow today after the Scottish Seniors Open lost its tile sponsor as well.

It follows a decision by golf manufacturing and ball company Cleveland Golf/Srixon to cease its support of the event at the end of a three-year deal.

The Scottish Senior Open is one of the European Senior Tour’s longest-running events – it is due to celebrate its 20th anniversary next year – and officials are hopeful that heritage will help in their bid to secure a new sponsor.

Andy Stubbs, prostate the Tour’s managing director, said: “It is a concern and we are certainly not taking it lightly, but I am optimistic about this. There is a great history with this event – it’s the backbone of our Tour as it is right up there in terms of longevity on a circuit that was founded in 1992.It’s an event we believe in and we want to keep it going for its 20th anniversary edition and beyond.”

“We greatly appreciate the support and commitment of Cleveland Golf/Srixon over the past three years, but we have now targeted a new and exciting era in the 20-year history of the event. Discussions are progressing between all parties, including EventScotland and Fairmont St Andrews, and we look forward to exploring new opportunities with a view to securing the event for the future.

“Fairmont St Andrews has been a great host to us. It is also a great site overlooking the town of St Andrews. Taking both those factors into account, we would like to see as few changes as possible to the event for next year, though the date is something that could be looked at if the existing one didn’t suit a potential sponsor.”

That might make sense, given it has clashed for the past two years with the Aberdeen Ladies Scottish Open at Archerfield, where the tournament has also been supported by EventScotland.

Robbie Clyde, Ryder Cup Project Director at EventScotland said: “The Scottish Senior Open, supported by EventScotland since 2003, is an established part of Scotland’s world-class portfolio of golf events.

“It is unfortunate that the sponsorship from Cleveland Golf/Srixon has come to its conclusion, but there is now an opportunity for a new sponsor to support the event as we approach 2014 when the Ryder Cup will come to Scotland, the home of golf.

“EventScotland is committed to supporting the Scottish Senior Open through to 2018, and we will continue to work closely with the European Tour as we approach the 20th anniversary of the event next year.”

This follows Barclays dropping their sponsorship of the Scottish Open in September due to financial constraints.

SKYDEX Technologies the leading innovator in life-saving protective products for the U.S. military will sponsor Washington Capitals’ 2011-2012 Courage Caps campaign with 100 percent of proceeds from the sale of Courage Caps and T-shirts going to the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors(TAPS).

The Courage Caps campaign, now in its fifth season, has raised nearly $140,000 for military charities. This year’s Courage Caps merchandise officially goes on sale on Saturday, November 12 – the day after Veterans Day – at the Capitals’ home game against the New Jersey Devils. Special in-arena activities will be devoted to honoring America’s military veterans.

SKYDEX President and CEO Mike Buchen, said: “SKYDEX has been proud to sponsor Caps programs, because the Washington Capitals do so much for our men and women in uniform. “We’re expecially proud to be sponsoring the Courage Caps campaign to benefit TAPS. SKYDEX is all about protecting America’s warriors and saving lives. TAPS is all about helping loved ones whose lives are shattered when a warrior makes the ultimate sacrifice. TAPS is singularly focused on, and effective at, fulfilling its mission. And there is no more honorable or more important work.”

Bonnie Caroll, founder and chairman of TAPS, added: “The funds raised through the Courage Caps campaign will have a tremendous impact on the families of America’s fallen military heroes. TAPS stands ready to help the loved ones of every service member who dies while serving in the Armed Forces. This means Caps fans, SKYDEX, and the Caps are now touching, in a profound way, the lives of thousands of families who have sacrificed for our nation’s freedom. Their loved ones gave courageously to their country with their lives, and now the Courage Caps campaign is giving back to their families.”

Courage Caps and Courage T-shirts will be sold for $20 online at WashingtonCaps.com, at the Fan Gear store and at stands throughout Washington, DC’s Verizon Center during Capitals home games and at the Team Store at the Caps’ practice facility, the Kettler Capitals Iceplex in Arlington, VA. There will also be a limited number of autographed Courage Caps and T-shirts available for sale at WashingtonCaps.com and at the Community Relations table located behind section 104 on the main concourse at Verizon Center. For $50, fans can purchase a Courage Cap or T-shirt signed by players Nicklas Backstrom, Mike Green, Alex Ovechkin, Alexander Semin or Tomas Vokoun; for $35, fans can purchase a Courage Cap or T-shirt signed by any other individual Capitals player.

The 2011-2012 Courage Caps campaign kicked off on Monday, when Capitals forwards Mike Knuble and Jeff Halpern – both Americans – hosted 100 TAPS survivors for a skating party and lunch at Kettler Capitals Iceplex.

“This is a great event that I’m honored to be part of this year,” Knuble said during Monday’s skate. “I like getting the opportunity to talk to all of the kids and parents that come out.”

Added Halpern: “The people in the military and their families do so much for others that it’s nice to have them here and watch them have fun skating.”

With the London 2012 Olympic Games around the corner, recipe the Swedish Olympic Committee (SOC) have tied a multi-year collaboration between Cloetta.

Tony Wiréhn, capsule Cloetta’s Business Development Director, Stefan Lindeberg, Chairman of the Swedish Olympic Committee,and Gunilla Lindberg, Secretary General shook hands today as a symbol of collaboration in connection with the Swedish Olympic activities starting in London in 2012.

Wiréhn, said: “Cloetta has entered into a partnership with the SOC and will be team sponsor, with exclusive rights in the confectionary area. Cloetta shares the Olympic values and is eager to contribute to inspiring and activating young people. Above all with Kexchoklad as sender, we will be able to increase our market presence and visibility in a natural and dynamic manner and activate Kexchoklad on a year-round basis.

“The business opportunities offered by this partnership and the team sponsorship are another important step in strengthening our marketing communication for Kexchoklad.” 

Stefan Lindeberg, Chairman of the SOC, said: “The Olympic Games are the utmost symbol of the desire to take on new challenges. The SOC works closely with the Olympic athletes to give more talents the chance to take the step to the global elite. Success provides inspiration and creates positive role models. With activities that target young people, the SOC wants to open the door for more Olympic athletes and spread the Olympic dream. Cloetta will now be an important partner in realising this goal.”

For the past 15 years Kexchoklad has successfully pursued sponsorship initiatives in Swedish sports, with the national alpine ski team and the national handball teams as longstanding partners. Kexchoklad is a unique product that is appreciated by everyone, regardless of age, gender or geographical location.

“This joining of forces with the Swedish Olympic Committee will strengthen Cloetta and Kexchoklad since it gives us the right to use the Swedish Olympic themes in our marketing. And having the opportunity to create two Olympic products by labelling the products with the SOC emblem or giving them specially designed Olympic packaging is naturally a further advantage,” added Tony Wiréhn.

CMN Sports, a division of Cardenas Marketing Network (CMN), the nation’s leading multicultural event marketing agency, have secured a deal with 20-year-old professional race car driver Gustavo Yacaman.

A rising star in the world of auto racing, the Colombian-born Yacaman will spring into the IZOD IndyCar Series in 2012.

Yacaman, who is fluent in Spanish, English and Portuguese, is scheduled to participate in a test drive for Andretti Autosport on Thursday, Nov. 10 at the Palm Beach International Raceway in West Palm Beach, Florida.

Henry Cardenas, Chief Executive Officer/President of CMN, said: “We’re ecstatic about adding Gustavo Yacaman to the CMN client roster as our first pro athlete. Gustavo is the future of auto racing. He has an engaging personality, a passion for racing and a winning spirit that complements his work as an environmentalist and socially responsible individual. We’re confident that his talent, youth and good values will reap rewards for sponsors worldwide.”

Known as “El Tigrillo” (“Little Tiger”) for his ferocious racing style, Yacaman has worked tirelessly to hone his skills, racing in three major motorsport series in the past five years: the Formula BMW Junior Masters, the Spanish Formula 3 and, most recently, the Firestone Indy Lights. With his arrival at the IndyCar scene – where living legends such as Michael Andretti, Dario Franchitti and compatriot Juan Pablo Montoya were created – Yacaman hopes to reawaken the collective passion of Latin American fans and lead his supporters to a unique adventure in professional motorsports.

The significant jump from the Firestone Indy Lights Series to the preeminent league of open-wheel racing in the Americas marks the fulfillment of a dream for Yacaman.

“I’m looking forward to joining the CMN family,” said Yacaman. “This coming year will be life-changing for me, professionally, and I’m excited to partner with a proven agency like CMN. Henry Cardenas is a seasoned marketer who knows the business of sports and is passionate about helping my team reach new levels of success.”

Over the course of 2012, Yacaman, who lives in Miami, will bring sponsors and strategic partners to the homes of more than 344 million people across the world. Although his sights are set on the IndyCar Championship, the active triathlete does not rule out a possible jump to Formula 1 in the future.