Tag: marketing

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Boston Red Sox

Dice-K’s Japanese beer commercial and the Feds

We know that Dice-K mania is about to get underway real soon with pitchers and catchers reporting but this is a little ridiculous. The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau in Washington, D.C is looking into whether a Matsuzaka commercial for a Japanese beer aired in Japan might merit some punitive action.


Our jurisdiction runs to false and misleading ads,” said Resnick, who pointed to a 1995 ruling that says the bureau would consider unacceptable any ad “which depicts any individual (famous athlete or otherwise) consuming or about to consume an alcoholic beverage prior to or during an athletic activity or event,” or an ad that states that drinking alcohol “will enhance athletic prowess, performance at athletic activities or events, health or conditioning.

Did we mention that this ad only aired in Japan? MLB International said they sanctioned the spots and the use of the Red Sox trademark but are a little concerned. Maybe what they should be concerned about isn’t whether Dice-K is drinking a beer on camera (very impressively we might add) but whether drinking Asahi Super Dry is making him fat.

Here’s the commercial. As Tim Hardaway would say, there are more important things to worry about than Japanese beer commercials. We should be more concerned about President (George) Bush and all the people dying in Iraq.

Links:
[AdFreak]: U.S. looking at D-Mat’s beer commercials
[Reason.com]: Feds Continue to Assert World Jurisdiction

[Boston Herald]: Trouble brewing for Dice: Pitchman’s beer ad catches flak

Categories
NHL General

The NHL would like to remind us that it exists

Now that football season is over, those of you hungry for some sports that don’t include 20 timeouts in the last 2 minutes can focus in on the hockey season. Since we’re Flyers fans, the NHL season ended sometime around September but for those of you with teams still in the hunt for the Stanley Cup, the NHL has a new ad for you. (via Off Wing Opinion)

Btw, you would probably enjoy this video of Bridget Moynahan and Heather Graham kissing more but we couldn’t really find a sports reason to post it other than it being Tom Brady’s ex. But even that is kinda reaching. In any case, you’re welcome.

Categories
NFL General

About that "anti-gay" Snickers ad

An immediate outcry yesterday about the “homophobic ad” above has promoted Snickers to pull the whole campaign. You can’t find any trace of it on the website that was promoted at the end of the spot – it just redirects you to the Snickers site. A website called Americablog.com breaks down the whole campaign and explains why it “promotes violence against gays and lesbians.” A pretty compelling argument from those guys — but not so fast — a column from Outsports.com asserts that everyone is just overreacting.


All of the endings point to a rather sophisticated message. The two men in the “Love Boat” ending don’t protest or even react to the third man’s solicitation. And in the other three endings, the two men try to do something “manly” to make up for their kiss. Instead, they end up doing things – drinking motor oil and hitting each other with metal objects – that are just harmful and stupid, or they do something – ripping off chest hair – that could be considered “gay.”

The sophisticated message seemed to be that the overreaction of “straight” men to homosexual contact is completely irrational, and, in the case of the proposed threesome, maybe that contact is not entirely shunned.
…

This ad is not remotely gay-bashing. The point of the reaction of the men was so ridiculous that it made the reaction of straight men to homosexual contact the butt of the joke, not the kiss itself.

Plausible. But the problem with this argument is that it assumes any of the gay-bashing morons out there would be sophisticated enough to understand the satire of the commercial — if that was indeed the way Snickers/Mars intended it. The author is right though, Snickers got more advertising out of the controversy than they did from the $2.6M spot itself and their bottom line won’t be hurt one bit: “And if I were Mars Inc., which produces Snickers, I wouldn’t worry too much about the boycott that Aravosis is threatening: Containing a high fat content and more calories than you could burn running a 5k, Snickers bars don’t get eaten by gay men anyway.”

Categories
NFL General

Best and Worst of the Super Bowl Ads

We don’t know what was more boring, the end of Super Bowl XLI or the Super Bowl ads that companies paid $2.6M for. Very few ads stood out last night but we still have our picks for best and worst ad. (All the Super Bowl ads can be found at ifilm.com.

The best ad was the careerbuilder.com jungle warfare spot. Granted, this would only make sense to anyone who has ever had a corporate job but that’s probably most of you.

The absolute worst ad in the history of Super Bowl advertising goes to Salegenie.com. Most people agree that this spot was a complete waste of money… and they showed it twice! Will the Salesgenie people convince themselves that the fact that everyone is talking about how bad the commercial was makes it a successful commercial? Someone over there should be shot for wasting $5M.

And finally, a tip of the hat to the NFL Network, not for that putrid fan generated commercial but for the Chad Johnson Super Bowl Party spot. Patriots fan to David Beckham: “So you’re a professional football player. For Los Angeles. I dunno if it’s gonna fly at this party but I like it. Good angle.”

However, ads aren’t necessarily targeted to everyone so we took a sampling of Super Bowl ad critiques out there on the internet today. Here are some of them:

[Yahoo]: Dan Wetzel’s Super Bowl ads review: “Later, GMC gave us a robot contemplating suicide after getting laid off (it turned out to be a dream). This was particularly hilarious, we’re sure, to all of the recently laid off General Motors factory workers.”

[SuperAdFreak.com]: BLOGGING THE 2007 SUPER BOWL AD: “Doritos user-generated spot: I hope this commercial finally dispels the myth of user- generated content, and most importantly as a submission-based campaign. It doesn’t work. These spots aren’t good, or funny, and there is a reason people get paid to make ads for a living.”

[Salon.com]: King Kaufman’s Sports Daily: “This year’s commercials were the usual warmed-over stew, a few mildly amusing spots, a few semicreative ones and a whole bunch of obvious big budgets used to no great effect.”

[Ad Age] Bob Garfield’s Super Bowl Ad Review Text Column: “Two auto mechanics are so famished they eat one Snickers bar from opposite ends, culminating in something suspiciously “Brokeback Mountain.” This freaks them out. Viewers can go to Snickers.com to choose their favorite ending. The vote should have come at the beginning, and it should have been ‘No.'”

And if that wasn’t enough, here are some more opinions on the Super Bowl ads:

[Neurosciencemarketing.com]: Super Bowl Ads: Brain Dead

[The Opionated Marketer]: Super Bowl Ads – Play by Play

[USA Today]: How all the ads ranked in USA TODAY’s Super Bowl Ad Meter

[Know More Media]: Top 10 2007 Super Bowl Ads

Categories
NFL General

Kevin Federline’s Super Bowl commercial

We have a love/hate relationship with commercials and nowhere is that relationship tested more than the Super Bowl. People who don’t even like football watch the SB “for the commercials” which is really odd in itself… Anyway, here’s the first commercial from the Super Bowl that everyone will be talking about. This year’s Nationwide Insurance entry is a new commercial from their “Life comes at you fast” campaign. Last year it was the lame Fabio commercial that wasn’t funny. This year, we have Kevin Federline making fun of himself. It’s actually hilarious and therefore miraculously makes K-Fed less of a douche.

(via Awful Announcing)

Categories
NBA General

David Stern says screw the animals



Welcome back old friend

On Tuesday, David Stern will announce that starting Jan 1, the league will switch back to the old leather balls. All the player complaints about the feel of the ball finally added up and Stern swallowed his ego and decided to make the switch. However, the switch probably wouldn’t have been made had Stern not had an opportunity to save face. Players started complaining about cuts on their hands because of the high friction synthetic material. When players are sustaining injuries, it’s easy for Stern to pull the trigger with the players health in mind.

While changing the ball in the first place (rumored to be because of the Rockets owner’s wife’s animal activism) was a terrible move, Stern showed the good sense to fix his mistake and show why he’s currently the best commissioner in sports.

Categories
New Jersey Nets

The Nets like old people



Old people are funny

The Nets released the names of the 15 members to make up the team’s new dance squad, and then the Nets male fan base rushed off to Google pictures of the new grey haired bombshells. That’s right, grey haired! The Nets new dance team is made up of senior citizens ranging in ages from 59 to 82.


[The Senior Dance Team] will likely be performing to hip-hop once they take the court. That’s because Petra Pope, the Nets’ senior director of entertainment and event marketing who supervises in-game entertainment for the team, has seen how a swinging senior always draws the biggest applause during halfcourt dance contests. “We turn on hip-hop for the senior, to mix it up,” Pope said. “When they start dancing, the crowd goes crazy.

Come on Jay-Z, Jigga, Jay-Hova, Joe Camel, whatever your name is. How did Mr. Roc-A-Fella approve the formation of a group of geriatric gyrators instead of one made up from the normal groupies that can be found “shakin’ like a salt shaker” in all of his videos? Well, management had better make sure the batteries are charged in their medical alert bracelets before they hit the court.

Links:
[NJ.com]: Seniors show they haven’t lost a step

Categories
NBA General

Around the Rim: Cleaning the Glass


1. 20-20 Vision
At the tender age of 20, Orlando’s Dwight Howard is working hard to break some of the most impressive feats by the league’s best big men. When the Magic host the Pacers tonight, Howard will look to become the first player in 15 years to record three consecutive games of 20 points and 20 rebounds. On Saturday versus Charlotte Howard posted 24 points and 21 rebounds, he followed that effort up with a 24 point, 23 rebound game at Memphis on Monday. Tim Duncan was the last player to have back-to-back game of 20 and 20 in 2002-03. Shaquille O’Neal had nine 20/20 games in 1999-00, the most by anyone in the past ten years. Kevin Willis posted 12 in 1991-92, the most by any player in the last 20 years. Howard currently has three such games this season alone. He posted 21 points and 22 rebounds earlier in the season at Minnesota. While the records by O’Neal and Willis might be in reach for the kid this year, the true record is far out of reach. Moses Malone recorded 31 games of 20 points and 20 rebounds in 1978-79. Furthermore, Howard is trying to become the youngest player in NBA history to win a rebounding title; he currently leads the league with 14.1 per game.

2. Texas Heat Wave
Despite all the criticism Dallas received for starting slow and dropping their first four, the team is now riding high as they sit at 7-4 after pulling off a seven game winning streak. What’s more impressive is that they have done so without their talented small forward Josh Howard. Even with their current winning streak, the team still sits behind San Antonio, New Orleans and Houston in the southwest division. Much of the team’s success can be attributed to their scoring output, and more recently, an improved defense. Over the first four games of the season, Dallas averaged 89 points per game; in the next seven their total scoring increased to 105.3. In their last three contests, the Mavs have given up an average of 83 points to their opponents. MVP candidate, Dirk Nowitzki, has lead the team in scoring in every contest since their seven game winning streak began. Over that span, Nowitzki has averaged 23.7 points, 9.1 rebounds and 2.7 assists. Dallas takes their win streak on the road to San Antonio on Friday where the team will play a tough Spurs team for the second time this month.

3. Block Party
While the Charlotte Bobcats might not exactly be a ferocious franchise just yet, they definitely have found a defender that guards they rim with a fury. In his third season, Emeka Okafor is has suddenly become a defensive force to be reckoned with. After averaging a respectable 1.8 blocks per game over his first two seasons, Okafor has increased his rejections to over four a game, 4.1 to be exact. Okafor leads the NBA in blocks this season and during his ten games, he has recorded at least two blocks in nine of them. Okafor has one game with two blocks, three with three blocks, one with four, one with five, one with six, one with seven and one with eight. And he’s not just blocking shots out there. At 24, Okafor leads his team in minutes (38.4), points (20.1), field goal percentage (57.5), offensive rebounds (4.0), defensive rebounds (8.0) and total rebounds (12.0). He also ranks third in steals (1.2) and fourth in assist (1.7). If this guy doesn’t remind you of a young David Robinson, both on and off the court, then nobody will.

4. R.I.P.
After 15 years of pick and rolls, made famous by the classic connection of John Stockton to Karl Malone, the Utah organization will soon play in a newly named area. That’s because the Jazz have sold the naming rights of the building to a radioactive waste disposal facility 75 miles west of Salt Lake City. EnergySolutions purchased the rights to the building known as the Delta Center and on Monday there were huge EnergySolutions banners waving outside the building and inside, on the court, was a new logo that read “EnergySolutions Arena.” CEO Steve Creamer hopes that people can look past the stigma that is associated with nuclear waste. Good luck with that Steve. Why not just call it the “Chernobyl Center”?

Tuesday’s Player of the Day: Kobe Bryant vs. Los Angeles Clippers 38 min, 40 pts (FG: 12-23, 3FG: 1-1, FT: 15-18), 5 reb, 5 ast, 3 stl

Wednesday’s Game to Watch: Miami (4-6) @ San Antonio (9-2) This game lost some sizzle when Shaq went down but it is still a match-up between the last two NBA champions. Tim Duncan leads a solid Spurs team who, while perfect on the road, has struggled to win on their home court where they are 3-2. Dwyane Wade is still adjusting to life without Shaq as the double teaming has become more frequent. But he continues to thrive; however, the team is only 1-3 since the surgery on O’Neal’s knee.

Categories
NBA General

Around the Rim: Remembering the Life of LBJ


1. The House of James
Have you every wanted to completely immerse yourself into all things LeBron James? Well, now you can. That’s because Nike has opened up a temporary store named IV in the heart of New York’s SoHo district. It is part shoe store and part LeBron James Historical Museum. The store takes its customers along a journey that spans the entire life of the soon-to-be 21 year old. Memorabilia from old football and basketball uniforms to baby shoes and childhood pictures are scattered throughout the store. Models of shoes that were never released are on display, and written on the floor are quotes about him from important people in his life. But The Big Apple has even more to offer the hardcore LeBron groupies. A block from Madison Square Garden there is a neon sign several stories high promoting Nike’s “Witness” campaign, in which James is seen performing a trademark dunk.

2. Portland Woes
Despite all the praise Zach Randolph has been recently receiving from basketball critics for his great play on the court; he will now have to be subject to criticism of a much more serious nature by a judge in a court of law. A woman has filed a $2 million civil lawsuit, claiming she was sexually assaulted by the Portland power forward. Allegedly, the incident took place on August 11 in a hotel room. The woman, identified as Jane Doe, filed a complaint on August 14 but Randolph was never identified by police as a witness and in September, the county’s district attorney decided not to prosecute the case.

We’ve seen enough of these types of cases in the NBA to know that it is possible for players to take refuge in the game and maintain high levels of success during times of stress. Just look at Kobe Bryant and his rape case. But we’ve also learned that once a player becomes involved with any type of sexual misconduct, regardless of the case’s outcome, the endorsement deals go away. Just look at Kobe Bryant and his rape case.

3. More Portland Woes
Darius Miles had arthroscopic surgery on his right knee Tuesday and will miss the remainder of the season. While in surgery, doctors discovered that Miles also needed microfracture surgery. The procedures were successful and Miles is expected to begin rehab soon, hopefully allowing him to recover fully. This is not good news for the Trailblazers organization who is already struggling to capture victories with consistency. The team lacks depth at the small forward position and was hoping that Miles could provide help at some point this year. Portland needs all the aid they can get and, unfortunately, they can’t even rely on their rookies for minutes early in the year. The second pick overall, LaMarcus Aldridge has played in only two games this season after having shoulder surgery in August and Brandon Roy is expected to miss at least a week with a banged up left foot.

4. Finally!
After dropping the first four games of the season, the Dallas Mavericks are on a three game winning streak and have, at last, won a home game. Heads were being scratched all over when the Mavericks opened the season playing such lousy basketball, but since their eight game losing streak, stretching back to last year’s Finals, was snapped, the team has looked more like the Mavs of old. During the first four games of the season, Dallas was struggling to score points, averaging 89 points per game. In the three wins, Dallas has scored 119, 103 and 111 points. The winning can also be attributed more directly to the performance of Dirk Nowitzki. In the three wins this season, Nowitzki has averaged 30.7 points per game while during the four game skid he was only getting 22.5. Coincidentally, the winning streak has come while one of the team’s best players, Josh Howard, sits on the bench due to injury.

Tuesday’s Player of the Day: Dwyane Wade vs. Denver 45 min, 37 pts (FG: 9-21, 3FG: 3-5, FT: 16-17), 8 reb, 11 ast, 2 stl

Wednesday’s Game to Watch: Denver (3-3) @ Orlando (5-3) If you love to watch the future stars of the NBA, then this is the game for you. Denver’s Carmelo Anthony is averaging 29.4 points per game and J.R. Smith is always only a head fake away from slam dunking on someone’s cranium. Orlando seems to have found their point guard, power forward combination of the future as Jameer Nelson and Dwight Howard have begun to develop a nice chemistry. Howard plays like a veteran at 20 years old; averaging 15 points, 13 rebounds and over two blocks a game. And if you enjoy watching the great players on their way out, keep your eyes on Grant Hill who could hang up his sneakers for good if his left ankle goes out on him yet again.

Categories
NFL General

The Denver Broncos have the best logo

According to Logodesign.com and a panel of 25 design experts, the Denver Broncos have the best logo in the NFL. Here are the top 10:

1.        6.
2.        7.
3.        8.
4.        9.
5.        10.

It’s hard to disagree with something so subjective but the Jaguars logo is kinda lame. It’s like the designers just latched on to whatever was new when something classic like the Bears’ logo is much better. At least they didn’t put the ugly Ravens logo in the Top 10.