The actual “branding” of athletes in the U.S. continues to get more and more interest as the phyiscal surface for ads, from the playing surface with real and virtual ads to the NASCAR-like infusion, gets more filled. MLS has certainly been the trailblazer in the American landscape with jersey branding (the latest being the VW deal with the DC United) and this week comes another step forward with McDonald's being added to the front of select WNBA jerseys as part of a multitiered branding campaign. The logo is certainly not overly intrusive but it is another step forward for an area in traditional American sport that has always been pristine, and if all goes well will move to other lucrative deals going forward.Phoenix Coyotes on their great sponsorship and logo placement of PGA Tour golfer Jeff Quinney. The logo and the brand of the NHL team got amazing viewership this past week as Quinney finished third at the TPC. Here a team took an unconventional step with a young athlete outside its sport and caught lightning in a bottle, with the timing and the placement for the logo paid a huge dividend.
Some other good reads for today…check out today's New York Times and the piece on Paralympian Josh George…the Times does a great job not just of telling the story with their great multimedia approach, but also goes one step further in looking at potential branding opportunities for a different type of crossover athlete…one who can bridge the “hip and cool” area from the athletes with disabilities to the able bodied… could be another play for a marketer looking to expose a brand with an athlete who has yet to break through…another move for online game branding popped up with BMW's MINI, using some WII game integration to get their brand more exposure…nice example of another level of brand integration into the gaming space…lastly, the retirement of WTA star Justine Henin at 25 will bring up the age-old issues of tennis burnout and the schedule and the issue with athletes in individual sports starting too young and ending too soon…will be interesting to see how the WTA will again have to address the issue in the coming weeks.
