One of the great elements of sport is its ability to join divergent backgrounds and put together some of the more unique pairings of those who play…and those who watch.Parade Magazine, which pairs best selling novelist Janet Evanovich and her two favorite drivers, Tony Stewart and Jimmy Johnson. Evanovich tells the story of her devotion to NASCAR in the piece, and explains how she is able to weave her favorite sport into her novels, all interesting stuff that once again gives the casual fan insight into the NASCAR world. However the true beauty of the piece is in the branding shot itself…Evanovich the fan unites her two favorite drivers…and two of the home improvement business’ fiercest brands…Lowes (Johnson) and Home Depot (Stewart) in the same shot. Maybe Coke and Pepsi can be next.Media Post has a great summation piece on the three brands that scored biggest during the Olympics…Coke, Visa, and McDonald's and the numbers behind the valuation…Media Week had a good piece this week on CBS’ efforts to upgrade their NFL online video content…Marketing Daily has a very telling piece on Friday revealing how marketing budgets are going to be further slashed this year, prompting more need for ROI…Jerry Crowe in the LA Times has a good look back on the last time the Packers replaced a legendary quarterback (Bart Starr) through the eyes of his replacement, Scott Hunter…and Foxsports.com's Mark Kriegel take a look at the career of the late Gene Upshaw and how it effected NFL Labor relations.
