Three items to note from the week…
Wheaties Tries A Reboot
Wheaties is turning 100, and it’s celebrating by bringing back the most iconic athlete in its history. Michael Jordan will grace the box once again, appearing for the 19th time on the packaging. Continuing its long history of positioning itself as a healthy breakfast for athletes, the brand will also partner with racing stars Denny Hamlin and Bubba Wallace. For those who don’t know, there was a time when the pinnacle of athlete success was a Sports Illustrated cover and a Wheaties box. They both defined success. Interesting thing about the Wheaties rollout is that no brand has really grabbed such an iconic space in Consumer Packaged Goods, and with the collectable market still expanding exponentially, the ability for both a digital and tactile, old fashioned boxes, along with scannable codes for added value, is very valuable.
Maybe General Mills sees the light.
Bose Listens To The NIL Push…
Bose jumped into the NCAA’s NIL landscape by partnering with six football and basketball athletes. The new Team Bose athletes will gift Bose noise cancelling headphones to their teammates during the holidays. Prior to NIL, peer-to-peer gifting was not permitted among NCAA athletes. The Bose six are Memphis basketball player Jalen Duren, Heisman finalists CJ Stroud (Ohio State) and Aidan Hutchinson (Michigan), Cincinnati quarterback Desmond Ridder, Alabama receiver Jameson Williams and Oregon quarterback Anthony Brown.
Bose is the official headphone and headset sponsor of the NFL, boasts a roster of endorsers including Patrick Mahomes, Russell Wilson, Aaron Rodgers, Baker Mayfield and Justin Herbert. All the ask right now is social sharing, and hooking up your friends for them to post as well. Headphones and earbuds are a natural fit for NIL, good luck trying to stop players from wearing them on the field as well. Smart move.
Gaming Never Left The Building, And Had A Record Year…
Maybe some of the shine wore off professional esports and its transition into the “traditional sports” space in the past year, but the overall gaming industry, especially casual gaming, is still thriving and can’t be overlooked. Per dot esports, In 2021, the mobile market share continued to grow at a record-shattering pace, with eight different titles surpassing more than $1 billion in total player spending between Jan. 1 and Dec. 14, according to data insight platform Sensor Tower. This is up from five games reaching this mark in 2020, with five titles remaining above that $1 billion threshold from last year.
Front Office Sports also dropped a piece Friday about the explosion of Blockchain gaming, including an extensive report on growth from The Blockchain Gaming Alliance. The there was also NBA 2K’s announcement of a bit of a revamp this week, after a second season that plateaued a bit.
Now while the crazy numbers thrown around by traditional sports owners for franchises like Overwatch may have curtailed, that device in your hands, and in your kids room, is booming loudly around the world.
Looking forward to see how these three move along as we get into 2022.
