It's no secret that Peyton Manning owns the television game, and anyone who's in a spot with him is assured that it will be gold. Well in his latest Sony commercial, Peyton has so company with him. Not only is he playing ping-pong with Justin Timberlake, but Erin Andrews even makes an appearance!

Good use of the Mandarin language there boys, and I have to agree with Justin, having an HDTV makes you better at Sports.

Outside of some random discussions on CNBC, CNN and MSNBC, Sports Business rarely comes up in today's news. Well Versus is planning on changing that with a new show called "The $ports Take", which will debut at the end of August. Via Sports Business Daily ($)....

Versus is launching a weekly sports business show called "The $ports Take," hosted by sports consultant Rick Horrow. Career Sports & Entertainment (CS&E), Atlanta, is producing the show, which debuts August 25 at 6:30pm ET. The show will run on Tuesday nights. The first episode features an interview with Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones and a tour of his new stadium. Future shows will include interviews with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, NBA Commissioner David Stern, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, NASCAR Chair & CEO Brian France and PGA of America CEO Joe Steranka. CS&E President of Media & Marketing Mark Lazarus said, "We're excited to bring sports junkies a new perspective on the sports they already love."

I'm sure a lot of people won't find this line of programming interesting, but for there is a small sect of diehard Sports' fans, that love anything involving the business of Sports. Hearing about television deals, free agency and collective bargaining agreements, has always been something I've been drawn to, so I'm definitely going to give the show a chance.

It's no secret that Reggie Miller enjoys the ladies, but apparently he's been enjoying the married ones just a bit too much. A certain someone decided to send Reggie a message via an aerial advertiser, and all of Southern California was able to see it. Via the Daily Mail....

A famous basketball legend has been given a very public dressing down.

A banner warning ex-NBA star Reggie Miller off married women was flown over several southern California beaches this weekend.

It is not known who forked out for this expensive warning but it comes after Miller allegedly pursued his neighbour Ali Kay - who is engaged to designer Diane von Furstenburg's son Alex.

According to a restraining order, that was never filed, Miller, who played for the Indiana Pacers, met Ms Kay at a party in July last year.

In March of this year he then bumped into her at a grocery store, then waited outside for an hour until she left, before following her up a motorway.
Former NBA basketball player Reggie Miller

He also allegedly harassed her by phone, including sending her 53 text messages over the course of less than four hours.

Well then. I've seen some things in my time, but that might just take the cake. Reggie is usually seen combing the beaches of SC, so maybe the point got across. Just crazy.

Pictured: The moment a basketball star was told plane and simple to keep his hands to himself (Daily Mail)

It's that time of the year friends. Yes, the time when you see a Fantasy ad just about every five seconds on TV and the Internet. While NFL's "Fantasy Files" continue to lead the pack, there are others that go by undetected. Kind of like this random online ad from CBS' Bill Cowher, in which he plays a Keytar rather well....

There are a total of four Cowher spots, and while the others don't feature rockin' synethesized music, they're all pretty funny. Check them out below.

I know it's taboo to call Brett Favre annoying these days, and it's probably best to try and ignore him, but the guy makes it virtually impossible. You all know about the Wrangler ads, where the "childlike" Favre plays touch Football in the mud with a bunch of white dudes, right? Well Favre is filming a new commercial for Sears, and get this....he plays a guy who can't make up is mind about a television. Brilliant!

The TV spot, scheduled to air in early September, launches the Sears Blue Electronics Crew campaign, which includes print, events marketing, social media and public relations. The TV commercial features Favre agonizing over selecting a new LED television. The scene unfolds through a discussion between Favre and a member of the Sears Blue Electronics Crew (actor Brad Morris from "The Second City" comedy club in Chicago). The two banter as Favre is undecided on his decision about a Samsung LED TV. In one scene, Morris describes Sears "real time price checks - no regrets"(SM) - as a way to help guys who have a tough time making decisions. "You know the type, right?" Morris says. "Yeah, I hate those guys," Favre quips.

"This commercial uses humor to communicate messages about what differentiates Sears and the Sears Blue Electronics Crew from the competition," said Karen Austin, president of home electronics for Sears. "From our real time price checks to selection of top brands to our expert sales consultants, financing options and installation, there are very compelling reasons to choose Sears for your next TV or electronics purchase. And Brett is a terrific sport in having fun with the topic of choosing a TV. Brett embodies the excitement and passion that our customers feel as they anticipate the start of football season and that comes through in the commercial."

I guess Sears doesn't realize that just about all of America is sick of Brett Favre. I mean, I would have personally gone with something along the lines of the salesman punching him in the face after he went back and forth for the twentieth time, but whatever you think works.

ESPN finally seems to be taking a queue from NBA TV and has decided to go old school for its NBA Finals campaign. The new set of ads will be an extension of the "Where Will Amazing Happen This Year" theme, but will feature an homage of sorts to the greats. While the video promos will stay the same, the main piece of marketing will be a photo timeline of seven NBA players in the midst of a dunk. The piece titled "Evolution" will be seen in print and on billboards in various cities. Here is your first look (click for larger)....


Just an amazing photo right there. I've always been a fan of the sequence photos like that, but switching it to multiple players like that almost makes it "poster worthy". If I still lived in a dorm, that thing would be up post haste.

Sure it's for pretzels, and sure it's for frozen ones, but just hearing his voice makes you want to smile. Via Sports by Brooks....

I suddenly have an extreme urge for a pretzel and some mustard. I wonder why?

Harry Kalas’ Last TV Commercial Before Passing (Sports By Brooks)

I've long enjoyed the Coors Light coaching commercials. Well, I take that back. I enjoy the coaches part, but the actors who play the dudes in the crowd are terrible. They should really just play the original clip and be done with it. Anyway, ESPN analyst Herm Edwards will be the latest to get a commercial, and naturally it will feature his famous "You play to win the game!" speech, from 2002. Via Sports Business Journal....

Former Kansas City Chiefs and New York Jets coach Herm Edwards is the latest coach to sign on for the Coors Light team. Edwards, now an ESPN football analyst, will join the lineup of former NFL coaches whose press conference clips are used in ads touting the NFL’s official beer. Other coaches in the series have included Bill Parcells, Bill Walsh and Brian Billick. Bill Cowher, another Super Bowl-winning former coach, turned down an opportunity to appear in the campaign. The campaign, from Draft FCB, uses actual press conference footage to construct fake exchanges between the former coaches and Coors Light fanatics posing as reporters.

I can't wait. Now if there was only a way to get a message to Coors that the douchebags in the crowd need to not be involved. Oh and just for old times sake, let's relive that wonderful moment in Jets' history....


Herm Edwards joining Coors Light’s ‘postgame’ press room (Sports Business Journal - $)

It's no secret that ESPN's change of their website this past January, was to create more space for advertising. After initially not enjoying the new look, it started to grow on me, but that was until today. The "Leader" has decided to move the headlines on the right to a spot below the fold, so they can add EVEN MORE advertising to the front page, and they're even admitting to it. Via Sports Business Daily....

ESPN.com has altered its site design unveiled in January, shifting the list of headlines below the rotation of top stories and video links, and significantly expanding the amount of ad space available immediately to the right of those top stories. That ad position, one of the most popular slots in all of digital sports media, was initially used for a set of spots from Apple. On many standard computer monitors and laptops, the new design will require some downward scrolling to access the additional headlines.

ESPN execs said the new design, arriving organically since the January relaunch, marked an attempt at flexibility with regard to both content and advertising. "We are constantly working with our advertisers to be innovative while maintaining an optimal user experience. Today's ad is one example of a new execution we tried," said ESPN PR Manager Paul Melvin. "We'll evaluate its impact and effectiveness and use those learnings as we move forward."

Now I understand the need for advertising on the site, but you have to get the headlines back above the fold. There is plenty of room for both, especially when the two ads at the top are for the exact same company. I expect they'll be getting a pretty negative response to this move.

I don't know what it is with Sports commercials lately, but they've been popping up all over the place. Gillette's latest effort, which debuted on the big screen at Yankee Stadium today, features it's three pitchmen (Tiger Woods, Roger Federer, and Derek Jeter) walking through New York City ala John Travolta in "Saturday Night Fever". Here's your first look....

Pretty entertaining, and certainly much better than the last couple of commercials from Gillette. Now try to get that song out of your head for the rest of the night.

"Mini-mercials" are the latest craze to hit television, and ESPN will begin airing them this May. You probably have noticed the little spots during PTI breaks to keep you glued to the ads, but these will be different. Instead of the hosts jumping back on randomly, digital billboards will appear for certain companies before segments. Via the New York Times....

Beginning May 15, Coors will begin a two-month campaign of the new 10-second billboards, called mini-mercials, that will run during evening “SportsCenter” segments on ESPN. Miller Lite will begin its campaign in mid-July.

MillerCoors will be the most extensive user of mini-mercials, but will not be the first. Asics, the manufacturer of sports shoes and sports apparel, began a short flight on last Friday evening’s “SportsCenter” that will run through the end of this month.

TV ad buying for both MillerCoors and Asics is handled by the media agency Initiative, part of the Interpublic Group of Companies. MC Media is a dedicated agency for MillerCoors that was created last fall and is a partnership between creative agency Draft FCB and Initiative.

The goal of the mini-mercial on ESPN is to bring more action to the traditional TV billboard that leads into “SportsCenter” segments. Typically, billboards leading into a program simply show the logo of the sponsor of that segment.

I think I saw the one they were referring to that aired yesterday, and needless to say, it's pretty awkward. All of a sudden an anchor appears after an ad, and they're right into the next highlight. I really didn't think there was a way to fit in more advertising and distractions to Sports Center, but I guess I was wrong.

MillerCoors and Asics Bring Action to Ads on ESPN (New York Times)

I've seen some crazy attempts at getting advertising into broadcasts, but this one might actually take the cake. Broad Street Hockey noticed a funny thing on the boards behind the goal, during the Rangers game last night on MSG, and it couldn't be more humorous and distracting. Here is a screenshot....



Now I'm not one to deny a company from making money, but when it comes at the expense of the viewers, that's when I take issue. It's one thing to have something like that behind a batter during a Baseball game, but it just doesn't look right sitting behind a goal. Hopefully the decide against using it in the future, but I seriously doubt that if it's bringing in money.

Eat Fresh? (Broad Street Hockey)

One of the only redeeming things about February, once Football ends, is Daytona week/weekend. Well the NFL owners have been discussing a lot of things as of late, but the most intriguing ones is the potential to add two NFL games. That move would subsequently cause the Super Bowl to be pushed back....straight to the same spot as the Daytona 500.

The Daytona 500 starts earlier in the day than the Super Bowl, but the big hit would come in the form of advertising dollars. The number of companies using both venues would certainly decrease, especially if you consider the start of the Super Bowl would come right at the end of the race, and this has NASCAR officials reeling. Via Scene Daily....

NASCAR and Fox Sports officials are in a wait-and-see mode before commenting on what NASCAR would do, but it seems likely that the date for the Daytona 500 would have to change.

“I don’t think I can make a definitive answer to [changing the date], but I would have a hard time today seeing how that would work for everybody – working for the media partners, working for the sponsors that we share and quite frankly, working for the fan and the consumer base,” said Roger VanDerSnick, senior vice president for marketing and business operations for DIS parent company International Speedway Corp.

“I understand the NASCAR base pretty well, and there’s a fair amount of overlap. So why make that an issue when I think we’ve got several options so that it wouldn’t be?”

As mentioned above, it would only makes sense to move the Daytona 500 back, but that would certainly throw a wrench in the plans of few hundred thousand who attend the race and the millions who enjoy both events. It'll be interesting to see what NASCAR decides....and how quickly.

Daytona 500 date change likely if NFL moves Super Bowl to traditional 500 weekend (Scene Daily)

Darren Rovell at Sports Biz, came across this humorous yet rather odd advertisement from M&Ms candy, which features two candies decorated as Larry Bird and Magic Johnson. The ad is supposed to be a commemoration of sorts for the 30th anniversary of their famous tournament clash, but there's one problem....they used their NBA colors....



In all fairness, no one would probably recognize Magic in MSU green or Bird in Indiana State light blue, but still....that should have been their direction. Plus the Magic M&M doesn't even really look like him. Good try though.

Inaccurate Ad Of The Week (CNBC: Sports Biz)

(P.S.- Be sure to check out Darren's interview "On The DL" when you get a chance.)

I don't quite understand the whole tagline, but the fact that Adidas got KG, Dwight Howard, T-Mac and Josh Smith, to randomly visit Colleges and put on their jerseys, is pretty cool. Here are the Garnett and Howard spots via First Cuts....

So now that I think about it, I guess each four picked who they think is going to win it all, and these are the commercials they came up with. I guess it's an okay idea, but I'm more interested in the jerseys. I'm pretty sure that KG-UCLA junks would go for a pretty penny on Ebay.

Vitamin Water's ads have been hit and miss. I enjoyed the Lebron courtroom one, but couldn't stand the Super Bowl dancing spot. Well their latest effort is back in the good category. They got former Kentucky Coach Rick Pitino and former Duke player Christian Laettner to recreate the famous 1992 East Regional game between the two teams. Via RTC....

Hahaha....Pitino said asshole! Well it's bleeped out, but still funny. Good stuff.

Pitino and Laettner Together Again (RTC)

If you took any business classes in College, you've certainly heard the mantra that the woman is the decision maker in the household. But the world of advertising is ever-evolving, and ESPN is now saying that the adage might no longer be true. Ed Erhardt, President of ESPN/ABC Sports Customer Sales and Marketing, conducted an interview with Media Post, and says there's been a shift towards targeting men....

For years, advertisers that targeted women believed they played a "head of household" role and made the majority of purchasing decisions for the family. But ESPN's Ed Erhardt says that cause-and-effect relationship is changing.

Men are becoming more involved in making household spending choices--perhaps because of the economy--and that could increasingly open doors for ESPN with its male audience.

"Most of the research now shows it is a dual decision," says Erhardt, president of ESPN/ABC Sports customer sales and marketing. "A guy is very much involved in that, so I think there's a change in the male consumer--there's a change in the economy and we like our position based upon that going forward."

In ESPN's case, Erhardt says large packaged goods companies (Kraft and Johnson & Johnson, for example) along with travel advertisers and other traditional female-oriented marketers are shifting dollars in an attempt to reach men.

Very interesting. You could certainly see this coming with all of the "Men's" products that have come out in the past few years. I personally always thought that the woman as the "decider" line of thinking was a little off base, because years ago women were mainly homemakers. As the business environment changes, and roles in the household become equal between men and women, so do the target audiences of ads.

ESPN's Erhardt: Men Changing, Advertisers Reacting (Media Post)

Earlier today, I showed you NBC's promo for the Accenture Match Play featuring Tiger Woods, and now we get a chance to look at the Golf Channel's latest effort. They too went with the welcome back message, but took it just a bit of a step further. How so you ask? Well by getting Samuel L. Jackson to recreate his "Path of the Righteous Man" speech from "Pulp Fiction"....

Now that's how you make an ad! Now I'm ready to watch some Golf!!!

Not sure if you've been watching much ESPN this week, but if you have, you may have noticed a new set of songs being played during highlights. Those tunes are from Bruce Springsteen's new album, and in what's becoming a growing trend, music companies are coming to ESPN asking for the network's help. Via Sports Business Daily....

Columbia Records, Springsteen’s label, initiated contact with ESPN about how it could incorporate the Boss’ music from the new CD into football highlights leading up to the Super Bowl. “This all kind of came about nicely,” ESPN Dir of Music Kevin Wilson said. “We were talking about the idea that Bruce was a possibility and then they reached out.” With Springsteen already slated to perform at halftime of Sunday’s game, the combination of the two seemed natural. Wilson: “They talked to us also about the interest for us to maybe include some of his catalog songs and we brought the concept back to production. They thought it was a great idea. Between us and Sony (Columbia's parent company), they helped get the deal done with Bruce.”

Wilson said the network does not “have a specific genre in mind” in regards to using music but admits there are “certain sounds that seem to fit sports better than others.” “We usually reach out and say, ‘We’re just looking for a couple acts and a handful of songs … to bed our [programming with],’” Wilson said. “Then see what they come back with or we have ideas on our own.” Deals with music labels can include the use of one band’s music or access to a larger library of music, but ESPN Coordinating Dir of Music Claude Mitchell said instead of specific labels, it is “what we can provide to our shows that’s the key in what we look for.” “We’ve been very lucky in that we’ve been able to find good ways to bring value to our label partners and the artists. At the same time, we’re getting good artists we want to be on the network to work with our sports and shows,” Mitchell said.

Makes sense on both ends, and if it gets us to here new stuff and not the old elevator music that ESPN has used in the past, I'm all for it. It's odd to think that record companies would now be approaching ESPN instead of MTV, but that's what happens when you turn into a reality show channel.

ESPN Diving Into Using Music With Content (Sports Business Daily - $)

Is that not the best quote you've ever heard? Those were the organization's comments on the heels of NBC not allowing them to air an ad which features said pumpkin, and a woman making love to broccoli. You can't write this stuff. Via Metro....

Entitled "Studies Show Vegetarians Have Better Sex", the advert contains shots of a model licking a pumpkin, while another rubs asparagus over her lap.

PETA said: "PETA's ad - which features a bevy of beauties who are powerless to resist the temptation of veggie love - was deemed too hot for the Super Bowl.

"NBC rejected the video because of concerns over 'rubbing pelvic region with pumpkin' and a woman 'screwing herself with broccoli'. Apparently, NBC has something against girls who love their veggies.

NBC has yet to comment on the advert.

Well then! Let's take a look at this whole nonsense shall we?



Ummmmm.....yeah. I would have to side with NBC on this one. Not that veggies, women and Warrant songs don't turn me on, but there ARE kids watching this game. Good lord. I feel like I need to take a shower after that one.

X-rated veggie advert banned for being 'too hot' (Metro)