2007 SUPER BOWL XL HALF TIME
Sprint to Sponsor Super Bowl XL Halftime
SEPTEMBER 05, 2005 -
 Ameriquest Mortgage Co., which sponsored the Super Bowl XXXIX halftime show will not reprise that role for Super Bowl XL, according to sources familiar with the plans.
Instead, Sprint will step in as sponsor of the Feb. 5, 2007 football championship at Detroit’s Ford Field, said sources, as the newly merged telecom giant looks to build on a $600 million NFL deal inked last month.
Neither the NFL or Sprint would confirm that a deal had been signed. “We are considering it. We believe that if we’re in something, we’re really going to maximize it,” said Mark Schweitzer, Sprint’s CMO. With Nextel and Sprint now under the same roof, sports marketing is key to raising brand awareness.
Halftime sponsorship rights, which this year was valued about $10 million, were likely part of the $300 million in the “rights fees” portion of Sprint’s NFL deal, said analysts. The pact already includes sponsorship of the Sept. 8 Opening Kickoff fest on ABC, which will also televise the big game.
Ameriquest’s deal was for one year with a two-year option, which sources said was not picked up this season by mutual agreement. “It expired and was not renewed. They continue to support teams on the local level and advertise during games,” said one source.
The Orange, Calif.-based mortgage lender will run new spots, via DDB, Los Angeles, during Super Bowl XL and national ads during the season. One touts its sponsorship of the U.S. leg of the Rolling Stones tour. (The Detroit Free Press reported last week that the Stones would headline XL.)
Ameriquest may consider sponsoring the Feb. 4, 2007 halftime show in Miami. Previous sponsors include AOL, AT+T, E*Trade and Progressive Auto Insurance. “Halftime is valuable real estate,” said Tom George, senior marketing officer at Octagon, McLean, Va. “You get more viewers for [that] concert than you do at most concert tours.” |
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