"Mark Wahlberg enters supplements market"

From ESPN.com

Review by Kevin Bradshaw in KIN 332 (section 1)

GNC has come out with a new line of nutritional that was created in part with movie star Mark Wahlberg. This is not a traditional endorsement where a company looks for a new face for itself. Mark Wahlberg started a foundation to improve quality of life for inner city youth. He has been looking for ways to improve peoples’ lives for years. He stated that, "Endorsing products is not what I do, building great products is what I want to do." This is exactly what he has done. Wahlberg has not only teamed up with GNC supplement specialists but some of the best scientists in the field to make sure that what he is selling is the best. 

This is a unique approach. Usually athletes or celebrities do not put that much time, effort, and money into their product they are endorsing. This is the first I have heard wear a celebrity is not putting his face or body with the product he is endorsing; this shows that not everyone is in it for the money. I think that this will be a more effective marketing approach because not only will it attract people that like Mark Wahlberg or “Marky Mark”, it will also attract the people that like to support a good cause and those who by products for its quality. More companies should use this approach when marketing their products; it gives a better reputation for both the company and the athlete or celebrity. I wonder how many athletes truly endorse their product and how many just collect the paycheck and take a few pictures with a soda bottle in their hand. It is always good to see athletes and celebrities who have everything they need give back and want to help others who are not as fortunate. I believe Mark Wahlberg truly wants to better the lives of anyone he can reach, whether it is someone trying to get in shape or an inner city youth child struggling in school. I might have to go to GNC and spend twice the money to help support Mark Wahlberg so he does not have to go “door to door” selling protein shakes to make his product a success.

"Tim Tebow: Media Must Put an End to Infatuation with Jets Backup QB"

From Bleacher Report

Review by Dean Marlowe in SRM 334

The NFL is a great sport to watch with family and friends every week, but when the media is involved way too much it tends to almost become a reality show. Tim Tebow is one of the few NFL players that the media is constantly in his face. Whether it be something good or bad that Tebow has done, the media will cover the most unnecessary information about himself as a person. As a Denver Bronco, Tim Tebow had become the starter towards the end of the season due to the starting quarterback’s inconsistent play. Tim Tebow led Denver to win their last four/five games in the 2011 season. Denver also made it to the playoffs but ended losing in the wildcard. The media then began discussing Tim Tebow’s love for Christ and how it may be a distraction to his game. The media could have been able to write a book on his day-by-day life activities. Therefore, the next NFL offseason, Tim Tebow was announced that he was being traded to the New York Jets. After that transaction, the media began to talk about the competition that Mark Sanchez (the Jets starting quarterback) and Tim Tebow were going to face. Sports writers all over the world were debating if Tebow was a good enough quarterback to be a starter for an NFL team. Clearly the media has an infatuation with Tim Tebow and at some point in time it’s going to have to come to an end. It is not right that Tim Tebow cannot enjoy his personal life while the media wanting to know insignificant information.

This topic is extremely relevant to this course for numerous reasons. When the media is writing about a certain topic or individual there has to be a subject matter and a purpose. Most people from the media will ask questions that do not pertain to the subject that’s significant. In addition, people from the media should know the environment and audience that’s around them. Asking questions that may offend an athlete or organization can lead to future problems.

---

Review by Corey Davis in SRM 334

We decided to do our presentation on Tim Tebow and the pressure the media puts on him. Tebow is the second string quarterback for the New York Jets but you would never be able to tell just looking at the media. They often give him more coverage then the starting quarterback, Mark Sanchez. “Tebowmania,” started when Tim Tebow first got drafted to the Broncos and he has not been able to escape it since. As a player I’m sure Tebow would just like to focus on actually playing the game and finding his place in the league but the media makes that impossible for him. It is almost unfair to keep a player in the spotlight all the time and interfere in his life constantly. He now has the whole world following him so they see when he does well, and they also see when he makes mistakes. Tebow is known as developmental player, which means he will get better and excel as time goes on. With that said all of this media coverage at such an early part of his career cannot be good for his development.

So far we have discussed the media a lot in class and I now have a better understanding of their purpose and motives. They have the power and potential to make or break an athlete and they often use this power to their advantage. Journalists, bloggers, and newspapers are always looking for the next juicy story for their own sake. The media can often times be “cold hearted,” meaning they don’t really have sympathy for the person or people they are writing about. They have to realize that these are human beings with real lives. Tim Tebow is a very modest, kind-hearted, humble man, and I’m sure he doesn't enjoy being in the lime light 24-7.

Subway rewards fans of several NFL teams

From Redskins.com and from BuffaloBills.com

Review by Ali Noel in KIN 332 (section 2)

The article(s) I selected to do for my first article review dealt with Subway Restaurants partnering with two NFL teams; the Buffalo Bills and Washington Redskins. As I was working the other night (at Subway on Port Republic), multiple people brought in coupons regarding the promotion. The deal is “When the Redskins score 20 or more points at any home game, fans can go to the Redskins website and print out a coupon good for a FREE regular 6” sub with purchase of 30-ounce drink and chips on the day after that home game.” This is a really good promotional tool for both Subway and the Redskins. In order to print the coupon, users must first visit the Skins team’s web page. By visiting the Redskins site, this creates the potential for fans to come back and view the website for information regarding the team. The only stipulation to this deal is that you must print off the coupon and bring it to a local Subway restaurant in the greater DC Virginia area the day after the game. This article also mentioned Robert Griffin III’s (Redskins starting quarterback) relationship and sponsorship deal with Subway Restaurants since he is a major marketing tool. RG3 is the most marketable player in the National Football League. He is constantly in the public eye because of his marketability and endorsement deals with multiple companies. Therefore, it was a good idea, from a marketer’s standpoint, to mention Griffin in this article.

The Bills article was very similar to the Redskins and Subway partnership deal article. This article did mention how Subway will benefit from this deal by getting airtime on the Bills All-Access Television show, preseason television ads, print collateral and Bills website advertising. The deal was similar to that of the Redskins, although if the Bills do not score 20 points, Subway Restaurants in the New York area will be giving away one free cookie to fans that bring in the coupons. Bruce Popko, Buffalo Bills senior vice president of business development says that the partnership is beneficial to both Subway and the Bills because fans get a valuable way to engage with Subway Restaurants.

As you can see from both of these articles, the target market for both teams is to contact fans so they can earn the promotional deal with Subway Restaurants. This promotion essentially is everything that sports marketing wishes to achieve. By activating this partnership, both Subway and the two NFL teams are attracting a broader spectrum and group of fans and promoting their product to fans in order to achieve marketing objectives. Subway most likely did extensive market research to find that many football viewers enjoy Subway food and see the commercials that are running during the games. Therefore, they have incentive to print off the coupon, purchase a drink and chips in order to get a free sub. Subway is a great sponsor for any sports team based on the fact they produce healthy meals for athletes and people who live an active lifestyle.