In a battle for New York bragging rights, the Islanders took on the Rangers last night at the Garden and were crushed by a score of 5 – 0. In a game where the Rangers should have probably scored about 9 or 10 goals, the Islanders looked like a pee-wee hockey team, showing no rhythm and a lack of focus. If the Rangers emulate the incredibly fast pace and precision passing they displayed in last night’s when they take on the New Jersey Devils tonight, they’ll have a great chance at winning. And with the playoffs around the corner, I advise you to grab your favorite promotional hockey gear and get out there to support your team!

Posted: March 25th, 2010 under General.
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Formula 1′s kick-off race in Bahrain saw Ferrari Team rider Fernando Alonso get a lucky win over Team Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel. The two-time world champion Alonso was able to pull past the young Vettel when Vettel’s car had an engine malfunction and began sparking. His fellow Ferrari team-mate, Fabio Massa, was also able to pull past Vettel, who would later finish in fourth behind McLaren rider Lewis Hamilton. Vettel looked to have a comfortable win wrapping up for him, however his car problems turned this race into quite an interesting finish. However, this is exactly what makes Formula 1 so exciting. It’s not only about the ability of the driver to win, but the custom computer technology that is worked on behind the scenes as well. While Alonso is celebrating his great start to the season, Vettel will most certainly be making the most use of his custom stress ball as he ponders what went wrong.

Posted: March 23rd, 2010 under General.
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Well, it’s finally gotten to the really interesting point…that’s right March Madness has reached the round of 16. Whether you love the Orangemen or are a diehard Blue Devils fan, this is one of the most exciting times in America’s sporting calendar, so why not show your support for the teams you love! A logoed stress ball will be extremely helpful during those nervous moments in a game, or you can grab a promotional noise-maker and pretend to be a distraction to a rival player when he’s shooting free throws. Either way, it’s time to get your game face on and get ready for once exciting ride!

Posted: March 22nd, 2010 under General.
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Heineken knows how to do promotions. Period. In what was one of the best forms of guerilla marketing I’ve seen, Heineken (who sponsors the UEFA Champions League) asked professors, bosses and girlfriends to force men to go to a musical concert on the night that Real Madrid played AC Milan (two European powerhouses…think Patriots vs. Colts). Filming the entire process, the concert started a little before the game in which, on a video screen that would accompany the performance, it was made apparent that the whole concert was a ruse. After some pretty good laughs (I really suggest you watch this video), Heineken revealed itself as the culprit behind the prank and then tuned into the game. They were also kind enough to hand out some of their custom barware glasses filled with its delicious beer. The aftermath of this happening (they did it in multiple regions around Madrid and Milan) broke news headlines throughout Europe and when Heineken posted this video it received millions of hits, making this a great success. So the next time you complain about having to listen to the Champions League theme song on repeat because of the Heineken commercials; think about what they did here.

Posted: March 18th, 2010 under General.
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Scott Fujita may have a Super Bowl championship ring, but he doesn’t have the luxury schwag bag that Nike gave out to the rest of his endorsed teammates. Nike dropped Fujita after tape used to tighten his cleats covered up the Nike swoosh logo and voided his endorsement contract. While the rest of Fujita’s teammates were gallivanting around with about $5,000 worth of free schwag, Fujita was left empty-handed.

Here’s a direct quote from Scott’s Super Bowl diary:

Low-point of the day: Not getting a Nike schwag bag in my hotel room. All the guys who are endorsed by Nike got sweet Super Bowl schwag, with about $5,000 worth of merch, including some products from their ACG line, which I love for hiking and for outdoor use. I was endorsed by Nike for seven years, but they voided my contract (after several warnings) for “spatting” my cleats on game-days. Some of us spat, or put tape around our cleats, to keep them tight. Nike, apparently, doesn’t like that their precious Swoosh gets covered up. Oh well. Wouldn’t be that big of a deal if it weren’t for every teammate rubbing it in my face, parading around in all their cool new gear.

Personally, I’d still rather have the ring over promotional hiking gear.

Posted: February 19th, 2010 under General.
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Michael Jordan is a household name in basketball, and for good reason – his skill on the court was pretty much legendary. This commemorative telephone may seem like something of an anachronism in an age where fewer and fewer people bother with landlines, but die-hard Jordan fans might still want one. They’re numbered in a limited edition with the basketball player’s signature printed across the top, and when the “special” ringer is activated, the basketball part opens to reveal a court full of cheering, waving spectators and shots of Jordan flash across a scoreboard. Let’s see a cell phone do that. According to this site, they’re discontinued, so if you want your piece of Chicago Bulls (and telecommunications industry) history, act now…

Posted: January 13th, 2010 under General.
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Buffalo Bills star receiver Terrell Owens’ custom cereal, according to his official website, aspired to be “the new Flutie Flakes” when it was introduced this July. Lofty hopes for a newcomer to the promotional food game, but kids love celebrities with their breakfast, and the football-enhanced toasted honey nut o’s sold out ridiculously fast. Of course, the cereal’s release coincided with the launch of Owens’ reality television series “The TO Show” on VH1 and the start of the Bills sports camp at St. John Fisher College, so a few thousand boxes of “TO’s” didn’t stand a chance.

Promotional cereals are sort of the bane of parents everywhere, I think – they’re aggressively marketed to kids, have little to no nutritional content, and are shamelessly overpriced to reflect the perceived value of whatever star’s face is on the box. Still, the original Flutie Flakes transformed its creators – a three-employee operation called PLB Sports – into the major celebrity-endorsed product company it is today, and that same company proudly watched its “TO’s” sell out this summer. You have to admire that kind of marketing success.

[via Newsweek]

Posted: January 6th, 2010 under General.
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Professional sporting events are notorious for the amount of waste they create – the trash generated by concession stands alone is frightening to behold. Fortunately, forward-thinking sports teams are beginning to come around to the idea of giving back to their supporters in ways that truly benefit the community. Several New York teams, including the Giants, the Yankees, and the Mets, for example, have partnered with Rock & Wrap It Up! to collect the prepared food that was not sold by restaurants and vendors at their games and deliver it to soup kitchens in Newark and Manhattan. Rock & Wrap It Up!, an anti-poverty think tank staffed through volunteering, is able to provide over 13,000 meals a year through its partnership with the Giants alone – and with more than a dozen sports teams on board across the country, as well as working relationships with bands and event promoters, they are truly making a difference in the fight against hunger.

[image via NJ.com]

Posted: December 30th, 2009 under General.
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Walking really fast is just a way of life in the city. It’s what you do in hopes people don’t stare as you sprint to catch the next train.

However, some people have decided that walking really fast constitutes a sport. Hence racewalking. It’s not just speed walking- it’s a competition. With elite competitors.

The funny thing is, racewalkers have the body of marathon runners. These guys and gals are training hard to be the best fast walking person ever.

So how do you become a racewalker? Well, there are books on the technique. But mostly you just need to know that one foot always needs to be on the ground, pedometers are a great help and don’t forget your water bottle!

Posted: December 3rd, 2009 under General.
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After the whole Tiger Woods Car Crash in His Own Driveway fiasco, fans are starting to doubt Tiger’s sincerity. The website that previously proclaimed Tiger to be the next “messiah” is starting to doubt the likelihood he is anything but a mere mortal. A few blogger’s compared him to Clinton during the Lewinsky trial.

However, his golf merchandise is still sky high. After all, Tiger Woods is arguably the best known athlete in the world. With 14 Majors wins under his belt, he’s one of the best performing athletes as well. So despite his recent brush with the law, I’m still going to grab my golf tees and golf bag, hit the green and pretend like I’m as good as the best player on earth- Tiger Woods.

For more Tiger Woods entertainment check out PromoVideoChannel to see a video of Tiger walking on water.

Posted: November 30th, 2009 under General.
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