Lacrosse Lassoes SoBe's Lizard; S.I. Banks on Yanks

Brandweek,  May 29, 2000  by Terry Lefton

Tags: bank, brand, Branding, entitlement, leagueMARKETINGNFLpositioning

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South Beach Beverage has signed a three-year sponsorship pact with the fledgling Major League Lacrosse circuit. MLL founder Jake Steinfeld described it as a low-seven-figure deal, the largest in the league's short history

"We're positioning ourselves as young and edgy, so to have a brand like SoBe is really meaningful to us, since it's already that kind of brand." he said.

Other non-endemic league sponsors include Yahoo! and MBNA; Reebok is negotiating. SoBe, which has grown geometrically since adopting a "healthy refreshment" positioning, will use MLL to back a national rollout of the four-flavor SoBe Sports System line, testing this year on the West Coast. The deal gets SoBe the "official performance beverage" designation along with board signage at games, uniform patches and entitlement to power plays via P.A. announcements and TV mentions. SoBe will also get branded sideline cups, coolers and towels, a la Gatorade.

Other marketing plans including participation of the SoBe Love Bus and a branded SoBe section in the venues. On the drawing board is creation of a SoBe drink, called Lax after the universal synonym for lacrosse, and naming an MLL franchise the Long Island Lizards, in deference to the imagery central to the brand.

"It's a natural fit," said marketing vp Billy Bishop, himself a collegiate lacrosse player not so long ago. "It'll work with our packaging and our positioning." The outdoor lacrosse league begins play July 8 with a seven-city all-star tour, which will be televised on either ESPN or Fox Sports Net. The league is slated to play a full schedule next summer. SFX Sports, which owns 30% of the league, brokered the pact, making it a reunion of sorts between two former NFL cronies, SFX marketing president Frank Vuono, once the licensing chief at NFL Properties, and South Beach co-founder John Bello, the former president of NFL properties. "We want to be at the forefront of emerging sports," said Bello.

Richmond County Savings Bank has signed an entitlement deal for the new 6,500-seat stadium being built for the Staten Island Yankees, a second-year "Short A" New York Penn League team now playing at a college facility. The 10-year, $4 million deal is relatively scant compared to some recent deals, but is an interesting benchmark, since it's the first entitlement deal for a pro sports facility within the boroughs of New York and, of course, the first to use the potent Yankees brand. The exact name of the ballpark, which will also house musical events, has not been determined. Marcomm Partners, N.Y, the team's sponsorship sales agency has also landed Chase and three other top-level Grand Slam partners to $50,000 packages that include signage, announcements, tickets and program ads.

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