Tennis player John Isner's agent, Lagardere Unlimited's Sam Duvall, last week said that Isner is "close to signing a sponsorship deal with a company in the 'endurance' industry, but he isn't being inundated with offers" since his epic first-round Wimbledon win over Nicolas Mahut. Duvall: "We might have something in the next two to three weeks. A lot of people are saying my phone must be ringing off the hook. It's ringing." Duvall said that the "slump in the economy and timing of the match, in the middle of the year, aren't helping." Duvall asked, "And also, do companies want to be aligned with tennis and tennis players?" ESPN.com's Ravi Ubha noted current Isner sponsor Vita Coco, which makes fresh coconut water, is "set to boost Isner's profile around the U.S. Open in late August and early September" (ESPN.com, 7/2). Vita Coco co-Founder & CEO Michael Kirban said a component of the promotion will be "pretty large and very visible in New York City." While he declined to give specifics, he did note it would be "bigger than a billboard" (ATLANTA CONSTITUTION, 7/4).
HELLO, WORLD: In N.Y., Stuart Elliott notes Chinese solar panel marketer Yingli Green Energy Holding Company, the "first Chinese company to become a World Cup sponsor," is pursuing a marketing plan similar to some Super Bowl advertisers. Yingli's goal is to "trade money for attention and hope that the large sums required for sponsorship -- in the case of the World Cup, perhaps more than $20 million -- will buy awareness and recognition." Yingli Green Energy Americas Managing Dir Robert Petrina said the World Cup is a "fantastic platform to get our name out." Corporate-identity consulting group Landor Associates Managing Dir Allen Adamson added the idea is that "being around big names says you must be a big name." Elliott notes Yingli is "not buying commercial time during the televised coverage of the 64 World Cup matches, unlike many of the brands with which it is sharing the billboards" (N.Y. TIMES, 7/7).
KEEP IT SIMPLE: MLB teams during games around the Independence Day holiday again wore American-themed caps, and in Oakland, Cam Inman wrote while it is as "noble ... to honor Independence Day and raise funds for military veterans, it is almost unsightly to see all major league teams don white caps with a red or blue brim." The number of "authentic, game-day lids are out of control," as "only seven clubs remain loyal to one cap for games." Inman: "Teams are rooting for you to spend, spend, spend on all their caps that come in various styles, colors, logos and propellers" (OAKLAND TRIBUNE, 7/4).
NO GIVING UP: Pro Football HOFer Jim Brown is "asking a San Francisco appellate court to overturn a federal judge's decision to dismiss his lawsuit against" EA. Brown yesterday filed the request with the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, arguing that late U.S. District Judge Florence-Marie Cooper was "erroneous when ruling in September that Electronic Arts was protected by First Amendment rights when it created a character similar to Brown for its Madden NFL video games" (AP, 7/6).
