The Gatorade Company, the unit of Quaker Oats specialising in sports drinks, has inked a $20 million deal with the Walt Disney Company, giving the former increased ad space across Disney’s on- and offline media.
Gatorade gets extra exposure on ESPN.com, ABC’s Monday Night Football broadcasts, ESPN Magazine and cable networks ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN Classic and ESPNews.
The agreement is the latest in a number of tie-ups between major advertisers and media giants, who are beginning to offer ad space packages spanning their print, TV and online interests. ESPN ABC Sports Customer Marketing and Sales, the Disney unit which negotiated the Gatorade deal, has also forged agreements with the likes of Coca-Cola and Ernst & Young.
“The ABC ESPN network of sports properties continues to grow and there's so much more it offers in terms of a pre-eminent presence in the marketplace,” enthused Gatorade’s vp–marketing communications Cynthia Alston. “We view ourselves as a sports leader, and we view them as a sports leader. There's a strategic fit between what our brand stands for and the programming they have to offer.”
Bob Porcaro, v-p and client media director at Gatorade’s agency FCB Chicago, brimmed with bonhomie at making the brand “more than just a general advertiser,” also hinting at a quid pro quo further along the line. “[If] they take us more seriously as someone who wants to be more of a partner,” he explained, “we anticipate them offering up more to us.”
News source: New York Times
