Intersport's "Steal a Base, Steal a Taco" campaign for Taco Bell receives more accolades
QSR Magazine - the leading media outlet covering the $180 billion quick-service restaurant industry - recently released its list of the top 10 iconic marketing events of 2007. The Intersport-executed 'Steal a Base, Steal a Taco' campaign proved that "it's still possible to hit a homerun." Here's what the magazine had to say about the promotion:

Arguably the brightest bit of product placement conjured up in 2007 was Taco Bell’s “Steal A Base, Steal A Taco” promotion during the World Series. The gist of the promotion was that if any player stole a base at any time during the World Series, Taco Bell would provide a free taco to everyone in America (as long as people showed up at a Taco Bell store during a designated mid-afternoon period on a specific Tuesday afternoon). Despite the considerable time restriction placed on the payoff, the promotion was mentioned/discussed almost incessantly by players and announcers during the course of the World Series games.

CNBC business reporter Darren Rovell was particularly captivated. He calculated that the chain might have actually dispensed as few as 35,000 free tacos and that Taco Bell likely received $8 million of free television publicity. Rovell also got off the best line about the promotion: “[Yesterday] a World Series game broke out in the middle of a Taco Bell commercial.”

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Gillette 2008 MLB Rookie Reporter Showdown will give one MLB fan a dream job at the 2008 World Series
Baseball fans who dream of interviewing their heroes at America’s most beloved ballparks just moved a step closer to their fantasy assignment with today’s announcement of the Gillette 2008 MLB Rookie Reporter Showdown, a nationwide search that will culminate with one lucky fan joining the MLB.com broadcasting team during the 2008 World Series.

Auditions will be held throughout June. Then, forty-eight Gillette MLB Rookie Reporters will be chosen—four representing each of 12 participating MLB Clubs. The auditions will take place at 12 MLB stadiums. Video auditions can also be uploaded online at www.MLB.com/GilletteReporter.

Later this summer, the Gillette MLB Rookie Reporter participants will compete in reporter challenges that will be produced by Intersport and will air during local Major League Baseball telecasts. The winner will travel to the 2008 World Series as the Gillette MLB Rookie Reporter.

Co-production between Intersport and NFL Films brings high school football rivalries to life
In a co-production with Intersport, NFL Films brings its hallmark cinematography to the high school gridiron in Greatest High School Football Rivalries, a new series on the Versus network. This one-hour, documentary-style series captures all the drama, heartbreak and glory of high school football. Each of the six episodes follows two rival schools, including some of the nation's best programs, as they prepare for a game they will remember for a lifetime.

October 25: Union vs Jenks
November 1: Rockford vs Muskegon

November 8: Massillon vs. Canton McKinley
November 15: Plano vs. Plano East
November 22: Pahokee vs. Glades Central
November 29: Fort Hill vs. Allegany

Intersport and Sprint announce launch of Sprint Exclusive Entertainment (SEE), the only network of original programming on mobile

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. - Oct. 15, 2007 - Sprint is the only U.S. wireless carrier to produce its own TV network, today launching SEE (Sprint Exclusive Entertainment).  SEE delivers exclusive TV programs on Sprint video-enabled phones at no extra charge to customers with any Power Vision data plan.  SEE can be accessed in three easy steps: by simply clicking on the phone’s media player from the main screen, scrolling to SEE on a channel menu similar to cable TV, and then selecting a program to watch.

SEE’s brief on-demand programs average approximately two minutes in length and focus on three major areas – sports, music and entertainment news.  The programs are shot at various on-site locations and at a brand-new studio managed by production partner Intersport.  SEE delivers more than 150 programs each week that are hosted by well-known personalities.

Sports

In addition to general sports commentary, specific SEE sports programs focus on NASCAR, golf, fantasy sports and football, including the NFL Center program with highlights from every NFL game throughout the season.  SEE will also provide full coverage from an on-site studio at events such as Super Bowl XLII and the men’s college basketball tournament.

Music

Hosted by former VH1 VJ Rachel Perry, SEE offers an ever-expanding variety of music content from across genres, including:

• Music news about artists, album releases and
  upcoming tours
• A weekly "Top 10 Videos" segment
• Exclusive artist interviews
• Exclusive concerts

As news breaks, SEE music programs are released throughout the day.  SEE delivers exclusive content from some of the hottest names in the music industry, including Hurricane Chris, Juanes, Rihanna, Soulja Boy, Sum 41, T.I. and T-Pain.

Entertainment News

SEE is the exclusive mobile provider of CelebTV.com, which delivers the latest celebrity and entertainment news from host Kelli Zink, who is also a frequent commentator on shows from FOX, CNN, MSNBC and others.  CelebTV.com provides 10-12 updates everyday about everything in Hollywood.

SEE’s studio is equipped with state-of-art technology including satellites, fiber, lighting grids, multiple flat-screen LCDs, several editing suites, top-of-the-line studio cameras and high-powered graphics computers.  SEE will continue to build its content offerings in the months ahead.  For more information about SEE, including online examples of actual segments, visit www.sprint.com/see.  For video of SEE highlights and a tour of the SEE studio, as well as downloadable high-res images of SEE on Sprint phones, visit www.sprint.com/seepresskit. 

Intersport awarded Cadillac's Super Bowl activation for second year in a row
After a successful partnership at Super Bowl XLI, Intersport has secured for the second year Cadillac’s Super Bowl sponsor activation business and will be on site at Super Bowl XLII in Phoenix, AZ. With the brand’s high profile position as the official vehicle of Super Bowl XLII and presenting sponsor of the Super Bowl XLI MVP, Cadillac once again turned to Intersport to bring its sponsorship to life and to manage all on-site marketing efforts around its Super Bowl XLI sponsorship.  Intersport will strategically plan and implement all activation, including presence marketing at the University of Phoenix Stadium, the NFL Experience, Super Bowl XLII-related golf events, high profile parties such as the Maxim and ESPN events, and other grassroots efforts throughout South Central Arizona.

Intersport scores with Burger King Kirk Herbstreit
Ohio vs. USA Challenge
Labor Day Weekend in Ohio was football heaven for over 60,000 fans as 11 of the nation’s top high school football powerhouses battled it out under the hot sun in what longtime national recruiting analyst Tom Lemming has called “by far, the best high school event ever staged.” The games were broadcast on the NFL and ESPN Networks.  The weekend’s most notable game was Cincinnati Elder’s epic upset of Charlotte Independence (NC) and its 109 game winning streak, the second longest in high school football history.  The scores are listed below.  For 2008 ticket information and continuous updates about next year’s event and participating schools, visit the official Burger King Kirk Herbstreit Ohio vs. USA Challenge Web site at www.ohiovsusa.com.

Intersport makes Event Marketer's "It List" of the
Top 100 event agencies
From Event Marketer, May 2007:
We say: Sports, sports, sports, sports and more sports.

Skilled in the art of negotiation and smart as a whip when it comes to activation.

Fact most people don’t know? Intersport is one of only a few shops that produces content for every major sports network on behalf of clients, allowing for a seamless link between brand, property and activation.

Best recent hookups? Liberty Mutual and football, Cadillac and golf, Mercedes and soccer.

Intersport teams up with Dick Vitale
The face, voice and energy of college basketball comes to ABC on Final Four Saturday in a new one-hour special. College basketball's top analyst and ambassador Dick Vitale will bring his thorough knowledge and passion for the game to the Goodyear Presents Dick Vitale’s All-American Special, airing on ABC on Saturday, March 31 at 1:30 p.m. ET.          

In Goodyear Presents Dick Vitale’s All-American Special, Vitale will unveil his 2007 All-American Team and name the top three “Diaper Dandies” (outstanding freshman), coaches and games of the year. One of the most experienced and knowledgeable minds in college basketball, there is no one in the sports world more capable of naming the best of the 2007 season than Dick Vitale. After touting scores of players throughout the season, Vitale finally announces his official All-American list during the Goodyear Presents Dick Vitale’s All-American Special.

The Intersport-produced special takes fans behind the scenes with one of Dick Vitale’s All-Americans and inside the colorful life of Vitale, shadowing college basketball’s most unique personality in the hours leading up to a classic Maryland-Duke contest this season.

Vitale’s college basketball knowledge and enthusiasm are unparalleled. Widely known as “Mr. College Basketball,” Vitale called ESPN’s first-ever college basketball game in 1979 and has since broadcasted more than 1,000 games.

Intersport delivers Tournament Center and Insider's Bracket via Sprint Power View
College basketball fans can now access original college basketball programming anytime and anywhere they want during the NCAA Tournament.

Intersport and Sprint have partnered again this year to deliver exclusive, made-for-mobile college basketball programming to Sprint Power View customers. For the first time, Sprint Power View Insider’s Bracket and Sprint Power View Tournament Center are also available to Facebook members.

Chris Rose, host of FOX Sports’ BCS coverage, serves as the host of Sprint Power View Tournament Center - the cornerstone of Sprint's exclusive college basketball content. Rose will join current and former college basketball coaches and players to provide in-depth tournament analysis, including on-demand game previews and postgame reports, breaking news and injury updates. More than 250 unique videos will be available on the Sprint Power View Network over the course of the tournament, from the opening round through the national title game on Monday, April 2, in Atlanta.

The Sprint Power View Insider’s Bracket is a collection of Sprint-exclusive videos featuring top college basketball coaches providing insightful analysis on the first-round of the NCAA Tournament. Available on March 12, the day after the brackets are announced, Sprint Power View Insider’s Bracket will deliver concise, insightful previews of all 32 games to fans as they fill out their brackets.

Sprint Power View Tournament Center and Sprint Power View Insider’s Bracket will also be available to Facebook members. The Facebook College Basketball Bracket Challenge, which recorded 5.2 million unique visitors in 2006, will be enhanced by Sprint Power View videos and available to 17 million Facebook members.

Intersport wins court battle against NCAA over
use of "March Madness"
Following a nearly year-long legal battle with the National Collegiate Athletic Association ("NCAA"), Intersport Inc. has won a declaratory judgment confirming its right to use the "March Madness" trademark.

Intersport filed suit in March 2006 against the NCAA in the Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois, seeking a declaration of Intersport's rights.  The Court  has entered judgment declaring that Intersport "has the exclusive right … to use the March Madness Trademark … in connection with entertainment services, namely the presentation of athletic and entertainment personalities in a panel forum …"

Dating back to the 1980s, Intersport has produced March Madness-branded television programming featuring high-profile college basketball personalities, coaches, and players analyzing college basketball tournament action. The programming has aired, among other places, on ESPN and FOX Sports Net.  Intersport secured a federal trademark registration for the “March Madness” mark in 1989.

The Court also declared that Intersport may distribute the video of its March Madness content "to the public in any manner," including through "video-enabled mobile wireless media devices."

In the months before it was forced to file suit in March 2006, Intersport created and produced a college basketball programming platform for distribution on a wireless network, which would make the content available for viewing on cell phones and provide a variety of video-based programming including a real time news and analysis operation focusing on the college basketball world in March.

As part of this multi-program platform, Intersport intended to distribute its March Madness programming on a wireless cell phone network. After learning of Intersport’s plans, the NCAA demanded that Intersport immediately cease and desist from distributing its March Madness programming on cell phones. In response to the NCAA's threats against Intersport and its wireless partners, Intersport filed suit seeking a declaratory judgment to affirm its rights in relation to the term "March Madness."

"We moved proactively in light of the NCAA's threats to have a legal determination that our intended use of our intellectual property was proper and within our exclusive rights," said

Intersport founder, President & CEO Charles N. Besser. "The Court made it crystal clear that we have been acting properly and that we have full rights in the digital space and beyond as it relates to our March Madness content. We will aggressively seek to protect and utilize our exclusive rights against the NCAA or any unauthorized user."

"We carefully considered our position before proceeding and we would have preferred to avoid undertaking the expense and spectacle involved in litigation.  However, the NCAA's aggressive stance left us no choice but to stand up for ourselves and our partners against a well-funded organization with overwhelming financial motivation to attempt to limit our rights. Now, we are thankful for the clarity generated by the Court and will proceed with great confidence."

Jenn-X Road Show launches on SI.com
A new digital series created and produced by Intersport exclusively for SI.com launches today. Jenn-X Road Show features SI.com columnist Jenn Sterger as she traverses the country in pursuit of the very best college game day atmospheres. This week, Jenn visits Wichita State; in subsequent episodes, she will take trips to Oregon, Syracuse, LSU, Wisconsin, and the Mountain West Conference tournament.

Go to the Intersport Featured Work page to check out the premier episode or visit www.si.com and click on the "Video" tab.