Power Players: From Euro 2020 to the Olympics, Sponsors Compete With Athletes’ Own Brands

Coca-Cola spent hundreds of millions of dollars sponsoring Euro 2020. It spent years preparing for one of the world’s most watched soccer tournaments after the Summer Olympics and FIFA World Cup. Coke’s iconic logo sat among European soccer’s brightest stars; it even had bottles of its flagship cola on the postgame podium. Then, the unexpected…

SXSWi Leftovers: Shaq Leaves Smooth Message for C-E Digital CD’s Wife

Back under gray skies here in NYC, our SXSWi memories wind down today with a little ditty courtesy of the one and only Shaquille O’Neal, the former NBA star/current TNT b-ball analyst and Buick pitchman who, for entertainment sakes, made this call to the wife of Campbell-Ewald group digital creative director, Iain Lanivich. Of course, we’re sure the cheery mood was buoyed not just by the Big Aristotle, but the word that the C-E is on the verge of winning Cadillac. We inquired about this last week, and didn’t hear word, but have been hearing that the Cadillac deal was imminent for almost six weeks. Now that it’s been made public via AdAge and others, it appears to be the case, though no one’s talking as evidenced by said trade’s post. We’ve hit the same wall on inquiries, but here’s one interesting tipster’s note, from March 7.

“The only reason Cambell Ewald is moving Downtown is because they are getting the Cadillac Ad account. GM demaded that if they get the account they MUST move downtown. It’s a done deal, the current agency Fallon is located in Minn. and GM is making this move SOON!”

Not sure that’s the “only reason,” but if it goes through, it’s a reunion of sorts between GM and Campbell-Ewald, which as we all recall lost the Chevy business after 91 years in early 2010.

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