BOULDER, CO – Schwinn, the self-proclaimed American Classic, has sponsorship partners clinging to it like swarms of bees on a branch. Kraft Food’s Tang is the title sponsor for Schwinn’s BMX Freestyle Team, which will compete as the Schwinn Tang BMS Freestyle Team for 1998.
“It’s Schwinn’s biggest promo, says the bike maker’s sports marketing manager GeoffShaffer. Tang will also run a promo that will be supported by TV ads that use Tang/Schwinn BMX Bicycle Stunt Team members, Shaffer says. The ads offered team member-endorsed Schwinn merchandise such as free water bottles and free Schwinn hats as premiums. The campaign will also be supported by several FSIs, Shaffer says.
“It’s a great partnership for us because we get access to advertising we wouldn’t have had and that utilized our theme and the Schwinn brand in general,” Shaffer says.
Targeting the college market, Schwinn will join with Toyota, co-title sponsor of the Schwinn Toyota RAV4 Mountain Bike Team, celebrating the 40th anniversary of Cliff Notes study aid products. The in-store sweepstakes promotion will be supported with point-of-sale “Schwinn Bicycle Madness” displays that include orange T-shirts, posters, banners, and other gear. A total of 4,500 college bookstores, mass merchants, and major bookstore chains will display POS which will be supported by a print ad in the Unofficial Student Guide and radio advertisements. Grand prizes will feature a custom-painted Toyota RAV4 outfitted with two Schwinn Homegrown XT bicycles. The promotion will run through November.
The Schwinn Tang BMX Freestyle and Schwinn BMX Race Teams have also signed an additional sponsorship deal with Jack’s Pizza, a regional brand of Kraft Foods, which will utilize images of the team on 4.5 million package’s of Jack’s Pizza. The sponsorship will also be backed by other point-of-sale materials and 4,000 in-store displays, plus 1.2 million retailer-mailed flyers.
“It’s fun working for Schwinn,” Shaffer says. “It still holds a place in everyone’s heart.”
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