Taco Bell and Major League Baseball Properties have reached a three-year sponsorship agreement making Taco Bell the Official QSR of Major League Baseball.
The agreement runs through the 2006 Major League Baseball season. Taco Bell gets exclusive category rights as well as on-site signage and advertising during major MLB, including the World Series and the All-Star Game.
According to published reports, MLB chose Taco Bell over McDonald’s for the sponsorship.
Beginning with 2004 All-Star Week in Houston and in each subsequent year of the agreement, Taco Bell will activate its MLB sponsorship as the title sponsor of Taco Bell All-Star Sunday and the Taco Bell All-Star Legends and Celebrity Softball Game.
Taco Bell also will be a participating sponsor in John Hancock All-Star FanFest, the interactive baseball theme park that draws about 100,000 fans with nearly 50 baseball-themed attractions.
Taco Bell All-Star Sunday is a key component of MLB All-Star Week, and the Taco Bell All-Star Legends and Celebrity Softball Game is a five-inning game featuring retired Major League Baseball All-Stars and Hall of Famers along with celebrities from film, TV, music and sports.
The partnership includes a variety of innovative, fan-oriented promotions during the All-Star Game and World Series. Taco Bell will also make significant ad buys during MLB national broadcasts on FOX and ESPN, for This Week in Baseball Presented by Pepsi, and in MLBP publications.
Separately, Taco Bell signed a naming-rights agreement with The Pavilion at Boise State University, home of the Broncos basketball teams. The 15-year agreement with the Department of Athletics at Boise State will pay the school $4 million in cash and in-kind contributions. Taco Bell gets its logo on the exterior of all four entrances of the arena and on the sidelines of the basketball court.
Annual cash payments of $208,000-plus include funds to create an annual scholarship and a permanently endowed Taco Bell Scholarship Fund. Taco Bell will also provide more than $52,000 annually for in-kind marketing and advertising.
The arena has hosted several national athletic championships, along with countless concerts and performance events. Six times the arena has hosted first and second round games of the NCAA Men’s National Basketball Tournament.
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