DOW JONES NEWSWIRES
Make way for the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. For the second time in
just over a month, a National Football League team has signed a
deal to name its stadium, with the New Orleans Saints and
Mercedes-Benz USA announcing a tie-up on Tuesday.
The 10-year deal comes at an opportune moment: Next year the
stadium will host the NCAA Men's Final Four, the BCS Championship
game, and it will be the 2013 venue for the Super Bowl.
It is the first naming rights deal in the U.S for Mercedes Benz,
a unit of Daimler AG (DAI.XE). Financial terms of the deal were not
disclosed.
Stephen Cannon, vice-president of marketing at Mercedes-Benz
USA, said the broad range, and wide popularity, of events at the
stadium played a big role in the company's decision.
"This needed to be a national deal for us," he told MarketWatch.
"It's among the most-used stadiums in the country, and it's in the
rotation for all the major events."
Cannon said the idea of the tie-up stemmed from the company's
relationship with Tom Benson, the Saints' owner, who owns
Mercedes-Benz dealerships.
Since it opened in 1975, the Superdome has hosted a record six
Super Bowls as well as four Final Fours and two BCS Championship
games. It is also home to Tulane University's football team and the
annual venue for college football's Sugar Bowl.
The Saints, Super Bowl winners in 2010, are currently one of the
NFL's most popular teams. The Superdome is scheduled for three
nationally-televised regular season games, with NBC's Sunday Night
Football broadcasting the visit of Indianapolis Colts on Oct. 23,
and ESPN showing the Saints hosting the New York Giants on Nov. 28
and the Atlanta Falcons on Dec. 26. The Saints also played in NBC's
season-opener, against the Green Bay Packers.
Cannon said the deal also tied in with Mercedes-Benz'
association with NFL properties.
"We have very significant buys on NBC and CBS (CBS) [during game
broadcasts]," he said. "Football's in our wheelhouse and this deal
ups the ante."
Cannon also noted that the Super Bowl in 2013 will roughly
coincide with the launch of Mercedes-Benz' new entry-level range of
cars, which will reportedly be called the CLC.
As part of the deal, the auto maker's advertising and content
will appear in New Orleans Saints print and online publications,
and Mercedes-Benz will have access to Saints coaches and players
for events and promotion.
In late August the New York Giants and New York Jets announced a
25-year deal for the naming rights of their Meadowlands stadium
with MetLife Inc. (MET), reported to be worth between $16 million
and $20 million a year.
-Sam Mamudi; 415-439-6400; AskNewswires@dowjones.com