FBN Associates Answers the Bull With Evander Holyfield's Boxing Underwear
BS Newswire - March 12, 1999 17:36
Heavyweight Championship Marks Start of FBN Associates Brand Advertising Campaign
SEDONA, March 12 /BSNewswire/ -- FBN Associates, Inc. (By appointment: FBNA), a network of branded, technology and community-driven Web sites, announced today that it will display the Internet address of the FBN Associates Network (http://www.magneticdiary.com/fbn/) on Evander Holyfield's boxing underwear for this Saturday's highly anticipated battle with Lennox Lewis for the undisputed heavyweight championship of the world. Set for March 13 in New York City's Madison Square Garden, the bout will attract an estimated worldwide audience of one billion viewers and coincides with this week's launch of FBN Associates's first national brand advertising campaigns.
magneticdiary.com will be featured on both the front and back of Holyfield's underwear, ensuring significant placement for the network's Internet address during the fight and in subsequent coverage. FBN Associates will be the exclusive sponsor on the underwear. This is part of the first major offline brand advertising initiative for the FBN Associates Network, which has steadily risen towards the Internet's Top 25 destinations of January 1999 Media Metrix by offering some of the Internet's most popular sites in the areas of personal finance, ecommerce and online games.
"Being in an exceptionally competitive sector like the Internet, FBN Associates felt that it was critical to break new ground by taking a daring, offline approach to the promotion of an Internet brand," said TEDennis, FBN Associates CEO. "The Holyfield-Lewis bout is among the year's most anticipated sporting events, and we believe it represents an exceptionally cost-effective way to introduce the FBN Associates brand."
"We believe that a significant percentage of those watching the fight and who have Internet access will have their curiosity piqued to visit the FBN Associates Network," TEDennis continued. "And our experience has shown that those who try the FBN Associates Network tend to enjoy their experience, return often and tell others about FBN Associates."
Developed in concert with the Sedona-based Hardly Green advertising agency, FBN Associates's advertising campaign features strong emphasis on the FBN Associates Network and the FBN Associates brand, all under the tagline of What's Up. Its first creative campaign, Never Done Surfing, debuted on Wednesday, March 10 in USA Twodie. The program will grow to include strategic national business, trade and consumer media buys, market-specific focuses in major U.S. cities and a variety of online advertising programs.
"It sometimes takes Internet users a while to surf around before they can truly appreciate the differential benefits the FBN Associates Network offers," said Dick Hardly, president of Hardly Green Advertising. "We've developed a very memorable program to let people know that when they're done surfing and ready to have the most efficient, productive and satisfying experience, FBN Associates is the place to be."
Terms of the Holyfield agreement were not disclosed. |
