Kraft Foods has signed sponsorship deals with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the US and CBS Sports.
As part of the agreement, the Planters, Ritz, Oreo and Wheat Thins snack brands brands will become the NCAA’s “official cookie, nut and cracker partners”.
Go deeper with GlobalData
“This partnership is a slam dunk for Kraft Foods,” said Stephen Chriss, senior director for marketing alliances at Kraft Foods. “It gives us an opportunity to connect our delicious snack brands with key audiences in a big way.”
Throughout the partnership, NCAA and CBS Sports will feature the Kraft snack brands before, during and after NCAA championships events. Planned marketing initiatives include new product sampling, contests, promotions, and college-themed displays in retail stores.
“We are thrilled to have Kraft Foods join the NCAA Corporate marketing family at CBS Sports,” said Chris Simko, senior vice president CBS sports sales and marketing and director CBS Sports Properties Group. “This is exactly the kind of integrated promotional partnership that has become synonymous with CBS Sports’ NCAA corporate marketing programme.”
Health campaigners in the UK this week slammed the decision by sports associations to sign up companies and brands related to junk food as sponsors after Mars Inc announced a deal with the Scottish Football Association.
US Tariffs are shifting - will you react or anticipate?
Don’t let policy changes catch you off guard. Stay proactive with real-time data and expert analysis.
By GlobalDataRichard Watts, co-ordinator of the Children’s Food Campaign, told just-food that it “is not appropriate” for brands like Mars and Coke to be linked with sport.
