Rams Monday Night Football Game to be "Whited Out"
Fans tuning in to the nationally televised Monday Night Football this Monday will experience a "white out" effect.
Russell Athletic, the Rams' newest sponsor, will provide commemorative Monday Night Football white t-shirts to all fans attending the Rams' game versus the Chicago Bears. Fans will then be encouraged to don the white t-shirts in order to create a "white out" effect similar to what the Miami Heat did this summer en-route to their NBA championship. This time, the "white out" will be on a much larger scale: 66,000 plus fans as opposed to the Heat's approximately 20,000 fans.
The"white out" is part of a multi-year branding initiative that the Rams and Russell Athletic announced today. As part of the agreement, Rams Park will be renamed Russell Athletic Training Center, Home of the St. Louis Rams.
The agreement also includes naming the playing field at the Edward Jones Dome "The Russell Athletic Field" for Monday, December 11. The field naming rights agreement - even for a day - is believed
to be the first of its kind in sports marketing history.
"The Rams and Russell Athletic partnership is a multi-faceted and innovative sponsorship," said John Shaw, president of the St. Louis Rams. "Monday Night Football will signify the beginning of a multi-year partnership that will leverage many of the Rams' unique assets to enable Russell Athletic to meet their brand objectives year round."
In addition to exterior and interior signage, the agreement will also include several exclusive branding initiatives such as product endorsement by St. Louis Rams' head coach Scott Linehan, who will don Russell Athletic gear for off-field opportunities. Russell Athletic will also be the exclusive apparel sponsor of the St. Louis Rams cheerleaders for all merchandise, and the Edward Jones Dome will have branded Fan Zones where fans will receive one-of-a-kind Russell Athletic jerseys. Additionally, Russell Athletic logos will appear on all printed season tickets, and Russell Athletic will have the right to develop unique cross-marketing opportunities with existing sponsors and consumer promotions at the national retail level to highlight their association with St. Louis Rams.
The Rams and Russell Athletic partnership will utilize the new "influencer" marketing strategy, which will enable Russell to leverage every level of the Rams' organization - players, coaches, cheerleaders and staff - all of whom will then be involved in product testing, strategy and design. This approach will enable Russell to reposition, redesign and relaunch their brand based on the help of significant Rams' input.
"The opportunity to work with a prominent National Football League team like the St. Louis Rams made absolute sense for our marketing strategy and rebuilding the Russell Athletic brand," said Doug Kelly, President of Russell Athletic. "Our brand will gain significant exposure through this dynamic alliance and we're committed to making this sponsorship successful for our company, our customers and the St. Louis community."
Dallas Kersey, Edward Jones principal in charge of marketing, says the firm welcomes the deal which will add a major corporate sponsor to support one of the city's great sports franchises. "Calling the playing field "Russell Athletic Field" on Monday night is a terrific way of launching a broad branding initiative between the Rams and Russell Athletic" Kersey said. "We think it will add to the excitement and enhance all fans' experiences at the Edward Jones Dome." Edward Jones provides financial services for individual investors in the United States, and through its affiliates, in Canada and the United Kingdom. The firm, which has headquarters in St. Louis signed a long term naming rights deal with the Rams that extends to 2014 with an option to renew through 2025.
Russell Athletic and the St. Louis Rams will also work together on several philanthropic initiatives to benefit St. Louis and surrounding communities, including joining forces with Edward Jones to support the local United Way. Additionally, Russell Athletic will support the St. Louis Rams' Junior Cheerleader program by establishing a Youth Cheerleader Council to promote best practices, honor local high school cheerleading as well as football squads weekly for outstanding achievement.