#3 Media Day

[sköldpaddor]

Career Task 2 

Freja Ekholm-Gunnarsson is no stranger to the world of sponsorships. Having an older brother who's an even more successful professional athlete than she is, she was exposed to that kind of thing pretty early on in her life - even getting toted along with Lias to some of his photoshoots and that kind of thing. When she was first beginning to be successful at football, she and Lias even did a couple of joint sponsorships, that whole "our family trusts (product)" type of thing. But landing her own first solo sponsorship seemed like a much bigger deal, because it was something that was her very own, and not just something where her brother got his foot in the door and she was added on as a bonus. When it finally came her turn to be the person headlining the ad campaign, Freja also found that she was unusually picky - it had to be just the right thing. She didn't want to attach her name to just any old product just for the money; it was important that it be something she actually did use or endorse herself.

The first sponsorship she ended up agreeing to was with the brand of shoes she's been wearing since she was about twelve - the company is committed to producing their shoes ethically, paying their laborers a living wage and sourcing their materials from ethical places. The "sponsorship" is sort of long form, involving Freja taking some time off during her off season to travel to some of the manufacturing facilities with a representative from the brand, putting together a short little documentary to talk about the measures the company is taking to make their entire business ethical both from a personnel perspective and from an environmental sustainability standpoint. The end result is a commercial/ad spot featuring key moments from the short film, ending with a "find out more" and a link to the brand's website where people can watch the entire thing. All in all, while she does get paid for it, it's not a hugely lucrative deal and is almost as much for her own edification as it is for the sponsorship money. Also, the brand is called "FEETPEOPLE"

366 words

APPROVED

[ComebackZak]

PT #2

Pete Martell has surged as a young force for Hollywood F.C. in the Simulation Soccer League. Playing in an entertainment hub like Hollywood California, you are very likely to be approached for sponsorship opportunities and it doesn't hurt to be a young talented soccer star for a team on the rising. There were a lot of opportunities that Pete was approached with for sponsorships but there was one specific one that he had been waiting for. The day has come and Pete was offered a "budding star" sponsorship with the Adidas brand. It felt like a dream come true that he was offered a brand deal with the company that he had worn since youth soccer and now he's here with a pathway to an eventual shoe deal. The first part of this deal is modeling a new line of soccer athletic wear from shirts, shorts, socks, and shin guards to a new line of soccer balls that adidas has released for youth and young adult soccer. The schedule for modeling the new soccer athletic wear was almost as grueling as a Hollywood F.C. practice on a single day. Following the promo for the clothes line, Pete then had to shoot video promos for the new soccer balls for Adidas. This mostly consisted of making passes, shooting goals from all over the box and outside of the box, and some dribbling which was about a half-day shoot. Following all of the promo, Pete received tons of free Adidas merch and became a listed athlete on their website which was such a surreal experience for him. As the season went on following the Adidas sponsorship, Pete had a very successful season with Hollywood F.C. which ultimately boosted his popularity throughout the soccer world. Rumors have started swirling that the shoe deal with Adidas could come sooner rather than later with his stock rising.

Code:

312 words

APPROVED - an apparel deal isn't Badidas. Pete should not be Sadidas.

[sliceruser]

Career Point Task 2

Alexandros will admit when he started his career as an SHL and SSL pro he never considered the idea of sponsors much as social media and becoming a big star was never something that was on his mind much but sometimes reality sets in and it becomes more of a necessity for one reason or another so when his agent came to him declaring it was time to find a sponsor, he took some time to mull over his options. His first thought was of a football/soccer organization of some kind but he had hardly made a name for himself yet and doubt they would consider him. Next, he thought of some kind of sports drink like Powerade or Gatorade as many stars do but he felt it a bit off-putting and generic so he kept up his search. His thoughts went some kind of healthy food product for his fans but truthfully, he knows nothing above average on the subject and just trusts his team staff at this point to lead him to the right path. And then out of nowhere on a day like any other as he walked down the street passing a convenience store it came to him in the form of a poster for World of Warcraft on the window. Alexandros had to facepalm for not thinking of it sooner, he is the literal reincarnation and picture-perfect replica of Alexandros Mograine from the game and a beloved character in the franchise. Suffice to say only moments after meeting him the executives at blizzard were sold and a new soccer event for WoW was thought up with Alexandros as the poster boy which quickly achieved great success. Soon those stuck in their room were going out to kick balls and play with their friends and soccer faithful would go in and play WoW to check out the new event around the sport they loved. Alexandros could only smile as it went much better and easier than he ever expected.
 
-333 words

[Wiggli]

Career Task #2

HEAD ON! In unison with the voiceover, Hercule thrusts his cranium through a wall of fake bricks. With an overexaggerated rhythm the footballer begins to massage his brow, always keeping one eye on his next cue card.

APPLY DIRECTLY TO THE FOREHEAD! A tiny plastic applicator is thrown at the Belgian. After a juggle or two he corrals it, then uncorks the top and begins to smear the topical ointment as advised. With a blank expression on his face he reads his first line in a stilted, monotone fashion:

“After a long match my noggin’s a-throbbin’. But nothing cures my ills like Head On. Apply directly to the forehead.” Hercule punctuates his line with a quick swirl of his mustache. Tossing the applicator to the side, the young midfielder’s eyes light up. Finally, he can look away from his cue cards and work through the choreographed dribbling drill that forms the bridge of the advertisement. At its conclusion a ball is served up and Hefeweizen athletically rises to head it home. Moving into frame of a second camera Hercule leans in and delivers his final line, “Head On.” Instinctively he paws at his lip warmer as he finishes the refrain, “Apply dir…”

“CUT! … CUT!” The director throws down her clipboard interrupting the recording session. “How many times have we told you?! You get one mustache twirl! ONE! You’re lucky we’re giving you that, this is a forehead product, we can’t be diluting our brand identity with this mustache nonsense…” The director trails off, continuing to spout angry gibberish as she readies the fake brick wall for another take.

The young footballer sheepishly knocks the ball back to its mark as he prepares for another go. In a flash the makeup crew powders his forehead and assistants herd him to his first mark. He barely has time to think to himself this media stuff is harder than it looks before it starts again…

HEAD ON!

Code:

325 words

[roquefort]

Career PT #2


With a name like Roquefort Cotswold a brand deal with Société cheese came naturally. While Roque himself was born in Southeastern France, the cheese his namesake derives from is carefully crafted in a small village outside in Occitania. It only made sense for the "King of the SSL" to partner with the aptly marketed "King of Cheeses". The first stage of the deal consisted of our dear Roque appearing on international television to endorse the product. The shot consists of our lovely handsome intrepid mouse-man sitting by a warm fireplace on a cold winter night. He slowly reaches down and pulls from off screen a beautiful wooden platters, donned with chunks of glorious Roquefort blue cheese. He looks down to his pack of spawn that sit around his chair and they look back up at him with big round loving mouse child eyes. They ask him "May we have some cheese?" and Roque replies: "Of course, my lovelies - only the best for you." The shot pans out and on the beautiful ornate wooden table you see a small white and green box of Société Roquefort branded cheese. 

After this commercial (which would be received with much praise by the general public) Société would go on to sponsor Uniao Sao Paulo. With this new funding brought in by their brilliant Wingback, Sao Paulo would expand it's training facilities and have the cash to finally hire some chefs to revamp the teams diet. Unfortunately for the rest of the team, this diet would consist solely of stinky french cheeses. Roquefort, in all his glee and glory, would grow to be fat and slow after gorging upon many a cheese in the offseason. Now, going into his sophomore season of the majors - will Roque be able to trim the fat and deliver? Only time will tell. 

Code:

324 words

[bfan8475]

CPT #2


Hippity Hoppity is getting a sponsorship deal? Never in his life would he imagine getting such a thing. On one hand he had a decent rookie season in the majors to deserve it but on the other hand he wasn't a superstar deserving of earning a sponsorship deal. With a name like Hippity Hoppity, the only sponsorship deal that made sense was with Air Jordan. Air Jordan as everyone knows it is primarily a basketball/leisure wear shoe while dabbling in other sports. Soccer on the other hand wasn't necessarily a focus for them. They had sent their best salesmans all the way to Hoppity's house to pitch him and it didn't take long for him to become convinced. After talking to their executives, Hoppity was chosen because he was seen as a rising star in a sport that would be perfect for them to invest in. Part of this deal was that Hoppity would receive his own shoe line that he would have a say in. This was exciting as it was every child's dream to be able to say they have a shoe named and dedicated after them. 

After a month of negotiations, Hoppity and Jordan finally made it official with a whole press conference and contract signing. After this, Jordan stuck Hoppity in numerous photoshoots and commercials. Whether it be posing with their other athletes, filming commercials with his first cleats or attending more press conferences, Hoppity's offseason was filled with things to do. At one point he even considered this part harder than being back on the pitch. Public reception to his first cleats were alright, it was certainly a surprise signing to the public. While sales weren't the best, both Jordan and Hoppity are confident that as Hoppity's career carries on, his shoes will increasingly grow in popularity. 

Code:

326 words

[RashfordU]

CPT #2

Mikko just wanted to be like his dad. He wanted the travel, the lifestyle, the sport! He wanted everything that his dad did and more. But then reality hit, it was hard work. The boom that the tourism industry had with his father's endorsement had long dried up, as many people began looking to other sources of information rather than taking a notion from a local sports star.

But that just left him with no choice but to switch it up. Mikko is excited to announce his partnership with Lego! Mikko couldn't be happier! Growing up, Mikko absolutely loved getting new sets for birthdays or Christmas gifts, and spent so much of his time playing all the time. One neat perk of his role is that he'll get new sets shipped to his house before they even make it to the public, which is just awesome.

But it sounds as though Lego is going to come out with some sport specific sets that showcase himself as a mini-figure as well as some of his notable teammates. It seems to be a play for Lego to get deeper into the sporting world and using one of the bigger names in the sport to do so. Look for Lego to release sets of both the North Shore and Reykjavik Stadiums at some point this year, with special editions released highlighting important moments of the young strikers career as they happen.

First up though, apparently Mikko is headed to open up a new Legoland location in Zambia, the first of its kind in Africa, and one that Mikko is so excited to see open. For years, the idea of Lego being prominent in the continent of Africa seemed like a pipe-dream. Now it is a reality

[Frenchie]

CPT #2

Fernand Rivest has history with very few big names in the business spaces. Truth be told, he was always a pretty mediocre human, never worked much in his life, spending most his time at home or at the bar, but we’ll get back to it. The reality is that there were three things in life he enjoyed prior to the Simulation Soccer League. Number one, his wife, number two was sports facts and number three was hockey. The one place that could reunite them all, besides the wife part, was the Brasserie Chez Stan, a legendary institution in which Fern would be able to vibe with the lads, enjoy a couple brews, and proudly represent on the ice during his tenure as the all-star goalie of Les Boys beer league team.
 
When Fern decided to venture out in a new space, soccer (this is North America, its soccer), he needed support, not just emotionally, but financially. See, he understood that he wouldn’t be able to just do his thing around the neighborhood, that he’d need to travel and that is welfare means wouldn’t cut it. That’s when Stan graciously offered to sponsor him, the first official Brasserie Chez Stan athlete. Now, a pub sponsored athlete, that might be weird right? WRONG. If anything the peak athletic form to ever exist subsisted off of coke and hot-dogs, Phil Kessel showed us that. From this point on, Fern has been happy to wear branded shirts, hoodies, jackets and hats whenever he was on official team duties, be it walking to the stadium or doing press conferences. He also helped launch a series of grocery store products with his face on it, ready to elevate the Stan name worldwide if it got to that, in Cairo and Tokyo at the very least. This was truly a win-win situation, as they would both get exactly what they want : money and worldwide fame and glory. The lucky bit is that the Cairo/Tokyo organization has been more than willing to accomodate this, and you should be seeing a Fern x Stan x Tokyo merch launch soon in the stadium shop!