Sports sponsors and "official" designations

from this morning's Street and Smith's Sports Business Journal (9/15):

Finding value in the smallest of designations
By TERRY LEFTON
Staff writer
Published September 15, 2008 : Page 28

"They can be an integral part of even the highest-priced sports sponsorship, like Sprint’s moniker as “official telecommunications company of NASCAR.” Or they can be excruciatingly banal, like Mexican restaurant chain Rubio’s dubious claim as “the official fish taco of the San Diego Padres,” or Flanagan Krrrrisp, “the official sauerkraut of Lambeau Field.”

They are official designations, and while they are a fundamental part of any sports property’s inventory, their value continues to be debated.

“For NASCAR, designations are an authenticator, so for us they may be more important than ever,” said Jim O’Connell, vice president of corporate marketing at NASCAR.

In addition to major sponsor designations such as official bank (Bank of America) and official fuel (Sunoco), NASCAR has an “official frequent heartburn remedy” (Prilosec) and an “official cheese-filled snack” (Combos)." ...

"Of course the bottom line is that, just as with all sports marketing, any designation is only as good as the activation supporting it. Former NHL CMO Andrew Judelson acknowledged, for example, that making Fisher the official nut of the 2004 NHL All-Star Game started as a simple cash grab. However, the company’s “Nuttiest Fan of the Game” promo made sense." ...

for the complete story (including the Official Pudding of the NY Mets-- come on, you know you want to know)