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| State Farm's 'Basket Profile' signage at McArthur Court, home of the Univeristy of Oregon Ducks. | State Farm's 'Basket Profile' signage at Fifth Third Arena, home of the University of Cincinnati Bearcats. | State Farm's 'Basket Profile' signage at Beard-Eaves-Memorial Coliseum, home of the University of Auburn Tigers. |
State Farm® Sponsors NCAA Basketball Backboards
ANC Sports Creates Revolutionary Brand Placement
(Purchase, New York, January 31, 2007) - State Farm Insurance® and ANC Sports Enterprises today announced an innovative multi-year sponsorship that positions the State Farm brand in prime sports real estate -- adjacent to the basketball hoop -- at over 40 NCAA basketball arenas and field houses around the country.
Featured in the Jan. 31, 2007 edition of the New York Times, the sponsorship includes a first of a kind signage position on the framework behind the backboard that is featured on live broadcasts and in game highlights on regional and national sports news programs. The new `Basket Profile' program launched the weekend of January 6, 2007 and complements State Farm's existing NCAA Corporate Partnership and individual collegiate school sponsorships and increases its commitment to NCAA basketball.
"This new sponsorship opportunity extends State Farm's reach as an official corporate partner of the NCAA and our leadership position in sports marketing," said Mark Gibson, assistant vice president of advertising, State Farm Insurance. "Participating in a program like ANC Sports' `Basket Profile' provides us an innovative venue for exposure to current and potential customers."
The three foot sign is affixed to the basket stanchion support arm, which runs perpendicular to the backboard and parallel to the floor. ANC Sports Marketing, a division of ANC Sports Enterprises developed, implemented and manages the program on behalf of State Farm.
The signage debuted during Texas Tech's victory over Bucknell, Coach Bob Knight's record tying 879 win on Dec. 23, 2006.
"State Farm's support of NCAA basketball and leadership in ground breaking sports advertising made the company a logical choice to become the sole sponsor of this revolutionary signage program," said David Bialek, president of ANC Sports Marketing. "The Profile Program exemplifies ANC's commitment to create innovative inventories and sponsorship programs which elevate the awareness of our corporate partners to their consumers."
Some of the 40 plus schools committed to the "Basket Profile" program include: Georgia Tech, Texas A&M University, Texas Tech, University of Arizona, University of Cincinnati, University of Colorado, University of Connecticut, University of Oregon, University of Washington, and Villanova University.
About State Farm
State Farm insures more cars than any other insurer in North America and is the leading U.S. home insurer. State Farm's 17,000 agents and 68,000 employees serve over 75 million auto, fire, life and health policies in the United States and Canada, and more than 1.6 million bank accounts. State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company is the parent of the State Farm family of companies. State Farm is ranked No.22 on the Fortune 500 list of largest companies. For more information, please visit statefarm.com® or in Canada statefarm.ca™.
About ANC Sports
ANC Sports Enterprises, LLC, a full service marketing company, specializes in providing complete signage solutions that generate maximum sponsorship and advertising revenue while enhancing the overall fan experience. ANC Sports and its divisions: ANC Technologies, ANC Design, and ANC Marketing, offer Light Emitting Diode (LED), rotational and fixed visual displays; marketing consultation and advertising sales; advanced media control systems; signage operation and maintenance; graphic design; and printing production. ANC Sports provides signage solutions for 150 plus venues/stadiums in North America. For more information on ANC Sports, please visit its web site at www.ancsports.com.