Sports

The New York Knicks are playing the Los Angeles Lakers tonight and everyone will be paying attention to Jeremy Lin. Oh you haven’t heard? Jeremy Lin is the hot new star of the Knicks who went to Harvard, is sleeping on his brother’s couch, and has everyone talking a whole lot.

He only started making waves about a week ago after great showings (averaging 25 points) against the New Jersey Nets, Utah Jazz, and Washington Wizards. The Knicks actually won all those games. Now he’s got the fans whipped into a frenzy.

Lin’s generating hashtags, YouTube page views, and Google searches. The media is tweeting about him. After complaints from fans, his jersey will be going on sale.

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According to nearly two-thirds of  PRNewser poll takers, this year’s Volkswagen ad won’t create more buzz than last year’s “The Force.” Today, many are declaring the car ads the overall winners of last night’s Super Bowl advertising showdown, though it looks like Acura, Honda, and Chrysler, which used Clint Eastwood’s famous rasp to send its emotional message about a strong Detroit, are getting special top honors.

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Spain’s Olympic committee has revealed the logo for its bid for the 2020 Summer Olympics (left). It was designed by a 22-year-old graphic arts student, and is meant to incorporate an “M” for Madrid and arches from one of that city’s landmarks, the Puerta de Alcala. General consensus: It is terrible.

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The Super Bowl's star quarterbacks. Image from Waggener Edstrom infographic. Link after the jump.

For the past week, we’ve been watching clip after clip of the upcoming Super Bowl commercials. Needless to say, the ads are a highlight of the game.

But the public relations industry is also excited for the event. The big game is not just a platform for creative advertisements, but for all of the PR and marketing that surrounds the broadcast at the game and elsewhere.

“For PR practitioners, there are several avenues to consider when thinking of ways to work with your clients around the Super Bowl,” Lisa Zlotnick, Lippe Taylor‘s VP of media told us in an email.

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It’s only Tuesday, but the buzz surrounding the Super Bowl ads is hitting fever pitch. Where to begin?

First, we’ve got more teasers and pre-releases. Mashable has a rundown of the most shared as of yesterday afternoon. But since then, we’ve already added a teaser from Hulu, starring Will Arnett (note the #mushymush hashtag) and the latest Acura ad, starring Jerry Seinfeld and Jay Leno. The hashtag for that one is #JerryNSX. Brands have learned that they have to take digital initiative to get the most bang for their many, many bucks if they want to get their own version of “The Force.”

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Photo: Gillette

Charles Barkley is a new spokesperson for Weight Watchers. Football’s Terry Bradshaw is a new spokesperson for Nutrisystem.  New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees shows his paternal side in this ad for Vicks. And now, Gillette is getting tons of press for its new “brand ambassadors”: actor/musician André 3000, filmmaker and actor Gael García Bernal, and actor Adrien Brody. Brody was also in fancy imported beer Stella Artois’ first Super Bowl ad last year, a departure from the usual Budweiser fare.

The three are repping for the Gillette Fusion ProGlide Styler, a new shaving tool that grooms artsy-fartsy facial hair like goatees and, as Brody’s mom calls his facial design, “the Three Muskateer.” What caught our eye, besides that very sleek promo image of the three above, is how it veers away from Gillette’s usual spokespeople, which have included Tiger Woods and tennis star Roger Federer doing sports stuff.

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Super Bowl ad time is sold out, with the average ad priced at $3.5 million, according to Ad Age. (The article reports that a couple of unnamed advertisers are trying to back out.) As we mentioned in today’s Morning Media Menu, a Super Bowl advertising spend is not just buying time on TV, although in the olden days, that certainly would’ve been enough. The 2010 Super Bowl was the most-watched TV event ever, with 106.5 million viewers.

But when you buy a spot, you’re also buying the launchpad for an integrated campaign that extends well beyond the game itself. Time during the game has always sold out, but this added bonus is what may keep advertisers coming back, millions in hand, even during a recession.

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One of JDP Communications' new clients.

Jeff Pomeroy, who previously served as senior director of PR for Turner Sports and has 20 years of PR experience, has left that company, effective January 1, in order to launch JDP Communications. He’ll serve as president of the firm, which will be based in Atlanta.

Pomeroy was with Turner Sports for 12 years during which time he worked on coverage across the sports spectrum — from the NBA to NCAA to MLB. His work in sports PR also includes five years at Showtime, where he handled boxing coverage, like pay-per-view events.

JDP Communications launches with three clients: A & M Holding Group, which owns and operates the Sadekar World Golf, All-American Games; the owners and operators of the U.S. Army All-American Bowl; and Kenny Smith Entertainment Group.

It’s been a few months, so time to check in on the public relations campaign to change the image of the NFL’s Oakland Raiders fans, The Raider Nation. The Nation, tired of media stereotypes about them, launched an image revamp after a melee, beating, and shooting at a summer exhibition game.

Change the image of the Oakland Raiders fans, a group that prides itself on calling a section of its stadium “The Black Hole,” and calls said fans “notorious?” Yes.

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For everyone who’s unwrapping socks on Christmas morning, despair not. The NBA is back and they’re playing on Christmas day. Before that, the NBA is pulling out a few digital tricks to get people excited for the season.

Today, they’re giving away free tickets and other prizes via Twitter trivia game, using the hashtag #BigNBAXmas. There’s also a live town hall taking place tonight at 8 pm ET on Facebook and at NBA.com/townhall. Oklahoma City Thunder’s Kevin Durant, the New York Knicks’ Amar’e Stoudemire, and Golden State Warrior Stephen Curry will be headlining.

Melissa Rosenthal Brenner, the NBA’s VP of marketing tells Mashable that social media and keeping in touch with the fans is very important to the league. But the folks over at ESPN are also picking up on the toll the lockout has taken and the soap opera drama that’s already taking hold for this season. Did you hear the boos for Kris Humphries last night? Yikes.