Michael Jordan seems to always know how to turn a dollar. In his latest marketing venture, the owner of the Charlotte Hornets has struck a deal with London based Diageo beverages, the owner of the delicious Canadian whiskey, Crown Royal. The Charlotte Hornets logo will appear on Crown Royal bags in the Charlotte, North Carolina Market next week, according to ESPN’s Darren Rovell.
The deal marks the first sponsorship between Time Warner Cable arena, where the Hornets play, and an alcoholic beverage company. The Hornets Executive VP and Chief Marketing Officer, Peter Guelli said that the deal came to fruition 5 years ago when the NBA allowed for a “Spirits category” for team sponshrships. Guelli also stated that Guelli said the return of the Hornets name has helped attract sponsors.
The agreement is the latest in a series of new sponsorship deals the Hornets have signed since the city’s NBA team rebranded itself as the Hornets last fall. In December, the Hornets renewed a relationship with beverage giant Coca-Cola just months after inking deals with McDonald’s, Mercedes-Benz and Food Lion.
“A lot of the partnerships that we’ve completed had to do with the transition” from the Bobcats to the Hornets, Guelli said.
Hornets do a deal with Diageo, logo will appear on Crown Royal bags in market next week pic.twitter.com/MJ2Ol4aiXg
— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) March 20, 2015