British Soccer Star Ranks High On Celebrity Influence Ratings

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Even before he walks on the field for the L.A. Galaxy, soccer player David Beckham can score some major points with U.S. consumers.


According to the Davie Brown Index (DBI), which measures a celebrity’s ability to influence consumer behavior, Beckham is the best-known active soccer star in the marketing game.


Davie Brown Talent, a Los Angeles-based consulting firm and celebrity talent-buying agency, created the DBI. Among the 350 athletes on the index, Beckham ranks No. 99, ahead of well-known U.S. athletes such as the NBA’s Allen Iverson and Alex Rodriguez of the New York Yankees.


“Casual fans consumers with little or no interest in soccer will be drawn to ‘Brand Beckham,'” predicted Jeff Chown, president of Davie Brown Talent. “His celebrity takes him out of the sports page and onto the front page. That exposure alone is worth millions to sponsors.”


For sports fans, the major question is whether Beckham’s celebrity will help popularize soccer. Los Angeles-based Anschutz Entertainment Group, owner of the Galaxy as well as several other Major League Soccer clubs, has bet big on that premise. According to the company, the estimated value of Beckham’s five-year contract is around $250 million, although details were not disclosed.


“David Beckham will have a greater impact on soccer in America than any athlete has ever had on a sport globally,” said Timothy J. Leiweke, president of AEG. “David is truly the only individual that can build the bridge between soccer in America and the rest of the world.”


Beckham is the first MLS player acquired under the new Designated Player Rule, which allows each team to sign one player outside of the league’s salary cap. If he proves a success, other MLS teams could scramble to sign up international stars, thus elevating the profile as well as the cost for U.S. soccer.


At age 31, Beckham would seem to have several good years left in his legs. But since he joined Spain’s Real Madrid in 2003, the club hasn’t won a major championship. After leading England to the quarterfinals of the 2006 World Cup, Beckham resigned his captainship of the English squad and was dropped from the team.



Does Times Ad Up?

Imagine a publication that updates its ad rates for the New Year by increasing the price 5 percent, but uses outdated circulation figures to hide the fact that its readership is shrinking.


Now stop imagining and check out the Web site for the Los Angeles Times.


The 2007 price for one standard column-inch of general display advertising is $953. That represents a 5 percent increase over the 2006 price of $908. A full page at last year’s full rate would cost $117,000. By comparison, a page this year would cost $123,000, although most advertisers negotiate lower prices.


Meanwhile, the circulation figure remains 908,000 Monday-Friday. That number comes from the March 31, 2005 report from the Audit Bureau of Circulations. If the Times had updated its figures to the March 2006 audit, the number would have fallen to 851,832, a 6.2 percent decline. The most recent preliminary figures from the September 2006 audit show the Times with a circulation of only 775,766.


For newspapers, the cost per thousand (or CPM) consists of the price for a full page divided by the circulation. Advertisers and agencies use CPM to compare prices of different media options. The Times’ CPM last year was $129; it now stands at more than $135, based on the 2005 circulation figures. Using the 2006 figures, the CPM would rise to $144.


The Los Angeles Times did return calls seeking comment.



KCET Oil Funding

KCET has secured a grant for $15 million the largest single commitment in the public station’s 42-year history to fund the national distribution, production and online presence for two shows: “A Place of Our Own” and “Los Ni & #324;os en Su Casa.”


Oil giant BP America and the BP Foundation provided the money. BP was one of the original funders of the series with an initial grant of $10 million. For the first two years, the series aired exclusively on California public TV stations.


The national launch of the series also has support from a $3.8 million grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and $6 million from the First 5 California Commission during the next three years of production.


The show aims to educate parents, grandparents and caregivers about how to help young children develop social, emotional and cognitive skills. Kindergarten teachers estimate that one of every three children is unprepared for the challenges of school.


“Research confirms that we are providing important support for those who care for our young children,” said Al Jerome, president of KCET. “BP’s extraordinary funding, along with new support from Corporation for Public Broadcasting and First 5 California, will allow us to reach out to a much wider television audience, impacting child caregivers and parents in communities across the United States.”


The shows are produced by KCET, in association with Sesame Workshop and 44 Blue Productions Inc. in Studio City.


KCET is watched by 4 million viewers each week in 11 counties, the largest broadcast reach of any public TV station in the nation. Series produced from the station’s Hollywood studios include “Life & Times,” “California Connected” and “Tavis Smiley.”



Agencies & Accounts

Dominion Enterprises has acquired L.A.-based Pullan Communications, a Web site developer that specializes in real estate marketing. Pullan has annual revenues of about $2.3 million. The acquisition follows Virginia-based Dominion’s purchase of Advanced Access, a Web design firm based in Anaheim, in September 2006. Fourth Wall, a story-based marketing agency, has produced a pro bono campaign for the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Los Angeles. The project includes cable TV public service announcements and more than 600 billboards and other outdoor displays. “Stop the Cycle of Violence: The Cure” attempts to stop the abuse of animals by children. The Southern California chapter of the Arthritis Foundation has selected Phoenix Marketing Services Inc. in Claremont to provide printed materials and promotional collateral. The company has set up a Web site so that foundation chapters in California, Nevada and Hawaii can order materials online. Phoenix, first established as a printer, now has a full creative and graphics division.



Staff reporter Joel Russell can be reached at

[email protected]

, or at (323) 549-5225, ext. 237.

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