Kings Hockey Team Scores With Ice-Cream Truck

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The Los Angeles Kings are hoping to win the Stanley Cup at the end of the season, but the hockey team’s marketing department has already won a trophy this year.

The department took third place in the 2009 Dub Car Show for its custom ice-cream truck, scooping up a trophy that is more than 5 feet tall. First place was a $2 million boat; second place was a semi-truck that converts into a portable stage.

“It’s unbelievable,” Jonathan Lowe Sr., vice president of marketing for the Kings, said of the honor for the customized 1969 ice-cream truck.

The truck was fixed up with air-ride suspension, a 65-inch flat panel television and a speaker system. It is operated by a professional street marketing company that drives it to festivals and other events. The marketing company workers sell tickets; play video games with the public; and, of course, work as ice-cream vendors.

The truck was unveiled opening night of the 2009 season in October. Lowe said he’s excited about finding ways to promote the Kings via the ice-cream truck.

“It’s new for us,” Lowe said. “We are still learning how to use our interactive marketing vehicle.”

Coaching With Rose

Steve Clarkson Dreammaker LLC, known throughout the football world for its prep and college coaching programs, has signed a four-year sponsorship deal with the Rose Bowl.

As part of the deal, Clarkson will launch a 16-city tour of sports camps at the Pasadena stadium in February.

Clarkson’s company is paying the Rose Bowl in the high six figures for the partnership, which includes use of the facilities. Dreammaker will be able to use an on-site golf course for fundraisers.

“This is the first time we’ve done a partnership like this and we are excited to launch our tour from the Rose Bowl,” said Steve Clarkson, founder and president of the Pasadena-based company.

The Dreammaker sports camp tour has two components: a paid workshop for about 500 kids, and a free workshop for about 250 underprivileged youth. Both workshops provide football skills training for kids from about 10 to 18 years old; the second workshop has an added emphasis on teaching kids and their parents how to find college

scholarships.

Clarkson expects to draw attendees from as many as 30 states for the Rose Bowl event.

The workshops will include guest appearances by Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterbacks such as Joe Montana and Warren Moon. Montana serves on the board of Clarkson’s company. Some of the older kids are invited to participate in Clarkson’s year-round elite quarterback training program.

Program alumnae include National Football League athletes Ben Roethlisberger, Matt Leinart, Matt Cassell and Josh Freeman. Current participants include college quarterbacks such as USC quarterback Matt Barkley, Jimmy Clausen of Notre Dame and Jake Locker of the University of Washington.

The Rose Bowl has already put up signs promoting Clarkson’s company. The signage will be displayed for the remainder of the UCLA football season, the New Year’s Day Rose Bowl game and the Bowl Championship Series championship game Jan. 7.

“What Clarkson and Dreammakers have done is create a natural fit between his high-profile company and the Rose Bowl, one of the most valuable sports brands in football,” said Jeff Marks, chief operating officer of L.A.-based Premier Partnerships, a sports business development agency that helped broker the deal.

Career Fair

AEG and the Kings are making extra efforts to help L.A. residents get jobs in sports. This year, the organizations are adding sessions on resume writing and interview skills to their annual job fair.

As many as 400 people are expected to attend the fair at Staples Center on Wednesday afternoon.

“We decided this year we wanted to do it differently, especially because there are not as many jobs,” said Matt Rosenfeld, Kings vice president of sales.

Several other local companies and teams have signed up to participate, with most offering entry level and internship positions. They include the Los Angeles Galaxy, Universal Music Group, MTV Networks, KTLA (Channel 5), Los Angeles Clippers, High Desert Mavericks and CBS.

Admission to the career fair is $30 and includes a ticket to the Kings game at Staples Center that night.

Staff reporter David Nusbaum can be reached at [email protected] or at (323) 549-5225, ext. 236.

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