As I talked about yesterdayBlake Griffin's dunk over a Kia in the All-Star Slam Dunk contest was great product placement for the official car of the league.
Mark Ralston | AFP | Getty Images
Blake Griffin from the L.A. Clippers in the All-Star Dunk Contest.
Now, the marketers at Kia are about to make the association a bit more formal.
A commercial featuring Griffin flying over the car in slow motion with the words: "Not your average dunk. Not your average midsize sedan" is scheduled to air for the first time on Friday night during the Thunder/Magic and Nuggets/Trail Blazers games on ESPN . An ad with Griffin dunking over the car will appear in USA Today and a variety of other papers tomorrow as well.
Tim Chaney, Kia's director of marketing, told CNBC that the brand didn't pay an additional fee to the NBA, which shot the spot for them, because of the car's status as the official car sponsor of the league. Chaney said that it's possible that the ad will run throughout the remainder of the season.
Right now, the deal is a one-off with Griffin, but Kia and Griffin's agency Excel Sports Management have continued discussions on possibly doing a longer term deal. The only other athlete that Kia has on its endorsement roster is golfer Michelle Wie.
Griffin has autographed the steering wheel of the car used in the dunk and it will be put up for auction in honor of his high school teammate Wilson Holloway, who died of Hodgkin's lymphoma last Wednesday. The charity, and details of the auction, will be announced in the coming days.
Tune in to CNBC's"Street Signs" between 2-3 pm ET on Friday to see an exclusive first look at the spot.
Questions? Comments? SportsBiz@cnbc.com
