Kraft Titles San Fran Bowl Game For Hunger Relief Initiative
Kraft Foods will be the title sponsor for AT&T Park's college bowl game for the next three years, officials of the The San Francisco Bowl Game Association announced today. Previously known as the Emerald Bowl, the annual bowl game will now be called the "Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl" and will be part of a broader hunger relief program Kraft Foods plans to kick off in September. Financial terms were not disclosed.
The Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl, carried on ESPN, will pit teams from the Pacific-10 and the Western Athletic Conference against each other.
"This is a great day for our game," said Gary Cavalli, the Bowl's co-founder and the only Executive Director in its eight-year history. "We're proud and excited to partner with Kraft Foods, one of the most well-known and highly-respected companies in the world."
"This agreement ensures that we have a bright future," added Cavalli. "With Kraft Foods as our title sponsor, and the distinction of being the only bowl focused on a meaningful social cause, we will continue to build the game and take it to the next level."
The Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl will be the culmination of a 2010 national hunger initiative in collaboration with Feeding America.
"Through our long-standing relationship with Feeding America, Kraft Foods has helped millions of families in need in the US," said Stephen Chriss, Senior Director, Marketing Partnerships, Kraft Foods North America. "We're thrilled to be the new sponsors of the San Francisco Bowl Game. It's a great opportunity to build awareness of this important issue and inspire more Americans to join the fight against hunger."
The agreement is the latest example of Kraft Foods' strategy to showcase its various brands on sports marketing's biggest stages. Just last month, Kraft signed on with the NCAA as an official corporate partner for flagship brands, including Planters, Ritz, Oreo and Wheat Thins.
"Our strategic approach is to leverage these partnerships to connect our flagship brands to key audiences in a big way," added Chriss. "They provide major opportunities for integrated marketing and merchandising platforms that create excitement in and out of store."
Kraft Foods' new title sponsorship of the Fight Hunger Bowl is part of a three-year agreement with the San Francisco Bowl Game Association.
