VIDEO: Baltimore Ravens' Brendon Ayanbadejo for Marriage Equality

By John Wagner

A video featuring Baltimore Ravens linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo made its debut Friday, becoming the second in a Web campaign that seeks to build support for same-sex marriage legislation in Maryland.

“I support marriage for gay and lesbian couples who want to make a lifetime commitment to each other,” Ayanbadejo says in the video sponsored by Marylanders for Marriage Equality. “It’s the right thing to do.”

Gov. Martin O’Malley (D), who has pledged to sponsor the bill in the coming session, appeared in the campaign’s first video earlier this month. Organizers have vowed to produce a stream of videos until the bill is considered early next year. The videos are expected to include other athletes as well as clergy, law enforcement officers and other well-known politicians.

The Web campaign is loosely patterned after an effort in New York in advance of that state’s embrace of a same-sex marriage bill this year.

A same-sex marriage bill passed the Senate in the last legislative session but fell short in the House of Delegates. Advocates on both sides are gearing up for another intense round of lobbying.

Ayanbadejo spoke out in favor of the bill during last session as well, appearing in a video that was not as well-publicized.

“We are honored to have a three-time Pro-Bowler and a hometown hero join us in this historic campaign,” said Lisa Polyak of Equality Maryland, a member of the broader coalition pushing for the bill. “Brendon knows what it means to be a leader, both on and off the field.”

Isaiah Mustafa is Ready for the Telly Once Again

OLD SPICE GUY IS BACK...

Where did he go?

The one and only Old Spice guy is back, as the new spot from W+K Portland clearly states. It’s one of a few clips that will pop up beginning in February and plugs the brand’s Fresh line of deodorants, body washes, etc. Just stare into his eyes until the big payoff for fans happens several days before the ad premieres on national TV on Feb. 7 and will let them decide how and when the public will see the new campaign. Stay tuned…

I AM BEAUTIFUL DAMMIT!!!

Brazil Unveils 2014 World Cup Logo

Though we're sure the tears are still flowing as a result of Brazil's surprising early exit from the World Cup, it hasn't stopped its advertising community from saying oh well, on to 2014. Sao Paulo-based shop Africa (yep, it's confusing at first) unveiled the official emblem for the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg, with notable countrymen including Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, President of the Brazil 2014 Organising Committee and FIFA Executive Committee member Ricardo Teixeira, FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter as well as former Seleçao players Cafu, Carlos Alberto Torres, Romario and 1994 FIFA World Cup-winning coach Carlos Alberto Parreira all in the house.

Africa beat out two-dozen other agencies with this rather colorful design, which carries a theme of "inspiration" and was handpicked by judges including Gisele Bundchen. We're not one to argue with her.

"Journey of Football" is Puma's LOVE=FOOTBALL campaign

A celebration of true football, For Africa, For Football. For the insane love of the game we possess that unites us beyond borders. Bringing Football back to its roots, because love is football.

"Journey of Football" is the latest in Puma's LOVE=FOOTBALL campaign leading up to the World Cup in South Africa. The spot pays tribute to the soul of the game of football. Fans paint their faces with country colors; kids and teenagers play football in the streets; players and fans erupt with country pride and team happiness when a goal is scored. Set to the tune of "Going On" by Gnarls Barkley, the spot features PUMA players Samuel Eto'o, Gervinho, Emmanuel Eboue and Mohammed Zidan.

For more information, head to www.pumafootball.com

FIFA World Cup comes to The USA?

This month is international month at The Future and we look at World Football aka Soccor.

The 2010 FIFA World Cup will be the 19th FIFA World Cup, the premier international football tournament. It is scheduled to take place between June 11th and July 11, 2010 in South Africa. The 2010 FIFA World Cup will be the culmination of a qualification process that began in August 2007 and involved 204 of the 208 FIFA national teams. As such, it matches the 2008 Summer Olympics as the sports event with the most competing nations.

This will be the first time that the tournament has been hosted by an African nation, after South Africa beat Morocco and Egypt in an all-African bidding process. This decision left the Oceania Football Confederation as the only confederation yet to host the FIFA World Cup. Italy is the defending champions. The draw for the finals took place on 4 December 2009 in Cape Town.

The FIFA World Cup, occasionally called the Football World Cup, but usually referred to simply as the World Cup, is an international football competition contested by the men’s national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), the sport's global governing body. The championship has been awarded every four years since the first tournament in 1930, except in 1942 and 1946 when it was not contested because of World War II.

The current format of the tournament involves 32 teams competing for the title at venues within the host nation(s) over a period of about a month – this phase is often called the World Cup Finals. A qualification phase, which currently takes place over the preceding three years, is used to determine which teams qualify for the tournament together with the host nation(s). The World Cup is the most widely-viewed sporting event in the world, with an estimated 715.1 million people watching the 2006 final.

During the 18 tournaments that have been held, seven nations have won the title. Brazil is the only team to have played in every tournament and have won the World Cup a record five times. Italy is the current champions and has won four titles, and Germany is next with three. The other former champions are Uruguay, winners of the inaugural tournament and Argentina, with two titles each, and England and France with one title each.

The 2014 World Cup will be held in Brazil.

The bidding process for the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cups is currently under way. These will be the 21st and 22nd editions of the FIFA World Cup. The bidding procedure to host both the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cup began in January 2009, and national associations had until 2 February 2009 to register their interest. The executive committee of FIFA will announce their decision on the two editions in December 2010. Candidates have applied for either or both of the 2018 and 2022 tournaments, but the 2022 hosts will not be chosen from the same continent as the 2018 hosts.

Nine individual nations registered their intention to bid with FIFA by the February 2009 deadline: Australia, England, Indonesia, Japan, Qatar, Mexico, Russia, South Korea and the United States. Additionally Belgium and the Netherlands registered to bid together, as have Portugal and Spain.[4] Mexico however later withdrew its bid. FIFA confirmed the list of bidders in March, with Indonesia, South Korea and Qatar bidding for 2022 only.

In October 2007, FIFA ended the continental rotation policy. Instead the last two tournament host confederations are ineligible, leaving Africa ineligible for 2018 and South America ineligible for both 2018 and 2022. Other factors in the selection process include the number of suitable stadia, and their location across candidate nations. Due to the number of bids received by FIFA, this World Cup is expected to be the most hotly contested bid ever, mainly due to the revision in FIFA's rotation policy. As a result, Sepp Blatter has said that FIFA may follow the International Olympic Committee and have a preliminary elimination of bids some time before the final ceremony.

18 Official cities of the US World Cup Bid
Atlanta, GA
San Diego, CA
Phoenix, AR
Dallas, TX
Seattle, WA
Denver, CO
Tampa, FL
Indianapolis, IN
Baltimore, MD
Nashville, TN
Kansas City, MO & KS
Houston, TX
Miami, FL
Philadelphia, PA
Los Angeles, CA
Washington D.C.
Boston, MA
New York, NY

GO USA!!!

Play Defense and Offense on the Field of Business

The MEGA World of Lil Mogul
Most companies now realize how important social media guidelines are for setting the ground rules for employees' usage of blogs, Facebook, Twitter, You Tube, etc. The best guidelines encourage users to be responsible and respectful, indicate how confidential information should be handled, and reiterate the corporate rules of business conduct. But even the most robust guidelines are written and used primarily as Defense. The intent is to protect the company and its brand name.

Companies need to play Offense too. Social media and networking are ideal ways to promote the company and the brand but how does the brand promote itself with these new tools. To take full advantage of the brand-building opportunities in social media and networking, companies need to play more Offense.

In recent years, many companies have cultivated the role of employees or members as brand ambassadors. Front-line employees and members in particular are recognized by many as critical brand touchpoints; "friends and family" discounts or coupons are often distributed through employees and members in order to generate broader awareness and positive impressions in the community. Why not extend these efforts to the new social platforms and encourage and enable employees and members to use these tools to promote the brand?!

I'm not talking about showing how to use trademarks and logos. Companies need Brand Guidelines to inspire and instruct employees and members how to generate excitement and interest in the brand. Brand Guidelines include:

• How to talk about the brand -- the messaging and themes that communicate what the brand stands for, what the vision is, and what the key differentiators are. Leaders shouldn't assume that employees and members know this information and how to articulate it. Relay the brand strategy in a way that's accessible and understandable to employees and members at all levels and in all functions. Explain the background and rationale behind the strategy since people are more likely to buy into the "what" if they understand the "why." Plus this knowledge helps them figure out how to represent the brand in unexpected or unusual situations.

• What the brand personality is and ways to bring it to life in writing style, images, etc.
Explain how the brand would act if it were a person -- that way, employees and members can personally relate to the brand and understand its defining attributes. Include writing samples, images, stories, and videos that capture the personality of the brand. These help people express the brand appropriately when they use similar methods.

• Examples and ideas showcasing creative ways to promote and interpret the brand.
Since using social media and networking as brand ambassadors may be new to employees and members, they need inspiration in addition to instruction. Provide thought-starters and "straw man" ideas as fodder to get their creative juices flowing. Share best practices from the few companies whose employees and members are already doing it well. Disseminate brand-building posts and content from your own employees and members who are on the forefront of the movement.

• How to foster relationships with customers that contribute to a great brand experience.
Ensure employees and members know who your key target segments are and what's important to them. At the same time, ensure they know what the current brand campaign or sales focus is and they have accurate information (e.g., website URL, promotional offer, new product announcements, etc.) to share with customers. Help them make the connection between what customers are looking for and what the brand has to offer.

Brand Guidelines promote proactive and productive engagement in social media. The combination of playing Offense with Brand Guidelines and Defense with Social Media Guidelines makes for a winning strategy.




The NFL has awarded $1 million in grants to 89 player charities during NFL Charities Week in 2009. Five organizations are being singled out this week to publicize the substantial philanthropy done throughout the league. Those players include Dallas Cowboys TE Jason Witten for his SCORE Foundation, brothers Torry and Terrence Holt, both current free agents, for their Holt Foundation, the New England Patriots’ Matt Light for his Light Foundation, Miami Dolphins QB Chad Pennington for his 1st and 10 Foundation, and New York Jets RB Tony Richardson for his Rich in Spirit Foundation.

Football Season is COMING!!!

"Victory won't come find you. You must seize it,"

Nike Pro Combat leaves an impression on you and your opponents. Adrian Peterson, Troy Polamalu, Justin Tuck and Brian Urlacher star in the TV, print and outdoor campaign for the base layer of protective gear. In the TV spot, we see Peterson effortlessly bypass his opponents, take a few knocks and score a winning touchdown. When Peterson removes his helmet and football jersey, viewers see that his face and arms are marked with the pattern from Pro Combat gear.