Furnitureland teams with Nantz
By Clint Engel -- Furniture Today, March 9, 2009
HIGH POINT — Sportscaster Jim Nantz, who two years ago told the stories of the Super Bowl, the NCAA men's basketball Final Four and the Masters golf tournament in a 63-day span for CBS Sports, is now telling the story of Furnitureland South.
Nantz signed an endorsement deal with the Top 100 retailer to serve as its spokesman and to help with its new Dream Home marketing campaign.
Referred to as “the voice of CBS Sports,” Nantz is best known for his coverage of major sporting events such as the Masters, the PGA Championship, the NFL on CBS and the NCAA men's Final Four. He also co-authored the 2008 book “Always By My Side,” which rose to No. 3 on the New York Times best-seller list — the highest ranking achieved by a sports book last year.
FLS launched its Dream Home marketing campaign earlier this year. The initiative includes an updated, high-tech Web site with a space-planning tool and virtual design consultant, as well as showroom presentations that feature a five-minute orientation film of the FLS campus and shopping experience.
A large portion of the new campaign targets the golfing community, including via the Dream Homes featured quarterly on the Web site, which FLS designers have had a hand in designing and furnishing, said Stacy Dove, marketing production manager for the retailer.
Nantz will be the overall spokesman for FLS for the next two years as well as be involved in the portion of Furnitureland South's Dream Home campaign aimed at the golf community, she said. That part will focus on traditional TV and print media such as the Golf Channel, Golf Digest and Golf Magazine, and Web sites such as Golf.com, PGATOUR.com and GolfChannel.com, FLS said.
“The creative content for the golf-centric part of the campaign is inspired by Nantz's real-life stories from his book, further personalizing the long-term relationship between the two parties,” the Top 100 company said.
“Our mission is to tell the world about Furnitureland South, and who could possibly be better to do so than the world's best storyteller?” said FLS Executive Vice President Jason Harris.
Furnitureland South and Nantz kicked off the campaign with an event March 5 on FLS' 1 million-square-foot campus. Nantz sat at the front of an auditorium filled with the retailers' employees, media and other guests and told stories of his encounters with the rich and famous — from dinners and golf with Presidents George H. Bush and Bill Clinton to a state dinner with a tight-lipped Queen Elizabeth, George W. Bush and Arnold Palmer.
Nantz also recalled a car ride with actor Sean Connery, who Nantz injured accidentally by slamming the door on his leg. Nantz joked that he accomplished something Blowfelt and other villains never could —“bloody the invincible James Bond.”
Nantz also joked about his role now with FLS, telling the group how they can expect plugs during an upcoming Duke-North Carolina basketball game and maybe during the Masters tournament while Tiger Woods is playing: “Just think of the experience he can have if he makes that putt — at Furnitureland South.”
The actual content of upcoming promotions has not been worked out, but Nantz said it's likely to connect to FLS's broader “Dream Home” marketing message and the words he often uses when he autographs his books: “Dream Big.”
The company would not release the terms of the Nantz endorsement deal. When asked for confirmation about the two-year length of the term, Harris said, “I hope it's going to be a lot longer than that.”
“Furnitureland South is an amazing place and I am thrilled to help them launch their first major branding campaign through golf,” Nantz said.
“Many of my friends on the PGA Tour have furnished homes with Furnitureland South and I look forward to sharing one of the tour's best-kept secrets.”
Harris said hundreds of professional golfers have called on Furnitureland South to furnish their homes, but, “I think (Nantz) transcends golf” and sports and will be able to connect with an even broader audience for the retailer.
“He's the No. 1 sportscaster in the world, but he just reaches so many people in so many ways,” Harris said.
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