On Tuesday I wrote that I hadn't seen any commercials promoting Fedor Emelianenko's upcoming fight when I watched the NFL on CBS on Sunday, and I said I thought CBS was missing an opportunity to promote the best MMA fighter in the world to millions of viewers who have never heard of him.
But the folks at CBS tell me they're already advertising Fedor, and they expect to promote him much more in the coming weeks.
Fedor was featured in an ad during the NFL Today pregame show, and CBS executive Kelly Kahl told me we'll see more such ads this weekend, both during NFL coverage and during Saturday's huge college game between Florida and LSU. Kahl added that online videos promoting Fedor will be coming soon, and that a "who is Fedor" campaign will heat up as the fight gets closer.
That all sounds good, and I hope it pays off. Fedor is the best fighter in MMA, and I'd love to see him reach a large American audience. But as it stands right now Fedor is not particularly well known in this country, and I think CBS will have a hard time reaching as many viewers with Fedor on November 7 as it reached in last year's two shows with Kimbo Slice in the main event and Gina Carano on the undercard.
So, MMA and football fans, keep an eye on the commercials while you're watching football, and tell me what you think: Are you seeing an effective promotional campaign hyping Fedor?
But the folks at CBS tell me they're already advertising Fedor, and they expect to promote him much more in the coming weeks.
Fedor was featured in an ad during the NFL Today pregame show, and CBS executive Kelly Kahl told me we'll see more such ads this weekend, both during NFL coverage and during Saturday's huge college game between Florida and LSU. Kahl added that online videos promoting Fedor will be coming soon, and that a "who is Fedor" campaign will heat up as the fight gets closer.
That all sounds good, and I hope it pays off. Fedor is the best fighter in MMA, and I'd love to see him reach a large American audience. But as it stands right now Fedor is not particularly well known in this country, and I think CBS will have a hard time reaching as many viewers with Fedor on November 7 as it reached in last year's two shows with Kimbo Slice in the main event and Gina Carano on the undercard.
So, MMA and football fans, keep an eye on the commercials while you're watching football, and tell me what you think: Are you seeing an effective promotional campaign hyping Fedor?