TheBuzz: Maria, optical illusions and gators, oh my!
Here are some quick bits of offbeat developments.
By Liza Horan
Maria around town: 
New Yorker's are used to seeing Maria Sharapova's visage around town at U.S. Open time, but Tennis Week's latest promotion will make them think tennis in the dead of winter. Publisher Randy Master says that on Monday, the February/March issue cover, featuring the Aussie Open champ, will be sported on the sides of Hudson News delivery trucks. The one-month promotion ties into increased newsstand distribution.
Recoil promo:
As Prince's new string, Recoil, hits shelves this week, stores will be hanging unique cut-outs from their ceilings to educate players about the product. The promo piece (measuring about 10" x 7.5") is a lenticular, which shows a shifting image as the viewer's point of view changes. The effect is a tennis ball hitting the strings, the strings giving way, then the strings returning to their original position as the ball flies off the string bed. A lenticular is also part of the product package. The Prince marketing team says it took a departure from traditional string packaging to show players how the Recoil technology works. The idea was conceived in-house, and Prince worked with The Design Block and Gyro Worldwide to execute the packaging. Click here to view a video on the string.
Lacoste gator:
Earlier this month, a pair of British dentists deflected a logo-driven lawsuit by Rene Lacoste's namesake company. The gator that the French player made famous, based on the nickname penned by the press, seemed to too closely inspire the logo for the medical practice. It's not an exact replica, the court said, so they can keep it. Click here for the news story, and click here for a story about enduring logos, including Lacoste's.
By Liza Horan
Maria around town: New Yorker's are used to seeing Maria Sharapova's visage around town at U.S. Open time, but Tennis Week's latest promotion will make them think tennis in the dead of winter. Publisher Randy Master says that on Monday, the February/March issue cover, featuring the Aussie Open champ, will be sported on the sides of Hudson News delivery trucks. The one-month promotion ties into increased newsstand distribution.
Recoil promo:As Prince's new string, Recoil, hits shelves this week, stores will be hanging unique cut-outs from their ceilings to educate players about the product. The promo piece (measuring about 10" x 7.5") is a lenticular, which shows a shifting image as the viewer's point of view changes. The effect is a tennis ball hitting the strings, the strings giving way, then the strings returning to their original position as the ball flies off the string bed. A lenticular is also part of the product package. The Prince marketing team says it took a departure from traditional string packaging to show players how the Recoil technology works. The idea was conceived in-house, and Prince worked with The Design Block and Gyro Worldwide to execute the packaging. Click here to view a video on the string.
Lacoste gator: Earlier this month, a pair of British dentists deflected a logo-driven lawsuit by Rene Lacoste's namesake company. The gator that the French player made famous, based on the nickname penned by the press, seemed to too closely inspire the logo for the medical practice. It's not an exact replica, the court said, so they can keep it. Click here for the news story, and click here for a story about enduring logos, including Lacoste's.
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