...Advertisers have two key audiences they hope to reach by becoming partners with the World Series of Poker, television viewers watching ESPN's taped coverage of the tournament and the estimated 125,000 on-site poker fans who are expected to pass through the Rio during the seven-weeklong competition.

Miller Brewing Co., which is in the second year of a three-year deal with the poker tournament, believes it is reaching both audiences.

The beer manufacturer has placed dozens of large, inflatable replicas of Milwaukee's Best Light cans throughout the hallways leading into the tournament room. Inside the room, signs, banners and logos proclaim the beer as the tournament's presenter.

The No Limit Lounge was created as a skybox location where spectators can enjoy the action above the final table area that serves as ESPN's in-house studio. Also, every tournament poker table at the Rio has the Milwaukee's Best logo prominently displayed.

"The idea is to drive as much retail activation and consumer activity around the brand as possible," said Dockery Clark, Miller Brewing's director of sports and alliance marketing. "For us, it's about brand image, brand awareness and the sociability of the brand."

Miller Brewing produces several other more well-known beers, such as Miller High Life, Miller Lite and Miller Genuine Draft. Clark said Milwaukee's Best Light, a less-recognized brand, seemed to be a more mainstream product that fits with the poker audience.

"The relationship with the tournament has helped move the meter for this brand," Clark said. "We plan to use some of the poker players in our advertising for Milwaukee's Best Light."

While beer fits with poker, Corum, a high-end Swiss watchmaker seems out of place. But the company's U.S. president, Stacie Orloff, said it is still learning what opportunities are out there with the poker fan base.

"We're in the second year of a five-year agreement, but we see this as a tremendous franchise to be associated with," Orloff said. "We are identifying many different ways to reach our audience."

Eric Wright, who heads research and development for Michigan-based Joyce Julius and Associates, a marketing firm that measures the impact of media sponsorships, said the table logos are the most lucrative location for any poker advertiser. The fixed camera angles associated with the event tend to give those spots plenty of airtime.

However, poker sponsorship is still in its infancy, and it's too early to judge the game's impact. Wright said there are some similarities for poker with professional bass fishing, which has found a targeted audience on ESPN and other outdoor-related cable- television channels.

"Poker does a pretty good on the screen time for the logos, but that can become secondary to the viewer," Wright said. "Still, any kind of signage can be pretty powerful. Based on the brands they are partnering with, it seems the World Series is achieving good brand awareness."

Individual poker players are welcomed to strike their own sponsorship deals, selling advertising space on their clothing similar in a manner to professional golfers or race car drivers. Wright said this works only for advertisers trying to reach a large audience if the player is successful and garners a lot of television time...