LeBron's Decision Telecast Filled with 

Branding to the Tune of  $3 Million

         ANN ARBOR, MI, July 9, 2010 – ESPN’s primetime telecast last night of “The Decision”, LeBron James’ controversial announcement of his NBA free agency plans, afforded in-broadcast exposure opportunities to eight brands, which as a group amassed $2,970,500 of comparable exposure value.

       According to research conducted by Joyce Julius & Associates, Inc.—which has specialized in measuring the scope of sponsorships across all forms of media for 25 years—Apollo Group, Bing, Boys and Girls Clubs of America, Facebook, McDonald’s, Microsoft, University of Phoenix and Vitaminwater garnered a total of seven minutes, 54 seconds (7:54) of on-screen time during the broadcast.  Additionally, the brands were mentioned by James and the ESPN crew on 31 occasions.

       Joyce Julius calculates television exposure value by comparing the in-broadcast visual and verbal exposure to the estimated cost of a national commercial during the telecast and applying Joyce Julius Recognition Grading—which takes into account such factors as size and placement of the image on screen, as well as brand clutter and integration of the brand into the activity.

       University of Phoenix was the leading brand during the telecast in terms of exposure value, with a banner, monitor screens and graphics featuring the school’s logo, appearing for 2:22, and 11 verbal references leading to $1,028,000.

       Bing was the most visible of the eight brands, appearing clear and in-focus for 2:41.  When also factoring in a half-dozen mentions of the Microsoft search engine, the entity reaped $873,000.

       Boys and Girls Clubs of America, which hosted the night’s festivities and reportedly will receive all the advertising proceeds from the program through James and his organizers, also benefited from the show, as a banner strategically placed near James, T-shirts worn by children in the audience and seven verbal mentions brought about $550,500 of in-broadcast exposure value for the organization.

About Joyce Julius & Associates, Inc.:

         Joyce Julius & Associates, Inc. is the sports and entertainment industry leader in accurate measurement and evaluation of sponsorships and promotional programs.  Joyce Julius’ fully customizable, third party research is highlighted by in-broadcast television exposure monitoring, full media impact measurements, and fan/consumer perception analyses.

         The Ann Arbor, Michigan-based firm has been measuring the impact of corporate sponsorships across all forms of media since 1985.  These forms of media include national and regional event television broadcasts, television highlight and news programming, event radio, print media, Internet articles, along with exposure stemming from promotions and advertising, as well as event on-site elements.

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