'On The Air' With SGMA: Talking About Fitness

KISSIMMEE, FLORIDA – January 4, 2007 – Philadelphia, Nashville, Tucson, Baltimore, San Diego, Denver, Phoenix, Tampa, Louisville, and Albuquerque. Those are just a few of the 20+ television markets in the United States which will broadcast the “live” interviews during SGMA’s Satellite Media Tour (SMT) – scheduled for Friday, January 5. The time frame for these interviews will be the morning TV newscasts on the affiliates of NBC, ABC, CBS, FOX, and Warner Brothers stations. The principal focus of this SMT is to showcase a variety of new products in the fitness equipment industry to viewers at home.

The SMT will be broadcast from Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex, located on the premises of Walt Disney World in Kissimmee, Florida (greater Orlando area).

SGMA’s Director of Media Relations Mike May will serve as the host of this SMT. In his role, he will explain the various attributes of each product. May is a veteran of more than 300 “live” TV spots and five previous SMTs.

In this SMT, the following products will be featured:

1.)SF60 Spring Free Trampoline (from Spring Free Trampoline) – the world’s first oval trampoline, with a 6-foot FlexiNet safety enclosure;

2.)iPool (from Fitmax) – an indoor fitness pool, small enough to fit in your garage;

3.)CSE4.6 Elliptical (from Horizon Fitness) – features eTRAK technology which allows you to compare your current workout to your average workout;

4.)Healthengine Activity Pedometer (from Accusplit) – state of the art pedometer which can count up to 1,000,000 steps a day;

5.)GDCC200 Functional Training Center (from Body Solid) – it has a dual-independent weight stack system which allows you to perform hundreds of cable exercises;

6.)3000 Entertainment Treadmill (from Nordic Track) – it has a built-in flat screen TV plus speakers for your iPod or MP3 player; and

7.) Game Elliptical (from Pro Form) – this game bike allows you to workout and play video games – Fat Blocker (similar to Tetrus) and Calorie Destroyer (similar to Space Invaders); you must pedal at least 6 miles per hour to play the games.

Since January of 2003, SGMA has produced five TV Satellite Media Tours. Four of them have been conducted from The Super Show® (in 2003, 2004, 2005, and 2006) and the fourth was held at the ESPN Zone in Atlanta, Georgia on November 26, 2004 (the day after Thanksgiving, the biggest shopping day of the year).

During each SMT, only seven products are featured. With such concentrated exposure, those products get thorough coverage. On average, each interview is three to four minutes long, which is ample time to cover the important aspects of each product, i.e. manufacturer, product name, attributes, and price.

On this SMT, the first interview is scheduled to start at 6:20 AM (connecting to WPBF in West Palm Beach, FL) and the final spot is about four hours later (connecting to XETV in San Diego, CA). With access to a satellite truck, every interview is a ‘one-on-one feed’ with each individual station.

The key to the success of SGMA’s SMTs is that each one features product demonstrations and/or celebrity athlete. Television stations want interactive interviews that will educate, enlighten, and entertain viewers. Some of the celebrity athletes involved in past SMTs has included boxer Mark Breland, former World Series MVP Luis Gonzalez, ex-world skateboarding champion Andy MacDonald, NFL All-Pro Simeon Rice, and major league centerfielder Steve Finley.

“This is a public relations initiative which works well for SGMA and the corporate products on display,” said SGMA President Tom Cove. “As an industry trade association, SGMA is in an ideal position to speak on the behalf of the industry’s new product introductions, which are available for the buying public – from New England to southern California.”

SGMA has plans for additional SMTs this year. The membership of SGMA will be notified well in advance about future opportunities to participate in this unique PR avenue. Again, each SMT is limited to only six or seven products. Space is available on a first-come, first-serve basis. When the announcement for an SMT is made, interested companies should contact SGMA’s Mike May at their earliest convenience at 561.427.0657 or mmay@sgma.com.

The Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association, owner of the SGMA Spring Market and the Sports Research Partnership, is the global business trade association of manufacturers, retailers, and marketers in the sports products industry. SGMA enhances industry vitality and fosters sports, fitness, and active lifestyle participation. More information about SGMA can be found at www.sgma.com.