September 26, 2009: The Pittsburgh Steelers new motto might be, "How sweet it is" after the defending Super Bowl champs signed a multi-year deal with the Tasty Baking Co. Financial terms were not disclosed.Tasty Baking, founded in Philadelphia in 1914, will work with the Steelers in what was called a "broad program" to include radio, print and online advertising and such co-branded product as a collectible Pittsburgh Steelers tin filled with assorted products from its Tastykake line.
This is Tasty Baking's first sports alliance outside of its hometown, with a roster of marketing partners including the Philadelphia Phillies, Philadelphia Eagles and Philadelphia Flyers. As such, not everyone is happy about the deal. Philebrity.com, a site that covers "Philly media, gossip, nightlife and politics," wrote: "IS NOTHING SACRED? Why can’t anything just belong to us anymore?."
"Our sponsorship of the Pittsburgh Steelers further extends the Tastykake tradition of reaching our devoted consumers through breakthrough marketing initiatives," Jon Silvon, director of marketing for Tasty Baking, said in a statement.
Added Steelers' marketing coordinator Rick Giugliano "The Steelers and Tastykake represent two strong brands that benefit from a distinctive, long-standing relationship with our valued fans. We look forward to collaborating with Tasty Baking Company and we welcome them as a new sports sponsor in Pittsburgh, a city that demonstrates great passion for their Steelers and for the Tastykake brand." ]]>