MediaBuys Article

Dozens of Companies May Sponsor Mardi Gras

Dozens of Companies Interested in $2 Million Mardi Gras Sponsorship

By Janet McConnaughey, Associated Press Writer

NEW ORLEANS -- With the city in dire financial shape because of Hurricane Katrina, companies are lining up for the opportunity to become the first-ever corporate sponsors of New Orleans' Mardi Gras celebration.

At least 20 companies are offering to pay $2 million each to help cover the police and cleanup costs for next month's parades and parties, according to MediaBuys LLC, the firm hired to search for underwriters. The city, which had to lay off half its employees after the storm, plans to select four main sponsors.

"We're very fortunate the interest level has been very, very high...almost to the point of being difficult to handle," said Ken Rose, a MediaBuys vice president.

Such sponsorships are a radical change for what is billed as the nation's biggest free party. Private groups have always put on the parades, and a city ordinance bars commercial advertising on the parade floats. Not even the beads thrown to crowds can carry corporate logos.

That still leaves plenty of room for advertising. Sponsors' names will be displayed on lampposts and crowd-control barriers, said Ernest Collins, New Orleans' arts and entertainment director.

The city's 150th Carnival season began Friday and ends on Mardi Gras, or Fat Tuesday, which is Feb. 28 this year.

Some storm victims have said it is inappropriate to celebrate at all while hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses remain gutted and empty. But some civic leaders have argued that a Mardi Gras celebration would lift people's spirits and send a message that New Orleans is on its way back.

On Friday, Mayor Ray Nagin cut a slice of king cake a traditional Carnival dessert during a ceremony marking the start of the season.

"We as a city are prepared to put on the best Mardi Gras this city has ever seen," he said. "It's going to be a great time for all of us to forget about Katrina for a day and go about the business of having a good time and bringing our city back."

The first of the four main sponsors could be named Monday, Rose said. He would not identify any of the potential sponsors but said interest has come from businesses involved in home improvement, electronics, sanitation, travel, software, automotive goods and soft drinks.

Rose said his company has been directed to pick sponsors that are seen "as a rebuilding kind of company as opposed to the partying kind of company."