THE LOUISIANA SUPERDROME, home to NFL team the New Orleans Saints, will now become the Mercedes-Benz Superdome as a result of a new naming rights deal with the German car manufacturer.
Unveiled earlier this week, Frontiers research values the ten-year agreement at between $7m and $10m per year, making the deal worth up to $100m.
As part of the 15-year lease agreement as agreed by the state of Louisiana and the Saints in 2009, the 2010 Superbowl champions are entitled to keep one hundred per cent of the sponsorship revenue.
The new naming rights deal symbolises the end of a painstaking repairs and renovation project started after the stadium was severely damaged during the devastating onslaught from Hurricane Katrina back in 2005.
“To see out of that experience a brand new stadium inside and out completely renovated, a driver of economic development within New Orleans and Louisiana and for us to be a part of that story is a good thing," said Steve Cannon, vice president of marketing, Mercedes-Benz USA.
"For us this is a local deal, a regional deal and a national deal because we think it plays on every single one of those levels."
Likely to have been further swayed by the fact the stadium will play host to the 2013 edition of the Superbowl, guaranteeing international brand exposure and one of the largest TV audiences of any sports event, Mercedes-Benz association with the New Orleans Saints represents the auto giant’s first foray into American Football having previously been synonymous with golf, tennis and Formula One.
The new agreement will take effect from October 23 when the Saints host the Indianapolis Colts.