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The Athlete's Foot Announces Pro Athlete Appearances for "In My Shoes" Back-to-School Campaign
Portis, Buehrle, Ward, Lee and Dunn Inspire Students to Achieve Goals
| Source: NexCen Brands, Inc.
ATLANTA, GA--(Marketwire - August 17, 2007) - The Athlete's Foot (TAF) today announced that
Redskins running back Clinton
Portis, Carolina Hurricanes goalie Cam Ward, Chicago White Sox pitcher
Mark Buehrle, New York Knicks forward David Lee and Atlanta Falcons running
back Warrick Dunn will make
personal appearances at TAF locations as part of the footwear retailer's In
My Shoes back-to-school campaign. The players will sign autographs for the
public and present prizes to regional winners of the In My Shoes contest, which rewards
young athletes (ages 13-18) for setting goals for the new school year. The
group will be joined by five other athletes (to be announced) representing
the NFL, MLB, NHL and NBA in regions throughout the U.S.
"TAF is dedicated to inspiring and enabling peak performance from our
shoppers. The In My Shoes
campaign was conceived to help young athletes aspire, achieve and excel
this school year and we are proud to offer them the opportunity to meet
professional athletes who have done just that," commented Robert W.
D'Loren, President and CEO of NexCen Brands, Inc. "We are proud that our
TAF franchise locations throughout the U.S. are in touch with the needs and
desires of their neighborhoods. These athletes were chosen for their
sporting achievements and their relevance to their local communities,"
added Mr. D'Loren.
Specific dates for appearances have yet to be announced, but the events
will take place in October. The In
My Shoes contest has recently been extended to run through September
15th and invites students to share their performance goals for the new
school year via written entry forms available online or in-stores, or by
creating videos to share on YouTube. Entries, which must begin with the
phrase "In my shoes," will be judged on how well they express a concrete,
realistic, measurable, age-appropriate and performance-oriented goal.
Winning entries will reinforce key messages of performance, achievement and
athleticism.
Local winners, named at each participating TAF store, will receive a gift
card ($75 value) to use toward a pair of shoes of their choice from their
local TAF. Ten regional winners around the country will have their prize
presented to them by the above-named professional athletes at a "meet and
greet" at their local TAF store. One national winner will receive a
one-on-one coaching session with a professional athlete to help them on the
road to achieving their goal.
For more information on TAF, visit www.theathletesfoot.com. For details on
the In My Shoes contest log onto
www.tafinmyshoes.com.
About The Athlete's Foot
(www.theathletesfoot.com)
The Athlete's Foot® is the world's first franchisor of athletic footwear
stores and is recognized today as the world leader in athletic footwear
franchising. Robert and David Lando opened the first The Athlete's Foot
store in 1971 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It was the first athletic
footwear specialty store of its kind in the United States. Soon
thereafter, The Athlete's Foot began franchising domestically, with the
first franchise store opening in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. The first
international franchise store opened in 1978 in Adelaide, Australia, the
beginning of The Athlete's Foot expansion into over 45 countries. In June
2007, NexCen Brands launched a global re-branding effort for TAF. Plans for
reinvigorating the 35 year-old brand include an innovative new modular
merchandising system, new in-store design, a modernized company logo, and a
line of TAF branded apparel.
About NexCen Brands, Inc.
(www.nexcenbrands.com)
NexCen Brands, Inc. (NASDAQ : NEXC ) is the premier 21st century brand
acquisition and management company focused on assembling a diversified
portfolio of intellectual property (IP) centric companies operating in the
consumer branded products and franchise industries. The Company owns,
licenses, franchises and markets a growing portfolio of consumer and
franchise brands including The Athlete's Foot®, Bill Blass®,
MaggieMoo's®, Marble Slab Creamery®, Pretzel Time®, Pretzelmaker®
and Waverly®. The Company licenses and franchises its brands to a
network of leading retailers, manufacturers and franchisees that includes
every major segment of retail distribution from the luxury market to the
mass market in the U.S. and in over 50 countries around the world, and
consists of more than 1,500 franchised stores. NexCen, through its
information technology and franchisee support systems and advertising,
marketing and public relations team, markets its brands to continually
drive greater consumer awareness and brand equity for each of its brands.
NexCen touches nearly every aspect of a consumer's lifestyle from the food
they eat to the furnishings in their homes and the clothes and footwear
they purchase.