AND 1, a
division of American Sporting Goods, has restructured some of its 2009
operating initiatives to reflect the current domestic economic downturn. As
part of those efforts, its annual AND 1 Mixtape Tour has been put on hold. At
the same time, And 1 has formed a new partnership with the not-for-profit
foundation, Project WE, as part of an enhanced philanthropic focus.

 

The
basketball brand has formed a new partnership with the not-for-profit
foundation, Project WE. Founded with a goal to improve the lives of young
people in foster care through participation in sports, music, fashion and
entertainment youth development programs, Project WE, with the help of a
corporate sponsorship from AND 1, has developed numerous programs to provide
proper tutelage, resources and education to foster children and encourage them
to graduate school and explore career opportunities at an early age. 

 

Beyond
providing financial assistance, AND 1 will use as many of its resources as
possible to aid Project WE.  Recently AND 1 executives, Rod Keller and Rob
Purvy served as Industry Veteran Mentors for Project WE to give children a
unique first-hand perspective of the athletic industry and teach them about the
numerous career paths available in the field.  Additionally, this past
March And 1 and Project We worked directly with Las Vegas County Commissioner,
Lawrence Weekly, to bring “Mini March Madness,” a high school girls
and boys basketball tournament, skills and drills competition, 3 point contest
and slam dunk contest to the community. The event also featured a special
segment on the importance of community service and education, connecting the
love of the game to the importance of community involvement.

 

Acquired by
American Sporting Goods in 2005, the basketball brand is attempting a
turnaround with a number of key executives, athletes, products and revamped
marketing strategies. Spearheading the efforts are Rod Keller and Rob Purvy,
both veterans in the basketball footwear industry.  After spending more
than a decade working together at various companies’s within the industry,
including stints at adidas and launching Dunk.net with Shaquille O’Neal, Purvy
and Keller rejoined forces again at AND 1 in 2007. 

 

Recently,
AND 1 launched several campaigns. “Changing of the Guard” was
launched as a platform to announce the next generation basketball player and
AND 1 as a company.  To support the campaign, AND 1 released it’s
first-ever signature shoe from Golden State Warriors superstar, Monta Ellis.

 

Following
that, AND 1 launched the first leg of what will be an ongoing “Tribute
Collection,” with it’s first-ever limited edition shoe, the ME8 Tribute,
which pays homage to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. A third, Street-2-Elite
campaign tells the unique stories of sponsored basketball players who
have evolved from street players to elite NBA athletes. Street-2-Elite will be
supported by an interactive marketing agenda, NBA athletes including Steve
Blake and Monta Ellis and corresponding AND 1 products. 

 

“AND 1 is a very significant
part of the American Sporting Goods (ASG) family and we are confident about the
new direction of the brand with Rob and Rod at the helm,” said ASG CEO,
Tom O’Riordan. “There is an extremely aggressive strategic plan in place
that over the next 5 years is meant to re-position AND 1 as a well respected
and dominant player within the basketball community.”