Phillips-Van Heusen Corporation entered into a sponsorship agreement with the National Football League for its Van Heusen brand, launching Thanksgiving weekend. The sponsorship comes on the heels of a first-of-its-kind multi-year sponsorship of the Pro Football Hall of Fame by the Van Heusen brand entered into by the Hall and Phillips-Van Heusen in 2009 and a multi-year sponsorship agreement entered into with the New York Giants at the start of the 2010-2011 NFL season.

“Through the “Van Heusen Fan's Choice” Pro Football Hall of Fame campaign we launched last year, we have been able to see 'first-hand the power of connecting with our consumer through a passionate dialogue around football,” said Mike Kelly, Executive Vice President of Marketing for Phillips-Van Heusen. “And now with these partnerships with the NFL and the Giants, we have the opportunity to significantly enhance the reach and level of engagement with these fans for our brands and retail partners.”

Phillips-Van Heusen will launch an integrated marketing campaign over the Thanksgiving weekend, timed to the traditional kick-off of the holiday shopping season. The campaign will center on the company's Van Heusen Pro Football Hall of Fame Fan's Choice program, and will be featured across multiple platforms including in-game network broadcast, in stadium and via print, online and outdoor media.

“Phillips-Van Heusen has done a tremendous job in raising the profile of the Pro Football Hall of Fame and our greatest players,” said Keith Turner, the NFL's senior vice president of sales and sponsorships. “We look forward to working with the company to enhance the Hall of Fame platform.”

Now in its second year, the Fan's Choice campaign is a dedicated forum at www.fanschoice.com to educate and empower fans to debate, discuss and cast their ballot for who they believe should be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2011. The program features spokesperson Steve Young.

“The Pro Football Hall of Fame and the Hall of Famers welcome the NFL's continued support of the Hall,” said George Veras, Pro Football Hall of Fame Enterprises President. “The Fan's Choice program, thanks to the support of Phillips-Van Heusen, is fast becoming one of the most passionate platforms for fans to have a voice and a connect with the Hall.”

Over the course of the Thanksgiving Weekend, the list of semifinalists for the Class of 2011 as determined by the Pro Football Hall of Fame's Selection Committee will be released, as will be the Fan's Choice picks. An exciting new component to the Fan's Choice program is “Smack Talk Your Way to the Super Bowl,” enabling one lucky fan to announce the Fans' Choice for the Class of 2011 on national television. Launching on Thanksgiving, the program gives fans the opportunity to make a passionate case for their top choice for the 2011 Class through a 60 second soundbite at fanschoice.com. The winner will be selected by a panel of Hall of Famers and representatives from Phillips-Van Heusen and the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

A look at the NFL Thanksgiving week activation includes: In-game sponsor enhancements on CBS and FOX during Thanksgiving game coverage; integration with NFL Network during their Sunday NFL GameDay Morning pregame show; a branded segment within the WPIX-TV pre-game show on Thanksgiving; and ESPN.com home page takeover on Saturday, November 27th.

In conjunction with the Thanksgiving weekend activation and as part of Phillips-Van Heusen's sponsorship agreement with the New York Giants, the Van Heusen brand will sponsor the game between the New York Giants and the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday, November 28th.

“We are delighted to be the first NFL team to align with Phillips-Van Heusen,” said Mike Stevens, SVP & Chief Marketing Officer of the Giants. “They are a dynamic company that has shown they know how to successfully leverage football to engage NFL fans in interactive and meaningful campaigns. Their Fans' Choice program has been a huge success and we admire their innovation. We look forward to bringing the creativity and excitement behind Van Heusen and Phillips-Van Heusen's other brands to Giants fans.”