Web hosting firm Digex Inc. on Monday
said it had drafted basketball star Shaquille O’Neal to help it spread the
word about its services to potential business customers.
The ads, designed by the Benchmark Group, juxtapose a picture of “Shaq”
wearing a Digex jersey against an image of youngsters
in a pickup basketball team, encouraging readers to “Pick the dominant
force. Digex.”
The new campaign will first appear on Tuesday in the Wall Street
Journal, in outdoor ads in the San Francisco Bay area, and as a sponsor
at ASPCON, an ASP technology convention.
In the next few weeks, the company will place ads in technology trade and
business publications, including Internet Week, InfoWorld, ComputerWorld,
Business Week, Forbes and Fortune. Outdoor ads will also appear in New York
City and around Silicon Valley.
“Shaquille O’Neal personifies superior performance, strength, reliability
and integrity, qualities that keep him at the top of his game,” said
Rebecca Ward, president, marketing, product management and engineering for
Digex.
“This campaign leverages Shaq’s wide range of appeal and recognition as one
of the all-time great players to get across the message that Digex is
setting the pace for this industry.”
Spending for the campaign wasn’t disclosed.