Tuesday marked the end of the 18 year relationship between Tostitos and the Fiesta Bowl. It marks a time of change in the world of college football.
Tostitos is owned by Frito-Lay who have decided to pursue a different direction in regards to their branding. Frito-Lay's spokesman Chris Kuechenmeister released this statement, "We've recently made the decision to end our relationship with the Fiesta Bowl following the completion of our most recent contract, which ended after the 2014 bowl games," Frito-Lay said in a statement. "This decision was difficult and came after extensive evaluation and consideration. However, at this point we believe the most strategic approach for the Tostitos brand is to steer its marketing and growth strategies differently."
According to Sports Business Journal, the decision to part ways could be related to the amount of money ESPN is charging to advertise during the new College Football Playoffs. ESPN was reportedly looking for nearly $25 million for the new deals while under the BCS deal were between $15 million and $20 million.
The Fiesta Bowl is not the only major bowl that will have a new sponsor. Discover has decided to end its four year sponsorship of the Orange Bowl. The Orange Bowl is expected to be sponsored by Capital One starting with the upcoming game in 2015. The Rose Bowl has also switched sponsors going from Vizio to Northwestern Mutual.
The College Football Playoffs will commence beginning with the 2014-15 season. The six bowls that have been selected for the College Football Playoffs are the Rose Bowl, Sugar Bowl, Orange Bowl, Cotton Bowl, Fiesta Bowl, and Peach Bowl.