Allstate Increases Presence in College Sports with Deal to Become Official Corporate Partner of the NCAA®

NORTHBROOK, Ill., March 5, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Allstate Insurance Company (NYSE: ALL) today announced it has become an official Corporate Partner of the NCAA.  Through a deal with CBS Sports and Turner Sports, the partnership will expand Allstate's extensive presence in collegiate athletics, providing opportunities for the company to activate around the NCAA's 89 men's and women's championship events and support important educational and community initiatives.

The timing of the announcement will allow the company to leverage its partnership surrounding this year's NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship, which tips off March 13 in Dayton, Ohio with the First Four and concludes with the NCAA Men's Final Four® in New Orleans March 31-April 2.  To launch its NCAA partnership, Allstate will air new television commercials during coverage of the tournament on TBS, CBS, TNT, and truTV.

"Allstate is thrilled to expand its commitment of supporting collegiate athletics and student athletes by becoming an official corporate partner of the NCAA," said Lisa Cochrane, Allstate's senior vice president of marketing.  "The excitement of the NCAA tournament has shown us that anything can and will happen – it's March and it can be mayhem."

"Putting a spotlight on the outstanding achievements of student-athletes in the classroom and in competition is a common goal of the NCAA and our new corporate partner Allstate," said Greg Shaheen, NCAA interim executive vice president for championships and alliances.   "Allstate has shown its dedication to intercollegiate athletics over the years. We're pleased to welcome Allstate to the NCAA corporate family and provide the company with championship platforms that will broaden its support of student-athletes and place additional emphasis on the value of higher education."

"Through this multi-year partnership with CBS and Turner, Allstate will have the opportunity to showcase its unique brand of creative messaging and strategic activation at NCAA Championship events throughout the year," said Chris Simko, senior vice president, CBS Sports Sales and Marketing and director CBS Sports Properties Group.  "The NCAA's corporate marketing program is the perfect fit for a client who has displayed such a thorough corporate commitment to intercollegiate athletics and believes so strongly in the ideal of today's student-athlete."

"We're excited to add another great brand to our Corporate Champion and Corporate Partner family," said Will Funk, senior vice president of NCAA Partnerships and Branded Programming, Turner Sports. "Allstate's creative and innovative marketing will bring a unique voice to the NCAA. We look forward to Allstate's activation across television, digital, mobile and events at various NCAA Championships in the winter, spring and fall."

Allstate will have presence on-site in New Orleans at the NCAA Men's Final Four at Bracket Town™ refreshed by Coca-Cola Zero™, providing fans the chance to experience basketball mayhem first hand.  Allstate will offer fans the chance to participate in basketball-themed activities and for the chance to win the ultimate college sports fan prize - a trip for two to the 2013 BCS National Championship game and the 2013 NCAA Men's Final Four in Atlanta.

In addition to its NCAA partnership, Allstate is the title sponsor of the Allstate Sugar Bowl® and the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team®.  The company has also contributed more than $2.4 million in general scholarship donations for successful field goal and extra point kicks as part of its Good Hands® Nets program at 71 partner colleges and universities. 

As part of the 14-year multi-media agreement with the NCAA, CBS Sports and Turner Sports are licensed and collaborate on the NCAA's corporate marketing program. For information about NCAA Corporate Champions and Corporate Partners, please visit http://bit.ly/NCAA_CCCP.

About Allstate

The Allstate Corporation (NYSE: ALL) is the nation's largest publicly held personal lines insurer. Widely known through the "You're In Good Hands With Allstate®" slogan, Allstate is reinventing protection and retirement to help nearly 16 million households insure what they have today and better prepare for tomorrow. Consumers access Allstate insurance products (auto, home, life and retirement) and services through Allstate agencies, independent agencies, and Allstate exclusive financial representatives in the U.S. and Canada, as well as via www.allstate.com and 1-800 Allstate®. As part of Allstate's commitment to strengthen local communities, The Allstate Foundation, Allstate employees, agency owners and the corporation provided $28 million in 2011 to thousands of nonprofit organizations and important causes across the United States.

About Turner Sports

Turner Sports, a division of Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., is an industry leader in televised and online sports programming, airing championship level sporting events on TBS, TNT and truTV, and managing some of the most popular sports sites on the Internet. Turner Sports' television line-up includes the NBA, Major League Baseball, the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship, NASCAR and professional golf. The company's digital portfolio includes SI.com, NASCAR.COM, NCAA.com, PGATOUR.COM, GOLF.com and PGA.com, as well as an accompanying collection of mobile websites and connected device apps. Turner Sports and the NBA also jointly manage NBA Digital, which includes NBA TV, NBA.com, NBA LEAGUE PASS, NBA Mobile, the NBA Game Time App, NBADLEAGUE.com and WNBA.com.

About CBS Sports

CBS Sports, a year-round leader in television sports, broadcasts a portfolio of events on the CBS Television Network, including the NFL's American Football Conference; THE NFL TODAY; college basketball, including the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship; golf, including The Masters(r) and PGA Championship; college football, including the SEC ON CBS; the U.S. Open Tennis Championships; CBS SPORTS SPECTACULAR, including track & field, auto racing and gymnastics. In addition, the division directs CBS Sports Network, a 24-hour national cable network; produces INSIDE THE NFL for SHOWTIME; and partners with CBSSports.com in creating a recognized leader among sports Internet destinations.

About the NCAA

The NCAA is a membership-led nonprofit association of colleges and universities committed to supporting academic and athletic opportunities for more than 400,000 student-athletes at more than 1,000 member colleges and universities. Each year, more than 54,000 student-athletes compete in NCAA championships in Divisions I, II and III sports. Visit www.ncaa.org and www.ncaa.com for more details about the Association, its goals and members and corporate partnerships that help support programs for student-athletes. The NCAA is proud to have the following elite companies as official Corporate Champions—AT&T, Capital One and Coca-Cola—and the following elite companies as official Corporate Partners—Buick, Enterprise, Infiniti, LG, Lowe's, Northwestern Mutual, Reese's (Hershey's), Unilever, UPS and Wheat Thins (Kraft).

NCAA, Final Four, Selection Sunday, The Big Dance, Enjoy More Madness and March Madness are licensed by or trademarks of the National Collegiate Athletic Association.

SOURCE Allstate Insurance Company