PBR, Bentonville Firm Announce Partnership

A shopper marketing agency in Bentonville has entered into a three-year contract with Professional Bull Riders Inc. to lead the marketing efforts for the bull riding organization’s sponsors.

Store of the Community, founded in 2004 by former Wal-Mart Stores Inc. executive Matt Fifer, will develop a program to elevate the profile of PBR into more of a modern, mainstream sport.

“We’re looking forward to leveraging the top-shopped stores in the country to attract even more attention to the sport,” Fifer said in a news release.

PBR, founded in 1992 and headquartered in Colorado, attracts about 2.5 million fans to its live events each year.

Jim Haworth, a former executive at Wal-Mart Stores until being fired in December 2004, was named PBR’s chief executive officer in 2011. He had been an advisor to the organization since 2005.

 “Stores like Wal-Mart, with the power of their daily store traffic, make great marketing platforms for our sponsors,” Haworth said in a news release. “This new relationship will give our [sponsors] the opportunity to increase their brand exposure.”

The program will kick off at stores at the beginning of the 2014 PBR season.