{"id":1131,"date":"2010-05-29T01:00:00","date_gmt":"2010-05-29T01:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/markdroberts\/2010\/05\/a-new-promotional-plan-for-laity-lodge-help-from-the-nba-and-piza.html"},"modified":"2010-05-29T01:00:00","modified_gmt":"2010-05-29T01:00:00","slug":"a-new-promotional-plan-for-laity-lodge-help-from-the-nba-and-piza","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2010\/05\/a-new-promotional-plan-for-laity-lodge-help-from-the-nba-and-piza.html","title":{"rendered":"A New Promotional Plan for Laity Lodge? Help from the NBA and Pizza!"},"content":{"rendered":"

A recent USA Today<\/i> got me thinking. Perhaps there’s a new way for us to promote Laity Lodge<\/a> . . . by branding food with our logo. <\/p>\n

According to the article by Bruce Horovitz, “NBA cooks up edible logos to make mark on pizza and toast,”<\/a> the National Basketball Association signed a licensing deal with companies that sell things like pizza and toasters. This means, for an extra five bucks, you can order your pizza with an NBA image emblazoned on the top. Woo-hoo! All that for only five bucks extra!!<\/p>\n

\"tim-duncan-yao-5.jpg\"<\/span>Explaining the lure of the new pizzas, Rick Ellison, the licensee who makes Pizza Fest Edible Image toppings, said, “Most Americans don’t make it to an NBA game. This is how
\nthey create the experience for themselves.” Ah, yes. Now I get it. Or maybe not. I’ve eaten plenty of pizza in my life, and I’ve attended a half-dozen NBA games, and I can promise you that eating a pizza with a San Antonio Spurs logo on is not quite the same as watching Tim Duncan “in-the-flesh” sinking a shot. Not even close. (Photo: Tim Duncan gets ready to shoot, with Yao Ming of the Houston Rockets looking on.) <\/p>\n

But there’s more than just pizza. Starting next month, you can buy NBA Pro Toast Toasters. For only $34.99, they’ll make your morning toast with your favorite team logo toasted right on the bread<\/i>!! The licensee of the toaster notes, “It’s a fun way to get kids to eat healthier.” Good point, because surely kids won’t want to cover up their favorite team’s logo with butter or jam. <\/p>\n

\"laity-lodge-pizza-5.jpg\"<\/span>As I was reading the USA Today<\/i> article, I kept checking my watch. No, it isn’t April Fool’s Day. And Rick Astley didn’t pop out<\/a> of nowhere singing “Never Gonna Give You Up.” I guess the NBA is serious about this new promotional scheme. I can’t wait to see where those NBA logos will end up next. (Note: If you didn’t understand the Rick Astley comment, then you don’t have teenagers at home. More info here<\/a>, if you’re curious.) <\/p>\n

But then I got to thinking. We’re always trying to think of new and creative ways to help folks discover Laity Lodge<\/a>, the retreat center where I work. We emphasize the extraordinary beauty of the location, its peacefulness and serenity. We talk about the world-class speakers and musicians we have at our retreats. But what about Laity Lodge pizzas? Never thought of that before. Just think how many people would get excited about Laity Lodge once they saw our logo on their pizza! If, when you ordered a pepperoni pizza at your local pizza joint, you got something like what’s pictured above (yes, that’s the Laity Lodge logo), wouldn’t you want to visit Laity Lodge! Think of the possibilities.  <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A recent USA Today got me thinking. Perhaps there’s a new way for us to promote Laity Lodge . . . by branding food with our logo. According to the article by Bruce Horovitz, “NBA cooks up edible logos to make mark on pizza and toast,” the National Basketball Association signed a licensing deal with…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":214,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[95,75],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1131","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-fun","category-laity-lodge"],"yoast_head":"\nA New Promotional Plan for Laity Lodge? Help from the NBA and Pizza! - Mark D. Roberts<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2010\/05\/a-new-promotional-plan-for-laity-lodge-help-from-the-nba-and-piza.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"A New Promotional Plan for Laity Lodge? Help from the NBA and Pizza! - Mark D. Roberts\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A recent USA Today got me thinking. Perhaps there’s a new way for us to promote Laity Lodge . . . by branding food with our logo. 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Help from the NBA and Pizza!"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/","name":"Mark D. Roberts","description":"Mark D. Roberts: Thoughtfully Christian Reflections on Jesus, the Church, and the World","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/#\/schema\/person\/1ff094a57b7e41f534434b1723df3d73","name":"Mark D. Roberts","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/f2d\/f2ddf5f080861f66ea230384f9d1bab2x96.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/f2d\/f2ddf5f080861f66ea230384f9d1bab2x96.jpg","caption":"Mark D. Roberts"},"description":"The Rev. Dr. Mark D. Roberts is a pastor, author, retreat leader, speaker, and blogger. Since October 2007 he has been the Senior Director and Scholar-in-Residence for Laity Lodge, a multifaceted ministry in the Hill Country of Texas. Before coming to Laity Lodge, he was for sixteen years the Senior Pastor of Irvine Presbyterian Church in Irvine, California (a city in Orange County about forty miles south of Los Angeles). Before his time at Irvine Pres, Mark served on the staff of the First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood as Associate Pastor of Education. (Thanks to Janel Pahl for taking the photo to the right.) Mark studied at Harvard University, receiving a B.A. in Philosophy, an M.A. in the Study of Religion, and a Ph.D. in New Testament and Christian Origins. He has taught classes in New Testament for Fuller Theological Seminary and San Francisco Theological Seminary. Mark has written several books, including No Holds Barred: Wrestling with God in Prayer (WaterBrook, 2005), Dare to Be True (WaterBrook, 2003), Jesus Revealed (WaterBrook, 2002), After \"I Believe\" (Baker, 2002), and Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther (Word, 1993). His most recent book is Can We Trust the Gospels? Investigating the Reliability of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John (Crossway, 2007). He is currently working on a commentary on Ephesians that will be published by Zondervan in 2014. Mark writes a devotional for The High Calling of Our Daily Work, a website associated with Laity Lodge. His \"Daily Reflections\" can be viewed online or sent as a daily email. If you wish to receive this email, just visit TheHighCalling.org and sign up. Mark serves on the editorial board of Worship Leader magazine, where he publishes articles and reviews, including his regular column \"Lyrical Poetry.\" Additionally, he has published dozens of articles in leading magazines and journals. He often speaks for churches and other Christian groups, and has been interviewed on over seventy-five radio programs nationwide. Mark is married to Linda, who is a Marriage and Family Therapist, a Spiritual Director, and a retreat speaker. They have two children, Nathan and Kara.For Publicity Photos and Bio Statements for Mark, please check here. Mark's Dossier Professional History: Senior Director and Scholar-in Residence, Laity Lodge, October 2007 to present. Senior Pastor Irvine Presbyterian Church, June 1991 to September 2007 Adjunct Assistant Professor Fuller Theological Seminary, 1994 to 2007. Courses: New Testament Theology and Exegesis. Adjunct Instructor San Francisco Theological Seminary, 1995 to 2001. Courses: New Testament Greek and Exegesis Associate Pastor of Education First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood, 1987-1991 Teaching Fellow Harvard University, 1980-1983 Education: Ph.D. in the Study of Religion. Harvard University, 1992. Area: New Testament and Christian Origins M.A. in the Study of Religion Harvard University, 1984. A.B. magna cum laude in Philosophy Harvard University, 1979. Phi Beta Kappa; Danforth Fellowship Books: Can We Trust the Gospels? Investigating the Reliability of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Crossway, 2007 No Holds Barred: Wrestling with God in Prayer. WaterBrook, 2005 Dare to Be True: Living in the Freedom of Complete Honesty. WaterBrook, 2003. Jesus Revealed: Know Him Better to Love Him Better. WaterBrook, 2002. After \"I Believe\": Experiencing Authentic Christian Living. Baker, 2002. Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther in the Communicator's Commentary Series. Word, 1993. Contacting Mark: You can reach Mark at: E-mail: mark@markdroberts.com mroberts@laitylodge.org Phone: Laity Lodge: (830) 792-1216 Address: Laity Lodge 719 Earl Garrett Kerrville, TX 78028","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/author\/mroberts"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1131","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/214"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1131"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1131\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1131"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1131"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1131"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}