By Michael Sebastian
Ad Age

Newsstand readers of Marie Claire will see what might seem like an unexpected advertiser smack in the middle of its big September issue -- the NFL.

The magazine is publishing a 16-page insert called "The Savvy Girl's Guide to Football" -- subscribers will get it as a separate supplement -- with six ad pages for the NFL's women's apparel line. Actress Minka Kelly, who some readers will know from her role in NBC high school football series "Friday Night Lights," appears on the front. Another ad page for the league appears in the main issue itself.

The guide is a continuation of the NFL's four-year-old effort to increase its appeal to women and sell them licensed NFL apparel. The campaign began with print and TV media buys and has evolved to include point-of-sale marketing and "style lounge" retail areas inside NFL stadiums. The NFL is working with seven other women's magazines, including Vogue, Cosmopolitan and Us Weekly. But the Marie Claire effort is the centerpiece of the NFL's print campaign this year, the companies said. They declined to disclose the spending involved.

"We have female fans who know the game better than guys," said Tracey Bleczinski, VP-consumer products at the NFL. "Others enjoy the social connectivity of the game. We need to go out to our female fans. We can't wait for them to come to us."

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