The float, which is officially named "Celebrating Alaska - Spirit of the Wild," is 55 feet long and 18 feet high. It features a grizzly bear and moose with animatronic heads, salmon, king crab, puffins, a whale, an Alaska Railroad engine and Native Alaskan masks. Ten Native Alaskan drummers and dancers will perform alongside the float.
Construction on the float began in October in California and cost $215,000. It's a lot of money, but well worth the publicity for Alaska if you ask Julie Saupe, president of the visitors bureau.
"It is a large chunk of money, but we're reaching a worldwide audience of 40 million viewers," she said. Two of the big three television networks plus many other media will cover the parade.
In contrast, 30 seconds of advertising time during the Super Bowl this year, which nearly 100 million people are expected to watch, will cost $3 million, The Wall Street Journal has reported.
Wednesday afternoon, Saupe said she already had interviews with National Public Radio and a Chinese newspaper. Mushing magazines have also been interested because Libby Riddles, the Iditarod's first female winner, will be riding on the float behind the artificial sled dogs, Saupe said.
Having a float in the parade is a fairly exclusive privilege. Officials limit the parade to less than 50 floats and select applicants by invitation only. Saupe said the bureau has been applying to be in the parade for several years, but thinks the float's ties to the state's 50th anniversary celebration is what finally won over parade officials this time.
Saupe said once an organization is invited, they can keep the spot indefinitely as long as they participate every year, though the bureau does not have definite plans to be back in 2010.
"I think this is just a one-shot deal, but we'll see. We'll see what kind of response we get and consider it," Saupe said.
After the parade, the float is likely to be disassembled and the float frame reused, though the Alaska State Fair has asked to have it. Saupe said the fair would be a great use of the float, though shipping it to Palmer may be cost prohibitive.
The float's sponsors include the Alaska Railroad Corp., Anchorage Statehood Celebration Committee, Alaska Travel Industry Association and the Alaska Statehood Celebration Commission.
David Carter, executive director of the USC Sports Business Institute, admits to wearing Rose-colored glasses. He also acknowledges that economic estimates are open to debate. But he contends that the Pasadena study provides strong evidence of tangible economic benefits within the city limits.
He also points to "intangibles" generated by the millions of eyeballs around the world
that are fixed on Pasadena during the Rose Bowl parade and game. "How do you measure the value of that global notoriety and branding each year," Carter asked. "And what's the inherent value to Pasadena next year," he adds, when the Rose Bowl is scheduled to host both the traditional "granddaddy of all bowl games" on Jan. 1, 2010, as well as the BCS Championship Game a week later?
Meanwhile, as this year's kick-off draws closer, two forces are expected to slow consumer spending.
"The economy is a little bit tougher," said Jack Keyser, chief economist for the Los Angeles Economic Development Corp. "So you might not get the full impact of the Nittany Lions, even though they have a tradition of traveling well to these big games."
"Consumers in general are either traveling less, or, when they do travel, spending less time and money," said Bruce Baltin, a Los Angeles-based senior vice president at PKF Consulting, which monitors the hospitality industry. "Naturally, the recession has got to have an impact this year."
There also could be a bit of "USC fatigue," given that the Trojans have played in four of the last five Rose Bowl games -- and the fact that this year's game isn't for all of the BCS marbles.
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