Your Charity Will Determine What Film You Watch, in 3-D Cinema Campaign for Pedigree

Colenso BBDO thought up this innovative interactive way to drum up public interest in New Zealand’s Pedigree Adoption Drive, the brand’s effort to rescue and put up for adoption abandoned dogs around the world.

Cinemagoers picked one of two types of glasses: Yellow, if they chose to donate, and red, if they didn’t. Director Nic Finlayson shot two parallel stories, one showing a dog that was lucky enough to have been rescued, and the other showing the same one who just wasn’t that fortunate.

Partnering with production company Finch, the agency used 3-D cinema technology to project both films on the same screen, so those who donated would see the benefits of their charity, while the others would probably cry a little and end up donating anyway. (www.adage.com)

USA Set to Launch Six ‘Social TV’ Tie-Ins Aimed at Superfans

USA is doubling down on its commitment to digital media this year, with a broad portfolio of ancillary projects—six, covering the network’s slate of originals—to boost viewership, draw in megafans, and provide deeper ad integrations for the shows’ partners while the series are running. This year, the company has not one but four major automotive sponsors (Ford, Toyota, Lincoln and Lexus) buying tie-in digital integrations, and Capital One on a fifth.

Unscripted television is no stranger to these sorts of deals, but USA’s collection of character-driven dramedies would seem to be a harder sell, not to advertisers, but to writers. But programming honcho Bill McGoldrick told Adweek that his writers have been using the integrations (created with companies like Ford and Capital One) to further flesh out corners of the worlds they’ve been creating that might otherwise go unexplored.

“A lot of our shows are closed-ended A stories,” McGoldrick said (meaning the episode-long tale that drives a 42-minute narrative). “We usually have a personal B story, and what we have left over tends to be the C story, and that’s the mythology. When you start dividing up the pie between the three you’re only left with so much for that C story.” The shows’ writers, McGoldrick said, like the concept. “Left to their own devices, they’d probably want to tell more of the stories anyway,” he said. (www.adweek.com)

United Launches 2012 Team USA Sponsorship, Kicks Off “Fly Me to London” Sweepstakes

United Airlines has launched its 2012 Team USA sponsorship effort with the “Fly Me to London” Sweepstakes, offering three grand-prize winners the chance to cheer on the U.S. Olympic Team with two roundtrip tickets to London, hotel accommodations and entry to the London 2012 Olympic Games.

In recognition of the 17-day Olympic Games and United’s 17 daily nonstop flights to London, 17 first-place winners will receive two roundtrip tickets to anywhere United flies in the United States.

Participants may enter for a chance to win by visiting united.com/flymetolondon or United’sFacebook page before May 30, 2012, clicking the menu and claiming a “virtual seat” onboard one of United’s 17 daily nonstop flights to London. Participants will not be booked on an actual flight; instead, United will automatically enter participants into the random drawing.

Participants may also invite others to enter for a chance to win by sharing the sweepstakes on Facebook or posting a tweet on Twitter. For each friend who enters in response to the invitation, participants will receive one additional entry into the drawing. Participants can submit a new entry each day of the 17-day sweepstakes with a maximum of 10 entries per person, per day. (www.sponsorship.com)

RH Laboratories and Forgiven Announce Major Rock USA Sponsorship

RH Laboratories, the distributor behind Forgiven Alcohol Metabolizer, has announced that they will be sponsoring the Rock USA music festival this year with a stage named after the product.

The Forgiven Stage will be located within the Budweiser Pavilion, and will be accompanied by a booth selling the product. The sponsorship also includes another booth in the marketplace area and prominent signage throughout the event including high-traffic areas like the main entrance gate.

Rock USA is a music festival held July 12th-14th at Ford Festival Park in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. The line-up includes big names and rock legends like Shinedown, Hinder, Skillet, Mötley Crüe, Tesla, Kid Rock, Seether, and Papa Roach.

“We’re really excited to be a part of Rock USA,” says RH Laboratories President, Joshua Maurice. “It’s going to be an amazing event and a great environment to introduce people to Forgiven.” (www.sponsorship.com)

Bud Light Returns As Sponsor Of The Music Stage Of The 2012 LG Crescent Street Grand Prix Festival

The Crescent Street Merchants’ Association and BBF Promotions & Events are pleased to welcome La Brassarie Labatt du Canada as sponsor of the Bud Light Stage for the 2012 LG Crescent Street Grand Prix Festival. The Festival, now in its thirteenth year, will feature the Bud Light stage as the main attraction and offer music and entertainment to the masses every night from June 7 to 9, 2012.

As the official sponsor of the Bud Light Stage on the corner of Crescent and de Maisonneuve, Labatt will be offering festival goers the most spectacular and innovative musical and visual experience yet. As a sponsor of the Crescent Street Grand Prix Festival for the last thirteen year’s, Bud Light is excited to be back as sponsor of the main stage after a three year absence.

“Crescent Street during the Grand Prix is a great place for Bud Light to be. I think you’ll find this year we have a lot of exciting activity to bring to F1 fans – from the Bud Light Music Stage to an experience built around our new innovation,Bud Light Lime Mojito,” stated Lisa Kittelsen, Marketing Manager Bud Light. “We’re proud to be able to contribute to the ever-growing success of the LG Crescent Street Grand Prix Festival through this sponsorship.” (www.sponsorship.com)

Dish’s Ads to End All Ads

Dish Network Corp. plans to promote its new ad-skipping feature with, ironically enough, a television ad—that is, if broadcast TV networks agree to run the spot.

Amid mounting anger about the capability, at least two are resisting. Fox and NBC both said Wednesday they won’t accept ads promoting the satellite-TV operator’s new digital video recorder that contains the ad-skipping capability.

Dish is rolling out an array of television, radio, newspaper and social media ads to spread the word about the DVR, dubbed the “Hopper.” (www.wsj.com)

Can Wal-Mart Think Small?

No SUV-driving American shopper would be surprised to find 20 lb. sacks of dog chow at a Wal-Mart supercenter. But at an urban minimart that is trying to attract bag-toting pedestrians? Not so much.

Unless that minimart is operated by Wal-Mart Stores Inc. The Bentonville, Ark., retailer is betting that small urban stores called Walmart Express could eventually help jump-start its growth in the U.S. and fight off competition from rapidly expanding dollar-store chains.

The heavy bags of Ol’ Roy dog food suggest Wal-Mart is struggling to think outside the supercenters that remain its focus, analysts say. (www.wsj.com)

Two and a Half Men’ Aims to Lift Thursday

A YEAR ago, the television industry was abuzz about the CBS decision to keep the popular series “Two and a Half Men” on the air by replacing Charlie Sheen with Ashton Kutcher. A year later, all eyes are on “Men” again as CBS readies a move of the sitcom to Thursday from Monday, on which it has spent its entire run.

The shift, which CBS discussed during its 2012-13 upfront presentation on Wednesday, will be the second time that CBS has moved a successful Monday comedy to Thursday to try to establish a stronger beachhead with viewers later in the week.

For the 2010-11 season, it was “The Big Bang Theory,” which became a bigger hit on Thursday than it had been on Monday. For 2012-13, it will be “Two and a Half Men,” the sitcom that was revived nine months ago with the casting of Mr. Kutcher to replace Mr. Sheen. “The Big Bang Theory” will remain at 8 p.m. and “Two and a Half Men” will follow at 8:30, replacing a skein of sitcoms that failed to capitalize on the large audiences for “Big Bang.”

Thursday is a particularly lucrative night of the television week because advertisers like movie studios, retailers and automakers run commercials to reach viewers making weekend plans. (www.nytimes.com)

Buffalo Bills staying with hotel partner

The Buffalo Bills NFL franchise has renewed its partnership with Adam’s Mark Hotel & Events Center in downtown Buffalo.

Under the terms of the deal, the venue where the team stays before each home game played at Ralph Wilson Stadium remains the official hotel of the franchise.

“We are pleased to have the Adam’s Mark Hotel & Events Center return as the official hotel of the Buffalo Bills,” said Bruce Popko, the side’s senior vice president of business development. “The Adam’s Mark location and newly renovated guest rooms provide Bills players and fans with an outstanding, enjoyable stay.” (www.sportspromedia.com)

Nissan Is Back In Black (Spandex)

Nissan is back for the second year as automotive sponsor of the Amgen Tour of California. It’s the U.S. version of the Tour de France, but you probably haven’t heard of it unless you follow bicycle racing as closely as Europeans do. Nissan hopes to pique our interest with an assist from NBC Sports, which will broadcast it live.

The eight-stage, 750-mile road race started this week, and concludes in Los Angeles on the May 20 following stops in 40 cities. It’s not for the faint of heart, as it snakes along parts of the Pacific Coast Highway, across mountains and along city streets, with riders powering through the drizzling, cold breaks in the otherwise balmy weather. Some 15,000 people reportedly turned out for the end of Stage Three yesterday in Livermore, Calif. (Peter Sagan with team Liquigas-Cannondale took that one.)

Nissan is in its third year as official automotive sponsor of the race (having replaced Volvo) and will own that title through 2014. The Japanese automaker has brand activity at each stage and is furnishing 40 vehicles for the providers of lead, operations and medical services, as well as VIP cars that are part of the official race entourage leading and following the riders’ peloton.

Jay Schaffer, Nissan North America’s promotions manager, says the race is the first event outside one of the various auto shows to feature the redesigned 2013 Altima sedan. “We are putting lots of activation onsite,” he says, noting that the new Altima is serving as pace car for the race. Also featured are the all-electric Leaf, and the Murano convertible, serving as team medical vehicle. (www.mediapost.com)
Schwinn Celebrates Lifetime Of Riding

Two years after moving away from a broadcast-based marketing plan, Schwinn is looking to reach consumers through the Internet.

The effort, created by Minneapolis agency Colle + McVoy, includes a pre-roll video that looks to encompass the company’s 116-year history (as well as its relationship to bikers of all ages) in one minute.

The video begins with a young boy riding a Schwinn through his yard. The scene then cuts to the boy, older now, riding his bike with his friends, stealing glances at a pretty girl riding along with him. The boy is then seen as a young adult riding with the girl, then as a slightly older adult with the sign, “Just Married” hanging off his bike. The commercial ends with the husband and wife following their young son on his first Schwinn. ”Life’s a ride,” says a voiceover. “Enjoy it on a Schwinn.”

“The payoff kind of sums it up,” Mike Caguin, chief creative officer at the agency, tells Marketing Daily. “Some of your best memories happen on a bicycle. What kind of bicycle do you want to have them on? It’s a Schwinn.” (www.mediapost.com)

Twitter and ESPN Plan Branded Campaigns Around TV Sports

Twitter is looking to cash in on the sky-high volume of tweets about sports on TV, launching a partnership with ESPN to create custom campaigns for brands around events like the World Series and the Super Bowl.

The two companies are announcing the first program, called GameFace, at ESPN’s upfront Tuesday morning. GameFace will center around the NBA Finals and be promoted on Twitter with the #GameFace hashtag. The social-TV dimension calls for the hashtag and program to be promoted on-screen during ABC’s live broadcasts of the NBA Finals, as well as on ESPN’s “NBA Tonight” show.

The goal of this initial campaign is to get fans to tweet photos of their best “game face” accompanied by the dedicated hashtag. At the end of each game of the finals, “NBA Tonight” studio analysts will display some of the top contest photographs on air. Some photos will also get exposure at ESPN.com/NBA.

Twitter and ESPN will be co-selling the campaign — which includes promoted tweets and trends, as well as plugs on ESPN, ABC and ESPN.com — as a single package for each potential sponsor. It’s the first time Twitter has collaborated with a TV network to build custom sponsorship packages around major events. (www.adage.com)

Pernod Ricard Plans New Cuban Rum

Liquor giant Pernod Ricard today said it will launch a Cuban-made rum called “Havanista” in the States — if the U.S. government ever lifts its Cuban embargo.

What sounds like some serious advance planning is actually Plan B in a long-running trademark battle over the company’s Cuban-made Havana Club brand, which is sold in more than 120 markets. Even though the rum is not allowed in the U.S., Pernod has sought to renew the trademark rights here, but has run into regulatory hurdles. A major blow came today when the U.S. Supreme Court declined to review a lower-court opinion denying the renewal.

Competitor Bacardi also sells a brand called Havana Club in Florida, but it is made in Puerto Rico. Bacardi obtained the U.S. trademark rights to the name in 1997, purchasing them from Jose Arechabala International, the creator of the brand, according to Bacardi.

Pernod Ricard’s Havana Club is the product of a joint venture between Pernod and Cuba Ron, a Cuban state-owned company. The U.S. trademark issue involves a law called Section 211, which bars the registration or renewal of trademarks confiscated by the Cuban government. (www.adage.com)

Ford Plans to Take ‘Go Further’ Global

Ford Motor Co. plans to convert buzz from a 60-second TV spot in which the Ford name is neither shown nor mentioned into a global marketing campaign to capture consideration from untapped audiences.

“Go Further” will replace “Drive One” and, in Europe, “Feel the Difference,” as Ford pursues a strategy to change consumers’ “preconceived notions” about the brand and its reputation for quality, said Jim Farley, group VP-global marketing, sales and service, during a press conference Monday at the company’s headquarters in Dearborn, Mich.

“We’re not trying to tell people what the brand will be, we’re just documenting what the company already is,” Mr. Farley said about the video, which launched two weeks ago. It was created by Ford’s agency, Team Detroit. (www.adage.com)

Jay-Z Strikes Deal With Budweiser to Stage Annual Concert

Budweiser is reviving its annual tradition via a partnership with hip-hop mogul Jay-Z, who has agreed to curate and headline a summer music festival in Philadelphia, “Made in America.”

The move is a bid to breathe new life into Budweiser Superfest, which between 1979 and 1999 was known for featuring some of the biggest names in music, including Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder and Michael Jackson. Budweiser tried to bring the festival back recently — last year’s show featured songstress Jill Scott — but it didn’t reach the series didn’t seem to match its former glory.

Rebranding the event “Made in America” is a play on words: It underscores the Anheuser-Busch brand’s American heritage, as well as a song featured on Jay-Z’s 2011 album with Kanye West, Watch the Throne.

Company execs say this is part of an effort to target a younger, more multicultural demographic. (www.adage.com)

Financial-Services Firms Crowd Into Olympic Field

Financial-services companies are gearing up to be big players in the 2012 London Summer Olympics. But with companies such as Citigroup, TD Ameritrade and Visa competing for consumers’ attention, who will stand out?

Citi, the retail-banking sponsor and a first-time U.S. Olympic Committee sponsor, is clearly putting heft behind its “Every Step of the Way” campaign. Breaking May 14, the effort is billed as the largest and most cohesive U.S. sponsorship in the company’s history.

Citi declined to elaborate on outlays, but executives with knowledge of the deal said the company will spend almost $10 million over the course of the three-month campaign. That’s in addition to the $10 million to $15 million it shelled out to become a USOC sponsor for a four-year cycle.

“There’s no question we have to differentiate,” said Dermot Boden, Citi’s chief brand officer. (www.adage.com)

AmEx Adds Personalized Offers to iPhone App

Last year Facebook shuttered its deals business in an apparent forfeit of the market to Groupon among others. But since closing its first day of trading at $26.11 per share, Groupon’s stock has plummeted to $9.90 as of Friday’s close. And the rest of daily deal industry hasn’t fared any better; 798 deal sites didn’t survive the second half of 2011, according to Fast Company. So why is American Express doubling down on its deals business?

“Our goal is not to bombard customers but to give them relevant offers so that you’ll use the offer,” said Ed Gilligan, vice chairman of American Express. “It’ll be meaningful to you, and the merchants will see more business as a result.”

All daily deal providers claim, or at least should claim, to surface relevant offers for consumers, but AmEx’s cardmember data gives the company a leg up. “We know a lot about our cardmembers. We know who they are, where they spend. In effect what we have is a spend graph,” Gilligan said, likening the spend graph to Facebook’s social graph and Foursquare’s location graph. (www.adweek.com)

Burger King And USA Basketball Team Up And Score A New National Promotion

Burger King Corp. and USA Basketball today announced a new marketing partnership that will make Burger King the Official Quick Service Restaurant Partner of USA Basketball.

As part of this partnership Burger King will introduce commemorative cups that celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the USA Basketball Dream Team, available with the purchase of any large drink. This cup series will highlight four of USA Basketball’s memorable teams over the last two decades, including the 1992 Dream Team, and the teams from 1996, 2000, 2008, along with this year’s 2012 USA Basketball team. Each of the cups will feature the unique jersey designs from one of the teams as part of the five cup series.

Burger King and USA Basketball will also engage and empower fans through the “Your Team. Your Voice.” campaign. This initiative will give fans a chance to actively participate in and influence a variety of elements during USA Basketball’s summer exhibition tour. Through digital activations, fans will select which jersey the team will wear during its exhibition game in Las Vegas on July 12, guess which twelve players will make the final team, and a number of other fan interactive elements.

“We know the passion that America has for USA Basketball and are excited to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the Dream Team,” said Alex Macedo, Senior Vice President, North America Marketing, Burger King Corp. “We hope everyone in America gets into the game and get to see all five cups at Burger King restaurants.” (www.sponsorship.com)

Bank of the West Sponsors Southern California’s Most Famous Smooth Jazz Festival

Bank of the West is proud to be the presenting sponsor for the Hyatt Regency Newport Beach Jazz Festival, to be held May 18 -20 in Newport Beach.

More than 25 smooth-jazz artists will perform during the three-day event, including three-time Grammy-nominated artist Boney James. The festival attracts over 10,000 music fans, making this venue one of the premier smooth jazz festivals in Southern California.

“Bank of the West has a strong tradition of supporting the music and the arts, as well as education, cultural and sporting events in the communities we serve,” said Rick Davis, Bank of the West’s Southern California Division executive. “This sponsorship is just one way of thanking thousands of customers while also supporting the Southern California music scene that contributes to our vibrant community.” (www.sponsorship.com)

Activision Reaches Back to Rev Up

Activision Blizzard Inc., the world’s biggest videogame maker by market capitalization, is banking its future on games that go back more than a decade.

As it attempts to rev up growth, Activision Blizzard has reached into its game vault and dusted off old titles. On Tuesday, the Santa Monica, Calif., company will debut the latest result of that strategy: “Diablo III,” a new version of the dungeon exploration game that last came out in 2000.

“Diablo III” is just one of the game franchises that Activision Blizzard has revived and is now riding. (www.wsj.com)

ESPN Doubles Up on ’30 for 30’ Documentary Series

ESPN’s faith in sports documentaries is so deep that on Tuesday it will announce a second go-round for its “30 for 30” series, which made its debut in the fall of 2009.

The first 30 films — produced by independent filmmakers as diverse as Albert Maysles, Barry Levinson and Ice Cube — were meant to celebrate ESPN’s 30th anniversary over a 15-month period. But the network, which began in 1979 and is now owned by Disney, grew so enamored of documentaries that it kept making them under the ESPN Films banner before agreeing to introduce a new “30 for 30.”

“When we embarked on ’30 for 30,’ we always wondered if there would be 30 good stories,” said Connor Schell, vice president and executive producer of ESPN Films. “Now, I think all of us in this group believe that there is an infinite number of stories.”

There are new dimensions to the series, which will return this fall and span two years. The documentaries are being integrated with Grantland.com, the ESPN sports-culture journalism Web site whose editor in chief is Bill Simmons, the popular ESPN columnist and podcaster. Mr. Simmons prodded ESPN to produce “30 for 30,” and is an executive producer. (www.nytimes.com)

Amstel Light Urges Consumers To ‘Savor Complexity’

Amstel Light’s new ad campaign, “Savor Complexity,” highlights the complexities of simple items.

Consumers are encouraged to consider and appreciate things such as the burger, pigeon, dartboard, umbrella and ping pong.

The effort aims to position the brand in a different light by celebrating the unique complexities of both the brand and target consumer, said Belen Pamukoff, brand director, Amstel Light.

“This campaign showcases the overall versatility of our product and its relevance to their lives,” Pamukoff said in a release. (www.mediapost.com)
Allrecipes.com Launches OOH ‘Dinner’ Campaign

The latest trend in mobile marketing aims to help busy commuters get their meal planning and shopping done while they hurry to and from work, using mobile QR codes and billboards displaying enticing food items.

In the most recent version, AllRecipes.com is plastering high-traffic commuter hubs in downtown Los Angeles with out-of-home ads showing the most popular local food items (the most searched-for recipes), alongside QR codes. They lead users to the relevant recipes, allowing them to create a shopping list that can be accessed at the store via smartphone or using the AllRecipes.com Dinner Spinner app.

The “Fix Dinner” campaign — AllRecipes.com’s first venture into out-of-home advertising — includes an eye-catching “station domination” at the 7th St./Metro Center Station. The LACMTA rapid transit system, for which 7th St./Metro Center is a main hub, carries about 350,000 passengers on an average weekday. (www.mediapost.com)
Target’s Little Shop Of Surprises

Just as it’s rolling out its first phase of The Shops at Target, the retailer has unveiled the lineup up for its next round of specialty stores-within-its-stores: This fall, it will introduce four boutiques — New York’s Kirna Zabete and Odin, San Francisco’s The Curiosity Shoppe and Boston’s PATCH NYC — for a limited engagement at all its stores.

Currently, Target shoppers are browsing the store’s inaugural specialty shops, which rolled out last week. Those include The Candy Store, Cos Bar, Polka Dog Bakery, Privet House and The Webster.

In each case, the Minneapolis-based retailer works with the shop owners to “co-create” exclusive apparel, home collections or treats, and is part of the company’s efforts to remind shoppers that it’s not just a discounter, but a chic and quirky one, as well.

“There are fewer and fewer places that have this treasure hunt mentality, where shoppers can browse through the unexpected and still stay within budget,” says Katie Geraty, VP/director of insights and strategy for the Integer Group, tells Marketing Daily. “Like Costco, Target is masterful at sourcing new merchandise and finding new relationships and that creates a sense of urgency.” (www.mediapost.com)

New Charlie Sheen Series Safe to Sponsor, FX Tells Advertisers

With Mr. Sheen starring in the cable outlet’s new “Anger Management” sitcom — and a potential multi-year deal in the balance — executives at the News Corp. network have been out in force telling advertisers that the actor is safe to sponsor.

“You know what everyone has in the back of their mind,” said Michael Brochstein, senior VP-ad sales at FX Networks. “Who am I seeing? Am I seeing ‘Two and A Half Men’ comedy, or am I seeing the Charlie Sheen who is a little bit out there? We dealt with it head-on.”

Fiat, whose commercials feature Mr. Sheen, has already signed on to be a season-long sponsor of the show, which debuts June 28.

“Anger Management” extends FX’s investment in the Charlie Sheen business. Repeats of “Two and a Half Men,” his previous roost, fill a good portion of the network’s schedule. And “Anger Management,” a sitcom featuring Mr. Sheen as a one-time baseball hopeful who must learn to tone down his temper after he sabotages his sports career, would extend the network’s dependence on the actor’s ability to draw a broad audience. (www.adage.com)

Pepsi Max and Cadbury First to Use Shazam in U.K.

Pepsi Max and Cadbury will be the first U.K. brands to run Shazam-enabled TV advertising when they appear during this Saturday’s finale of Simon Cowell’s “Britain’s Got Talent.”

The two have signed up to bring extra content and giveaways to viewers during the live finale of the series, which has been attracting an average of 10 million viewers.

Last month, ITV signed an exclusive deal with Shazam, a U.K.-based company that became a popular music-identification app and now sells itself as a “media discovery company” through which users can share music, TV shows and other media.

Pepsi Max is showing a “Crowd Surfing” spot that features a group of famous soccer stars storming an outdoor music festival. Pepsi will give away festival tickets, merchandise and screen savers to Shazam users who follow an on-screen prompt and use their Shazam app to tag the commercial. It will also link to iTunes, so fans can download the ad’s soundtrack, “Let’s Go,” by Calvin Harris and featuring Ne-Yo. (www.adage.com)

Quiznos Launches First Campaign Since 2010

Quiznos has had a rough couple years, facing store closings, plummeting sales and coming close to bankruptcy, which it managed to stave off after a financial restructuring that resulted in new ownership by Avenue Capital Group in January.

But the chain has growth plans for 2012, which include its first major campaign in nearly two years. The campaign introduces a new tagline, “Qrave Quiznos” — created by its lead creative agency, indie Barkley in Kansas City, Mo. Barkley began working with Quiznos in December, creating product ads earlier this year for limited-time offers such as the chain’s lobster sub.

The new campaign will support the rollout of the chain’s 25 new menu items — which includes wraps, salads and flatbreads — announced Wednesday, and is an effort to rebuild awareness and boost sales after a comparatively dormant marketing phase.

Last year the chain’s systemwide sales tanked 19.2%, and the number of units dropped 11.8%, according to Technomic. Its measured-media spending sunk accordingly, spending a total of $12.5 million in 2011, down from $35 million in 2010 and $54.7 million in 2009. It’s the third-largest sandwich chain in the U.S. by sales, trailing No. 1 Subway and No. 2 Arby’s, according to Technomic. (www.adage.com)

Johnson & Johnson Supports Values-Based Educational Programs Through Sponsorship Of The First Tee

The First Tee, a nonprofit youth development organization that helps young people develop character and learn life skills through golf, plans to greatly expand the capacity of its programs and deepen its impact on young people through a new Johnson & Johnson sponsorship. The sponsorship helps accelerate The First Tee’s stated goal of reaching 10 million more young people by 2017, and continues a long-standing commitment to children by Johnson & Johnson. The company plans to become the inaugural Legacy Partner of The First Tee.

The announcement was made today at THE PLAYERS Championship by Joe Louis Barrow, Jr., chief executive of The First Tee, Tim Finchem, commissioner of the PGA TOUR and chair of The First Tee Board of Directors, and Michael Sneed, vice president, Global Corporate Affairs, Johnson & Johnson.

“At this time, one in four public high school students do not graduate on time in the United States,” said Barrow. “The First Tee is providing young people the opportunity to learn life skills and build character to help them be successful in school and in life. We are appreciative that Johnson & Johnson chose to sponsor The First Tee as we carry out our ambitious efforts to reach 10 million additional young people over the coming years.”

“Johnson & Johnson and The First Tee share a common commitment to developing lifelong values in today’s youth,” said Sneed. “The First Tee is already positively impacting the lives of millions of young people through its efforts in communities and schools across the country and in select international locations. Our goal with this contribution is to help significantly expand its reach and impact.” (www.sponsorship.com)

2012 Long Beach International City Bank Marathon Announces Volkswagen As Official Automotive Partner & Sponsor Of The Volkswagen 26.2 Bike Tour

The Long Beach International City Bank Marathon & Half Marathon today announced that Volkswagen of American has signed as the Official Automotive Partner of Southern California’s premier fall marathon event held Oct. 5 to 7, 2012.

Approximately 25,000 runners and cyclists are expected to participate in the full marathon, half marathon, 26.2 Bike Tour and Run Forrest Run 5K on Sunday, Oct. 7, 2012 along with 2,000 children taking part in The Aquarium of the Pacific Kids One-Mile Fun Run on Saturday, Oct. 6. An estimated 50,000 people attend the two-day Health and Fitness Expo while an additional 50,000 attend the Finish Line Festival. The event has raised and donated over $3.5 million to its official charities since 2005. For information on the Marathon events, please visit www.runlongbeach.com.

The two-year agreement with Volkswagen includes sponsorship of the Volkswagen 26.2 Bike Tour, a major interactive display in the two-day Health and Fitness Expo and a large Fan Festival at the Finish Line. Volkswagen will also showcase their global “Think Blue” sustainability campaign, an initiative to promote eco-friendly mobility and progressive ideas for responsible action in everyday life.

“Volkswagen is proud to align with a world-class endurance event whose commitment to sustainability mirrors our own,” said Jonathan Browning, President and CEO of Volkswagen Group of America. “Through this partnership, we look forward to both supporting those with a passion for active lifestyles and advancing our ‘Think Blue’ philosophy. We are excited to join with Run Racing and the City of Long Beach to offer consumers unique sustainability experiences that not only showcase Volkswagen’s fuel-efficient product range and innovative manufacturing practices, but also promote individual action to support eco-friendly behavior.” (www.sponsorship.com)

Zap! New DVR Wipes Out Ads

Commercial-free prime-time shows—the Holy Grail of TV watchers—has come to Dish Network Corp.

And it’s likely to wreak holy havoc.

On Thursday, the satellite-TV operator began offering its customers a DVR feature that allows viewers to completely avoid commercials—rather than just fast-forward through ads, as the old model digital-video recorders do.

The new “Auto Hop” feature comes on a DVR dubbed the “Hopper,” a device that has been available to subscribers since March. With Auto Hop, viewers see a black screen momentarily where the ads were broadcast, or a glimpse of the first frame of the first commercial. Then the show resumes. Consumers merely have to click an on-screen Auto Hop button before a show to enable the feature. (www.wsj.com)

Mixing Ads and Comedy Shorts Online for TBS

IT may not be a bad idea to begin this article the way a comedian might: A funny thing happened to TBS on the way to the upfront.

TBS, the cable channel that bills itself as the home of “very funny” programming, is teaming with the actors Will Arnett and Jason Bateman and DumbDumb, their company that creates humorous Web video clips for brands like Denny’s, Old Navy and Orbit gum.

DumbDumb and TBS will offer marketers a chance to run sponsored comedy videos on the TBS Web site, tbs.com. The marketers will also be able to run the videos in digital domains like their own Web sites, Facebook fan pages and YouTube channels.

Initially, DumbDumb will produce up to six comedic digital shorts, each from three to five minutes long. The sponsored videos will be promoted on TBS during shows like “Conan,” “The Big Bang Theory” and “Family Guy,” as viewers are invited to watch them online. (www.nytimes.com)

Virgin Airlines Team For Campaign

Virgin America, Virgin Atlantic and Virgin Australia are teaming up for the first time to debut a joint campaign.

The entertainment, digital and out-of-home advertising aims to convey the unique Virgin in-flight experience in the Los Angeles market and mark the airlines’ global frequent flyer partnership. The campaign creative was developed by San Francisco-based agency Eleven and Virgin Produced (the entertainment arm of the Virgin Group.)

The centerpiece is a short film, which was shot in 20 hours, across three continents and on three commercial flights while at 35,000 feet. “Departure Date” was written and directed by writer and director Kat Coiro and stars Ben Feldman (“Mad Men”), Nicky Whelan (“Hall Pass”), Philip Baker Hall, Luis Guzman, Janeane Garofalo and Max Brown.

The scenes were shot in both Virgin America’s first-class and main cabin, Virgin Atlantic’s upper class cabin, economy cabin and onboard bar and Virgin Australia’s international business cabin, which featured the sit-down bar, ladies-only bathroom and exclusive row five. (www.mediapost.com)

Wendy’s Gives W Cheeseburger an F, Pulls Plug on Promotion

Wendy’s is no longer going to promote its W cheeseburger nationally.

The W, introduced late last year, was intended to be a midtier burger (originally $2.99 and later raised to $3.19) that would boost profit and sales, priced between the 99-cent menu and the more premium Dave’s Hot ‘N Juicy burger. Stephen Hare, Wendy’s chief financial officer, said during its first-quarter conference call Tuesday that the W burger had not achieved the desired results.

The W was meant to get customers who use the 99-cent menu to trade up, but Wendy’s saw the opposite effect, with customers who typically bought the more expensive burgers trading down.

Wendy’s is no longer going to promote its W cheeseburger nationally.

The W, introduced late last year, was intended to be a midtier burger (originally $2.99 and later raised to $3.19) that would boost profit and sales, priced between the 99-cent menu and the more premium Dave’s Hot ‘N Juicy burger. Stephen Hare, Wendy’s chief financial officer, said during its first-quarter conference call Tuesday that the W burger had not achieved the desired results.

The W was meant to get customers who use the 99-cent menu to trade up, but Wendy’s saw the opposite effect, with customers who typically bought the more expensive burgers trading down. (www.adage.com)

The travel site’s new anthem urges you to actually take those vacation days already

Don’t worry gents: Orbitz thinks you look great in that skirt.

Along with its website redesign, the online travel agency is out with a new campaign encouraging all Americans to “Take vacation back”—by actually using all those days off you’ve earned grinding away at your jobs with single-minded puritanical devotion. Created by BBDO New York, the central spot marks a new positioning for the brand, shedding the old, fast-talking, slapstick sales pitch pushing its intimate knowledge of hotels for an rallying anthem urging more time in the sun—by the pool, on the golf course—or shacked up with your sweetheart in your luxe suite.

Flipping from one vacation-scape to the next, the ad features a demographic range of travelers offering zippy quips to make the brand’s case: “We the people will take our vacation days. All of them,” says the collective voiceover. “We will wear sarongs, and look so right,” says the paunchy middle-aged guy, standing, hands mock-defiantly on hips, against a tropical backdrop. “We will honeymoon like rabbits,” a grinning newlywed assures the camera, from under the covers. And so forth.

It’s a fun approach for the brand, rooted in a smart insight—only 57 percent of U.S. workers actually use all their vacation time, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll—that’s likely to resonate with the people who do need to get away more. The brand also manages to work in its mobile app (roughly 9 percent of the brands hotel transactions in Q1 were on mobile devices) without making the cameo too awkward. Another notable detail: The logo on the golfer’s cap is for the Human Rights Campaign—a reference, passing as it is, in keeping with the brand’s history of support for LGBT rights. (www.adweek.com)

Disney Gets Boost From Cable

Walt Disney Co. posted a 21% rise in its fiscal second-quarter profit thanks to strong performances at its theme parks and cable-television channels, and said it would make a sequel to superhero action film “The Avengers” as it looks to dig out from the costly flop “John Carter.”

Net income for the three months ending March 31 rose to $1.14 billion, or 63 cents a share, from $942 million, or 49 cents a share, a year earlier. Revenue increased 6.1% to $9.63 billion. (www.wsj.com)

Clear Hair Products Enter a Cluttered Market

WHITE RAIN. Halo. Breck. Drene. Prell. Agree. Hälsa. Lustre-Creme. Gee, Your Hair Smells Terrific. Vidal Sassoon. Flex. There are enough discontinued, forgotten, moribund or also-ran hair-care brands to make marketers want to, well, pull out their hair.

But that is not deterring Unilever, the consumer products giant. Unilever, which sells hair-care products under names like Dove, Finesse, Nexxus, Suave, TRESemmé and VO5, is introducing another hair-care brand in the United States.

The brand, called Clear Scalp & Hair Beauty Therapy, is already sold in 42 countries. Unilever plans to spend $250 million in the next two years to advertise, market and promote to American consumers 21 varieties of Clear shampoos and conditioners in three lines, aimed at women, men and African-American women.

The campaign, which starts this month, includes elements like online video clips and social media. There are three Facebook fan pages, one for each line, and a Twitter feed. There will also be television, print and online ads, as well as events in stores, samplings and a public relations effort. (www.nytimes.com)

Amazon Leaps Into High End of the Fashion Pool

Amazon is so serious about its next big thing that it hired three women to do nothing but try on size 8 shoes for its Web reviews. Full time.

The online retailer is shooting 3,000 fashion images a day in a photo studio using patent-pending technology.

And it is happily losing hundreds of millions of dollars a year on free shipping — and, on apparel, even free returns — to keep its shoppers coming back.

Having wounded the publishing industry, slashed pricing in electronics and made the toy industry quiver, Amazon is taking on the high-end clothing business in its typical way: go big and spare no expense. (www.nytimes.com)

MLL All-Star game seals Moe’s as presenting partner

‘Fast-casual’ restaurant chain Moe’s Southwest Grill has signed a deal with Major League Lacrosse (MLL) that will see it become the presenting sponsor of the 2012 MLL All-Star game.

The game, to be held in FAU Stadium in Florida, will be held on 30th June this year.

As presenting sponsor, Moe’s will be entitled to logo placement on team uniforms, field signage boards, video board advertisements and in-stadium banners.

Moe’s is planning to activate the deal with in-store promotions in its local Florida franchises and at the MLL Fan Zone on the day of the game.

“We are excited to partner with Moe’s Southwest Grill for the 2012 MLL All-Star game,” said MLL commissioner David Gross. “Moe’s is getting behind the sport of lacrosse and lacrosse fans have always been supportive of those brands that are helping to grow the game.”

“As lacrosse continues to build momentum across the nation, we at Moe’s want to be there to support the passionate, hardworking community that is making that happen,” said Paul Macaluso, vice president of marketing for Moe’s Southwest Grill. “We can’t wait to be a part of the fun and excitement of the All-Star game.” (www.sportspromedia.com)

Audi Focuses On Digital For Halo Vehicles

Audi of America this year is focusing marketing efforts less on high-volume cars like A4 and A5 and more on lower-volume vehicles like the Allroad, which the automaker brought back to the U.S. this year after a long hiatus.

In this second segment of a two-part interview, Scott Keogh, VP of marketing at the Herndon, Va.-based U.S. division of Audi, says high profitability and high demand for its vehicles means the company can focus more on the premium end of the spectrum and on lower volume “halo” vehicles that build the brand. That works fine because dealers are doing some of the marketing on volume cars and Audi can leverage targeted digital and events to focus on the more rarefied vehicles like Allroad, and R8, and the S performance sub brand.

Q: Is social media important for Audi, especially with halo vehicles?

A: Even with what we’ve done already, I think we can do even more with social media. The truth of the matter is we are a small brand and social media allows us to act like a giant, which we love. It’s not about getting your checkbook out and spending $400 million. It’s about can you be faster and smarter and engage people in a way they care about.

Q: What are some examples of what has worked for you on social?

A: We did this cool thing with the R8 (roadster), which is a classic example. The social media team literally came into the office one day explaining that a woman with the hashtag “I want an R8″ had been tweeting various things about the car. She seemed to have a decent Klout score, and a decent following. We checked it out a bit and said, “okay, let’s bring her a car.” We showed up at her house with a product specialist and an R8, and we filmed it. We gave her the R8 for the weekend. And that led to a campaign where other people could request an R8. And it crossed over into the celebrity world: Serena Williams tweeted about it; so did Miles Austin, wide receiver for the Redskins, where our headquarters are. (www.mediapost.com)
7UP Courts Hispanics With Soccer

7UP has formed a deal with Alianza de Futbol, the premier Hispanic U.S. soccer-scouting program. A major component of the deal is 7UP’s launch of the Sueño Alianza soccer tryout series designed to give up-and-coming soccer players the chance to fulfill their dreams of playing collegiate or professional soccer. (www.mediapost.com)
McDonald’s Launches Healthy Fizz In UK

McDonald’s is stepping up efforts to dispel perceptions that it sells unhealthy food and drink with the introduction of a fizzy fruit drink in the UK that it will promote as containing one of a child’s five fruit and vegetable portions a day. Fruitizz is a 60%-fruit juice drink that the fast-food chain claims “delivers nutritional benefit as well as an exciting taste.” It combines raspberry, grape and apple juice with natural sparkling water and contains no added sugar or artificial colorings or flavorings. (www.mediapost.com)
Vitamin Shoppe Profit Surges

Vitamin Shoppe reported Tuesday that net income for the quarter ended March 31 rose to $18.3 million, from $11.6 million in the same period last year. Sales rose 14.4% to $248.1 million, boosted by a strong 9.6% rise in same-store sales. E-commerce sales rose 15.5% in the quarter. The vitamin retailer said it plans to open 52 new stores in fiscal 2012. (www.mediapost.com)
HP Refreshes Pavilion Line

HP has launched six new Ultrabooks. And in the works are notebooks Hewlett-Packard will launch for college kids during back-to-school season. The company has redesigned its Pavilion DV series, as well as its entry-level G laptops. New is the Pavilion M6, a 15-inch computer for the thin-and-light market. (www.mediapost.com)
Mike’s Launches Multimillion-Dollar Effort

Mike’s Hard Lemonade is launching a multimillion-dollar campaign May 9 including a unique partnership with LivingSocial.

The effort, themed “Do Summer Different,” includes TV, digital, mobile and social media, as well as promotional and point-of-sale materials. TV spots continue the tagline: “Always Different, Always Refreshing.”

The “breakthrough experiential partnership” with LivingSocial gives the company “a great retail platform to excite consumers at the point of purchase and places Mike’s at events,” said Andy Horrow, chief marketing officer of Chicago-based Mike’s Hard Lemonade.

“What I love about this partnership with LivingSocial is that it combines real life and social media in a very meaningful way for Mike’s consumers,” Horrow tells Marketing Daily.” (www.mediapost.com)

Pepsi Tackles Identity Crisis

Few people would suspect that what’s inside an unmarked building some 30 miles north of New York could change the way consumers view a soda brand, even the entire cola category. But that’s what Pepsi’s ambitious, high-energy marketers are promising.

This unassuming office park houses the Beverage Lab, and inside are the results of months of intense research. Pepsi execs have been working to chart a new course for a brand that has endured an embarrassing slip to the No. 3 soda, just behind Diet Coke.

Over several weeks early this year, Brad Jakeman, president-global enjoyment and chief creative officer, has walked key Pepsi constituents around the lab, talking about ideas and showing off mock-ups of new vending and fountain machines, samples of licensed products and new marketing concepts. It’s a world where Pepsi specifically — and the cola category generally — is cool again.

He insists it’s not a pipe dream, despite the facts: Blue-can Pepsi had slides of 0.3% in market share and 4.8% in volume last year, and the carbonated-soft-drink category has been declining for seven straight years, according to Beverage Digest. (www.adage.com)

Why Vigor Chose To Title Sponsor The Seattle Maritime Festival: “Industrial Jobs Matter”

Vigor Industrial jumped at the chance to be title sponsor of the 2012 Seattle Maritime Festival.

The Vigor Seattle Maritime Festival 2012 May 8-12 is an entertaining, delicious and potentially career-launching opportunity to learn more about the multi-billion-dollar maritime industry on the Seattle waterfront. Who is Vigor Industrial, and why would they do this?

“These industrial jobs matter,” said Frank Foti, president and chief executive officer of Vigor Industrial. “We are Vigor as in vigorous, and when the opportunity presented itself we vigorously pursued it, because we are proud of this great industry, want more people to know about it and believe it has a great future.”

Vigor currently has about 927 Seattle-area employees. (www.sponsorship.com)

Esurance Announces Sixth Year Of Sponsorship For Sasquatch! Music Festival And “Sasquatch In Style” Sweepstakes

Esurance, the direct-to-consumer personal car insurance company, has announced that it will be the presenting sponsor of Sasquatch! Music Festival 2012, May 25-28.

The “Sasquatch in Style” sweepstakes has just launched, offering one lucky winner the chance to win tickets, cash, space on the Esurance shuttle, and a fully stocked campsite simply by “liking” Esurance on Facebook and then entering the sweeps.

This is the sixth year in a row that Esurance has sponsored this important music festival, which has taken place every Memorial Day weekend since 2002 at The Gorge Amphitheatre in George, Washington.

As a green sponsor of Sasquatch! since 2007, Esurance also has a history of helping make this a planet-friendly festival. Over the past two years, Sasquatch! festival goers have logged 188,593 miles in 576 rides via Esurance’s partnership with Zimride, the carpooling community website. (www.sponsorship.com)

Crunch Fitness Named Presenting Partner Of The Brooklyn Nets All-New Dance Team

Crunch Fitness has been named as a Brooklyn Nets partner and presenting sponsor of the all-new dance team. Crunch, known for creating world-renowned programming including cutting edge dance fitness classes, has 39 locations worldwide, including two locations in the heart of Brooklyn. This is the health club chain’s first major alliance with a professional sports team.

Upon the start of the 2012-13 NBA season, monthly hip-hop classes will be taught by the new Nets dance team at Crunch locations throughout the New York metropolitan area. In addition, a Brooklyn Nets player and trainer will be teaming up with a Crunch expert personal trainer to give fitness tips that will be featured on brooklynnets.com.

“The Brooklyn Nets and Crunch are all about health and wellness, making this alignment a perfect fit,” said Chris Brahe, Senior Vice President of Partnership Sales and Marketing for the Brooklyn Nets. “By partnering with Crunch, we will be able to provide our fans with great health tips and utilize our dancers to help keep Brooklyn healthy.”

“Crunch’s No Judgments philosophy and long legacy of fusing fitness with entertainment makes the opportunity to partner with the Brooklyn Nets a true honor,” said Keith Worts, President, Crunch. “Crunch and the Brooklyn Nets are dedicated to creating a fit and fun environment for our members and the entire Brooklyn community.” (www.sponsorship.com)

Yodel Sponsors The Tour of Britain

Yodel, the UK’s leading parcel delivery company, today announces that it will continue its sponsorship of The Tour of Britain, confirming that it will remain the official logistics partner and sprints sponsor of the country’s biggest professional cycle race and largest free-to-watch sporting event in 2012.

The Tour, which starts on Sunday 9th September, will see the world’s top cyclists taking part in eight challenging stages throughout England, Scotland and Wales, before the thrilling final, this year hosted by Surrey on Sunday 16th September.

This is the third year that Yodel has been involved with the world class event, and the second as a lead sponsor. The partnership deal between Yodel and The Tour of Britain will see The Tour’s sprints competition branded as the Yodel Sprints Competition, with three ‘hot spot’ Yodel Sprints taking place on each stage of the 2012 race.

As part of the sponsorship deal, Yodel will also become Official Logistics Partner to The Halfords Tour Series, an eleven round city centre cycling race series, which brings unique and exciting televised professional team racing to towns and cities across Britain during May and June. (www.sponsorship.com)

Subaru Announces PUMA As New Team Sponsor For Three-car Global RallyCross Championship Program

Subaru of America, Inc. has announced the official sponsorship of sportslifestyle brand PUMA for the Subaru PUMA RallyCross Team. As part of the multi-year sponsorship agreement with Subaru, PUMA becomes the official supplier of team and racewear and an exclusive licensing partner to the team for footwear and apparel. As part of the team sponsorship PUMA has developed custom graphics for the three Subaru WRX STI program cars.

The Subaru PUMA RallyCross Team is the factory backed rally team for Subaru of America, Inc., managed by Subaru technical partner Vermont SportsCar. The all-star team consists of BMX legend and professional Rally athlete Dave Mirra; Professional skateboarder Bucky Lasek; and three-time European RallyCross champion Sverre Isachsen. The team will be competing in the six-round Global RallyCross Championship (GRC) series.

“I am stoked to have Sverre and Bucky join the team,” said rally veteran Dave Mirra “Sverre has been an unstoppable force in European rallycross and will definitely be an asset to the team with his experience and talent. I have known Bucky for years on the X Games circuit, it is great to see another extreme athlete cross over to rallycross; his enthusiasm for racing and fearlessness should be great to watch.”

Sverre Isachsen, aka The Viking Warrior, has been a motorsports addict his whole life. After competing in local autocross and rallycross events in his native Norway, he set his sights on the European RallyCross Championship. After a strong debut in 2002 he dominated the series and was crowned its champion in 2009, 2010 and 2011. (www.sponsorship.com)

To Keep Viewers Watching, New Ads Come With Varied Endings

IT is not uncommon for marketers seeking to reach different audiences to run different versions of the same commercial, among them spots for Sony Bravia TV sets, meant for men and women, and spots for Orbitz and Levi’s jeans, intended for straight and gay men. Now, along come different versions of the same commercial — but this time each version is aimed at the same audience.

For its big annual marketing push before the summer, the Mike’s Hard Lemonade line of flavored malt beverages is to introduce on Wednesday a series of humorous commercials that begin the same way but then diverge to offer different endings.

The goal is to entertain the target audience of men and women ages 21 to 34 enough to refrain from zapping or zipping through the spots. Younger viewers, in particular, avidly avoid commercials, much to the dismay of marketers and media companies. (www.nytimes.com)

VW brings USA cycling nationals to home of new plant

Volkswagen of America has signed a four-year sponsorship deal with USA Cycling.

As part of the deal, Volkswagen of America will become the title sponsor of the country’s professional road and time trial national championships, which USA Cycling has awarded to Chattanooga, Tennessee for three years from 2013.

A new women’s competition has been set up to run alongside the men’s events in Chattanooga.

Although course details have not yet been finalised, it is believed the time trial course will run near the Volkswagen factory in Chattanooga. (www.sportspromedia.com)

Harley-Davidson Rules Retail

It’s spring, and that means while some people are disrobing to worship the sun, others are donning their riding gear and rolling their motorcycles out of the garage. It also means that people who have always toyed with the idea of buying a first bike, or getting a new one, are heading to motorcycle dealerships to ogle and maybe buy.

Motorcycle prospects, like car shoppers, study the products online before going to retail. But the similarity ends there, says Fran O’Hagan, president and CEO of Pacific Grove, Calif.-based auto market research firm Pied Piper Management Co., LLC.

“In the car industry, unless a dealership is really terrible, how good or bad the dealer is hasn’t got that much to do with how many cars you sell,” he says. “But the same is absolutely not true for motorcycles. For motorcycles, what the dealership does translates directly into how successful they are.” (www.mediapost.com)
Samsung Gaining On Apple In Mobile Market Share

Apple may still be the dominant smartphone brand, but thanks to aggressive marketing and wider availability (particularly in the prepaid sector), Samsung is pulling awfully close in terms of market share, meaning there may be more head-to-head marketing battles between the two brands in the future.

According to the NPD Group, Samsung devices accounted for 24% of the smartphones sold over the first quarter in the U.S., a 140% increase over the previous year’s market share. Apple, which accounted for 29% of the phones sold, increased 7% over the previous year, while models manufactured by LG, HTC, Motorola and RIM all experienced market share declines.

“Samsung has grown to take up a larger and larger percentage of Android handset sales,” Ross Rubin, director of industry analysis at NPD, tells Marketing Daily. “They’ve had very successful launches with the Galaxy S line, and on the back of that the company is becoming more aggressive in developing its own [technology] ecosystem.” (www.mediapost.com)