• Enter YouTube’s latest feature, “target excludes,” launching as part of the site’s Video Targeting Tool, which gives advertisers the choice to exclude as few as one video they don’t want their product associated with as well as specific genres and channels. The feature addresses the most often-criticized aspect of YouTube: You can buy video there, but you never know what you’ll get.
• Other uses for this new feature by advertisers include improving returns by excluding channels or videos that are not relevant to the brand or those that are performing poorly. (www.adage.com)

Clearwire’s New ‘Rover’ Aims to Sign Up Youngsters

• Growing broadband provider Clearwire today is launching a pay-as-you-go 4G internet service, dubbed Rover, backed by an off-the-wall marketing push it hopes will help sign up younger subscribers who don’t want lengthy contracts.
• The move makes the Kirkland, Wash.-based marketer the nation’s first 4G prepaid provider, and is seen as a way to fend off competition from contract providers such as AT&T and Verizon that have reported they will begin offering 4G in select markets by the end of 2010, as well as 3G prepaid carriers such as Virgin and Boost Mobile, which could eventually enter the prepaid-mobile-internet market. (www.adage.com)

Rixty Solves Credit Problem for Virtual Goods

• Founders of virtual-currency company Rixty were working on a virtual world when they ran into a problem: users eager to get into the world but too young or too broke to get a credit card required for the game.
• The way Rixty actually went about it was an ingenious mix of high and low tech. Not only do users not need a credit card, they don’t even need a bank account. Messrs. Sorom and Ferguson have reduced the payment transaction down its lowest-common denominator: pieces of silver. Gamers take coins and insert them into any of 10,000 participating Coinstar machines around the country. In return, they get a 16-digit PIN to enter into practically hundreds of online games managed by a Rixty partner. (www.adage.com)

Charting A Course For Southwest’s Sponsorships

• As the second-largest airline in the U.S., Southwest Airlines Co. has long used sponsorship to demonstrate its community involvement, generate a buzz in new markets and bring excitement to its airport terminal locations. But like other carriers, Southwest’s sponsorship activity over the last few years has felt the impact of overall economic conditions and the subsequent cutbacks by both consumer and business travelers. (www.sponsorship.com)

Amtrak Makes Connections With More Properties

• As with its goal of increasing ridership, Amtrak’s sponsorship philosophy could be summed up in four words: the more, the merrier. That approach applies not only to Amtrak’s growing sponsorship portfolio, but also to an increased focus on including other transportation agencies in its deals. Over the past year Amtrak has signed sponsorships with a handful of college and professional sports teams that are funded in partnership with state transportation departments. (www.sponsorship.com)

At the Game Show Network, Winning Is Everything

• GSN, the game show network, is rolling the dice on all of the above, as it straddles the divide between traditional television and online entertainment.
• GSN, a cable channel that began 16 years ago as a nostalgic warehouse of classic game show reruns, earning its reputation as the “Match Game” network, is jazzing up its image with original, even risqué, programming and showing live segments during which people at home can play for cash and prizes. (Take heart, “Match Game” fans — the late host Gene Rayburn and his panoply of 1970s panelists still live on as GSN staples.)

Koss still launching new products

• This summer, Koss Corp., Milwaukee, quietly introduced earbud headphones with “breakthrough technology,” disc jockey headphones with new technology and studio headphones that update the company’s classic stereophone line.
• All three products are available at Best Buy, the koss.com website and other online outlets. The KEB40 earbuds are $29.99; the PRO DJ 100 headphones, $79.99; and the UR55 studio headphones, $49.99. (www.milwaukee.bizjournals.com)

Best Buy Expands Used Video Game Service

• Gearing up for the coming season of hot new video game titles, Best Buy says it is expanding its video game trade-in service. The program — first announced back in June — is rolling out to 600 Best Buy stores this week, with additional stores to soon follow. It is offering a $20 video game gift card as an incentive. Eventually, the Minneapolis-based chain says, it will also offer pre-owned games for sale.
• The company says the rollout is timed to coincide with some highly anticipated new-product launches, with gamers around the world salivating over such products as Microsoft’s “Halo: Reach for Xbox 360,” currently Amazon’s No. 1 most-craved product, out within weeks. (www.mediapost.com)

Lindt Ads Serve Up Tennis Star Federer

• The new commercial, created for Lindt USA by agency of record Gotham Inc., is Federer’s first ad for Lindt since he became global brand ambassador for Swiss parent Lindt & Sprüngli Group last October.
• The 30-second spot, which is initially airing in a two-week national flight corresponding with the U.S. Open (Aug. 29 – Sept. 12) — which Federer has won five times in the past six years — shows two female airport security agents taste-testing the athlete’s stash of Lindor Truffles and confiscating them for further “investigation” (as well as checking out Federer’s well-toned posterior and considering a strip search). (www.mediapost.com)

Chrysler Pitches Fiat To Its Dealers

• Chrysler Group LLC says it has hosted 400 Chrysler Group dealers to outline the requirements to becoming a Fiat dealer in the United States. The automaker is bringing the Fiat 500 subcompact to the U.S. market later this year.
• Chrysler says the dealers met with the team responsible for establishing a Fiat retail network by the end of this year. The company wants Fiat dealerships in about 165 locations, in metropolitan areas.
• Per the automaker, dealers were given parameters for submitting a competitive proposal for a Fiat franchise. Proposals must be submitted by Sept. 22, with Chrysler Group planning to name Fiat dealers in the fourth quarter. (www.mediapost.com)

Licorice Co. Launches Social Media Campaign

• Red Vines is looking to spread a little goodwill, one licorice strand at a time, with a new social media campaign that encourages people to write enough positive affirmations to circle the globe.
• The campaign, “Red Vines World of Sharing,” plays off the company’s tagline, “The World Could Use a Bit More Red Vines,” encouraging people to write a positive affirmation, which takes the form of a Red Vine candy on a Google Maps-enabled globe. Each strand is intended to represent one mile, meaning it will take 24,000 statements to make it around the world. (The chain starts at the company’s Union City, Calif. plant on the virtual globe.) (www.mediapost.com)

Baby carrots take on junk food with hip marketing campaign

• Just in time for the battle over what’s gonna be in millions of back-to-school lunches, Bolthouse Farms and nearly 50 other carrot growers today will unveil plans for the industry’s first-ever marketing campaign. The $25 million effort sets its sights on a giant, big-spending rival: junk food.
• The $1 billion baby carrot world — hit by the recession following years of growth — is taking on the $18 billion salty snack food industry by trying to beat it at its own hip marketing game. (www.usatoday.com)

YouTube, MLB Deal Streams Video On Demand To Japanese Fans

• YouTube and MLB Advanced Media (MLBAM), the interactive media and Internet arm of Major League Baseball, announced a partnership Monday to offer baseball fans in Japan a way to follow the game.
• Fans in Japan will have an option to watch full-length MLB games on-demand, along with multiple highlight reels of every game from the 2009 and the 2010 seasons on MLB.JP’s YouTube Channel. The ad-supported videos allow fans to watch free of charge, and games from the current season run within 36 hours of completion.
• The channel also will support the library’s best moments, short-form video such as Condensed Games, game replays, and FastCast, a quick recap of every game played on a given day. (www.mediapost.com)

M&M’s and NASCAR Offer One Colorful Fan a Chance to Win $10,000

• Mars Chocolate North America fired up the engines earlier this year for its third annual M&M’s Most Colorful Fans of NASCAR contest. Building on Mars’ status as the official chocolate of association, the contest follows the release of M&M’s social community, which was launched in February at the official website of NASCAR.
• The program, which runs through September 6, encourages fans to enter the contest and showcase their unmatched love for the sport and their favorite teams and drivers by submitting their most colorful racing-themed photos to the dedicated hub. Fans are to cast their vote to help choose weekly winners, as well as three finalists who will vie for the title of the Most Colorful Fan of NASCAR. Participants are to upload a photo that shows off their NASCAR fandom for a chance to win a $10,000 prepaid cash card and a trip to Charlotte to be featured in the NASCAR Hall of Fame® for one year. (www.popsop.com)

Westin Shows Sponsors How It’s Done At US Open

• When Roberta Vinci and Brian Dabul walk out onto Arthur Ashe Stadium tonight to play their first round matches, they’ll be wearing the Westin logo on their shirts.
• It’s a one-match sponsorship deal often referred to as opponent marketing. You see, Vinci, ranked 65th in the world, is playing Venus Williams. Dabul, ranked 96th, is playing Roger Federer. Even if both lose, as expected, Westin gets tremendous television exposure and big bang for their buck.
• It’s one of the many things Starwood’s Westin brand is doing to further connect its property — whose motto just happens to be “Westin serves you better” — to tennis fans. (www.cnbc.com)

Magic signs Geico for founding partner spot at arena

• The Orlando Magic has signed Geico as the fourth founding partner for Amway Center, its new $480 million arena opening in October.
• The insurance firm signed a five-year deal valued in seven figures annually. In turn, Geico receives naming rights to a seven-level parking garage being built next to the arena and a skywalk connecting the two buildings, said Magic President Alex Martins. (www.sportsbusinessjournal.com)

Satellite broadcaster DirecTV said today it had formed a partnership with Google that would allow the search giant to sell national satellite inventory on second-tier outlets including Bloomberg, Fox Business, Centric, Fuel, G4, Current, Ovation, Fit, Sleuth, Chiller and TV Guide through the Google TV Ads system across all dayparts, including primetime. DirecTV reaches about 18.7 million households, according to the satellite company.

Kroger Simplifies Digital Couponing

Kroger, which has been offering some digital coupons for about three years, has rolled out a new service for consumers that puts more than 100 coupons on its Web site for private label and name-brand items. Dubbed the Digital Coupon Center, it’s shepherded by San Francisco-based YOU Technology, which has worked with the chain and various packaged goods marketers on previous Kroger digital efforts, and the current “Summer of savings” sweepstakes and promotion.

MasterCard Takes E-Commerce to the Streets

• MasterCard has launched an out-of-home campaign to promote its MarketPlace e-commerce site. The goal? To get consumers’ attention both online and offline.

• The credit card brand has put up storefront ads featuring black-and-white vinyl panels and taglines like “A smarter way to shop online” and “Where bargains find you.” The effort, which includes ads in New York, Chicago, Miami and Philadelphia, wraps up this month.

Quick Change in Strategy for a Bookseller

But the threat that has the industry and some readers the most rattled is the growth of e-books. In the first five months of 2009, e-books made up 2.9 percent of trade book sales. In the same period in 2010, sales of e-books, which generally cost less than hardcover books, grew to 8.5 percent, according to the Association of American Publishers, spurred by sales of the Amazon Kindle and the new Apple iPad. For Barnes & Noble, long the largest and most powerful bookstore chain in the country, the new competition has led to declining profits and store traffic.

Saab seeks to expand in Latin America

Saab Automobile said Wednesday that it was looking for importers in Mexico, Brazil and Argentina, where it hopes to expand following its split from General Motors.

Samsung to Give Half Million Dollars for Best TV App in Contest

Samsung has kicked off its Free the TV Challenge to find the most innovative applications for IPTVs, Blu-ray players and Blu-ray Home Theater Systems. With a total prize value of half a million dollars, the Challenge is open to all developers in the US, as earlier announced by Appmarket.tv.

Advertisers Seek to Speak to Muslim Consumers

• Thick waves of hair cascade over a woman’s shoulder. She gives a flirtatious flick of her locks and tells viewers that they too can get such a luxurious mane — if they buy the shampoo she is holding up to the camera. That is the script for your standard shampoo commercial.
• Cut to the television spot for Sunsilk’s Lively Clean & Fresh shampoo. Another young, smiling woman is the star, but there is not a strand of hair in sight. Her tresses are completely covered by a tudung, the head scarf worn by many Muslim women in Malaysia.

LG debuts washer and dryer that play ‘tunes’ for problem diagnosis

Equipped with a new tech called SmartDiagnosis, the appliance (when not functioning properly) prompts the user to punch in a specific combination sequence on the device. The washer or dryer then plays aloud a series of tones, which a technician can use over the phone to determine what the problem is. This method, it would seem, trumps having to describe what’s going on to someone over the phone, and can help troubleshoot any issues that might be solvable sans housecall.

Whole Foods Refills Its New-Store Pipeline

• Whole Foods Market here is ratcheting up the number of new-store openings as it re-accelerates an aggressive growth program.

• After a period during which it slowed new-store growth to invest in price, the company said it expects to open 17 new stores in 2011 and 19 in 2012, compared with 15 stores opened last year and 15 more expected this year.

Wrigley Sweepstakes Promotes 5 Gum

• The Wm. Wrigley Jr. Co. is offering consumers prizes including song downloads, a year’s supply of 5 Gum, iPods, and a grand prize trip to a concert in October.

• The concert, Vive tu Musica with 5, will feature musicians Daddy Yankee and Reik. Through August 22, consumers can enter the sweepstakes at vivetumusica5.com and vote for unsigned rock and pop musicians who submit demos to the contest. The top five will appear onstage with the headlining acts, according to Wrigley.The company says fans of 5 Gum are passionate about music, and this concert offers the “ultimate sensorial experience,” tying in with the brand’s theme.

Nestlé ups marketing spend as sales rise

Nestlé has credited its investment in marketing as a driver behind the 6.1% growth in sales registered in the first half of the year.

Farmers Insurance Highlights ‘Right Fit’ Coverage

• Farmers Insurance will launch a new national Hispanic ad campaign Aug. 16 featuring long-time spokesperson actor Edward James Olmos.

• The fully integrated national campaign includes TV, radio, print and online elements. Produced by its Hispanic agency of record Accentmarketing, the new ads are the next installment of the insurer’s “Right Fit” campaign, launched in 2009. They feature a “force field” that represents the customizable Farmers coverage area, which customers can choose to meet their individual needs.

McDonald’s Still Dominates In Breakfast Wars

Of the 37% of U.S. adults who report having eaten breakfast at a fast-food chain in the past month, nearly half (46%) report having patronized McDonald’s for that meal, compared to 19% for Dunkin’ Donuts, 19% for Starbucks and 12% for Burger King, according to a new Scarborough Research analysis of the QSR breakfast market.

Did Assist-Card Make A Good Bet On Miami Heat Sponsorship?

Travel company Assist-Card took a gamble in early 2009 when it decided to commit a goodly portion of its marketing dollars to a five-year deal with the Miami Heat. It became a top sponsor of the team, which was coming off some woeful seasons, at a time when companies were backing away from pricey sports deals, Lilly Echeverria reports.

Red Bull Sounderground: a Festival for Metro Musicians

Some musicians start their career in the underground, and some of them come to the metro in the twilight of their professional lives. This November, both of them will be given a chance to demonstrate their unique talent at a huge international event arranged by Red Bull and attract the biggest audience they might have ever seen in their life. Some of the best so-called buskers, or subway musicians, from all over the world will head to Red Bull Sounderground—the first International Festival of Underground Station Musicians, hosted in the hot and rhythmic city of São Paulo, Brazil.

Sibling Rivalry in a New Stella Artois’s Advert

Stella Artois is continuing its campaign, revolving around the style of the French 60-ies and the recently adopted slogan “She is a thing of beauty.” Recently, the brand released an advert “Names” about things and their names, which was all resonating with the tagline, and now the iconic beer brand is launching another spot, which is less relevant to the theme, but is still quite interesting as it promotes one of the biggest events, arranged by Stella.

Domino’s Pizza Turns to Online Community to Decide Extreme Delivery

Domino’s Pizza is once again delivering in unexpected ways, giving Facebook users the power to choose the company’s next “Extreme Delivery.” Now through August 30, customers have a chance to vote on what they think is the most extreme method to deliver a Domino’s Pizza.

By Gavin O’Malley

• From the Super Bowl to the Winter Olympics, watching sports online has become a key component of fans’ viewing experiences, according to a new sports and technology study from the Consumer Electronics Association.
• This year, nearly one in five — 18% — of consumers planning to follow live events at the Winter Olympics in Vancouver plan to do so online.
• Twenty-five percent are planning on watching clips or highlights online, while 30% of consumers plan to follow the Games in a printed source, such as a newspaper or magazine. As a direct result, major Olympics sponsors are investing in online advertising like never before.

(www.mediapost.com(

Olympic Ads Pay Off For Marketers, NBC

By Wayne Friedman

• NBC’s media research for the Vancouver Olympics has reaped big rewards across traditional viewership, multiplatform usage and improved metrics for NBC’s marketing clients, says its chief research executive.
• Looking at advertisers so far, NBC compared 142 Olympic marketers’ commercials — their Olympic advertising versus their regular TV media plans — and said there was, on average, 24% higher brand recall, 31% more message recall, and 21% better likability for TV viewers.
• For advertisers using Olympic-themed advertising, the numbers were higher than for those Olympic advertisers that didn’t. Olympic-themed advertising had 18% higher brand recall, 65% improvement in message recall, and 88% more in likability.
• Through Feb. 20 major Olympic and NBC sponsor Coca-Cola (according to Nielsen’s IAG) saw a 77% brand increase in brand recall; 84% in media recall; and 86% in brand likability.

(www.mediapost.com)

BMW Marketing VP Discusses ‘Joy’ Strategy

By Karl Greenberg

• BMW has just launched what the Woodcliff Lake, N.J.-based company says is its biggest brand campaign to date, and maybe the first that puts as much focus on the drivers and their pleasure in driving as the cars themselves. It’s part of a big-media strategy the company is doing to raise its profile worldwide with a more emotional, optimistic voice. Jack Pitney, VP of marketing for BMW, takes Marketing Daily for a drive.
• Q: Post Olympics, what is BMW’s media strategy?
• A: We are really taking the philosophy of “do it right or don’t do it at all.” That means making sure the programming we buy is indeed TiVo-proof. We are going to try to focus in on real marquee live events that people just do not want to miss. So the Olympics are a great jumping-off point for us. You will see us have a strong presence with the Academy Awards; we’ll roll into March Madness with a strong presence there — and, as the year unfolds, we will continue to focus on high-profile TV opportunities.

(www.mediapost.com)

Predators, Bridgestone Announce Naming-Rights Deal For Arena

• The Nashville Predators and Bridgestone Americas today announced a naming-rights deal for the team’s arena in downtown Nashville, giving the venue its fourth name in 14 years.

(www.sportsbusinessdaily.com)

Major League Gaming, Doritos Launching Gaming Combine

By Eric Fisher

• Major League Gaming and Doritos tonight will begin the Doritos Pro-Gaming Combine that is the core of the snack brand’s multi-year sponsorship of the competitive video gaming league first announced last summer.
• The pair of companies will launch the Web site doritoscombine.com, with the first-ever effort to identify new gaming talent leading up to four on-site combine events to be held between March and October in Nashville, Chicago, Denver and DC.
• As part of the MLG combine marketing program, Doritos will showcase the campaign on more than 30 million of its $0.99 bags of Cool Ranch and Nacho Cheese chips during May and June.
• MLG Chief Brand Officer Sundance DiGiovanni said, “We see this as a rare and unique opportunity for us, something that will be absolutely huge for our community and the MLG brand. Best yet, we think we’re coming about this in a really authentic way.”

(www.sportsbusinessdaily.com)

By Karlene Lukovitz

• Kraft Foods’ Oreo and Ritz brands are pushing the pedal to the mat to maximize consumer and retailer benefits from their NASCAR sponsorships — most recently via a sweepstakes to win a trip to a NASCAR race in the fall, take driving lessons in a real race car on a real track, and rub elbows with racers Tony Stewart and Ryan Newman.
• Kraft, an official NASCAR sponsor since 2000, announced early this year that in addition to re-upping its official NASCAR cookie/cracker sponsorships for Oreo and Ritz for two years, it had signed with Stewart-Haas Racing to make Oreo and Ritz the official cookie/cracker sponsors of that Sprint Cup Series team.
• This year, Kraft’s team sponsorship is off to a strong start, with Stewart winning the Nationwide Series opener at Daytona International Speedway on Feb. 13 (his fifth win of the race in six years), driving the #4 Oreo/Ritz Chevrolet. The race also marked the fourth time in 10 years that a team sponsored primarily by Kraft brands won, according to Michael Tilley, category manager of consumer and customer engagement at Kraft Foods.

(www.mediapost.com)

Slim Jim are back in the ring

By Peter Lauria

• Slim Jim maker ConAgra is expected to announce today a multi-million dollar promotional partnership with World Wrestling Entertainment to reintroduce the dried meat snack to consumers after a fatal explosion last summer. The blast, at the only plant in the country that made the beef sticks, halted production and forced the company to pull all its advertising and marketing.
• Slim Jim will serve as the presenting sponsor for WrestleMania XXVI in Glendale, AZ, on March 28 — the pay-per-view event typically ranks as the largest audience event of the year for the WWE — and SummerSlam in Los Angeles on Aug. 15.

(www.nypost.com)

Kia Furthers Reach With Digital Print Buy

By Karl Greenberg

• Kia Motors America, which recently launched its largest campaign to date to support the 2011 Kia Sorento crossover, is continuing the campaign with a new digital media buy spanning 15 publishing groups through a collaboration with online media site Zinio and its Publisher Advertising Network, ZPAN.
• The Irvine, Calif.-based automaker is also the first advertiser on ZPAN, a cross-publisher ad network. Kia’s buy will be across some 45 digital publications in business, men’s lifestyle, news, sports and technology verticals.
• Michael Sprague, VP marketing at Kia, said in a statement that the deal with Zinio gives the automaker greater reach and furthers the tagline for the vehicle — “a departure from the expected” — by “exposing the Kia brand to a wide variety of readers across iconic magazine brands.”

(www.mediapost.com)

NBA, Adidas Set Up Courts In Malls

By Karl Greenberg

• Adidas and the National Basketball Association are hitting the malls. Adidas, which is the league’s official uniform provider, has inked a deal with the NBA and mall-based retailer Champs Sports for an “Official NBA Shop at Champs Sports.” The NBA Shop will debut in 69 Champs Sports stores this month and will be in the remaining 486 Champs Sports stores nationwide by the start of the 2010-11 NBA season, per the companies.
• The store will be a dedicated retail space with “adidas NBA” apparel, on-court products, fashion and co-branded accessories.

(www.mediapost.com)

Miles Away From The Beach: Corona Extra To Be Main ATP Sponsor

• The ATP announced that Corona Extra had signed a five-and-a-half-year contract to become the main sponsor of the men’s tennis circuit.
• In an interview yesterday, ATP World Tour Exec Chair & President Adam Helfant said about two-thirds of the tour’s more than 60 tournaments would use Corona Extra’s logo on their nets by ‘11, with the others choosing to retain their current beer sponsors.
• Helfant said Corona, America’s number one beer import, wanted to use the ATP as an international platform to export its brand globally.
• Sources pegged the deal’s value as similar to what Mercedes-Benz paid in the last three years of its deal, which expired in ‘08. The value of the Mercedes deal was about $13M annually. That would translate into a value of just over $70M for the ATP.

By Karl Greenberg

• Taking a page from its 2008 playbook, Visa is updating its “Go World” campaign with ready-made pieces to congratulate the company’s sponsored athletes when they win a medal.
• “We know through research that the way consumers connect to the games is through the athletes and their stories,” Jennifer Bazante, head of global brand marketing for Visa, tells Marketing Daily. “It helps extend the window of the breakthrough moment for the athlete.”
• As a major sponsor of the games, Visa has already aired three commercials congratulating sponsor athletes. One commercial, celebrating downhill skier Julia Mancuso, animates a drawing the athlete made when she was a little girl depicting her winning medals at the Olympics. “Well, she doesn’t have to draw her own posters anymore,” says a voiceover from Morgan Freeman, as the video cuts to Mancuso celebrating her triumphant run. (Mancuso won silver in the downhill and super combined events.)

(www.mediapost.com)

Milk Board Launches ‘Mucho Mas Que Leche’

By Karl Greenberg

• The California Milk Processor Board, the state-market trade group that created the original “Got Milk” campaign, is launching an iteration of its four-year-old California-focused Hispanic-market “Toma Leche” (drink milk) campaign. The new effort, which carries the theme “More than Just Milk” (Mucho Más Que Leche), is the board’s biggest Hispanic-market effort to date. It is also the first that uses radio ads.
• The campaign, by Long Beach, Calif.-based Grupo Gallegos, touts the nutritional benefits of milk with three 30-second Spanish-language spots: “Dentist” (Dentista), “Hair” (Pelo) and “Sports Drink” (Bebida Deportiva). The first two set up a conceit suggesting the product is toothpaste and shampoo, respectively.

(www.mediapost.com)

Corona near deal as ATP top sponsor

By Daniel Kaplan

• The ATP World Tour is in advanced negotiations to tab Corona as the circuit’s top sponsor, said multiple tennis sources, which would make a beer company the top backer in the sport for the first time.
• The sides had not signed a contract as of late last week, but talks were far enough along that ATP board members were told to prepare for a conference call. Exact terms could not be determined, but sources place the first year of the deal in the high- seven-figure range, and the second year in the low eight figures, about comparable to the $13 million annually that Mercedes-Benz was paying before it bowed out of its deal at the end of 2008.
• The ATP has had a few false starts in trying to replace 13-year sponsor Mercedes-Benz. In the summer of 2008 it came close to signing insurance company Aviva, but the global financial meltdown scuttled that deal. Last fall, Toyota also came close, sources said, but the deal fell apart suddenly. Thinking he had the car sponsor in hand, sources said, new ATP Executive Chairman Adam Helfant told reporters in September that he expected a deal by the end of the year.

(www.sportsbusinessjournal.com)

LeMans Series lands presenting sponsor

By Michael Smith

• Patrón Spirits will be the presenting sponsor of the American Le Mans Series, a move that ALMS Chief Executive Scott Atherton called a monumental step forward for the sports car racing series.

(www.sportsbusinessjournal.com)

Liquor sponsors? PGA Tour will drink to that

By Jon Show

• The PGA Tour recently dropped most of the restrictions that kept tournaments and players from accepting sponsorships from distilled spirits companies, opening the door for the first title sponsorship from a liquor brand.

(www.sportsbusinessjournal.com)

Papa John’s signs to present D-League broadcasts on Versus

By John Ourand

• Papa John’s has signed on to become the presenting sponsor of Versus’ NBA D-League telecasts through the league’s postseason in April.
• It was the D-League, not Versus, that took the lead in completing the deal even though Versus is handling ad sales for the games.

(www.sportsbusinessjournal.com)

U.S. Army Shifts Focus On How It Activates NASCAR Sponsorship

• The U.S. Army has “shifted some of the focus of how it uses its NASCAR sponsorship, not only cutting from 23 to 15 races as a primary sponsor in 2010 but also how it goes about trying to recruit people.”
• U.S. Army pays $500,000 per race for sponsorship.

(www.sportsbusinessdaily.com)

By Aaron Baar

• A few sponsors of the ongoing Winter Olympics are getting a boost (at least in terms of goodwill) out of their sponsorship … and so are their competitors. According to a survey from market research firm Chadwick Martin Bailey in Boston, followers of the Winter Olympics correctly identified Coca-Cola, McDonald’s and Visa as official sponsors of the Games. But many believed that companies such as Pepsi, Subway and American Express were also sponsors.
• “These are guys who have a big media presence, and it’s hard to get away from them,” Josh Mendelsohn, a vice president at Chadwick Martin Bailey, tells Marketing Daily. “It’s a good thing to sponsor, but you’re probably helping your chief competitor a bit.”
• Among the top sponsors, there is a wide discrepancy among official sponsors and mistaken sponsors. For instance, 60% of those surveyed named Coca-Cola as an official sponsor, while 51% named Visa and 46% cited McDonald’s. Beyond those three, however, the numbers drop off dramatically. Only 20% cited AT&T as an official sponsor; 12% named General Electric; 10% said Samsung and 7% named Panasonic.

(www.mediapost.com)

BMW Joyfully Launches Awareness Campaign

By Karl Greenberg

• BMW of North America has launched a new global ad push that it calls its largest brand awareness campaign in its history. The effort, “Story of Joy,” began during the XXI Winter Olympic Games with an ad buy that BMW says is the largest of any advertiser in the Games.
• The effort — via Austin-Texas-based GSD&M Idea City, with Universal McCann of New York doing media buy — includes TV, digital, mobile and out-of-home platforms. The Woodcliff Lake, N.J. automaker did a nine-video panel home page takeover on MSN in mid-February.

(www.mediapost.com)

General Mills Targets Three Groups to Fuel Growth

By Emily Bryson York

• General Mills spelled out its recipe for profitable growth: Hispanics, baby boomers and millennials. The Minneapolis package-food company revealed products and marketing plans designed specifically for those segments at the Consumer Analysts Group of New York conference this morning.
• “We think our categories and our brands are well-positioned for strong future growth because they are on trend with the evolving consumer needs,” said Ian Friendly, chief operating officer and exec VP-U.S. retail. “We’re anticipating a rise in multicultural consumers, particularly Hispanics, plus a growing number of aging baby boomers and the emergence of millennials as the next generation with significant influence in the marketplace.”
• The marketer increased its Hispanic-targeted media spending 70% in 2009 and will boost support again in 2010. Marketing to the group begins with reaching mothers looking for ways to nurture their children. General Mills is also tailoring its approach with some successful general-market brands, such as Nature Valley, which is also popular with Hispanic consumers. Mr. Friendly added that Cinnamon Toast Crunch and Yoplait yogurt are particularly appealing to the Hispanic market.

(www.adage.com)

Kellogg Increases 2010 Ad Spend, Triples Social Media

By David Goetzl

• Multiple marketers, including Kraft, have recently spoken about lower pricing helping ad dollars go further in 2009. Now, Kellogg appears to be the first to signify that the more bang-for-buck trend will continue into 2010.
• That decision could be the result of pricing rollbacks in last summer’s upfront. Long-term deals made back then could benefit advertisers for the bulk of 2010.
• Kellogg COO John Bryant told analysts Wednesday that “media deflation” was mostly a boon in Europe in 2009. But in 2010, it will be titled toward the U.S. “due to the timing of the upfront buy.”

(www.mediapost.com)

Bob Arum In Talks To Move Foreman-Cotto Bout To Yankee Stadium

• Top Rank Chair Bob Arum is “in discussions with the Yankees to hold the first fight at the new Yankee Stadium this summer,” according to Ken Belson of the N.Y. TIMES.

(www.sportsbusinessdaily.com)

By Karlene Lukovitz

• Kraft Foods expects to realize annual pre-tax cost savings of at least $675 million by the end of 2012, some of which will be used to further increase advertising and consumer spending as a percentage of revenue, chairman/CEO Irene Rosenfeld reported during the company’s Q4/year-end fiscal 2009 earnings call on Tuesday.
• The global food giant increased advertising and consumer spending to 7.2% of net revenues in 2009, versus 6.7% in 2008, she pointed out. The increased advertising support for key brands, including the Philadelphia Cream Cheese “Spread a Little Love” and Miracle Whip “We Will Not Tone It Down” television campaigns, have been “extremely well received” and effective at building the brands’ franchises, Rosenfeld said.
• In addition, significant investments in improving the quality/taste of Kraft’s products since 2007 have enabled “improved alignment of price levels,” as consumers now prefer about two-thirds of Kraft’s products over the competition, versus the 44% that were preferred in 2006, she said.

(www.mediapost.com)

Ratings Gold: Olympics Post Big Results

By Wayne Friedman

• The Vancouver Winter Olympics on NBC continues to post big results among U.S. viewers on Monday. On the heels of some 28.6 million average viewers on the weekend — 25% more than the last Winter Olympics in Torino, Italy — Monday’s coverage continued its big numbers, posting a Nielsen preliminary 25.5 million viewer average and 7.2 rating/18 share among 18-49 viewers.
• The 28.6 million average viewers for the opening weekend of the Vancouver Games are the most for a non-U.S. Winter Olympics since the 1994 Lillehammer Games, which landed at 39.9 million.
• On the digital front, NBC has already seen rocketing results from NBC’s Olympics Web site, NBCOlympics.com. Over the weekend, it averaged 4.2 million unique users — 250% higher than the opening weekend in Torino in 2006, which was at 1.02 million.

(www.mediapost.com)

Chipotle Pushing To Build on 2009 Momentum

By Karlene Lukovitz

• Fresh off announcing an unusually strong Q4 and full-year 2009 (particularly by current restaurant industry standards), Chipotle Mexican Grill is looking to build on the momentum with a new marketing campaign to launch in Q2, a new rewards program and new packaging — not to mention expansion into Europe.
• For 2009 overall, the fast-casual chain reported revenue up 14% (to $1.52 billion), net income up 62% (to $126.8 million) and diluted EPS up 67% (to $3.95). The sales gain reflected both revenue from 121 new stores opened during ‘09 and comparable-store sales growth of 2.2% (including a 2% gain in Q4). Like other chains, Chipotle saw some traffic fall-off, but comp-store sales grew as a result of menu price increases instituted in 2008.
• The price increases, combined with labor efficiencies and decreased marketing/promotional expenses, resulted in restaurant-level operating margin growth of nearly 25%.
• Based on the ‘09 results and Chipotle management’s indicators about current-year plans, the marketing expenditures conservatism seems to reflect strategic emphasis on ensuring bang for the buck via high-exposure, relatively low-cost channels.

(www.mediapost.com)

USOC adding BP as sponsor

By Tripp Mickle

• The U.S. Olympic Committee is expected to announce a sponsorship with worldwide energy company BP, boosting the organization’s roster of sponsors as Team USA steps into the spotlight of the Vancouver Olympics.
• Terms of the agreement were not available, but sources said it was a multiyear agreement through the 2012 London Games that will deliver low to mid-seven figures in annual revenue to the USOC.
• It was unclear whether BP would be the USOC’s exclusive petroleum partner or have a broader definition within the energy category. Worldwide Olympic partner General Electric, the International Olympic Committee’s exclusive provider of energy products, controls a portion of the energy category.

(www.sportsbusinessjournal.com)

Time buy would move AVP to ESPN and ABC

By Terry Lefton & John Ourand

• The AVP is close to finalizing a deal with ESPN, ending an association with NBC that dates to 1990.
• As part of the time-buy agreement, ABC would carry four events, while ESPN2 will carry the rest of the AVP’s schedule, which has yet to be released.

(www.sportsbusinessjournal.com)

AmEx renews as USGA sponsor

By Jon Show

• American Express has signed a three-year renewal of its sponsorship with the U.S. Golf Association that provides access to the U.S. Open.

(www.sportsbusinessjournal.com)

US Airways boarding Bobcats’ sponsor list

By Don Muret

• The Charlotte Bobcats have signed a three-year sponsorship with US Airways. It’s the NBA club’s first true partnership in the airline category.
• The team wouldn’t comment on the value of the deal, but an industry source valued it at six figures annually.

(www.sportsbusinessjournal.com)

By Wayne Friedman

• Concerning the NFL big game this year, the Nielsen Company says there was a slight improvement in multitasking activity of those using the Internet while watching the Super Bowl.
• About 14% of those who watched the Super Bowl could be found on the Internet. This is up from 12% a year ago. Concurrent time amounted to 29 minutes of activity — watching the game and using Internet — up from 24 minutes a year ago.
• What were users doing? What marketers expected to see: social networking.

(www.mediapost.com)

Adult Swim To Fans: ‘Have It Your Way’

By David Goetzl

• Adult Swim is launching a promotion where fans have a say in what they watch — a stunt that dovetails with Burger King’s “Have It Your Way” tagline.
• The “Big Uber Network Sampling” promotion allows viewers to watch eight full pilots online and vote for their favorites — one of which will ultimately air.
• A face-off will take place each week — through March 8 — with viewers able to view two full pilots and vote between the two on a Burger King-branded micro-site.
• At the end, the one with the most votes will be scheduled to air the week of March 22. The pilot will remain a candidate to become a series on the Turner network, as will the other seven.

(www.mediapost.com)

Inside Pitch: Sponsors Activate Around JR Celski’s Recovery

By Jessica Collins

• U.S. short-track speedskater JR Celski may have won a Bronze Medal in Saturday’s 1500m event, but his Olympic dreams almost came to a crashing halt after he suffered a serious leg injury at the U.S. Championships in September.
• The 19-year-old, though, bounced back quickly, and the road to recovery presented a unique opportunity for some of his sponsors to activate around his comeback. “A lot of his sponsors are natural sponsors, like 24 Hour Fitness, that help him train and get back to where he is,” said Celski’s agent, The Agency Sports Management’s Brandon Swibel.
• 24 Hour Fitness CMO Tony Wells noted Celski’s story “represents our brand — the idea that something happens in your life that requires you to recommit yourself to an athletic or fitness-related goal.” Wells said Celski’s commitment, approachability and inspiring attitude is what attracted the company to want to sponsor him.

(www.sportsbusinessdaily.com)

Motor Madness: DirecTV Creates Driver Fantasy Tournament

By Michael Smith

• DirecTV is taking a page from March Madness and introducing its own fantasy tournament to NASCAR. The satellite operator will create a 32-driver fantasy tournament.

(www.sportsbusinessdaily.com)

NBA All-Star Game Scores Big With 108,713 Fans At Cowboys Stadium

• The 2010 NBA All-Star Game at Cowboys Stadium was “a big win” for the league, as a record crowd of 108,713 made it “the place to be,” according to Jeff Caplan of the Fort-Worth Star Telegram.

(www.sportsbusinessdaily.com)

By Karlene Lukovitz

• Coca-Cola is accelerating its push to make Sprite the soda of choice among the younger crowd both here and abroad, with the brand’s first integrated global campaign.
• The campaign — dubbed “The Spark” in reference to the brand’s 2009-updated logo — features hip-hop musician Drake and includes multiple TV spots, online music remixing and movie-creation tools, mobile, outdoor and print elements.
• In addition, the brand is leveraging its NBA relationship via new efforts such as a new amateur dunking contest, as well as its step-team competition for college students.

(www.mediapost.com)

ESPN Deportes Kicks Off Soccer Docu-Series

By Fern Siegel

• Soccer is the national sport of Mexico — and to build excitement for the team, en route to the World Cup in June, ESPN Deportes is debuting a new TV series. “Frente al Reto,” which runs seven consecutive Mondays through March 29, chronicles the personal and professional challenges the country’s top soccer stars face.
• The documentary-style show is the network’s first major foray into developing content outside of studio-produced efforts. “Frente al Reto” gives fans an inside look at various players, including Andres Guardado (Deportivo La Coruna), Jonny Magallon (Club Deportivo de Guadalajara) and Giovanni Dos Santos (Galatasaray). “Frente” is produced in collaboration with Walton Isaacson.
• Juan Alfonso, vice president, marketing and content development, ESPN International, stated the program’s objective is to “show viewers their idols are more than just a face on a television screen and a player on the field. These are people with everyday challenges, insecurities and an enormous set of expectations on their shoulders.”

(www.mediapost.com)

Game Change: NFL To Carry AFL

By David Goetzl

• After the Arena Football League filed for bankruptcy with former broadcasters NBC and ESPN as creditors, a new AFL has emerged with its games to be carried by the NFL Network starting this spring.
• The NFL Networks will offer a “Game of the Week” on Fridays starting in April, en route to offering a championship game in August. The AFL said the broadcasts will “feature specialized in-game audio techniques.”
• Former CBS sports executive Neal Pilson represented the AFL in the negotiations with the NFL. The AFL will handle ad sales for the games, with the NFL Network coordinating with it on production.

(www.mediapost.com)

P&G Hits The Slopes With Corporate Campaign

By Karl Greenberg

• Procter & Gamble is launching its first-ever corporate marketing campaign and single-largest integrated campaign to date around the Winter Olympics. In addition to individual sponsorship programs with 17 of its brands and endorsement deals with nearly as many individual athletes, the company is running two TV spots during broadcast on NBC that are all about Procter & Gamble and its commitment to moms.
• The company is also running a “P&G Thanks Mom” program wherein it will help defray the cost of travel to Vancouver and accommodations for mothers of competing athletes who otherwise would not be able to attend.
• As part of its Winter Olympic sponsorship program, the company has extended its U.S. Olympic Team athlete marketing alliances by signing 10 more athletes who are set to compete in Vancouver this week and next. The athletes are in addition to six that P&G signed last year, making it Procter & Gamble’s largest roster of endorsers for a single event, per Kirk Perry, VP, North America at P&G.

(www.mediapost.com)

Like A Good Neighbor: State Farm Becomes NBA Corporate Sponsor

By Terry Lefton

• On the eve of NBA All-Star Weekend, State Farm has signed a three-year deal as the league’s newest corporate sponsor. State Farm gets broad rights within the insurance category and will be presenting sponsor of All-Star Saturday Night, something it had sponsored with a media buy over the past several years.
• As a new NBA corporate sponsor, State Farm’s stanchion signage will be uncovered for All-Star Game events, but whether similar signage gained through the insurer’s 21 NBA team deals will be uncovered for national NBA telecasts is an issue that has not been finalized.

(www.sportsbusinessdaily.com)

EA Ceases Development Of College Basketball Videogame

• EA Sports Senior Dir of Communications David Tinson confirmed that the company’s “NCAA Basketball” videogame has “fouled out of the lineup.”

(www.sportsbusinessdaily.com)

By David Goetzl

• The online live sports hub, ESPN360.com, will be rebranded ESPN3.com in April. ESPN3 will be available in 50 million homes, free to subscribers of broadband providers that have agreed to pay ESPN a TV-style fee to offer it.
• ESPN has not used Web lexicon recently in referring to ESPN360 — classifying it instead as a network. In a statement, ESPN executive Sean Bratches, who oversees marketing, said the ESPN3 switch “closely aligns with the existing name convention” for ESPN channels. Expansion from the 1979 flagship began with ESPN2 in 1993.

(www.mediapost.com)

Target Makes Its Gift Cards Mobile, Scannable

By Sarah Mahoney

• Target Corp. says it has scored a first among retailers: Shoppers can now access their gift-card accounts using smartphones, and have the barcode scanned right at checkout.
• “Guests no longer need to carry their Target GiftCards in order to redeem them,” it says in its release. “All that’s needed is a mobile phone with Internet capabilities.” The Minneapolis-based chain claims it is the first major retailer with the ability to scan mobile barcodes in all of its stores. 

(www.mediapost.com)

Denny’s: Another 2 Million Free Grand Slams Served

By Karlene Lukovitz

• The dishes had barely been cleared when Denny’s issued a press release announcing that it had served approximately 2 million free Grand Slams during its second breakfast giveaway yesterday — roughly the same number served in the chain’s first post-Super Bowl giveaway last year.
• Denny’s estimated that tables turned every 15 minutes and that some restaurants served more than 200 breakfasts per hour — a rate apparently greater than last year’s average, although that increase “was offset by bad weather across the country.” The promotion ran between 6 a.m. and 2 p.m.
• Denny’s CEO Nelson Marchioli proclaimed the event “a great day for Americans” as well as for the chain. “We received an outpouring of the most genuine and heartwarming comments from our guests, servers and managers,” he added. “We hope to continue to connect with our guests with real affordable offers all year long so they can fall in love with Denny’s again.”

(www.mediapost.com)

Haier Leverages NBA Link To Launch TV Line

By Aaron Baar

• Being the official HDTV of the NBA has its perks. Just ask Haier America, which is using the entire All-Star Weekend as a platform to launch a new line of LED televisions.
• The company will serve as the title sponsor of the league’s Shooting Stars competition, will have a presence at the NBA All-Star Jam Session and will be the presenting partner of the Development League’s Dream Factory Friday Night.

(www.mediapost.com)

Tide Links Products To Venus Williams, Super Bowl

By Tanya Irwin

• Tennis star Venus Williams is endorsing Tide’s newest laundry product, which includes Febreze and is designed to clean sports apparel.
• While recent advances in clothing technology have yielded lighter workout wear, the downside is that those fabrics trap dirt and odors, according to Procter & Gamble’s Tide. The new product, Tide plus Febreze Freshness Sport, is geared toward those issues, but can also be used on non-sportswear.
• Williams will be used in TV, print, in-store and online advertising, including the product’s Web site. Cincinnati-based Tide is promoting the new product with an online contest where consumers can design a tennis outfit for tournament play. The winning look will inspire an outfit that Williams will wear at a major tennis tournament in 2010.

(www.mediapost.com)

Avid Gamers Easy Targets For Sports Sponsors

By Aaron Baar

• According to the ESPN Sports Poll, conducted by TNS and Electronic Arts, more than a third of sports videogame players say they spend as much or more time playing the game than they do following the same sport on television.  Among these players, 75% of them said the in-game advertising helped reinforce the company’s real world sponsorship.
• “The fans, as part of the realism of the sport, expect it,” Robert Fox, senior vice president at TNS and director of the ESPN Sports Poll, tells Marketing Daily. “It takes them out of the game and the experience if it’s not there.”

(www.mediapost.com)

Kia Announces Bag Deal With Wie, Title Deal For LPGA S.D. Event

By Jon Show

• Kia Motors America has signed a pair of new sponsorships in women’s pro golf as it continues to grow its sports marketing portfolio. The Korean car manufacturer has a new deal with 20-year-old Korean-American Michelle Wie to serve as a brand spokesperson.
• The company’s logo will appear on her golf bag, replacing the spot previously occupied by Sony, which opted not to renew its three-year-old deal at the end of last year
• Meanwhile, the carmaker also has signed a new deal to title sponsor the inaugural LPGA event near San Diego. The Kia Classic Presented by J Golf will be held March 22-28 at La Costa Resort & Spa Golf Course.
• Terms were not available on either deal, but industry observers estimated the combined spending in the low-to-mid seven figures. The announcements comes three days after the growing car company ran its first Super Bowl ad. Kia became the official car of the NBA in ‘08.

(www.sportsbusinessdaily.com)

Social Studies: NLL Incorporating Twitter, Facebook Into Webcasts

By Eric Fisher

• The National Lacrosse League has begun to incorporate live Twitter and Facebook feeds into their live online video broadcasts of their games.
• While similar to many larger properties pursuing similar social media integration efforts, the NLL has also encouraged its broadcasters to incorporate the feeds into their announcing calls, and have begun to answer questions and liberally reference the social media content during those webcasts.
• The NLL, operating without a U.S. TV deal, is distributing its games online for free with the aid of digital video outfit Livestream.
• The NLL generated about 12 million minutes of online content consumption on its site, NLL.com, in all of ‘09, but in part through the new social media effort, recorded 5 million minutes in January of this year alone, and more than 250,000 unique visitors during the month.
• NLL Commissioner George Daniel said, “We feel this is an important instrument in our growth. Our [Web] numbers aren’t as big as an ESPN or an NFL, but for us, they’re up significantly, and a tool like this allows us to get our fans at home that much closer to the game.”

(www.sportsbusinessdaily.com)

Yahoo Expands Search Ad Platform

By: Mike Shields (Mediaweek)

• When Yahoo signed its search ad partnership with Microsoft last year, it promised that the deal did not mark the end of the Yahoo Search brand and that it would continue to innovate in the space.
• On Wednesday, the Web giant unveiled a pair of new search ad products that go a long way toward keeping that promise. First, during a special search marketing event held at the company’s Sunnyvale, Calif., campus, Yahoo announced it was testing Y!our Ads, a product that delivers text ads that take into account users’ previous search histories, rather than serving ads based solely on specific search terms.

(www.adweek.com)                          

MySpace Music Plugs In Audio Ads

By: Katy Bachman

• To offset sluggish revenue, MySpace Music is turning to in-stream audio ads, a first for the playlist-based Internet radio service.
• To handle ad sales, MySpace has signed with TargetSpot, which represents a network of both pure-play Internet radio providers and some of the largest radio groups.

(www.adweek.com)

The ‘Fix’ Is In at Stouffer’s

By: Elaine Wong (brandweek)

• Nestle is linking family dinnertime with healthy relationships in a new TV and Web push for its Stouffer’s brand.
• Now in its second year, the “Let’s fix dinner” challenge encourages parents to eat more Stouffer’s meals with their children. The move comes as consumers spend more time at home and turn to frozen and shelf-stable meals in a tough economy.

(www.adweek.com)

China’s Ad Spending Hits $120 Bil.

By: Erica Ng

• Advertising spending in China jumped 19 percent to approximately $120 billion in 2009 based on current exchange rates. China is now projected to become the fourth-largest global ad market in 2010.

(www.adweek.com)

Brands Reveal Music Strategies

By: Andre Paine

• Brands were the focus for several of the panels at this week’s Midem music conference in Cannes, France, with executives from Converse, Nascar, Carhartt and PepsiCo revealing details of their music strategies.

(www.adweek.com)

It’s Official: Mindshare Keeps Unilever in U.S.

By: Steve McClellan

• Unilever has confirmed keeping its U.S. media planning and buying assignment with WPP Group’s Mindshare. The shop also retained chores in Western Europe and picked up Canada. The decision came after a multiple-market review that the client initiated last July.

(www.adweek.com)

Toys Based on Sequels Take Center Stage

By: George Szalai

• It’s play time again for Hollywood, as the annual Toy Fair kicks off in New York on Sunday with the traditional slew of product tied to movies, TV shows and entertainment characters.
• Among this year’s hot properties: “Toy Story 3,” “Iron Man 2,” “How to Train Your Dragon,” the latest installments of “Twilight” and “Harry Potter,” and TV favorite “Dora the Explorer,” who is celebrating her 10th anniversary. But overall, there are fewer movies than last year that are ripe for toy merchandising this year.

(www.brandweek.com)

Pizza Hut Gets Personal

By: Eleftheria Parpis

• Pizza Hut’s first campaign from The Martin Agency centers on customer choice and a $10 promotion available only at “Your Pizza Hut.”

(www.brandweek.com)