With Paid Promotion, Bing Bounces Google From Viral Chart

• Microsoft dumped agency JWT, but that’s not stopping it from pushing some of its work, one of the ubiquitous Bing “Search Overload” videos bouncing around the web. The spot, “Search Overload Syndrome Solution: Hawaii 2,” topped the chart last week with more than 1.4 million views.
• As always, its difficult to know how much paid promotion played in chart placement, but a look into the analytics of the original version on YouTube show a big spike a few weeks back, indicating that’s probably the case.
• At any rate, Microsoft successfully booted Google’s spots down the chart. Last week, Google’s touching “The Web Is What You Make Of It” spots made the chart. This time, a demo ad for its new Chromebook checks in at No. 9. The views appear organic and driven by YouTube and Facebook. (www.adage.com)

Gilt Taste: Trick or Treat?

• Gilt Groupe, the New York-based online discount retailer, has built itself up to an estimated $1 billion valuation by selling designer clothing and luxury travel deals to subscribers. On Wednesday, it added “artisanal hard-to-find foods” to the mix, with Gilt Taste.
• “This is a luxury brand,” editorial adviser Ruth Reichl, the former Gourmet editor and New York Times restaurant critic, told the Times.
• Indeed it is. On the site’s meat market, one can select two eight-ounce gold label tenderloin filets from eastern Idaho’s Snake River Farms for $199.00. American Paddlefish California Caviar goes for $222.00. The site also sells cheeses, truffle oils, chocolates, mushrooms, and so on. But unlike Gilt and Jetsetter, the travel vertical, Taste is open to everyone and sells most of its items at full price.
• Taste is also a culinary magazine, with articles from food writers and chefs. But one of the best parts about it—and this is true of Gilt Groupe’s clothing and travel sites as well—is that it looks so damn good. Gilt Taste might be some of the best food porn on the Net. (www.adweek.com)

An Indie Music Retailer Embraces the Mainstream

• It’s the challenge faced by every indie band that ventures up to the big leagues: can it stay cool — and independent — once it goes into business with the major record labels?
• That is also the situation faced by eMusic, which has long maintained an identity as the alternative digital retailer, with vast offerings of independent music and low prices. But that identity, the loyalty of its roughly 400,000 paying subscribers, came into question two years ago when it began adding the catalogs of the major labels and raising its prices.
• On Thursday, the service will begin the last phase of its integration of the major label catalogs when it adds 15,000 albums on EMI, including titles by Radiohead, Coldplay, Brian Eno and the Blue Note jazz catalog. Yet according to Adam Klein, its chief executive, eMusic has stayed strong and stuck to its indie roots by ultra-serving a niche clientele with sophisticated tastes and a tendency to buy more music than the average pop consumer.
• “Everyone wanted to see if we were going to be come a puppet for pop-culture music,” Mr. Klein said. “We said we never would, and we will continue to service this segment of the market, which is a very sizable segment of music connoisseurs.” (www.nytimes.com)

Upfronts: The CW Adds Six New Series

• Following the pattern forged by most of the other broadcast networks this spring, the CW, the part-time network owned by CBS and Warner Brothers, is adding six new series in an effort to increase the total amount of original programming it will offer in the next television season.
• And while maintaining its general approach to aiming at girls and young female viewers, the network is adding a few shows that aim somewhat broader.
• Most notably, the CW announced a drama during its upfront on Thursday that almost made it onto CBS  – not a network known for looking exclusively for shows for women under the age of 35.
• “Ringer” is about a woman who adopts her twin sister’s identity looking to escape being victimized because she witnesses a murder, only to learn her sister has dangerous secrets of her own. Sarah Michelle Gellar (“Buffy the Vampire Slayer”), one of the biggest stars ever created by the WB — one of the antecedents of the CW — is the star. (www.nytimes.com)

Cameron To Re-Release ‘Titanic’ In 3-D

• In case you ever doubted, James Cameron is truly the King of the Three Dimensional World. Or he will be, when his “Titanic” is re-released by Paramount Pictures and 20th Century Fox on April 6 in 3-D.
• Mr. Cameron, whose 3-D “Avatar,” with $2.8 billion in ticket sales at the worldwide box office, is the highest grossing film in history, will revise the record books when his “Titanic,” the second-highest grossing film of all time, with $1.8 billion in worldwide sales, returns to theaters in 3-D. Fox and Paramount joined Mr. Cameron’s Lightstorm Entertainment in announcing the re-release on Thursday.
• The next frontier in 3-D may well involve not fantasies and cartoons, but naturalistic dramas like “Titanic.” Steven Soderbergh, for instance, had planned to shoot his upcoming “Contagion,” a disease-drama, in 3-D, but backed off when he couldn’t quite get the results he needed. Still, 3-D thrillers, love stories, and raunchy teen comedies (shudder) are clearly just a matter of time. (www.nytimes.com)

Realtree backs Harvick for Nascar All-Star race

• Camouflage pattern designer Realtree has announced it will co-primary sponsor Kevin Harvick’s car at this weekend’s Nascar Sprint All-Star Race.
• Harvick will compete in the Richard Childress Racing (RCR) Budweiser-Realtree Chevrolet Number 29 car at the event, which will feature Realtree branding on the hood and trunk as well as a camouflage trim on the body panels. Budweiser currently sponsor the 35-year old, having agreed a three-year agreement with RCR in August last year, worth US$54 million.
• Realtree, based in Columbus, Georgia, has a long-standing relationship with Harvick, having worked alongside him since 1999 when he joined RCR. The company remains an associate sponsor of the team, and Realtree president Bill Jordan and RCR chief executive Richard Childress have been good friends for decades.
• With primary sponsorship for a single Sprint Cup Series race typically valued at US$500,000, Realtree will likely be paying half of this amount – US$250,000 – as a co-sponsor. (www.sportspromedia.com)

Audi dealership thrashes out Philips Arena partnership

• Jim Ellis Audi has announced a multi-year partnership with National Basketball Association (NBA) team the Atlanta Hawks and National Hockey League (NHL) franchise the Atlanta Thrashers along with their joint home, the Philips Arena, which will allow the company to place a lounge area at the venue.
• The Jim Ellis Audi Lounge will be located at front row court, ice and stage level, with it offering guests a private bar, numerous television screens and direct access to premium seating at the Philips Arena.
• Atlanta-based Jim Ellis Audi will also be entitled to vehicle displays outside the Philips Arena and will sponsor both the Hawks and Thrashers annual fundraisers for their charity foundations, Full Court Fest and Casino Night, as part of this relationship.
• Jimmy Ellis, vice president of the Jim Ellis Automotive Group, said: “We are very pleased to enter into this partnership with the Atlanta Hawks, Atlanta Thrashers and the Philips Arena. The Hawks and the Thrashers are exemplary teams that we are proud to support and the Philips Arena is a truly a world class venue. Our commitment to Atlanta and our community is evident and we’re excited to enter into a partnership with organisations whose pride runs just as deep as it does here at the Jim Ellis Automotive Group.” (www.sportspromedia.com)

PGA Tour player Palmer picks up pest control deal

• Professional golfer Ryan Palmer, a three-time tournament winner on the PGA Tour, has agreed a sponsorship deal with pest control firm MosquitoNix.
• Dallas-based MosquitoNix are sponsoring Palmer as he competes in the 65th Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial in Fort Worth, Texas, which concludes on Sunday 22nd May, and the HP Byron Nelson Championship, which takes place between Monday 23rd and Sunday 29th May in Irving, Texas. Financial terms of this agreement were not released.
• As part of the sponsorship, MosquitoNix has arranged a competition where two successful customers will win the chance to caddy nine holes for Palmer during the Byron Nelson Gold Pro-Am. The winners will also receive US$500 worth of credit at MosquitoNix, autographed Palmer memorabilia including a golf shirt and golf bag, photo opportunities and lunch with Palmer plus Byron Nelson Pavilion passes.
• Dan O’Neil, chairman and chief executive of MosquitoNix, said: “We are very excited about the upcoming Colonial and Byron Nelson tournaments and hope to have some fun with our customers by giving them the chance to win some great prizes and carry Ryan’s bag during the Pro-Am at the Byron.” (www.sportspromedia.com)

MLB rewards online fans with virtual Gameday badges

• Gamification company BigDoor is launching an online rewards programme on Major League Baseball’s (MLB) official website after striking a deal with it’s interactive arm, MLB Advanced Media.
• The Seattle-based firm will deliver an extended ‘gamified experience’ on MLB.com, with the company developing a virtual badge system to reward visitors who use the website’s in-game tracker, MLB Gameday.
• BigDoor plans to implement a number of other ideas in the future to help visitors further engage with MLB.com. Kevin Smith, founder and chief executive of BigDoor, said: “It’s incredible validation for us that MLB Advanced Media chose BigDoor as its gamification partner. This is another critical milestone for us as we endeavour to build a loyalty and rewards programme that will increase engagement and revenue for our partners.
• “The virtual badges will become collector’s items, similar to baseball cards. For each game, three players are chosen from each team and are assigned an offensive stat. For example, Ichiro Suzuki might be matched with a home run. So if you are watching that Seattle Mariners game live on gameday and Ichiro hits a home run, then you earn the Ichiro badge.” (www.sportspromedia.com)

Corona Offers Escape To Mexico With ‘Beach Getaway’

• Corona is launching its biggest retail promotion in the brand’s history.
• The “Corona Beach Getaway” sweepstakes gives customers ages 21 and older a chance to win one of 100 trips to Mexico by finding custom-wrapped Corona bottles or cans in stores now until July 31.
• Specially marked beach bottles and cans with unique codes have been randomly inserted into packages nationwide. Consumers can use the code to enter the random drawing to award more than 1,700 prizes that include Corona-branded patio umbrellas, rolling coolers and beach cabana tents, at CoronaBeachGetaway.com.
• More than 10,000 bottles and 1,000 12-pack cans will include the new beach packaging — over five times more than the 2010 Corona “Win the Beach” promotion, says Jim Sabia, chief marketing officer of Crown Imports. (www.mediapost.com)

 Sears Auto Center Brings Back Summer Road Trip

• Sears Auto Center is revisiting its “Exploring My America” contest, which it introduced last year at the top of the late spring and summer driving season. The effort is a promotion dangling “dream journeys” in the U.S.
• The company is featuring eight such road trips as prizes in a consumer-content effort located at ExploringMyAmerica.com. To get a shot at the road trips, people have to make and upload video pitches to the site. A panel will select finalists and there will be a final public online vote to choose two teams to participate in each road trip.
• The effort takes a social-media turn when the winners are obliged to chronicle their trips on the contest Web site, Sears Auto Center’s Facebook site, Twitter and YouTube.
• The first trip, with a motorsports theme, is to the Coke Zero 400 race at Daytona International Speedway in late June with a May 29 deadline for videos. (www.mediapost.com)

Honda Puts Music In The Tank For Civic

• Honda is preparing the launch of its 2012 Civic cars with a songwriting competition called The Sounds of Civic. The social media effort on Facebook aims to get people to both submit and vote for original songs inspired by the car.
• The contest — for which Honda is taking submissions until June 5, with voting starting June 8 — includes a digital promotional campaign involving musicians who have made it big on YouTube: Maria Zouroudis, Julia Dales, Greg Holden and Madi Diaz, as well as Los Angeles hip-hop artist Free Will. Each of the artists did their own Civic songs, which Honda has on its Civic Facebook Page and YouTube channel.
• The automaker is touting the campaign with Twitter elements including the #soundsofcivic hashtag and with updates on the Sounds of Civic tab on the Honda Civic Facebook page.
• Honda has made music central to Civic marketing at least since 2001 when it launched its Honda Civic Tour national concert series, in which Honda sponsors arena tours for rising alternative bands. The company has lots of branding at the events, and of course, cars on display. (www.mediapost.com)

  SoBe Encourages US Millenials to ‘Try Everything’

• Taking into account the variety of products that ranges from multiple tastes of Lifewater to the lineup of SoBeElixirs and Teas, anyone is unlikely to be surprised with the tagline of the newly-launched campaign by PepsiCo-owned SoBe that says, “Try Everything”. Geared towards the young audience craving for adventures and unknown experiences (as well as liquid fuel), the campaign uses the power of radio, digital space and street-level out-of-home advertising in New York and Los Angeles to reach the consumers.
• After building an impressive variety of soft drinks and revamping its website, SoBE Lifewater finally kicked off a new marketing campaign on May 18 taglined ‘Try Everything!’, as mentioned above. The key ad of the endeavor is a TV spot featuring Jered Weaver, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim pitcher. (www.popsop.com)