Twitter Plans to Add E-Commerce to Brand Pages

Launched in December, the pages show the brand’s Twitter feed and images, but Twitter plans to add experiences, including e-commerce, contests and sweepstakes, according to three executives familiar with the matter.

The product will allow app developers to build experiences on Twitter, much the way they do on Facebook. The features will be contained within the brand’s tweet timeline, a departure from the 140-character limit of a tweet or images and videos that can now displayed. While no date has been set for the release of the product, Twitter has been telling clients to expect it this year.

When Twitter launched brand pages, the differentiators from a regular page were a large, customizable header and the ability to keep a particular tweet at the top of a timeline and have it auto-expand if it was a photo or video. At the time of the launch, Twitter Chief Revenue Officer Adam Bain said features would eventually be added to brand pages.

Twitter declined to comment on the new features.

While 21 high-profile marketers like Nike , American Express and McDonald’s were part of the launch group, and more brands that had committed $25,000 in advertising came onboard in January, many marketers have wondered about the usefulness of Twitter’s brand pages in their present form. But the prospect of developing content that’s native to the Twitter experience and using it to drive users to their own pages could make brand pages’ function — and value — clearer to marketers. (www.adage.com)

Cartier’s Three-Minute Gem Extends Demand for Longer Spots

After shrinking to as short as 15 seconds, TV ads seem to be moving in the other direction.

In recent weeks, TV viewers have been served an array of commercials lasting several minutes, counter to the conventional wisdom that slack-jawed couch potatoes generally can’t focus their attention on a video promotion longer than 30 seconds. Super Bowl viewers seemed thrilled by Chrysler’s two-minute spot starring Clint Eastwood, while viewers of CBS’s Grammys telecast saw an ad from Chipotle that went two minutes and 15 seconds.

Now the extra-long commercials appear to be moving from special events to regular prime time. Gap Inc.’s Old Navy has prepared a two-minute spot done up infomercial style that is slated to appear on “Talk Soup” and “Chelsea Lately” on NBC Universal’s E!. And Cartier, which spends most of its ad money on magazines, newspapers and outdoor promotions, ran a whopping three-and-one-half minute ad on CBS, ABC and NBC at about the same time this past Sunday evening — an old-school maneuver known as a “roadblock” and more popular when those three TV networks were by and large the only show in town. (www.adage.com)

Colts’ Release of Manning Could Be Boon for Nike

Peyton Manning’s change of address is good news for Nike, which will replace Reebok International next month as the maker of National Football League-branded apparel and uniforms.

Mr. Manning, whose No. 18 jersey has been among the NFL’s top 10 sellers since 2004, was released today by the Indianapolis Colts. The move ends a record-setting era that resulted in a Super Bowl championship, four Most Valuable Player awards and at least three neck surgeries.

Having a player of Mr. Manning’s ability and popularity changing uniforms is a boon for Nike, which not only will sell a lot of jerseys but will utilize the offseason news to remind consumers of its relationship with the most popular sports league in the U.S., according to Matt Arnold, an analyst at Edward Jones & Co. in Des Peres, Mo.

“It can’t hurt that the league is getting attention in the offseason in light of Manning’s move,” said Mr. Arnold, who recommends buying the shares, which he doesn’t own. “It’s a very, very popular league, and he’s a very, very popular player.” (www.adage.com)

Infectious Ad for Razor Blades Smells a Lot Like Old Spice

To sell razor blades on the Web, you’d better have sharp marketing content. DollarShaveClub.com’s 90-second promo clip is on the cutting edge. With more than 1 million views in four days, the video—starring company CEO Michael Dubin, warehouse sidekick Alejandra and some guy in a bear suit—is looking like a smooth move. (Sick of those shaving puns yet?) Commenters have noted that the startup’s effort has an Old Spice vibe. Indeed, that air of familiarity and sureness of style helps makes the spot instantly likable. Dubin, a former digital marketing honcho at Sports Illustrated, delivers a punchy performance as he zealously oversells the subscription service that trucks cheap blades to your door for as little as $1 a month.

There are great lines like, “Do you think your razor needs a vibrating handle, a flashlight, a back scratcher and 10 blades? Your handsome-ass grandfather had one blade—and polio,” and the ballsy motto, “Our razors are f***ing great.” (Some folks in the socialsphere are in a lather about the portrayal of Alejandra as a stereotypical recently unemployed Latina—but she has loads of fans too, and her un-P.C. presence works in the nutty context of the spot.) Heck, it’s so good, it could almost be a parody—the entertaining kind that run on Funny or Die. That’s a nice change of pace for the razor category, where typical advertising of the Gillette/Schick variety can be chin-scrapingly dull. (www.adweek.com)

Street Toyota Scion Sponsors Family Game Night

Street Toyota Scion will sponsor Family Game Night Saturday, March 10, 2012 at the Amarillo Civic Center when the Amarillo Bulls play the Texas Tornadoes.

“This is a great opportunity for families to come out and relax together,” Dave Walker, Scion Manager at Street Toyota said. “We like to create a family-friendly atmosphere when we sponsor anything in the area.”

Street Toyota Scion will have a new 2012 Scion TC on display and one random audience member will have the chance to win the car during intermission.

“One lucky fan will have the chance to walk away with a new car,” Walker said. “The fan will be selected randomly and then aim to make a goal during intermission and if they make the goal they win a brand new 2012 Scion TC.” (www.sponsorship.com)

freecreditscore.com Returns To The Stage As A Super Sponsor At SXSW

The freecreditscore.com band, The American Secrets, returns to the SXSW Music stage on Friday, March 16, at 11 p.m., making this their second appearance at the world-famous music, film and interactive conference and festival. Opening for singer and songwriter Citizen Cope, the band will perform at the IFC Crossroads House located at 302 East 6th Street, in Austin, Texas.

“We’re very happy to be back as a 2012 Super Sponsor, returning with the freecreditscore.com band and looking forward to engaging with attendees,” said Ken Chaplin, senior vice president of marketing for freecreditscore.com. “We also hope to be a great resource for fans by keeping up with the action via our social media presence.”

SXSW fans encouraged to “connect” with freecreditscore.com

SXSW fans on-site and across the country are encouraged to check out the freecreditscore.com social media channels for special in-venue promotions and engagement opportunities during SXSW Music. Freecreditscore.com will help facilitate online conversations during the event by sharing live coverage of SXSW Interactive and Music events and performances on Twitter, Instagram and Tumblr, using the @fcsdotcom handle and the #sxsw hashtag. (www.sponsorship.com)

Coors Light New Official Beer Of The Seattle Mariners

The Seattle Mariners and Coors Light today announced a new three-year sponsorship agreement to make The World’s Most Refreshing Beer the “official beer” of the team. Per Mariners policy, financial terms of the deal will not be released.

“The Mariners are very happy to welcome Coors Light as our newest corporate partner. We are looking forward to the opportunities this new relationship brings both inside and outside Safeco Field,” said Bob Aylward, Seattle Mariners Executive Vice President of Business Operations.

Joe Gleason, MillerCoors sales GM for Washington and Alaska, said the opportunity to form an alliance with the Mariners was especially appealing because of the response from the brewer’s local distributors.

“The Mariners are building a great foundation of exciting young players and they have one of the most beautiful ballparks in the country,” said Gleason. “That’s why MillerCoors and our distributor partners are so excited about the opportunity to build a deep relationship with the Mariners and the team’s legal-drinking-age fans.” (www.sponsorship.com)

Panera Boosts Ad Budget as ‘Fast Casual’ Heats Up

Panera Bread Co. plans to add millions of dollars to its advertising spending this year as the bakery and cafe chain tries to keep pace with rivals in the growing “fast-casual” restaurant space.

Panera, which serves up sandwiches, salads, baked goods and other fare, said it is increasing its media investment by 26% this year. Plans include the St. Louis-based company’s first national cable television ad.

But even with the extra hype, Panera expects the number of customers it serves to remain roughly flat over last year—a testament, the company said, to the increasingly competitive fast-casual dining industry. (www.wsj.com)

Marketers Promoting a Granola Bar Hit the Trails in National Parks

NATURE VALLEY, the granola bar brand introduced by General Mills in 1975, is telling consumers to take a hike, but in a good way.

Inspired by Google Street View, which uses images from a 360-degree camera to provide pedestrian-level views of cities worldwide, the company is introducing a Web site called Nature Valley Trail View. The site features 58 hiking trails totaling more than 300 miles in the Grand Canyon, Great Smoky Mountains and Yellowstone National Parks.

On the site, which was introduced Wednesday, users will zoom in on maps of parks to panoramically view individual trails. As with the street version, clicking directional arrows approximates walking forward or backward and gazing in any direction. With just one click, an “autoplay” function replicates hiking — minus the bird songs and blisters.

Absent from the site is any explicit pitch for granola bars. The only on-screen acknowledgment is a small Nature Valley logo in a corner of the screen, similar to cable network logos that appear during programming.

“It’s not necessarily about getting someone to go out today and buy a Nature Valley granola bar,” Scott Baldwin, senior marketing manager for Nature Valley, said of the project. “Supporting lifestyle causes that your customers care about is what’s going to keep them loyal to you, and when they have a choice, maybe they’ll choose you.” (www.nytimes.com)

Molson Coors Taps Into New Beers

Coors Light Iced Tea will be the first of several new beer products from Molson Coors Brewing Co. aimed at gaining a greater share of the beer market.

Molson executives said during a meeting with analysts that the new products should help spur sales so the company can put less reliance on cost-cutting to drive its profit. The brewer also hopes to win back consumers who have made the switch to wine and other alcoholic beverages, according to Reuters. The new Coors Light Iced Tea will hit store shelves first in Canada, where consumers are interested in flavored beers. They did not rule out bringing the product into the United States market as well. Other new products will include Carling Zest, a limited-time-only beer with citrus flavors, and an autumn-inspired Leinenkugels beer, the news outlet reported.

Molson Coors is also ramping up its craft beer offerings through its Tenth and Blake unit. Specifically, executives said its new Batch 19 is performing better than expected. Additional rollouts are slated in April, and the craft beer is on target to be available in 40 U.S. markets by the fall. (www.mediapost.com)

AmEx Turns Tweets Into Savings

American Express cardmembers can now sync their cards with Twitter and when they tweet using special hashtags, savings offers are loaded directly into their cards.

When cardmembers use their synced card for qualifying purchases online or in-store at participating merchants, the savings are automatically delivered via a statement credit within days.

National merchant partners so far include 1-800-FLOWERS.COM, Best Buy, Century 21 Department Store, The Cheesecake Factory, Dell, FedEx Office, FTD, Gulf, H&M, McDonald’s, Seamless.com, Sports Authority, Ticketmaster, Virgin America, Whole Foods Market and Zappos.com.

In order to sync their cards, members go to https://sync.americanexpress.com/twitter and follow instructions. All of the current American Express special offers are highlighted as “favorites” on the @americanexpress Twitter page. (www.mediapost.com)

Stars Record Song For ConAgra Anti-Hunger Campaign

This year, ConAgra Foods’ annual “Child Hunger Ends Here” campaign has its own original theme song, recorded in three versions by Jewel, Owl City and Jay Sean.

Free downloads of the three renditions of “Here’s Hope,” written by award-winning songwriters Hunter Hayes, Luke Laird and Barry Dean, are available by purchasing products from any of nine ConAgra brands, and entering the special code on the packages at the campaign’s site, childhungerendshere.com.

The song versions also will be released to country, pop, top 40 and urban radio stations, based on the genres of the individual artists.

ConAgra brands participating in the campaign are Chef Boyardee, Orville Redenbacher’s, Healthy Choice, Marie Callender’s, Hunt’s, Hunt’s Manwich, Banquet, Snack Pack and Peter Pan. (www.mediapost.com)