Japanese Retailer Uniqlo Exploring Online Store for U.S.

Uniqlo is exploring building an online store for the U.S., according to a document obtained by Ad Age. The request for proposal indicates the retailer is looking for partners to help build the e-commerce site, which, if it goes according to the document’s timeline, would go live in October.

The Japanese retailer, in the midst of an aggressive global expansion as growth slows at home, is searching for an agency to build what it’s calling a “digital flagship” for the U.S. market. It hopes to push Stateside sales to $10 billion with 20% originating online by 2020, according to the document.

Uniqlo spokeswoman Mary Lawton played down the agency outreach, telling Ad Age the company has “no solid plans” to launch e-commerce in the U.S. and that this is the second time Uniqlo has reached out to agencies to explore e-commerce. The document, however, contains a project timeline with all components set to go live Oct. 15.

“We continue to explore the possibility of launching e-commerce. However, at this time, we are a long way away from confirming when specifically this will happen in the U.S.,” said Ms. Lawton in a statement. “As we have said in the past, when we launch e-commerce in the U.S. we want to be sure it will benefit our customers, and currently we do not have a plan that meets that expectation.” (www.adage.com)

Nutrena Brand Is Contributing Sponsor of USHJA

Cargill’s Nutrena brand horse feeds announces its partnership with the United States Hunter Jumper Association (USHJA), the national affiliate for the equine hunter/jumper discipline.

“Equine nutrition and the proper care of animals is at the heart of what we do, for companion animals and for those that compete,” said Jackie Rieck, marketing manager for Cargill’s Nutrena brand. “Our passion for nutrition aligns well with the USHJA’s dedication to promoting equine sports and education.”

“We all have horses and providing them with a quality feed product is something we all care about,” said Shelby French, CEO of USHJA. “Having Cargill as a contributing sponsor of the association will provide a greater opportunity for members to receive quality information regarding feed and nutrition.”

Using the highest-quality ingredients and the most up-to-date nutritional technology, Cargill manufactures and markets a complete line of Nutrena brand feeds and supplements that help horses maintain optimal health throughout all stages of life. For more information, visit www.nutrenaworld.com . (www.sponsorship.com)

Insurance Office of America To Expand Sponsorship Portfolio

Looking to build its brand and gain a point of differentiation from larger, more established competitors, Insurance Office of America, Inc. is scouting additional deals for its quickly growing portfolio. The insurance broker over the past year has signed a handful of new partnerships including Six Flags theme parks, the NHL Florida Panthers and the NBA Atlanta Hawks, Charlotte Bobcats and Washington Wizards. (www.sponsorship.com)

Dr Pepper Snapple Group Partners With NFL Chicago Bears

Looking to strengthen its presence in the Windy City, Dr Pepper Snapple Group, Inc. has inked a seven-year, estimated multi-million dollar partnership with the NFL Chicago Bears. The non-alcoholic beverage company replaces The Coca-Cola Co., which has sponsored the team for decades. The sponsorship includes three primary components: Exclusive pouring rights in Soldier Field, a fan engagement area outside the venue, and title of the team’s training camp in Bourbonnais, Ill. (www.sponsorship.com)

BB&T Signs Naming-rights Agreement with Charlotte Knights

BB&T Corporation and the Charlotte Knights and have signed a long-term agreement for BB&T to become the naming-rights sponsor for the Triple-A baseball team’s proposed new stadium in uptown Charlotte.

“BB&T is committed to supporting the communities in which we work and live,” said Wes Beckner, regional president of BB&T’s Charlotte metro region. “We believe a new baseball stadium in a spectacular setting in uptown Charlotte will create jobs and attract business investment with new restaurants and other businesses. It also will draw crowds to a family-friendly, affordable environment.

“We understand approval of the stadium is a process and critical decisions still need to be made. If those decisions are positive, we are delighted to support what we believe will be a tremendous economic catalyst for Charlotte and the region,” Beckner said.

Don Beaver, managing partner of the Charlotte Knights, added, “We are excited to have BB&T join our team as we create a vibrant new entertainment center in uptown Charlotte. With its strong track record of community support and commitment to family entertainment, BB&T is the perfect partner. Our partnership significantly increases the excitement, credibility and economic feasibility of our proposed uptown stadium. We couldn’t be prouder to have the BB&T name atop what will be a magnificent addition to the Charlotte landscape.” (www.sponsorship.com)

Aetna to Sponsor UK Olympic Beach Volleyball Hopefuls

With just three months to go before the start of London 2012, Great Britain’s Olympic beach volleyball squad and leading global health benefits company Aetna announce today their deal for Aetna to become the squad’s first major commercial sponsor.

The Olympic beach volleyball tournament will occur in July and will be staged at the Horse Guards Parade. Tickets for this event are already the most oversubscribed of the entire Games. The relationship between Aetna and the UK Volleyball team covers 2012 whilst also bringing the athletes much needed financing to aid their progress in the Olympic Games.

The news comes as Team GB continue their preparations for the Games and their bid to secure extra team spots in both the men’s and women’s competitions, in addition to two automatic spots as the host to the women’s and men’s competition. Team GB has also represented at the Games on only one previous occasion, at Atlanta in 1996, when the women’s team participated.

Under the terms of the sponsorship, Team GB players’ kits will carry the Aetna logo as they face a hectic travel, training and qualifying tournament schedule in the lead up to the Games. The sponsorship was brokered by sports specialist Beach Volleyball UK Ltd. (www.sponsorship.com)

About Don Miguel Gascón Brings a Taste of Mendoza to The Polo Life

Don Miguel Gascón, one of South America’s most prestigious and historic brands of Malbec wine, continues to bring Argentina’s passion for polo to the United States, with its sponsorship of the 2012 Maserati Miami Beach Polo World Cup VIII, taking place on the sands of South Beach in Florida, April 26th through April 29th, 2012.

This year marks the second year in which Don Miguel Gascón has stamped its authority on the world of Beach Polo as the official wine of The Miami Beach Polo World Cup, crystallizing its close partnership and continued journey with The Polo Life, LLC, a Florida-based organization responsible for producing professional Beach Polo competitions around the world. Gascón Winery will be sponsoring two teams – men’s and women’s – competing in this year’s event, that will battle it out with vigor and grace during the world’s largest and longest-running professional Beach Polo tournament.

Don Miguel Gascón will also be prominently featured in the Miami Beach Polo World Cup Village. Attendees are invited to visit the on-site Gascón Tasting Tent in which comfortable seating allows guests to have a front-row view of the polo, while at the same time sample the elegant style of Gascón’s most acclaimed Classic Malbec or Reserva Malbec, as the perfect accompaniment to an afternoon’s sporting entertainment.

“We are proud and very excited to be returning to this year’s Miami Beach Polo World Cup,” said Don Miguel Gascón Winery President, Ernesto Catena. “The Polo Life has taken ownership of professional Beach Polo and has turned the traditional game into a fun and exciting contemporary format that still maintains the sophistication and exhilaration of Arena Polo. Our company reflects the values and traditions the sport continues to represent and we look forward to developing our partnership with The Polo Life Tour and being part of its vision for Beach Polo in the U.S and internationally.” (www.sponsorship.com)

In Mac-and-Cheese Wars, Al Dente Can’t Compete With SpongeBob SquarePants

In architecture, form follows function. In pasta, shape follows sauce. Margherite, farfalle and lumache may look like daisies, butterflies and snails, but taste is what counts: which shape combines with which sauce to taste best.

It counts in Italy, that is. In America, the rule has evolved a variation: Shape follows tie-in. That’s why macaroni from Kraft Foods looks like Super Mario, Spider-Man and Marvin the Martian—and why Guillermo Haro is the nation’s best-selling pasta architect.

In 22 years at Kraft, Mr. Haro, who is cagey about his age, has extruded pasta into more than 2,000 shapes; 280 have gone on sale in blue boxes of Macaroni and Cheese, with a bag of orange cheesy stuff. (www.wsj.com)

Tissue Maker Takes Flushables to Facebook

AMONG users of moist toilet paper wipes, 54 percent keep the product hidden from view, most often under the bathroom sink, according to consumer research by Kimberly-Clark, which makes Cottonelle Fresh Care, the leading flushable wipe. That troubles the brand, which reports that consumers who display wipes openly — typically atop the toilet tank — tend to use them twice as frequently.

Now Cottonelle is introducing a campaign that uses humor to address the embarrassment surrounding adult wipes, and to underscore that, rather than substituting wipes for dry toilet paper, consumers typically use them in tandem.

In one commercial featuring parents and their teenage daughter in a suburban kitchen, the mother asks the teenager to settle a dispute.

“I say this and this,” the mother says, holding toilet paper and wipes in either hand, “is called ‘Southern hospitality.’ ” (www.nytimes.com)

At Huawei, an Eccentric Force Drives the Company Forward

In the 1990s, the Huawei chief executive, Ren Zhengfei, visited the United States several times, hoping to learn from its leaders of industry about how to turn his Chinese maker of telecommunications equipment into a global company. On one trip in 1992, in the days before China had credit cards, he paid all his bills with cash from a briefcase holding $30,000.

Sixteen years later, Mr. Ren was listed on Forbes’s list of the 400 richest Chinese, and Huawei was one of the world’s largest telecommunications equipment vendors, but the United States still treated him as an outsider. He was eager to win customers like AT&T, Verizon and Sprint but as of the year before, in 2007, he had secured just $200 million worth of business in the United States, in a $23 billion global market. Early in 2008, the United States effectively vetoed Huawei’s bid for 3Com, a U.S. networking equipment manufacturer, on security grounds.

In March 2008, according to a U.S. cable leaked to WikiLeaks, Mr. Ren visited the U.S. Consulate in Guangzhou, China, to complain that he had been issued only a single-entry visa. He was exasperated at U.S. suspicions that his company was close to the Chinese military and government. He pointed out that his parents had been sent to labor camps during the Cultural Revolution and the only reason he had been allowed into the Chinese Army was that the army was short of skilled technicians. (www.nytimes.com)

State Farm To Sponsor Billboard Latin Music Awards

For the fourth consecutive year, State Farm is the title sponsor of the 2012 Billboard Latin Music Awards, according to Telemundo Media, which announced the deal on April 23.

Other featured sponsors of the April 26 broadcast include Burger King, L’Oreal USA, Sprint, Target, T-Mobile and Toyota.

State Farm also will sponsor Telemundo’s partnership with Shazam, the world’s leading discovery service’s first-ever initiative with a Spanish-language broadcast network.

For the first time ever on Spanish-language television according to Telemundo, the awards show will be Shazam-enabled, allowing viewers and fans to get immediate access to more information about their favorite artists walking the red carpet, including links to artists’ Web pages for videos and pictures, as well as the ability to buy music directly through the Shazam mobile application. (www.mediapost.com)

Godiva Launches Philanthropy Program

Godiva Chocolatier has launched its first global cause-marketing initiative, starting with programs at the U.S. national and local levels.

The Lady Godiva Program is geared to recognizing women around the world who contribute to their communities and inspire other women to do the same.

The program is kicking off this month by naming Lauren Bush Lauren, co-founder of FEED Projects, as its first honoree on a national level. To date, FEED Projects and the FEED Foundation have provided more than 60 million school meals to children living in 62 countries around the world through the UN World Food Programme school feeding program.

Timed for Mother’s Day, Godiva is offering “FEED 10” tote bags for sale ($25) in Godiva stores and on Godiva.com. Purchasing a bag will provide 10 school meals to children in African cocoa-sourcing countries, and the bags are being created by women in Liberia — creating jobs for them, according to Godiva and Lauren. (www.mediapost.com)