Who's Supporting The Arts?

Who's Supporting The Arts?

Top 10 DMAs in which adults reside who contributed money to an arts or other cultural organization in the past year:
1 San Francisco/ Oakland/ San Jose

2 Seattle/ Tacoma

3 Boston

4 Washington, D.C.

5 Hartford & New Haven, Conn.

6 Albany/ Schenectady/ Troy, N.Y.

7 Rochester, N.Y.

8 Minneapolis/ St. Paul

9 Honolulu, Hawaii

10 New York

Source: Scarborough Research

Top 10 Most Talked About Brands....Heading into the holiday season.

1 Wal-Mart

2 Ford

3 Target

4 Home Depot

5 Apple

6 Lowe's

7 Verizon Wireless

8 Toyota

9 Walgreens

10 Best Buy



Source: BrandIndex

State Farm Fuels Game Day Rivalry

State Farm activated its title sponsorship of the Border Showdown Nov. 28 with pre-game interactives that fanned the flames of competitiveness between the University of Missouri and University of Kansas football teams.

Taking a two-tiered approach, State Farm created activities for both the 18-24 and 30-49-year-old targets. For the young adult segment the company set up the State Farm Border Showdown Lounges at a hotspot near each campus three days before game day. The lounges were equipped with five Xbox Live stations that allowed students from each university to play NCAA 2010 against each other in real time. Participants were given headsets so they could trash talk their opponent on the other end of the game. Crowds hung out to cheer on the players. The goal was to accrue enough points to beat the other team (Kansas beat Missouri 90 to 87). State Farm spread the word to register online via a State Farm Border Showdown Facebook fan page as well as on statefarmthrowdown.com where the scores and other related information were posted throughout the events. On the campuses, State Farm generated buzz through student organizations, hung up posters and handed out cards.

On game day at Kansas City’s Arrowhead Stadium, State Farm appealed to all ages by bringing its Whack-a-Mascot (like Whack-a-Mole) mobile fan experiences to tailgaters. Instead of whacking a mole, each team could whack their opponent’s mascot, either a Kansas Jayhawks or Missouri Tiger. Those that provided personal information received branded merchandise like a Koozie or eye decals reminiscent of the black patches football players wear under their eyes. Of the consumers that went through and did the Whack-a-Mascot game about 25 percent provided their data; 80 percent of those opted in to be contacted by an agent

“This year we have been trying to use our sponsorship as more of a platform versus just going in with some type of mobile unit on game day and having that be it,” Jerry Nevins, marketing analyst at State Farm, told Buzz. “The number of hot leads generated on game day far exceeded what was done previously. At least three times more than in 2008.”

During the game State Farm also executed a MU versus KU text promotion. Each team was provided a short code on the video board to see who could strike a virtual mallet (like at a carnival) by texting the most. When it was over State Farm sent each player a thank you message and chance to enter a $250 sweepstakes.

Baby girl Ezri!

The free calendar has been a marketing staple..

The free calendar has been a marketing staple for as long as anyone can recall, a branded thank-you extended by businesses ranging from banks to fast-food chains to car repair shops. Now cable TV provider Comcast has made the old new, crafting a recent mail campaign that integrated the time-honored calendar with a fresh digital twist.

Just before the year began, Comcast began sending out branded calendars to customers in select areas in hopes of engaging its audience via bold graphics and some money-saving offerings. The calendars are filled with coupons for on-demand movies and discount offers on Comcast digital video recorders. They also provide links to free software and invitations to create a personalized link on a Comcast Web site.

Comcast also cleverly tied in monthly events or holidays with a message that promotes Comcast products. For instance, on the date a pro football championship was to be played, the message on the calendar read: “Enjoy the big game in Comcast HD.”

Breen says the calendar — which was mailed to customers in several states in the Northeast and Midwest — is largely a gesture of appreciation, but it also allows the cable giant to communicate more intimately with its audience about the value of the cable service. “We’re happy with what our customers have bought, and we want them to get the most out of what they have,” says Karen Breen, vice president of marketing strategies for Comcast’s North Central Division. “This is really important in tough economic times for people to realize the value they have.”

The calendars also allow Comcast the chance to educate recipients about its array of offerings beyond its cable service. “Direct mail enables us to have more room to say what we want, and we do leverage it quite a bit,” notes Breen. “We were trying to think of an innovative way to talk about our product benefits and features that would have a life and context to it.”

In the first few months of the campaign, Breen says, anecdotal feedback has suggested that the effort will prove fruitful. Customers have called Comcast to get their own calendars and are also asking to be added to the mailing list for next year’s version.

As the year progresses, Comcast will track redemption of the on-demand video coupons, which are sprinkled throughout the calendar, to determine how many calendars are prompting consumer action. Breen says the company will also study Web traffic to determine how many calendar recipients are being driven online.

Breen says the idea for the calendar grew out of a series of creative direct mail pieces that Comcast designed in 2008, featuring bold graphics that promoted the Comcast user experience. Many of those images were included in the calendar.

In addition to the mailings, the calendar was also used as a free-standing insert in newspapers and given away at Comcast service centers in the targeted states.


Source: Deliver Magazine

Cool "Marketing" pics...

Nike as exclusive on-court and apparel provider of the USA Basketball men's and women's national teams.

The Cowboys run on Dunkin.....

America's Team now runs - and passes, blocks and kicks - on Dunkin' Donuts, America's all-day, everyday stop for coffee and baked goods. The company announced today that it has entered into a partnership with the Dallas Cowboys Football Club, which includes becoming the official coffee for the team. Dunkin' Donuts pouring stations, located strategically throughout Cowboys Stadium, will serve Dunkin' Donuts hot coffee, iced coffee, hot chocolate and iced tea during Cowboys home games, college football games, concerts and other stadium events.

The Dallas Cowboys are one of the world's leading professional sports franchises with a global fan base. As part of the partnership, Dunkin' Donuts signage will appear within the stadium and advertising will be shown during events on the LED ribbon board and video board. Co-branded advertising will also be seen throughout the Dallas-Ft. Worth area announcing the partnership. Additionally, on weekdays after every home game, customers can redeem their Cowboys game ticket stubs at any Dunkin' Donuts location to receive a free medium hot coffee.

According to Dunkin' Brands CEO Nigel Travis, the agreement to bring Dunkin' Donuts coffee and beverages to Cowboys Stadium provides a simple yet significant benefit for visitors. "The new Cowboys Stadium offers fans arguably the most impressive array of state-of-the-art amenities in any venue in the country. We're proud to partner with the Cowboys organization to help enhance visitors' stadium experience even further by making the country's best coffee part of every home game, concert or event," he said.

"We are proud to have Dunkin' Donuts as a partner in our new home," said Dallas Cowboys Owner and General Manager, Jerry Jones. "The quality of their coffee is unmatched and exactly what our fans expect when they come out to Cowboys Stadium."

Dunkin' Donuts' partnership with the Dallas Cowboys is a significant milestone in the brand's strategic growth efforts, which are focused on bringing the brand's world-famous coffee and baked goods to new, targeted locations across the country via steady contiguous growth as well as through innovative partnerships. In the sporting industry alone, Dunkin' Donuts offers its coffee and beverages at sporting venues such as Fenway Park and the TD Bank (Boston) Garden in addition to Cowboys Stadium; it is also the official coffee provider for many professional sports teams, including the Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, New York Mets, Boston Celtics and Boston Bruins. Additionally, in recent years, Dunkin' Donuts launched the brand's first-ever theme park restaurant at Hershey Park, its first hotel location at Great Wolf Lodge in North Carolina, and multiple new locations at airports including Boston, Dallas-Fort Worth and New York City.

Dunkin' Donuts has set the standard for offering a superior grade of coffee, and the company sells more than one billion cups of hot and iced coffee every year. In 2008, an independent taste test showed that Americans preferred Dunkin' Donuts coffee over Starbucks. Dunkin' Donuts has earned the No. 1 ranking for customer loyalty in the coffee category by Brand Keys for three years running.

About Dunkin' Donuts

Founded in 1950, Dunkin' Donuts is America's favorite every day, all-day stop for coffee and baked goods. Dunkin' Donuts is a market leader in the regular/decaf coffee, iced coffee, hot flavored coffee, donut, bagel and muffin categories, and the largest coffee and baked goods chain in the world. Dunkin' Donuts has earned the No. 1 ranking for customer loyalty in the coffee category by Brand Keys for three years running. The company has more than 8,800 restaurants in 31 countries worldwide. In 2008, Dunkin' Donuts' global system-wide sales were $5.5 billion. Based in Canton, Massachusetts, Dunkin' Donuts is a subsidiary of Dunkin' Brands, Inc. For more information, visit www.DunkinDonuts.com.

Yankee "parade" with Sponsors?

Do Yankee Sponsors get to ride down the Canyon of Champions today?.....if not shoyuld they?

The Los Angeles Kings Drive Season Sales with Ice Cream Truck

What Your Taste in Beer Says About You

What Consumers Want.. Custom Publications

Consumers may be bombarded with marketing messages these days, but that doesn't mean they've tuned out. In fact, consumers are more interested than ever in hearing from companies-provided that information comes in the form of a custom publication, such as a magalog or a catazine.

A recent Custom Publishing Concil poll shows consumers are increasingly attracted to these marketing methods because they include useful information:

68% Say it helps them make better purchasing decisions when companies provide product info through custom publications.

78% Don't mind Sponsors selling their products and services through custom publications- as long as the info is interesting.

74% Say getting info from an interesting collection of articles is more appealing than getting info from ads

59% Read print custom publications whereas only 36% look through electronic custom publications.

The message seems clear: if you want to get consumers attention, send them your message in the form of interesting and useful infomation.

Campbell Wants to Show You Just How Long Its Noodles Are...

http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid1543292789?bctid=46765724001

The Green Giant brings over some friends

http://promomagazine.com/entertainmentmarketing/news/nickelodeon_healthy_food_initiative_green_giant_053107/

The Green Giant has found a friend to help him sell his green beans. The question is will you be more likely to buy the Green Giant..then the other brands because of Sponge Bob? And if so should The Green Giant just step aside and let Sponge Bob sell his green beans?

"Parents tell us that they look for motivating ways to encourage their kids to eat vegetables,” said Jon Nudi, marketing vice president, Green Giant, in a statement. “Teaming the Nickelodeon characters with Green Giant vegetables through packaging offers parents extra tools to teach their kids healthy habits.”

Question: Do you really think kids are going to eat more green beans because the frozen package has Sponge Bob on it? Its still green beans not Captain Crunch...right?