Social Site’s New Friends Are Athletes

Creative Artists Agency is expected to launch WePlay.com, a social networking site for youth sports — something like Facebook for young athletes — in April.

New York Times, March 26, 2008 — Late last year, Pamela Firestone, the mother of Tony Parker, the San Antonio Spurs point guard, went rooting through her home in Paris and dug up a VHS tape of a 9-year-old Tony on a Parisian basketball court with his two brothers.

O.K., let’s start,” the future N.B.A. star says in French. “It’s going to be the Chicago Bulls versus the San Antonio Spurs.”

In most families such artifacts are merely heirlooms, their value measured in memories. For the Hollywood talent agency Creative Artists Agency and the hedge fund Pequot Capital, these are assets to be exploited.

Madonna and Unilever's Good Hair Day†

Star Breaks New Single Globally Through Appearance in Hair-Care Commercial

Advertising Age, March 18, 2008 — Madonna debuts her new single "4 Minutes (to Save the World)" in a new Sunsilk commercial that hits the screens around the world today. The song, produced by Timbaland and featuring Justin Timberlake, is from the singer's forthcoming album, "Hard Candy," due April 29...This is the first time that a music-brand partnership of this magnitude has been seen with a world-class megastar teaming up with a major marketer for a global launch.

Sex and the City’ and Its Lasting Female Appeal

New York Times, March 17, 2008 — WHEN it comes to products helping to promote the coming film based on the popular TV series “Sex and the City,” it seems the sky is the limit.

Better make that the Skyy is the limit, as in Skyy vodka, which is being named the “official spirits sponsor” for the movie. Among the tie-ins are drinks made with Skyy to be served at Houlihan’s restaurants and named after characters like Carrie, Samantha and Mr. Big.

What's on McDonald's Olympic-Marketing Menu†

Q&A: Fast Feeder's 'Biggest Activation Ever' Includes Sending 200 Kids to Event

Advertising Age, March 3, 2008 — One message, 118 countries.

Since Mary Dillon took over as global chief marketing officer at McDonald's in October 2005, she's been working to strengthen and interpret the company's "I'm lovin' it" ad message — which she describes as having "the highest level of consumer awareness in words and five notes that you can almost get in a global campaign" — to consumers around the world.

As part of that effort, she's captaining the marketing team for the Summer Olympics in Beijing, which she says will be the company's "biggest activation ever." The plan involves global spots to showcase the chain's history of feeding athletes — with local twists — and competitions in 30 countries to select 200 children for trips to the games.

Wrigley teams up with NBA in new marketing pact

Crain's Chicago Business, July 12, 2007 — W. Wrigley Jr. Co. has a new marketing teammate — the National Basketball Association.

The Chicago-based gum and candy company announced Wednesday a partnership that makes five of its brands the Official Chewing Gums of the NBA.

Sponsorship branding takes on new name†

Financial Times, March 13, 2007 — Talk of London's Millennium Dome usually includes the phrase "white elephant". Given the controversy surrounding the landmark building, the decision of O2, the UK mobile phone network, to sponsor it seems something of a gamble.

Building A Megabrand Named Dwyane

How Dwyane Wade of the Heat is rewriting the rules of sports marketing

BusinessWeek, February 12, 2007 — Practice is over at American Airlines Arena, and Dwyane Wade takes a minute to explain how he's putting his touch on a new mobile phone. The All-Star guard for the Miami Heat and a self-proclaimed budding businessman is helping wireless carrier T-Mobile USA Inc. (DT ) design a limited-edition Sidekick, the texting device/cell phone beloved by twentysomethings.

Disrupting Official Sponsorship

adidas delivers brand experiences to match the passions of World Cup fans

Hub, January 1, 2007 — Over the past two decades, we have seen explosive growth in sports-marketing sponsorship around the world in every realm -