Marketing and all things related

Okay, forget the apple pie. What makes America great is television, country music and NASCAR. We have this on good authority, because according to Mediaweek, ABC television decided to sponsor the annual Country Music Association awards for the next six years. ABC already airs NASCAR, and both the network and the CMA are hoping to cash in on heavy cross promotion between the music and motors. CMA is leaving rival CBS after a 34-year relationship, in hopes of reaching a younger audience at ABC, and reversing a decline in audience for their awards program. ABC will kickoff the relationship with a two-hour CMA music festival featuring monster celebrity country music performers. ABC will add signage promoting country music at Disney theme parks and NASCAR track venues. Marketing Blurb believes this is a real flag waving opportunity. Give us a slice of that pie now. Photo Credit: Wikipedia

Marketing Blurb is an advocate of event marketing, point-of-sale, and sampling. The advertising value of television pales by comparison. So we think it is a fine idea for folks like Smirnoff and Verizon to hit the beach to court sunbathers... Continue Reading

Our Wired magazine arrived over the weekend, and we can always depend on quirky advertising or inserts of some kind. We were not disappointed, because Mini Cooper is promoting their Mini Takes the States road rally. The rally covers 4,000... Continue Reading

Only yesterday, we told you that homebuilders were getting creative to move unsold inventory in a soft housing market. But we should have known that Hollywood folks would have a better idea. And sure enough, Centrex Homes of Southern California... Continue Reading

Back in June, Marketing Blurb told you about Aquapod, Nestles’ attempt to market bottled water to kids. The Nestles’ campaign is now underway with a road show featuring two 18-foot mobile units in the distinctive shape of a giant Aquapod... Continue Reading

Not all competitive sports are glamorous. Competitive eating is one such less than politically correct endeavor. In fact, the International Federation of Competitive Eating cannot even sign sponsors for event advertising. Poker and casino advertisers like GoldenPalace.net and Harrah’s are... Continue Reading

The Brooklyn Bridge is not for sale. But we can interest you in a fine roller coaster or perhaps even the entire Six Flags Magic Mountain Amusement Park. As it turns out, the Amusement Park business is not fun anymore.... Continue Reading

Months ago, we visited a beta site called Yahoo! Answers. We assumed this would be a so-called expert site, where once could pose a question to a subject expert. We should have known better. This is actually a social networking... Continue Reading

Maybe you heard the news that Mom might not want a frying pan or a vacuum cleaner for a Mother’s Day gift. But marketers are still behind the times with regards to Dad. Everyone assumes that Dad wants tools or... Continue Reading

According to The New York Times (free registration required) the NBA wants more women to watch basketball. Specifically, the league “wants more women, especially those 18 to 34, to watch its games, talk about its players and wear the jersey... Continue Reading

Now you might think that using “the heat” to promote 7-Eleven Slurpees would not be a good idea, and you would be wrong, naturally. In Dallas, 7-Eleven uses the Aberdeen and Hoquiam Police Departments to distribute Slurpee coupons to kids... Continue Reading

Now you might think that if you wanted the maximum number of brand impressions in sports advertising you would advertise on the Super Bowl, and you would be wrong, naturally. Statistics released by Nielsen Sports’ Sponsorships reveal that tennis and... Continue Reading

Marketing Blurb is not into the occult. But we have been told that the number 666 is the mark of the devil, and we take that on faith (clever, no?) And we just found out that the number has special... Continue Reading

We can’t pretend to understand the complex hospitality industry, but we do know that Hilton Hotels Corp. is concerned about their aging guest demographic. As such, the chain has decided to sponsor 2006 AVP Pro Beach Volleyball Tour, which decided... Continue Reading

Beginning next week, Dodge is sponsoring a promotion road trip for three teams of college students. Each team boards a new Dodge Caliber in the college town and rides to Miami to promote the vehicle and raise money for charity.... Continue Reading

Marketing Blurb used to play poker in college, before the game made the big leagues. We were only a so-so player, so fortunately, we did not bet our tuition and we retired before graduation. But these days, Poker is a spectator sport.... Continue Reading

We have already told readers that the upcoming World Cup Soccer Tournament is huge. And now we can tell you just how huge. In the UK, McDonald’s is celebrating the event with a limited edition World Cup Burger. This burger... Continue Reading

When we teach marketing, our students quickly learn that television advertising (except for direct response TV) is generally a waste of money. Sorry about the broad brush strokes here. We tell students instead that point-of-sale marketing and sampling is far... Continue Reading

If you are old enough to remember The Mutual of Omaha Wild Kingdom show on television, you are probably too old to read this blog. But that aside, Mutual of Omaha has decided to resuscitate the program from the 1960s... Continue Reading

Marketing Blurb likes to believe the best way to advertise food is product sampling. When product sampling is not practical, we urge companies to consider advertising which emphasizes taste. But, most packaged foods companies would just as soon sponsor a... Continue Reading