Links 12/22/09

Deals Dell drops MTV's Jersey Shore AdsFord, Pepsi Raise Social Media Stakes With Hulu ShowAir NZ pulls out of Fashion Week naming-rights dealNew Balance Partners with City of Boston to Clear Snow on Running Paths Trends Are We Coming Up With Enough Bad Ideas? Sports Marketers Eye Hot Dates in 2010First time in 25 yrs: less money spent on #sponsorship than in the prior year;...

S.E.C. Sues Heisman Sponsor, Triton

Investment firm, Triton Financial, which is a Heisman Trophy co-sponsor and title sponsor of the PGA Champions Tour stop in Austin, has been sued by the S.E.C. for allegedly defrauding investors. Triton, which is accused of misusing funds in an insurance venture, employed many former NFL players in an effort to expand into athlete services. The Dallas Morning News writes: Chief execut...

Exergen Presents Gametime Temp

Flu season, worries over H1N1 and a plethora of new products from sanitizers to thermometers have created a fast growing category full of new opportunities for sponsorship sellers. For instance, Exergen Corporation, maker of the TemporalScanner Temporal Artery Thermometer, has introduced sponsorship of "game-time temperature" for national radio broadcasts of NFL games and the upcoming College...

Links 12/23/09

Deals Union Bank Expands Partnership with American Heart Association for 2010Meydan to Sponsor Seventh Racemeeting in Abu Dhabi Trends Icelandic bank Glitnir 'owes' £10m to F1 team Williams SEC sues Heisman co-sponsor Triton FinancialTour de Georgia cycling cancelled due to lack of sponsorship Tactics Minor League Team Offers 'Win Insurance"Exergen Presents Gametime Temp...

WTA Celebrates Sponsors; Looks to '10

In its Top 10 list of trends and topics from the past decade, the WTA made sure to mention the involvement of sponsors, noting: Early sponsors of the Tour were trailblazers, risking money and reputation for a new concept, and over the years companies such as Virginia Slims, Kraft, Corel and Sanex have been vital to its evolution. But the biggest corporate commitment to date was forged in 200...

Yahoo! Hopes to Revive Cycling... or Vice Versa

Amid its own struggles, Yahoo! has taken to cycling in an effort to boost morale and recruiting efforts with high tech professionals. Cyclingnews.com reports that an online survey of Silicon Valley Professionals recently revealed that 50 percent of respondents are cycling enthusiasts. The results were then presented to the Yahoo! Management and prompted it to launch a new competitive cyclin...

MLS Sues Black & Decker Over Ambush

In a lawsuit filed on Tuesday, Major League Soccer, and its sponsorship representation, Soccer United Marketing, allege that Black and Decker's DeWalt brand without authorization practiced 'ambush marketing' by using MLS marks to promote ticket giveaways and tail-gate parties associated with Mexican National Team exhibition matches. Black and Decker competitor, Makita, is an official sp...

Social Media Proves Perfect Partner for Expedition Marketing

With traditional media barriers eroding in favor of a more democratic social media landscape, one unlikely benefactor may be adventurers and explorers. Limited media exposure from traditional mediums like print and broadcast made them a tough sell to sponsors in the past, but today expeditions can be promoted and tracked up to the minute to a global audience of adventure fans online. In to...

Nivea Says Focus & Foreplay

Focus and foreplay are critical ingredients to the first kiss of the new year, according to this video courtesy of Nivea's Times Square New Year's Eve sponsorship. Not as easy as it looks in sub freezing temps. That's the crux of the Nivea lip care tie-in, which is facilitated through an official sponsorship with the Times Square Alliance. 2009/2010 will be the second year of the campaign....

AT&T Calls Off Tiger Woods Relationship

Tiger Woods will need a new bag sponsor when he returns to golf. AT&T, which signed a multi-year agreement with Tiger in early 2009, said today that it will end its sponsorship of the world's most famous golfer. "We are ending our relationship with Tiger Woods and wish him well in the future," AT&T said in a statement. The company said that it will continue to sponsors the AT&T Nationa...