Kia To Title New LPGA Tourney

Kia Motors America will be the title sponsor for a brand new tournament on the LPGA Tour, The Kia Classic Presented by J Golf to taking place March 22-28 in San Diego, California at the La Costa Resort and Spa Golf Course. The first LPGA Tour stop in the U.S. for 2010 will have a purse of $1.7 million purse the LPGA announced today. As part of the activation, Kia has also secured an endorsem...

TNS: In-Game Ads Reach Avid Sports Fans

Are sports focused advertisers wasting money on general sports fans when they'd be better off reinforcing mind share with avid sports fans? That's what an ESPN Sports Poll conducted by TNS in partnership with Electronic Arts asks. The poll explored the similarities among traditional sports fans and the sports gamer audience. "Fans consume sports in multidimensional ways," said Robert Fox, S...

Links 02/10/10

Deals Lacoste ends Family Circle Cup sponsorship, Charleston-based Vapor Apparel steps into the roleHaier extends NBA sponsorshipCommonwealth Games England signs Adidas as first sponsorAOL Sponsors M.I.T. Media LabKia To Title New LPGA Tourney Emirates Airline to sponsor A.C. Milan Trends Free Airport Wi-Fi Takes Off Most Olympians Struggle to Find Funding Selling ROO Sponso...

NASCAR Vet Tries "Affiliate Sponsorship"

After spending 2009 without title sponsorship, NASCAR veteran Joe Nemechek, owner of NEMCO Motorsports, is determined to find sponsorship this year - even if it may not be under the traditional model. Through a strategic partnership with MediaTrust and NEMCO’s agency of record Global Media Minds, Nemechek has launched a new ad-sponsored web site, called FrontRowJoe.com which will earn commissio...

AOL Media Lounge Debuts at M-B Fashion Week

Today's kick-off to Bryant Park's last Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week, will also mark AOL's first appearance in the tents as an inaugural sponsor. As part of its support, AOL is hosting the AOL Media Lounge which will support the press throughout the event running from February 11-18. The AOL Media Lounge will provide a full-service working media lounge right in the center of the tents. As part...

Sports, Events & Autos Weigh Down Omnicom Q4

Global ad holding giant, Omnicom, reported fourth quarter results yesterday including a 15% drop in profit and 3% reduction in revenue. Omnicom CEO John Wren penned most of the blame on three sectors: automotive, sports/event marketing and recruitment. Despite the loss, organic growth was stronger than expected for the quarter, declining only 6.3% or $211 million. Like the past two quarter...

UPS Launches 2010 NASCAR Campaign

UPS will introduce three new television spots to promote its 2010 NASCAR sponsorship along with an online game that will include a $100,000 cash prize and a VIP experience at Richmond International Raceway. The commercials, which can be seen here and will air during the Daytona 500 on Sunday, highlight UPS’s role as the official express delivery company of NASCAR while also promoting UPS’s ...

McCafes Out, Fraps In For McFashionistas

Just as buyers, designers and media were getting used to mass consumer brands like QVC and McDonald's in the tents, Crain's NY today reports that MickyDee's as pulled out of its Fashion Week sponsorship after only two seasons. McDonald's deemed the sponsorship a buzz strategy around the launch of McCafe and not a longer term investment. “We had a tremendous presence at Fashion Week in 2009....

Links 02/11/10

Deals FLW Outdoors, Yamaha extends sponsorshipDale Earnhardt Jr. to endorse Hunt Valley's CarchexStarbucks Replaces McDonalds at Fashion WeekSummer Reebok Championships CancelledState Farm signs 3-year deal to become an NBA corporate sponsor Samsung Returns as a Global Sponsor for the 2010 NAVTEQ Global LBS ChallengeKohl's teams up with ACS & Komen for the Cure to Fight Breast CancerF...

Google Breaks Out The Olympic Rings

Update #2: As of Saturday morning, Google has now dropped the Olympic rings from its homepage altogether. Update #1 (Friday): In response to this story, a Google spokesperson emailed to say that all use of the olympics logo or symbols have been previously reviewed and approved by the IOC. On cue, Google unveiled this morning some beautiful Olympic imagery on its notoriously clean homepage...