Toyota Inks First Arena Title Sponsorship
Toyota last week signed a multiyear deal with the Houston Rockets to name the NBA team's new arena the Toyota Center. The deal marks the first time Toyota...
Burger King Drops Frozen Coke after Promotion Debacle
Burger King Corp. earlier this month issued a statement announcing that it will phase out frozen carbonated beverages, including Frozen Coke, from its...
NFL, IBM Ink $18 Million Deal
IBM Corp. became the latest corporate partner of the National Football League in a three-year deal worth a reported $18 million. With the agreement, IBM...
Valassis Wins Deal to Handle Kroger Direct Mail Programs
Valassis has signed a multi-year deal to be the exclusive partner for all of The Kroger Co.'s corporate direct mail campaigns. The deal begins Aug. 15....
P&G Seeks Buyers for Sunny Delight and Punica
Procter & Gamble is exploring alternatives for its Sunny Delight and Punica juice drink products including the sale of the brands and related assets....
Boomerang Breaks First Consumer Promo
Cartoon Network's classic cartoon sister network, Boomerang, is teaming up with Sunkist Growers, Del Monte Fresh Produce and the National Watermelon Promotion...
Lincoln-Mercury Lands Magic Johnson
Lincoln-Mercury has signed basketball legend Earvin "Magic" Johnson to a multi-year sponsorship deal. Johnson will appear in national TV and print campaigns,...
Nike Buys Converse for $305 Million; Pitchman Denies Allegations
Nike announced last week that it has agreed to buy legendary basketball shoemaker Converse for $305 million. Formerly the dominant force in the basketball...
Kyle Petty Teams with Sue Bee Honey
Racecar driver Kyle Petty has agreed to promote Sue Bee Honey and serve as a spokesperson for a variety of promotional programs. "Our family really uses...
McDonald's Milk Program Adds 800 Restaurants
With its new salad line a hit, McDonald's continues to tweak its image as a fast-food provider by expanding its "Got Milk?" promotion with the California...
Columbia House and Loews Swap Products
The Columbia House Co. and Loews Cineplex Entertainment have launched a six-month cross-promotional venture. As part of the deal, Columbia House DVD club...
Information Resources Acquired for $100 Million
Information Resources, Inc. has agreed to be acquired by a new company formed by business software investor Symphony Technology and private investment...
Universal Saddles Up with Seabiscuit
Both Hollywood and the National Thoroughbred Racing Association are betting on a persnickety racehorse from the 1930s to jockey for box office success...
eBay Tries Anything
EBay knows who its friends are: 69 million registered bidders and an increasing crew of marketers eager to reach that audience. Sprint, Hilton, McAfee...
Mercedes-Benz Extends Sorenstam Deal
Mercedes-Benz USA yesterday announced an extension of its endorsement deal with Ladies Professional Golf Association star Annika Sorenstam. The current...
Universal, Nestl Ink Deal
Universal Parks and Resorts and Nestl Waters North America struck a 10-year marketing agreement that will link Nestl with Universal theme parks in the...
Home Depot Takes Sponsorship of ESPN's College GameDay
The Home Depot has signed on as the presenting sponsor of ESPN's College GameDay, replacing Discover Card, which had held the position for the last two...
WPP in Exclusive Talks with Cordiant
WPP Group has entered into exclusive, advanced negotiations to buy Cordiant Communications Group, outmaneuvering rival bidder Publicis Groupe. WPP and...
Nestl, Colgate Set Joint Venture for Oral-Care Confections
Nestl S.A. and Colgate-Palmolive Co. this week announced a joint venture to sell oral-care gum and candies worldwide. Beginning in early 2004, the two...
Citizens Bank Inks $95 Million Deal with Phillies
Citizens Bank and the Philadelphia Phillies have formed at 25-year partnership that includes the naming rights for the baseball team's new ballpark in...
Nextel Steps In as R.J. Reynolds Drops NASCAR Sponsorship
Nextel Communications and NASCAR are expected to announce today that the wireless company will be taking over as title sponsor of NASCAR's highest profile...
Wheaties and ACSM Partner with Fitness Message
In its first partnership with a cereal brand, the American College of Sports Medicine will promote health and fitness on millions of Wheaties cereal boxes...
Wal-Mart Gets Ready to Retail-Tain
Disney's Kim Possible and Scholastic's Clifford the Big Red Dog each have play dates scheduled in Wal-Mart stores this summer. The Bentonville, AK-based...
Ironman Triathlon Kicks off Six-Month Promotion
The Ironman Triathlon World Championship is celebrating its 25th anniversary with a six-month retail promotion that ties in a hefty lineup of licensees...
Live from the Licensing Show: Licensing, Royalty Revenues Up
Licensing grew 4% in 2002, generating $5.8 billion in royalty revenues from manufacturers who paid for the right to use trademarks, characters, logos and artwork to sell products in the U.S....
