News Briefs

NEW LINE HOME ENTERTAINMENT:

registered more than 350,000 consumers last week for the Lord of the Rings Adventure Card. Customers received the cards beginning in August in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers DVD and VHS stickered packages. Using a pin code, they logged onto www.lotradventure.com to access updated content and hundreds of dollars in retail offers.

NASCAR: has named Brian Z. France its chairman of the board and Chief Executive Officer. France, actively involved in NASCAR for more than two decades, is a member of NASCAR's founding family. He is the grandson of founder William H.G. France, and the son of William C. France. He was named a Marketer of the Year by PROMO in 1995.

DAREDEVIL: 20th Century Fox and Circuit City are offering a promotional mini-DVD as an on-pack premium with 150,000 Daredevil feature film DVDs, which went on sale July 29. The mini-DVD includes materials accessible only when the user follows Braille-coded clues to unlock feature film clips, film trailers, screensavers, screenmates and special offers. The mini-disk was developed by Comchoice Corporation, Gardena, CA.

TSE SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT: New York City, has signed five independent sales agents repping TSE's own sports and entertainment packages. TSE's first markets outside its New York headquarters are Chicago (via agent Gregory Stack), Portland (Michael Nitso), Denver (Joe Weller) and two unnamed agents in Philadelphia. Plans call for agents in Dallas and Miami in the next 60 to 120 days.

THE GLOBES AWARDS: have gotten a record 260 entries, according to Marketing Agencies Association Worldwide, which runs the international awards program. Last year there were 147 entries. Forty winners, including Best Overall, will be announced Oct. 27 during MAA's fall conference in Palm Beach, FL.