Xtra

4/8

Starz network is using instant-win games and sweeps to tout the television premiere this summer of Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl in a $4 million marketing blitz.

Procter & Gamble has partnered with Hasbro to print Trivial Pursuit Junior questions on its Pringles crisps this summer.

Sears has appointed Norm Marshall & Associates, Inc. as its entertainment marketing partner. Terms were not disclosed. (For an update see pg. 13.)

KFC is getting in on the wildly popular reality series The Apprentice, by extending a stint as chief sales officer to the runner-up.

Pet product maker The Iams Co. is looking to capture new customers and has tapped a pet makeover expert from TLC's Trading Spaces to tout its sweepstakes promotion.

4/6

J.C. Penney Co., Inc. will sell its Eckerd drugstores to two competitors for nearly $4.5 billion. CVS Corp. will pay about $2.1 billion for 1,260 stores, mostly in Florida and Texas. The Jean Coutu Group will acquire 1,539 stores in the Northeast and mid-Atlantic states, as well as the Eckerd Home Office in Florida, for about $2.3 billion.

PepsiCo and the NFL have extended their partnership, which had been set to end in 2006, through February 2011. The deal is worth $560 million over eight years.

Procter & Gamble is selling its $550 million Sunny Delight and Punica juice drinks brands to private equity firm J.W. Childs Associates, Boston. Meanwhile, Kraft Foods expands its beverage business with the purchase of Veryfine Products' $150 million business from the Rowse family.

Alloy, Inc. has expanded its media holdings with the purchase of InSite Advertising, a media company with 13,000 ad displays in 65 markets. (For an update see pg. 13.)

4/1

Jimmy Dean has filed a lawsuit against Sara Lee Corp. alleging that Sara Lee continues to use Dean's name, signature and pictures on its products without his consent.

Relationship management company Meridian Enterprises, Inc. has been awarded a $10.5 million judgement against Carlson Marketing Group, Inc. for patent infringement on its card-based incentive program. Carlson plans to appeal the verdict.

Jerry Seinfeld and Superman are both featured in an American Express “Webisode” that chronicles their unique friendship while subtly enticing Web users to sign up for an American Express card.

3/30

Vermont Senator Patrick Leahy has called for congressional hearings to discuss the issue of RFID technology and whether federal legislation should be enacted to protect consumers' privacy.

Fuji Photo Film USA signed a multi-year sponsorship agreement with the New York Yankees.

Some 300 oversized apples on display in New York City will be sponsored by Verizon, Starwood Hotels, Best Buy, NBC and others. Sponsors pay $8,500 per apple.

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