Ultra Festival the Usual Brand Fest

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FYE, Budweiser, Absolut Spirits, Starbucks Hear Music, XM Satellite Radio, Beatport, DJ Magazine, New Times, DJ Times, M8, Hollywoodpoker.com and BPM Magazine. They've all signed on as sponsors for the eighth Ultra Music Festival held at Bicentennial Park March 25 in Miami. XM will broadcast the event live. Absolut will have a VIP lounge. Now everyone go to Miami and shake it while being bombarded by corporate logos.

by Steve Hall    Mar-21-06    
Topic: Events, Sponsorship



Scion Launches Fashion Brand

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That boxy SUV is so hip, it's spawned a fashion label. Scion is hosting a celebrity charity golf invitational to celebrate the launch of its Release sportswear collection. The event, the Scion Release Invitational, will be held at the Arizona Biltmore Resort and Spa and the Tournament Players Club (TPC) from March 19th - 21st and will benefit the Boys & Girls Club of America.

The three-day golf invitational, produced in collaboration with malbon Brothers Farms (mBF), IMG, and Beyond Marketing, will bring together key influencers in music, fashion, film and sports to celebrate the launch of the clothing brand. Celebrities that are confirmed to attend include RZA, Gabrielle Union, Mike Jones, Hill Harper, Naima Mora, Sleepy Brown, Mobb Deep, Zoe Saldana, Tony Yayo, Raekwon, Timbaland, Trina, Nick Cannon, G-Unit and 50 Cent. Hosting the invitational will be the Emmy-nominated actor Jeremy Piven.

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by Steve Hall    Mar-14-06    
Topic: Brands, Celebrity, Events, Specialty



Farm Equipment Maker Joins iPod Giveaway Party

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Just so we're clear "hip" New York companies aren't the only ones giving away iPods, New Holland, PA-based farm equipment company New Holland will load up an iPod with pictures, audio and video from the corn and soybean convention, Commodity Classic, held this week in Anaheim, CA. Also loaded on the iPod will be the new CD from country singer Michael Peterson currently available only on the iPod and at New Holland dealerships. Not that's a seriously country-focused promotion. You can enter to win your country-powered iPod at New Holland's booth at the show or at the company's website.

by Steve Hall    Feb-27-06    
Topic: Events, Promotions, Specialty



New Zealand Helicopter Stunt A Big Lie, Sponsor Comes Clean

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When one is hoodwinked, the natural reaction is to get mad and start calling people names but we're not going to do that because we think this hoodwink was one of the best marketing stunts to come around in a long time. As we reported in late January, a helicopter with a naked guy hanging from it was spotted at New Zealand's Big Day Out but the stunt went wrong and the guy fell to the ground and was injured. We also received a taped conversation between what was assumed to be a representative of New Zealand's Civil Aviation Authority and a person at DDB, the agency thought to be behind the stunt in which the CAA representative was trying to obtain details of the event.

None of this happened. While we were skeptical at the time and knew New Zealand site Nzgirl had something to do with the stunt, we couldn't get anyone to confirm or deny anything. As it turns out, Nzgirl, which has a reputation of doing crazy, stunts, wanted to top everything they'd done before so they decided to do nothing...except tell a few people they did and let the rumor mill run with it. A dozen people were hired to spread the story about the helicopter and the nude guy and that was it. New Zealand media bit and reported the story as if it had happened albeit with a bit of distrust. Nzgirl reaveals all here.

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by Steve Hall    Feb-20-06    
Topic: Events, Good, Guerilla, Viral, Word of Mouth



Nicole Richie Hands Out Dr. Pepper, Gets 'Save Krucoff' Pin

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Earlier, we reported food-challenged Nicole Richie would be handing out cans of Dr. Pepper on Valentine's Day in New York. Yesterday she did just that and our roving man of all things important, Bucky Turco, got his can of Dr. Pepper from Richie, handed her a "Save Krucoff, Fuck Conde Nast" pin and filmed the whole thing. Take a look at the video over at Gawker and a video of photographers celebu-lusting for a perfect shot.

by Steve Hall    Feb-15-06    
Topic: Celebrity, Events



Ludacris and Frazier Host Party to Launch PUMA Suede

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To celebrate the launch of its PUMA Suede, the company has partnered with Disturbing Tha Peace Records and Blender magazine to host a party this Friday night in Houston at Houston Studios. Co-CEO of Disturbing Tha Peace Records, musician and star of PUMA new commercial Ludacris will get together with former basketball player Walt "Clyde" Frasier to highlight the hot/red and cold/blue versions of the shoe. As part of the evening, Ludacris will give guests a preview of his limited edition PUMA Clydes, which will launch later this summer.

by Steve Hall    Feb-15-06    
Topic: Celebrity, Events



Virgin Mobile Shoot Brings Out the Hipsters

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If you want to see what a hipster really looks like or, at least, what Virgin Mobile deems to be a hipster, you can take a look at images from yesterday's photoshoot/party for an upcoming campaign. The shoot took place at Milk studios, was shot by Ryan McGinley and Ben Cho provided the tunes for ths hipsters to gyrate to as they were shot. If these are what hipsters look like, I'll take a good 'ol country girl anytime. OK, Kristin is kinda cute.

UPDATE: Seems the page the link points to has been removed. We'll follow up to see where the page has been moved to.

by Steve Hall    Feb-15-06    
Topic: Campaigns, Events



American Legacy Foundation Does In-Location Marketing

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Taking advantage of this generation's mad text messaging, LocaModa has launched technology that takes all that social blather and slaps it up on a screen for all to see. Of course, LocaMode describes it more verbosely calling it the world's first in-location blogging platform for what it calls "The Web Outside" which enables in-location messaging, social networking and blogging along with entertainment applications for use in out of home networks cafes, bars, clubs and other public places. This technology, StreetMessenger, coupled with something called Wifiti (cute) which LocaModa lovingly refers to as "wireless graffiti," takes all this communal socialization and displays in on a large flat panel display at the location and also onto the web for others to vicariously experience whatever's going on at the location.

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by Steve Hall    Feb-11-06    
Topic: Events, Good, Mobile/Wireless, Trends and Culture, Weblogs



Glad Trash Bags to Sponsor Mardi Gras

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Media buying club MediaBuys, which recently undertook the job of orchestrating this year's first ad-sponsored Mardi Gras in New Orleans has announced its first sponsorship deal with Clorox's Glad. In addition to Glad's sponsorship commitment, Glad will work with the City of New Orleans Department of Sanitation in the carnival's sanitation maintenance and clean-up efforts, which would otherwise have mounted a considerable expense for the municipality. Supplementing the cash and emergency supplies donated by The Clorox Foundation - including more than 1.2 million trash bags for American Red Cross relief efforts throughout the Gulf region - Glad will donate more than 100,000 trash bags, which, humorously, will become the official trash bag of New Orleans' Mardi Gras.

by Steve Hall    Feb- 7-06    
Topic: Events, Sponsorship



Beacher's Madhouse Goes to Miami With 'Ocean Drive' Magazine

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South Florida lifestyle magazine, Ocean Drive, according to MediaBuyerPlanner, has partnered with Vegas' celebu-bash Beacher's Madhouse hosting their appearance February 13 at Miami's Mansion nightclub. The mag will also celebrate their anniversary with a Grey Goose, Just Like Me by Parris Hilton and PURE nightclub-sponsored invitation-only party at the St. Regis Bal Harbour. Someone please invite us.

by Steve Hall    Feb- 3-06    
Topic: Celebrity, Events, Magazine, Sponsorship