As part of a new three-year deal with the NFL State Farm will become presenting sponsor of the Pro Bowl. It’s the first time the league has sold presenting sponsorship of the season-ending all-star game.
 

DaimlerChrysler invited 120 consumers to the State Fair of Texas in Dallas to wade through 14 000 gallons of mud for the chance to win a 2007 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited. “It was big fun and a little bit messy ” Carrie McElwee the brand’s senior manager-marketing p.r. told Buzz. “We thought it was the perfect venue to bring consumers to… [and] to prove how muddy they were willing to get to win.” More than 2 500 consumers signed up to participate on a microsite created for the Sept. 29 challenge.
 

It has three million members its own self-sustaining economy and a world of untapped marketing opportunities. It’s the hottest thing many marketers aren’t talking about primarily because so many of them are scrambling to get a piece of it.
If Second Life sounds more like fantasy than reality that’s because it is.

With all of the focus that goes into prepping keynote speakers before a conference it can be easy for an event organizer to ignore breakout sessions which—let’s face it—is where attendees really get the goods. But failing to give your breakout sessions the proper care and feeding can ruin the entire event. Sure attendees will get pumped up to hear a well-known high-energy keynoter but it’ll be all for naught if the breakout leaders don’t come through.

There are few marketing challenges more difficult than connecting with “indies ” consumers who consciously avoid mainstream marketing and pledge allegiance to brands that bubble below the surface.
But the problem is: If your brand has the bucks to buy their attention it’s probably not high on the indie consumer’s list of companies to patronize. But largely because they’re always seeking the next new thing—and therefore tend to be early adopters and influential among their peers—indies remain a hot target for marketers.