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UPS has signed a multiyear deal to sponsor NASCAR driver David Ragan. Ragan will race the No. 6 UPS Ford Fusion next year in the Sprint Cup Series.

Both Ragan and Roush Fenway Racing (the team Ragan drives for) will be supported by UPS with a variety of new marketing advertising and hospitality programs.

To connect with Minnesota Vikings fans Qwest Communications on Sept. 21 set up the Qwest High Speed Challenge in an area outside the Metrodome where the Vikings have an interactive experience open to the public before each game. The tie in: Qwest linked its fiber-optic fast Internet service to the local sports hero’s speed to connect with a core market. Fans were challenged with topping all-pro running back Adrian Peterson’s 4.4-second 40-yard dash record time.

The independent spirit spawned nearly 20 years ago by Seattle’s grunge movement still lives on at Bumbershoot—one of the nation’s largest arts and music festivals. In the shadow of the Space Needle sponsoring brands set up camp in an effort to grab a few minutes with finicky music lovers between performances by emerging artists and indie favorites including this year’s headliners Beck Band of Horses Stone Temple Pilots and Death Cab For Cutie.

For brands looking to stage events for consumers or employees the answer may be as close as their neighborhood movie theater. During off-hours those cushy seats and cup-holders are just sitting there empty; the big dark screen is just begging to light up with a movie or simulcast. Add in the efficiencies of reaching potentially thousands of people via a network of theater locations and you’ve got an opportunity that may just be worth exploring especially in this age of global warming and carbon offsets.

Japanese clothier Uniqlo set up shop in the heart of Times Square on Nov. 18 to introduce its Heat Tech thermal underwear line to the U.S.  From 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. New York’s huddled masses were invited to jump into a queue for a chance to receive a free pair of the brand’s signature lightweight thermal long johns or long-sleeved t-shirts.