Virgin Mobile has come up with a new twist on an old idea. The old idea is that if you want someone to do something for you, offer them a reward. Marketers have been doing it in many different ways for years, but Virgin is now offering a high-tech version of the concept--to get consumers to watch their ads, the company is offering them free cell phone minutes. The promotion has been dubbed SugarMama and lets people earn one minute of talking time by watching 30-second commercials on a computer or receiving text messages on their phones, then answering questions …

Liquor marketer Brown-Forman has cut a branded entertainment deal with the Bravo cable network's "Celebrity Poker Showdown" in which the company's Southern Comfort brand will be integrated into the content of the show. Like most marketers, Brown Forman is looking for ways to get its product message across in a television environment that is immune to the zap-proof capabilities of consumers equipped with digital video recorders. On the show, departing contestants will be interviewed in a specially branded area called the SoCo Lime Lounge immediately following their elimination. The Southern Comfort logo also will be featured prominently throughout the show, …

Subaru of America has a new marketing boss. He's Tim Mahoney, who rejoins the automaker after serving for the past seven years as general marketing manager of Porsche Cars North America, overseeing advertising, product planning, promotions, events, research and brand merchandising. He previously worked for Subaru in the mid-1980s. He succeeds Rick Crosson, vice president-marketing, who returns to sales as general manager of the Mid-Atlantic region, said executives close to the automaker. Mr. Crosson came from the same position in Colorado when he was tapped for the marketing job in early 2003. The move is the latest in a management …

Pepsi fans who can find arch villain Lex Luthor in an online game could win $1 million. It's all part of a new promotion from the soft-drink marketer tied to Warner Bros. Pictures' new movie, "Superman Returns." Starting June 5, consumers can enter 10-digit codes found on a wide range of Pepsi-Cola products online at a special Web site. When consumers enter their codes online, flash animation will appear on the interactive Web site and possibly reveal Lex Luther's whereabouts. The Pepsi code will also let consumers sample Electronic Arts' "Superman Returns" video game due in stores June 28. Participating …

Marketers take note: the era of metrosexuality is upon us. The term surfaced a few years ago and is meant to describe heterosexual men who are keenly interested in personal grooming and shopping for clothes but don't feel that showing such an interest is contrary to manliness. At first it was a sociological concept--now it's a booming product market. "With men becoming more involved with their grooming habits and the explosive growth in the men's segment (dollar volume +49% in 2005), we saw a huge opportunity to introduce the male consumer to a new proposition in skincare," says Carol J. …

Like any other marketing option, alternative out-of-home advertising can be tricky. It can work for some advertisers better than others, and there are numerous options to any goal or budget. These range from posters in college campus laundry rooms and major health clubs to ads on hospitality carts that cruise golf courses. Such place-based advertising opportunities allow marketers to reach prospects wherever they happen to be and when they're in a receptive frame of mind. In this article, marketing expert Kim T. Gordon, author of Maximum Marketing, Minimum Dollars: The Top 50 Ways to Grow Your Small Business, presents five …

Sara Lee is making progress in its previously announced plans to spin off its apparel unit. In a statement filed this week with the Securities and Exchange Commission in Washington, the company revealed it plans to call the company Hanesbrands and develop it as a separate, independent and publicly traded global apparel company. Brands in the company's portfolio will include Hanes, Champion, Playtex, Bali, Just My Size, and Wonderbra. The statement also said the company plans to support the new initiative with targeted advertising and marketing campaigns. The filing cited Hanes' "Look Who We've Got Our Hanes on Now" campaign, …

Fast-food giant McDonald's Corp., is testing new breakfast products in an effort that some observers believe might be an attempt to strengthen the marketer's position against competitors like Dunkin' Donuts and Starbuck's. The test is being conducted in a limited number of restaurants in the Northeast and includes specialty iced coffees and bakery products like muffins and scones. McDonald's said it was too early to determine whether it would expand the product tests beyond the Northeast, but early indicators show customers are responding well to the new items. "As we have said all along, we will continue to offer our …

Fast food marketer Wendy's has had its share of problems over the past 18 months. The company has suffered from new product flops as well as the infamous finger-in-the-chili hoax that turned into a public relations nightmare. But the company is now showing signs of improvement, announcing this week that April was the first month in the past 14 with sales growth from the year-earlier month, thanks mostly to the rollout of its new Frescata deli sandwiches. "Wendy's is bruised but not broken," says Peter Oakes, senior research analyst at Piper Jaffray. The new provided a much-needed psychological boost for …

The pervasiveness of e-mail is apparently having a major impact on the U.S. Post Office. Since the 19th century, it was unlawful to print any kind of advertising on a stamp, but earlier this year that law was overturned by Congress and now the Post Office is allowing companies to create their own branded stamps for first-class mail. The initiative is part of an attempt to reverse a steady decline in first-class mail, which has no doubt been affected by the ubiquity of email. The first company to take advantage of the new system is Hewlett-Packard, which is using its …