Erich Marx is a 20-year veteran of Nissan, so he doesn’t have to “learn” the brand. And as Nissan’s director of marketing communications, he was involved in the company’s initial social-media efforts. Now, as Nissan’s first director of social media and interactive marketing, he gets a chance to make the automaker an industry trailblazer.

One thing Marx already knows is that he’d like to do more of what Nissan has been doing in its promotion with Sony involving the Gran Turismo 5 computer game. Nissan selected 16 of the best American “drivers” in the game and then took them to the UK to compete as real racers behind the wheels of actual Nissans. The brand also is filming a reality series (GT Academy) about the contestants that it will put online in September.Continue reading...

Last year we reported on what seemed like a mind-boggling brand extension: a special edition Call of Duty: Black Ops-branded Jeep Wrangler.

Yet, a salesman named Duke at the Spring Texas dealership in Houston told us this week that interest in the Black Ops Wrangler has been extraordinary and that when they do get one, "it typically doesn't stay on the lot for anywhere near a week."

That kind of interest may be what's increasingly driving video game-makers to take their games into the real world. Now game titles are becoming apparel brands. But will gamers want to look like a game?Continue reading...