Claiming Tim Tebow was a bad quarterback in 2012 is almost an unfair statement. The former Florida Gators standout only threw the ball eight times as a New York Jet—and to his credit, completed six of those passes. Surely fans, prospective front offices and even vocal ex-teammates would need a slightly larger sample size to evaluate the talent and future of a player.

Yet, there will not likely be any more chances for Tim Tebow to prove himself in the National Football League—at least not in the foreseeable future. The New York Jets released their fourth string QB after surprisingly drafting West Virginia star Geno Smith 39th overall, making Tebow an unrestricted free agent. Apparently, only the Omaha Beef indoor team has knocked on Tebow's door since. Heck, even the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League passed on him.

Tebow has become somewhat of an enigma in the professional sports circuit. While his performance on the field has been anything but exceptional, his sterling brand has remained remarkably strong. Very strong, in fact, according to Henry Schafer, the executive Vice President of The Q Scores, which rank athletes and celebrities based on their positive impressions in the public. This now-mainstream analytics measurement has helped Tebow land a variety of endorsements throughout the years, and may ultimately contribute to a stay in his popularity.Continue reading...

You've certainly read about Google, YouTube, American Eagle, BMW and other major branded April Fools' hijinks. But, below, smaller brand-focused April Fool's jokes you probably missed.

At top, Jockey Sport amended its landing page to announce a new product: The environmentally friendly NearlyNaked running shoe, made completely from recycled underwear. And below, the lately maligned Lululemon addresses its sheer yoga pants crisis with a material that licks that problem: leather.Continue reading...

It may be only a matter of time before Tim Tebow's sustained reputation as the NFL's "good guy" runs smack into his growing chops as an underwear model, like some unfortunate tailback trying to run through a hulking defensive lineman. But don't count on that happening any time soon.

For now, as he readies for the next buzz-worthy chapter in his short but colorful professional-football career and practices for his first season with the New York Jets, Tebow and his most notable corporate sponsor, Jockey International, are trying to have it both ways.

In previous campaigns, they have been fully willing to flaunt his considerable physique to ply Jockey underwear. But the star and the brand have been careful not to do so in ways that would undermine Tebow's devotion to personal chastity and his Christian faith.

That was the case again when Jockey asked Tebow to kick off its "Hot City Cool Down" campaign at a fashion show in Orlando. Tebow, dressed in a Jockey t-shirt and jeans, emceed the affair while male and female models showed off Jockey undergarments — and he left the modeling to the professionals.Continue reading...

Toyota tops Interbrand's 2012 Best Global Green Brands report.

News Corp. considers splitting company in two, spinning off publishing assets, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Microsoft acquires Yammer for $1.2 billion to take on Oracle and Salesforce with new cloud-based services.

Nissan rises on fast recovery from disasters and plans $1B China auto plant as CEO Ghosn remains Japan's highest paid exec and automaker turns to Facebook to launch five new models.

Facebook names first woman to board — COO Sheryl Sandberg — and pulls so-called stalker app while creating uproar by changing all users' email addresses to facebook.com.

Google I/O news on Wednesday expected to reveal Google and Sony taking on cable and satellite operators with voice-controlled YouTube TV box, as Google prepares to battle Apple with discount tablet.Continue reading...

In a bid to outdo last year's April Fool's Day jokes, a few April Foolin' Around branded fake gags today include:

• Richard Branson's next adventure, Virgin Volcanic, will take the intrepid billionaire to the center of the earth with Tom Hanks;

• in addition to really advanced search and Google TV Click, perennial prankster Google brings its self-driving car to NASCAR racing (above) and, below, announces Morse Code-based Gmail Tap (double your typing speed!) with LL Cool J, plus 8-bit Google Maps for the neglected Nintendo Entertainment System, and more:Continue reading...

The Twitter trending hashtag #tebowtakesmanhattan is one just one sign that Tim Tebow has arrived in the Big Apple.

The New York Jets held a press conference Monday to "announce" the acquisition of Tim Tebow via a trade with the Denver Broncos, but Tebowmania already has moved far beyond the team's control. Just ask the thousands of motorists who spotted the quarterback's sponsor Jockey's electronic billboard featuring Tebow's image (see above) outside the Lincoln Tunnel, on the New Jersey side, over the weekend. And there's already a new "Jetbow" sandwich at a New York deli.

"We Support Tebow & New York. Jockey" the sign reads. It's supposed to come down by Friday, but Jockey's broadside in support of its highly visible spokesman is only the beginning of the wars over Tebow.Continue reading...

Barring another outbreak of Tebowmania on the field at Gillette Stadium on Saturday, the New England Patriots seem poised to take another step on a return to possible Super Bowl glory by defeating the Denver Broncos in the divisional round of the NFL playoffs.

But if you were a brand executive assessing the field of highly paid athletes and betting on longer-term endorsement outcomes, not the scoreboard for this particular contest, on which starting quarterback would you place a bet: Tom Brady, the Patriots' pretty-boy field general with the California pedigree, supermodel wife in Gisele Bundchen and other trappings of a jet-setter lifestyle? Or Tim Tebow, the home-schooled Floridian, son of evangelical missionaries and run-minded leader who confesses to one 'vice': vanilla ice cream?

It's a timely question for a number of reasons, one being that neither has begun a full exploitation of his commercial potential.Continue reading...

As Tebowmania faces its biggest on-field test come Sunday, when the surging Denver Broncos host the Tom Brady-led New England Patriots, five myths have emerged about the Tim Tebow phenomenon. Brand marketers might want to pay attention.

There is no bigger marketing vehicle in America than the National Football League, and the Broncos' second-year quarterback is the biggest story in the NFL this fall. Consider the mileage that ESPN is getting today with a viral remix tribute to Tebow, "All He Does is Win," by DJ Steve Porter.

Myth No. 1: Tebow is doing it all alone. While the quarterback has emerged as a leader nonpareil of fourth-quarter comebacks this season, he's getting loads of help from the Broncos' defense, rushing game, offensive line and even special teams. They have all stepped up their games concomitant with Tebow's tenure as starting quarterback. They feed his success and vice versa. And at least for now, Broncos General Manager John Elway — who knows a thing or two about fourth-quarter comebacks — has warmed up to this winning formula.Continue reading...