Coca-Cola and Nestle are no longer taking the Nestea Plunge together in America. The two multinationals are dissolving their Beverage Partners Worldwide group, which produces Nestea-branded products, in the United States, Forbes reports, so they can each market their own beverages.Continue reading...

Lee Jeans gets its Brooklyn hipster on in new Chinese campaign.

Below: Geico's biggest fan, Nestea isn't ageist, a Taco Belle, and more.Continue reading...

Sponsored programming is as old as television, while product placement is commonplace today. But now, at least one studio is making a concerted effort to produce such branded entertainment exclusively for digital use.

NBC Universal Digital Studio, a two-year old production unit, is the only such operation funded by a major traditional film and television company. According to Adweek, while the studio has so far produced only two series each year, it plans to increase its production of digital shows—short-form programming and Web series, such as In Gayle We Trust—in the coming year.

How it works: Brands such as Nestea tap NBCU Digital Studio to produce original, scripted programming and agree to an advertising package that may include product placement and other forms of brand promotion.

The result, in this example: a ten-episode Web series, CTRL, which was available on TV via cable, satellite and telcos' video-on-demand platforms, online at NBC.com, USANetwork.com and Hulu.com, and on mobile platforms and gaming consoles.

Additionally, a dedicated website hosts CTRL's episodes plus branded games, photo galleries, character bios and a blog maintained by the lead character. As an additional revenue stream, NBCU may distribute the content to iTunes.Continue reading...