Coca-Cola ♥ the Olympic Games. After all, the soda maker has been lapping up the Olympics for every bit of marketing goodwill it can get for more than 80 years.

Now this year’s Olympics are in full swing and Coca-Cola can see the light at the end of the tunnel of its Move to the Beat campaign with singer Katy B and producer Mark Ronson that kicked off ahead of its sponsorship of the 8,000-mile Olympic torch relay. It's been a busy year with a variety of London 2012 marketing tie-ins.

And now Coca-Cola is extending its musical chops in a just-announced partnership with will.i.am to launch a sustainability-collaboration platform for brands dubbed EKOCYCLE, which is partnering to produce greener Beats by Dr Dre headphones — a brand that isn't music to the London Olympics organizers' ears.Continue reading...

With conference tournaments dominating this week in men's college basketball, it means that official March Madness is just around the corner. And when the NCAA men's tournament begins next week, brands are going to be more ready than ever to take advantage. That's because March Madness has become a multifaceted, extended marketing "season" much as the NFL Super Bowl represents earlier each year.

In fact, in some ways, March Madness arguably has become an even more effective tentpole marketing platform than the Super Bowl.Continue reading...

Old Spice Man is back — this time, it's Terry Crews — in a trio of commercials directed by comic writers Tim Heideker and Eric Wareheim from Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! 

Crews video-bombs other P&G brand spots: for Charmin, Bounce and, for fun, a vending machine full of snacks.Continue reading...

It’s that time again. The NCAA men’s basketball tournament begins tomorrow, and brands are gearing up as never before, from official “corporate champions” to those that can suggest only the thinnest of possible connections between themselves and some sort of vernal activity.Continue reading...

Here's "Game Science," the new Powerade commercial featuring NBA star Chris Paul, a point guard for the New Orleans Hornets. Running during the March 17th opening game of the 2011 NCAA March Madness tournament, this push for Powerade's ION4 also marks the Coca-Cola-owned brand's biggest marketing investment to date.Continue reading...

Amazon sued over instant search patent.

American Express powers Foursquare specials at SXSW, where Apple opens pop-up store for iPad 2 sales.

Angry Birds raises $42 million. 

AOL readies post-Huffington Post deal layoffs of 20% workforce reduction.

Bluefly tries social gaming.

Caesars plans Asia hotels, without gambling for now. 

Chrysler’s Twitter account accidentally drops the F-bomb, fires social media agency tweeter.Continue reading...

Trade shows that cater to product manufacturers and retailers are often good places to watch for trends in consumer marketing. The National Association of Convenience Stores annual trade show, which was held last week, is traditionally a venue for the introduction of new packaged goods products, because convenience stores depend on such items for their profits.

If this year's show is any indication, it looks like consumer products will continue to trend towards healthier and environmentally-sensitive offerings. For example, Powerade, which competes with Gatorade, is entering a new category next year with "Powerade Protein Milk," available in chocolate, vanilla and strawberry. This new low-fat milk beverage will "support rapid muscle recovery" and go head-to-head with Muscle Milk (which, curiously, doesn't contain milk).

Vitaminwater, meanwhile, is preparing to launch Vitaminwater stur-D, another in its ever-growing line of products, which now has over 10 different flavors, all related to one health benefit or another. Vitaminwater's new product, hitting the market late this year, will offer support for healthy bones and joints.Continue reading...

Gatorade’s recently-introduced premium tripartite G-series product line (above) aimed at pro athletes and serious competitors was an attempt to turn the brand's financial performance around from its recent sales slide. The jury's still out, but if the strategy succeeds, a good deal of the credit may go to Gatorade’s huge investment in social media  ... and specifically, social media monitoring.

At the company's so-called Mission Control inside Gatorade headquarters in Chicago, four full-time staffers track what is being said about the brand on social media — and intervene when it seems to make sense. Few if any other CPG brands have devoted such immense resources to monitoring their social-media presence, and this is raising lots of interesting issues for Gatorade.Continue reading...