Brands spend millions to become official partners of the Olympics, and Ace Metrix says those sponsorships are worth it. Ace Metrix is the only company scoring every nationally airing US Olympic ad leading up to and during the games, and today announced their Olympic ad effectiveness program.

“We are thrilled to provide a 360 degree view of ad effectiveness for brands who have invested in Olympic sponsorships and Olympic themed ads,” said Peter Daboll, CEO of Ace Metrix, about its ranking of London 2012 marketing campaigns to date.

“The Olympics are a significant investment for any sponsor, and understanding the effectiveness of that sponsorship is critical in the era of marketing accountability," he added. "We are particularly interested in the data regarding the vital emotional elements associated with the Olympics. Understanding how the emotion of such a global event relates to the rational consumer processing that accompanies the vast majority of advertising will be fascinating."Continue reading...

Twenty years ago, Sega launched a game with a blue hedgehog named Sonic taking out robots. You never know what’s going to stick.

As PC World notes, Sonic has since then “starred in four different cartoon shows, (its) own long-running comic book, and somewhere in the neighborhood of 30 separate Sonic games.”

For Sega, Sonic has become a steady company mascot that has stuck around as the video-game industry has changed dramatically. The hedgehog and archrival Nintendo’s Mario Bros. are some of the most recognizable figures in the gaming world.

Sonic identity is so strong that Sega Europe actually has a Sonic Brand Director, David Corless, who is always trying to figure out what the next step for Sonic should be.

"What we want to do in coming years is push Sonic further," said Corless, according to the Guardian. "How do we make Sonic even more relevant for 12-, 13-year-olds but still deliver the nostalgia to the older market? It's a challenge but quite a luxury.”Continue reading...

Apple is bigger than the Greek economy.

Barack Obama steps up with personal tweets.

BlackBerry parent RIM's financial woes see executives and developers exit.

BMW faces tougher competition from Audi and Mercedes-Benz.

Colgate completes acquisition of Sanex personal care brand.

Foursquare passes 10 million user mark.

Google will digitize 250,000 out-of-copyright titles for the British Library.

HopStop adds 20 cities.

IBM readies social media tracking solution.Continue reading...

We all should have been listening to Magnum PI — er, Tom Selleck — in the early 1990s. It seems the mustachioed heartthrob's ads for AT&T could not have been more right about the future.

Also in Brand Bites this week: zombies, bananas, and minivans — oh my!Continue reading...