As part of MasterCard Worldwide’s iconic "Priceless" campaign, the brand has created a New York-based promotional event for its Priceless Cities in-market branding campaign.

Given that it's summer in the Big Apple, Priceless New York centers around — what else? — the New York Yankees, creating a game for baseball fans to play by hiding Yankee’s seats throughout the city in partnership with Facebook Places.

Find the chairs and check-in via Facebook Places to be eligible to win special prizes, including meet-and-greets with Yankee greats, a “safari sleepover” at the Bronx Zoo, “V.I.P. treatment” at Marcus Samuelsson's red-hot Red Rooster restaurant in Harlem, and access to a new section of Yankee Stadium known as Batter’s Eye View – which includes a MasterCard Batter’s Eye Cafe.Continue reading...

Pepsi-Cola North America Beverages (PCNAB) is in the 'hood, the South Bronx hood to be precise, teaming up with New Yorkers like Grammy Award producer, rapper, and artist Swizz Beatz, graffiti artist Cope 2, Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. and Assemblyman Carl Heastie, all gathered in support of healthier lifestyle choices.

Activities held today at THE POINT include:

• Sampling stations with Aquafina, Diet Sierra Mist, SoBe Lifewater and Pepsi MAX
• Cooking demonstrations from City Harvest highlighting healthy summer recipes
• Live art installations by Swizz Beatz, with parents, students and faculty from The Bronx Charter School for the Arts and Cope 2.

"Being a father and also being involved with The Bronx Charter School for the Arts, I understand even more how important it is to stay healthy," said Beatz (who's now a proud papa to a son with partner Alicia Keys) in a release. "The Bronx Flavor initiative shows Pepsi-Cola North America's commitment to the well-being of our community."Continue reading...

Heineken tonight launches a three-week pop-up club in New York as part of a local event marketing push to attract Hispanic hipsters (just don't call them Hispsters) and other indie culture vultures.

Featuring music, food, art, film and other events celebrating downtown Latino culture, “The Spot” is curated by Remezcla, a local Latina media guide, and located at the Openhouse Gallery in Nolita. Check out a preview below.Continue reading...

Looks like commuting just got an upgrade.

In April Levi’s announced a line of commuter cyclist tailored denim, and it’s finally here.  Launching this week in select urban areas and on levis.com, the 511 Commuter Jean and Trucker Jacket are designed to enhance the cyclist’s daily journey with a slew of new features.

As Erik Joule, SVP of Men’s Merchandising & Design for Levi's says, “This product was born from innovation, classic American style and a personal passion for cycling — it’s about designing product for people who ride bikes, by people who ride bikes. We listened to what they wanted and created a product with performance traits for biking that also functions as daily street wear.”

Rejoice hipsters; your cries have been heard.Continue reading...

In a reverse marketing strategy, Levis Strauss this week brings its successful Asian denim brand, dENiZEN, to North America, just as it exports its US marketing campaign internationally.

The dENiZEN jeans are now exclusively available at Target, with an all-American marketing push and special offer: like the brand's dENiZEN US Facebook page and become eligible to win a reward ranging from a $3 rebate on the purchase of a pair of the jeans, a free Target gift card, or a free pair of dENiZEN jeans.Continue reading...

Target celebrated the one-year anniversary of its store in New York's Harlem neighborhood ahead of the July 4th holiday weekend with a performance (and flash mob) featuring Beyonce, who is releasing her new album, 4, in an exclusive edition at Target. The audience — mostly kids, including students from the local YMCA summer camp and the Boys and Girls Club — was surprised with the star's appearance, as you can see in the video above.

In the spirit of the July Fourth holiday in the US — and to drive Abe Sauer crazy? — watch Target construct the world's largest sprinkler as part of its "Make Summer Funner" campaign, in Houston, TX. The companion project: the world's largest sandbox, below, which the brand has set-up as a pop-up attraction in Chicago.Continue reading...

If any brand name seems to be loved by all who come in contact with it, it is Moleskine. This 14-year-old Italian iconic brand became known for a simple notebook. 

But today, writes the company on its website, "the name Moleskine encompasses a family of nomadic objects: notebooks, diaries, journals, bags, writing instruments and reading accessories, dedicated to our mobile identity. Indispensable companions to the creative professions and the imagination of our times: they are intimately tied to the digital world." Companies with legacy products anxious to hook on to the digital bandwagon could take a lesson from this.

It isn't just the brand's positioning that makes it so special — it is the manner in which the company nurtures and interacts with its fiercely loyal fans and retailers.Continue reading...