The NFL is the most sizzling property in TV advertising these days, and at the moment there seems to be no ceiling on fan and brand interest in riding the momentum. It's already clear that Super Bowl XLVI on February 5 in Indianapolis, to be broadcast by NBC, will go down as the single most lucrative advertising event in television history.

The Comcast-owned broadcast network has sold out of its commercial spot inventory for the Big Game, reportedly at a cost of up to $4 million for each precious 30 second unit of screen time, which is up from about $3 million a year on Fox last year — and about 60 percent since 2001. 

But a month before the Super Bowl, there's still speculation about other aspects of marketing in and around the extravaganza.Continue reading...

Zynga prices IPO at $10/share (which CEO Mark Pincus played early). Its $7 billion valuation could lift all social gaming.

BlackBerry crisis mounts as troubled RIM co-CEOs announce they're deferring smartphone relaunch until late 2012.

Amazon reports selling more than 1 million Kindles a week.

Apple struggles to take a bigger bite of China.

Covidien to spin off pharmaceutical unit.

Dell abandons netbooks.

eBay counters Amazon's shopper incentive.Continue reading...

It's that time of year again for brand marketers. Yes, there's Christmas and Hanukkah shopping, but getting a share of that is all up to the promotional and merchandising folks at this point. With the winter holidays in full view, the thoughts of brand marketers have been turning to February, and to the Super Bowl.

Super Bowl XLVI in Indianapolis has announced that Madonna will bring her act to the stage to key the Bridgestone halftime show of the NBC telecast, along with a contingent of circus performers from Cirque de Soleil. And now, more and more brands are owning up to the fact that they've bought spots during the game for an estimated $3 million per 30 seconds in order to reach the projected audience of 111 million Americans who will be tuning in.

Automakers including Audi, Lexus and Toyota already have promised to show up during the February 5 game. GoDaddy has vowed to push the advertising envelope in the game for the eighth consecutive year.

And Century 21, the venerable real estate brand, will be there with its first-ever Super Bowl spot. It may seem a strange time for a housing-related brand to lay down all that dough for the Big Game considering that the U.S. housing market remains near a modern nadir. But Century 21 CMO Bev Thorne told brandchannel that it's the brand's 40th anniversary. Plus, Century 21 and its sellers are looking forward at this point.Continue reading...

Arnold Palmer re-brands for a generation who never knew the golfing legend.

Audiovox rebrands to Voxx International.

BlackBerry-maker RIM warns about profit outlook.

BMW and Mercedes-Benz race to the wire for 2011 luxury-sales crown in U.S.

Boeing takes its Dreamliner on a "world tour."

Chick-fil-A spat with t-shirt maker hits the New York Times.

Corona brings beach experience to London.Continue reading...

Announced back in August, Smirnoff has just wrapped its weeks-long quest to help find a back-up dancer for Madonna's upcoming tour.

Expanding on last year's successful Nightlife Exchange Project, the global Dance4Madonna competition wrapped on Nov. 12 in New York, where the 53-year-old mother of reinvention reconnected with her NYC club kid days before selecting freestyle dancer Lil Buck as the winning finalist.Continue reading...

As YouTube seeks more original content, the video search giant and Hollywood are officially hooking up as Google offers $100 million plus to dozens of creative partners for new “channels” featuring original content and programming from big name brands, personal or corporate.

The raison d’être is simple: professionally produced videos by powerhouse brands are catnip to viewers and advertisers, who can be charged a premium over the hodge-podge of user-generated content that sells at a lower price.

The launch lineup of what will become more than 100 original channels will feature celebs such as Madonna, Jay-Z, Amy Poehler, and Ashton Kutcher; Deepak Chopra's The Chopra Well; The Comedy Shaq Network, featuring urban comedy presented by retired NBA star Shaquille O'Neal; and, given the popularity of TED Talks, TEDEducation: “audio from incredible teachers vivified by some of the world's best animators.” 

Brands launching channels under YouTube's new content push include Red Bull, already strong in the content creation game; Lance Armstrong's Livestrong brand; WWE; Vice media; and branded entertainment from Ben Silverman's Electus venture with Barry Diller's IAC.Continue reading...

Apple seeks Qualcomm patent documents to shore up Samsung legal defense, as Apple sets date for employee celebration of Steve Jobs' life.

BMW expands luxury-car sales lead globally.

Cinemark chain threatens not to show Tower Heist over Universal's video-on-demand window.

Cosi battle with shareholder escalates.

Diageo nods to Brazil's growing might with new Johnnie Walker campaign.

Dollar Thrifty takes itself off the market.

General Mills says its can cut only so much sugar out of cereals.Continue reading...

One celebrity image, one celebrity tweet, one celebrity moment, can completely make a brand’s sales suddenly skyrocket. Just ask J.Crew, which received more press for the surprise Beyonce appearance at its first New York Fashion Week runway show this morning than for the actual clothes.

That’s why, for 10 days each September, when the Toronto International Film Festival draws in a slew of serious movie lovers, movie-promoting bold-faced names, and a small army of brand ambassadors plotting to get their product into the right celeb’s hands.

Typically, celebs are given bags of goodies through the organization hosting the event in question, via stylists or "gifting suites" stocked with branded loot that celebs pick over at the Academy Awards (and just about every major entertainment awards show), but that's been proclaimed to be tacky.

Now TIFF-going celebs are getting the goods in their hotel rooms. Talk about room service!Continue reading...