Major marketers are beginning to experiment with podcasts--free audio programs that can be downloaded onto portable music players or computers--as marketing tools. The list includes Johnson & Johnson, General Motors Corp., and Whirlpool Corp.--all of which have seized on the popularity of the broadcasts as part of their marketing strategies to tech-savvy consumers. It's difficult to draw a direct correlation between podcasts and product sales, but marketing experts said the broadcasts can be useful in building brand awareness. "If you have a small group that's listening every week, that's great," said Steve Rubel, a senior vice president with public-relations giant …

Bank of America wants to play ball with its customers this summer. The financial services company's marketing efforts this season are centered on the time-honored theme of kids playing baseball with a new "Keep the Change" saving program tied to improving Little League playing fields. The initiative is more or less an extension of BofA's national sponsorship agreements with Major League Baseball, Minor League Baseball, Little League Baseball, and the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. Under the program, customers who sign up for "Keep the Change" automatically have all purchases made with a BofA debit card rounded up …

Cost-conscious consumers needn't worry about clipping coupons to get discounts on products. Now all they have to do is answer their cell phones. That's because the long-anticipated era of mobile couponing has apparently arrived. In the next few weeks, major marketers and retailers including Hollywood Video, 1-800-Flowers.com, TGI Friday's, and Bath & Body Works will try it for the first time, while Target, Best Buy, and other mass marketers are expected to use cell phone-targeted coupons for the 2006 holiday season. "Mobile couponing has arrived," said Brent Dusing, CEO of Moonstorm, a mobile-marketing-solution provider. Dusing said the marketers are using …

Ocean Spray wants basketball fans to start snacking on its Craisins brand of sweetened dried cranberries. To that end, the marketer has formed a new partnership with the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) that will bring Craisins courtside at WNBA games and tours, along with a supermarket sweeps tied to the sport. This summer, during the WNBA season, Ocean Spray is giving fans free samples of Craisins and conducting promotional activities at select games. Activities include a Craisins Pop-a-Shot contest, in which fans shoot for prizes and learn tips on how to incorporate Craisins as a snack and as part …

General Motors' Chevrolet nameplate is going back to the future with a new ad campaign that updates a popular theme of the automaker's 1970s marketing effort that celebrated "Baseball, hot dogs, apple pie and Chevrolet." The revived incarnation reflects the substantial changes that have occurred not only in baseball, but also in American culture and communications. For example, whereas the old jingle only mentioned the traditional four basic elements, the new iteration--sung by an enthusiastic, all-American chorus--now includes lyrics that also salute "free agents, rally monkeys, fantasy leagues and Chevrolet" along with "frozen yogurt, skyboxes, camera phones and Chevrolet." Also …

Book publisher Harper Collins wants to take the old idea of curling up with a good book a step further by encouraging readers to add a glass of wine to the mix. In a new promotion with Sutter Home Winery, Harper Collins is putting neck hangers on one million bottles of wine, each of which offers $2 off one of two HarperCollins books: "The Reading Group" and "The Friendship Test," both authored by Elizabeth Noble. The publisher hopes the program will help to develop new reading groups outside of the traditional book reader, said Hope Innelli, vice president and associate …

As if it was necessary, there's more evidence that marketers are moving away from traditional advertising methods, and instead choosing new and emerging forms of communication. New research from custom media research firm by PQ Media shows that spending on alternative media strategies rose 16.4 percent in the first half of 2006 to an estimated $53.4 billion, thanks to continued audience fragmentation and a growing shift from traditional media. The report, Alternative Advertising & Marketing Outlook 2006, flags double-digit increases in a majority of 23 sub-segments of alternative media, including advergaming, podcasts, blogs, user-generated content, video advertising, mobile marketing and …

A 10-year marriage between two major marketers is legally over, but it seems as though the two companies want to remain friends. Fast-food marketer McDonald's Corp. and entertainment company Walt Disney Co. have officially ended their decade-long association in which each one promoted the other's products, and the last official joint promotion covered by their existing contract will be launched next week. However, the two companies are still discussing possible future alliances as they remain locked in talks over new promotions for 2007 and 2008. They also continue to discuss the future of McDonald's restaurants at Disneyland and Disney's California …

Ford Motor is nothing if not timely in its choice of celebrity endorsers for its close-of-year clearance sales and promotions. The automaker has signed newly minted "American Idol" winner Taylor Hicks to a deal in which the crooner will perform the song "Possibilities" in a new commercial to promote Ford's "Drive on Us" year-end marketing initiative. "Taylor Hicks is living the American dream, and we're excited to be a part of his journey to stardom," said John Felice, Ford brand general marketing manager. "It's a bold move to audition for 'American Idol,' and it takes talent, hard work, and confidence …

Frito-Lay North America has a new chief marketing officer, who was named right on the heels of the company naming a new chief executive officer. The new CMO, Jaya Kumar, was named to his post yesterday by new CEO Al Carey. Kumar fills a role that has been vacant since Stephen Quinn's departure to Wal-Mart Stores last September. When Quinn left, the CMO responsibilities were split between Kumar--who was named group vice president-insights, innovation and shopper marketing--and Lora DeVuono, group vice president-branding and advertising. DeVuono resigned last week to spend more time with her family. She is expected to work …