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 publisher of Harper Paperbacks. "You can read a book alone or you can have a glass wine alone, but the great thing is that doing them with other people is really a lifestyle choice," Innelli said. "So, we're showing that both can be social events." A sweepstakes supporting the partnership is promoted on the backs of books, at SutterHome.com and on header cards on in-store displays. The prize? One winner gets to take their reading group to the Sutter Home Victorian inn in Napa Valley, CA, along with a dinner hosted by a Sutter Home chef, 10 copies of "The Reading Group," and 10 copies of "The Friendship Test." The sweeps ends June 30. "The successful partnership is when both parties really bring the same level of creative energy to the table," Innelli said. "This is a natural fit, and it serves both of our products really well." Read the whole story...

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 included are "face painters, satellite radio, endorsement deals and Chevrolet." The campaign is being expanded far beyond the traditional media that Chevrolet used three decades ago. In addition to television, radio, print and billboards, there are also consumer-created ads, promotions in local markets, ads aimed at minority consumers, and cause marketing. "This is probably the most completely integrated program we have," said Philip Caruso, national promotion manager for Chevrolet. "The more we can have a 360-degree connection with consumers, the more we can get them to interact with Chevrolet." Read the whole story...

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 of picnics. Meanwhile, Skills in the Kitchen, an on-site cooking demonstration, will teach fans how to prepare recipes and meals with Craisins conducted by local celebrity chefs. "Our Craisins sweetened dried cranberries are a perfect fit for the WNBA's Be Fit Tour, promoting the importance of healthy lifestyles," said Ken Romanzi, COO for Ocean Spray. The supermarket sweepstakes offers customers a shot at $50,000. Entry forms are available on supermarket Craisins displays. Two winners will be chosen in each market, and will have the chance to make their shots during a designated WNBA game in their area. Read the whole story...

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 Moonstone's Cellfire program, in which a consumer downloads a virtual coupon "wallet" to a mobile phone and shows the phone with the coupon code to a store clerk. The coupons may be worth a free movie rental or $5 off dinner, and are being promoted through shelf-talkers, click-to-call offers on Web pages, and through other advertising offers. Users must consent to receiving the coupons, because the process requires them to reveal their location. That way, marketers can send the coupon at the right moment--right as the consumer is approaching the retail outlet. Some 200 million Americans have mobile phones with locating devices; Sprint, for one, has a searchable local directory that can recommend nearby restaurants, clubs or bars, and almost all Verizon Wireless phones soon will have similar capabilities. Read the whole story...

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 to the nearest dollar, with the difference being transferred from their checking to their savings at the end of the day. BofA will make a donation to the Little League Urban Initiative equal to 5 percent of all "Keep the Change" transfers made from now until August 26. Marketing support includes online, POP, broadcast, and PR efforts--including a tour of 11 cities, all homes to Major League teams, between now and the end of August. Activities include a Speed Pitch challenge, where for every pitch over a certain speed BofA will raise its donation to the Little League Urban initiative. Read the whole story...

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 Edelman. "You are building a relationship with people who are influential and who will tell other people what to buy." For the company's Acuvue contact lenses, J&J sponsors a series of podcasts about teenage life called "Download with Heather & Jonelle," written and hosted by two teenage girls of the same names. The girls and their podcast have a special page on the Acuvue Web site, and the show is also listed in a podcast directory on Apple Computer Inc.'s iTunes. The program has boosted awareness of the Acuvue brand among teens, said Naomi Kelman, president of Vistakon Americas, the J&J unit responsible for Acuvue. Read the whole story...