State Farm insurance is about to launch an extensive, multi-faceted promotional campaign tied to the upcoming Disney/Pixar animated movie "Cars," which features cars as its main characters. The strategy--which includes a sweepstakes, tour and interactive Web site--marks the first time the insurance carrier has tied a marketing plan to a movie. The sweepstakes is designed to boost the carrier's online offerings for free quotes or to find a local agent, and offers 25 red 2007 Ford Mustangs as grand prizes. This week, State Farm will kick off a multi-city tour featuring live versions of the film's animated stars. The tour …

Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer, which markets Viagra, has launched a second non-branded ad campaign addressing the issue of erectile dysfunction. The new effort encourages men to discuss erectile dysfunction with their doctor and features sexual health expert and TV and radio host Dr. Drew Pinsky. It includes TV spots, a Web site, and a toll free number. The campaign does not mention Viagra by name, but the Web site (justasktoday.com) has a section in which it asks participants to answer a series of questions. After hitting "submit," the site then takes visitors to a page that shows the phrase "Learn about …

Talk about comebacks. Only a few months ago Kate Moss was dumped as a spokesmodel for fashion brands H&M, Burberry, and Chanel after photos of her allegedly abusing cocaine were splashed all over a British tabloid. Usually an incident like that means a celebrity's days as a product endorser are over. But now word comes that Moss has inked not one, but two new deals to appear in new ad campaigns. One--for Calvin Klein clothing--was reported a few days ago. Now camera marketer Nikon says it will feature the waiflike model in a new campaign breaking this week for its …

Remember the Volkswagen Rabbit? Just like the ever-popular Beetle, it's coming back. The German automaker has decided to rename its Golf hatchback the Rabbit, the name the model was sold under in the U.S. and Canada from 1974 to 1984. The company then changed the name to the Golf, which the model was called outside North America. "Volkswagen customers want a relationship with their cars," said Kerri Martin, VW's brand innovation director. "Names like The Thing, Beetle, Fox, and Rabbit support this." The model sold well in Europe but never caught on among American drivers, who preferred the New Beetle, …

Taking a cue from other marketers who have discovered the potential of aging baby boomers, cosmetics giant Revlon is launching a new makeup line for women over 50. The new line, called Vital Radiance, is the company's biggest launch in more than a decade and will be supported by a TV campaign and a dedicated Web site where consumers can learn about and view the product line and take a face, eyes, lips or full consultation questionnaire to receive customized product samples based on their answers. Vital Radiance includes more than 100 products in a hydrating formula for the face, …

Verizon Communications is taking a decidedly different approach to marketing its new television service than it did with its residential phone and high-speed Internet offerings. In the case of the latter, the company relied on traditional ad campaigns to market the services nationally. But with its new TV service, Verizon is employing more out of the box marketing tools such as viral marketing and a grassroots effort that involves door-to-door sales efforts. The local approach is being tried out in Fairfax County, Va., one of the first places that Verizon is offering its new TV service. To get its message …

The world of super-premium products is no longer just the province of previously prosaic items like coffee, chocolate, and beer. It has now come to toothpaste and mouthwash as well. A line of specialty oral-care products from Discus Dental will soon be introduced nationally, backed by a $20 million advertising blitz. The product line, previously available in dental offices, includes mouthwashes, toothpastes, tongue scrapers and sprays, priced just under $10. The first product to roll is BreathRx, which gets its own ad campaign starting this month. "If you look at other [health and beauty] categories, like skin care and hair …

Portion-controlled food products, introduced by Kraft last year with its 100-calorie Snack Packs of Oreos, Chips Ahoy and Nabisco crackers, are taking off in a big way in other food categories by marketers looking to take advantage of weight-conscious consumers. The category didn't exist four years ago. But 29 such 100-calorie prepackaged products were introduced over the past three years--18 last year, says Tom Vierhile, executive editor of Datamonitor's ProductScan Online. The group includes cookies, crackers, chips, popcorn, and yogurt. Even Coca-Cola has recently plopped 100-calorie labels on 8-oz. mini-cans of several soft drinks. Speculation is mixed as to why …

It's no surprise that advertising on the Internet is growing like wildfire in comparison to more traditional media, but yet another study is out to reinforce the idea and it's worth noting. This one is from global media firm Zenith Optimedia and it says Internet ad spending will overtake billboards and other outdoor advertising next year as well as close the gap on radio in 2008. Online ad spending accounted for 4.5 percent of the global market last year and will increase to 6.5 percent of all advertising by the year after next, up from an earlier forecast of 6 …

Marketers are finding that sponsorship of NASCAR races and cars have advantages that other, similar deals can't offer. For example, Texas Instruments Inc. has found that its $15 million sponsorship of a car that participates on the stock car racing circuit is generating enormous attention for its DLP high-definition television technology. The "DLP" name appears on the car, which is owned by former Dallas Cowboys stars Roger Staubach and Troy Aikman. At a recent race, 5,700 fans streamed through the TI exhibit booth during race weekend, the company said. TI officials concede that sponsoring a NASCAR car isn't cheap, but …