Snapple, the line of teas, juice drinks, waters and other beverages marketed by Cadbury Schweppes, is embarking on a unique summer promotional effort in which it will be the sole sponsor of a Boston-based FM radio station for 40 days, from Memorial Day all the way through to July 4. The station, WFNX, also broadcasts through affiliates into Maine and New Hampshire. The deal is costing Snapple more than $2 million and includes a variety of promotional elements. In place of traditional spots, D.J.'s will acknowledge Snapple on the air for its sponsorship and listeners may hear declarations that WFNX …

Designer Ralph Lauren has scored a major marketing coup by convincing organizers at the prestigious Wimbledon tennis tournament--where changes in tradition occur about as frequently as new monarchs come to the throne--to allow his famous Polo logo a presence on the court. Until this tournament, which begins June 26, Wimbledon officials enforced strict dress code rules for players and officials alike. This year, players will still be required to wear traditional whites, but for the first time ever the 570 umpires, ball girls and ball boys will sport Polo Ralph Lauren shorts, skirts, pants and blazers in navy blue, with …

Gun marketers have found a new target group (bad pun intended) for their weapons--women. The female market for guns is estimated at $285 million this year for firearms alone, and gun manufacturers are tweaking their products accordingly. The result has been shorter, lighter shotguns, new grips on handguns and flashier designs, all of which attract women buyers. There's also a market among women for ammunition, accessories and hunting equipment. Overall, there appears to be two primary aspects to the women's gun market: one is related to self-defense; the other to sport hunting. Regarding the former, National Rifle Association President Sandy …

Procter & Gamble's Braun unit is going viral in a new, offbeat marketing campaign for its razors that includes humorous images of women with hairy body parts. The unbranded effort also includes paid search ads on search engines, promotional placement on Heavy.com, and a posting on YouTube.com for two viral videos from a fictional advocacy group -- National Organization of Social Crusaders Repulsed by Unshaven Faces -- and its Web site, Noscruf.org. One video, "In Your Dreams Stubble Boy," shows a scruffy-faced young man rejected by his mate when he attempts to snuggle. He then nods off to a nightmare …

The pervasiveness of e-mail is apparently having a major impact on the U.S. Post Office. Since the 19th century, it was unlawful to print any kind of advertising on a stamp, but earlier this year that law was overturned by Congress and now the Post Office is allowing companies to create their own branded stamps for first-class mail. The initiative is part of an attempt to reverse a steady decline in first-class mail, which has no doubt been affected by the ubiquity of email. The first company to take advantage of the new system is Hewlett-Packard, which is using its …

McDonald's is offering a whopper-sized burger (pun fully intended) in connection with a new promotion tied to the Word Cup soccer tournament in the U.K. The burger will be 40 percent larger than McDonald's Big Mac and contain about 670calories. It will cost about $5 and soccer fans can buy one starting June 1 in the U.K. to coincide with the tournament, which is capturing the attention and marketing dollars of major advertisers around the globe. "[The promotion] is designed to offer [soccer] fans a little bit more of what they love during the tournament," a McDonald's U.K. spokesperson said. …

Marketers may soon have a new, previously pristine environment in which to advertise their products and services?the theater. Just prior to performances of an Off-Broadway show called "Stomp," a tourist organization called Visit London is running the New York version of what it calls the world's first live, theatrical commercial. Performances of the live commercial have already been performed on stages in Dublin and Hamburg, and another is scheduled for Friday in Pittsburgh. "They're a captive audience," said Ken Kelling, Visit London's communications director. "They can't switch channels or change over or walk out once the thing is started." The …

Athletic apparel marketer Nike is going electronic in a new deal with Apple Computer. Yesterday, the two companies announced they have teamed up to create a new wireless communications system that lets a sneaker talk to an iPod. Using a small sensor that's inserted into the sole of a new Nike running shoe, the system lets runners record the distance, time, pace and calories burned during each workout. Nike is also rolling out workout clothes that are made to carry iPods, and other compatible shoes will be launched later in the summer. The two marketers are joining a trend that …

U.K. media regulator Ofcom, which is kind of like the Federal Communications Commission in the U.S., is under fire from special interest groups for not considering a proposal that would prohibit junk food advertising on television before 9 p.m. The groups are led by the National Heart Forum, an alliance of health, medical and consumer organizations, which is preparing an application for judicial review against the media regulator. The group alleges that Ofcom's decision not to consider the plan was "skewed, unfair and relies on misquoting statistical evidence." It also accuses the regulator of putting the broadcast industry's profits before …

In a stunning twist that belies the power and growth of online advertising, a handful of marketers who pioneered Internet marketing are switching ad dollars back to traditional venues. One of them, 1-800-Flowers.com Inc., was the first merchant to join with AOL to sell and promote its service. Since then it has spent millions of dollars into reaching customers through the Internet. But its latest campaign consists of billboards and posters promoting its Happy Hour bouquets of flower-filled margarita glasses. Another marketer, Netflix Inc., spent more than $110 million online last year, according to Nielsen Net/Ratings' AdRevelance unit. But as …