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. …

As the World Cup soccer tournament gears up for a June 9 kickoff, the marketing battle between rival athletic apparel marketers Nike and Adidas is expected to rival any soccer match in its intensity and level of competition. Each company is planning extensive marketing campaigns connected to the tournament, with Adidas preparing to spend close to $200 million while Nike will spend more than $100 million. Their efforts will focus on various campaigns designed to sell sneakers, soccer boots, jerseys, soccer balls, and T-shirts. Nike also has teamed up with Google to create the world's first social network for soccer …

There's bad news for marketers who count magazine ads as a major element in their advertising plans. New research suggests that ads in magazines that deliver a high level of so-called engagement from their readers perform no better than ads in magazines whose readers pay considerably less attention. Engagement has been a popular buzzword in the ad industry, although its precise definition has been elusive. At its heart are marketers who want consumers to pay closer attention to their advertising messages. The survey was conducted by Starch Communications Research, which divided 25 magazines into high-engagement, low-engagement and middling camps, defining …

Chewing gum and candy marketer Wm. Wrigley Jr. is expanding and diversifying its product portfolio. This summer two of the company's brands, Life Savers and Altoids, will get more flavors as well as a more focused sales pitch. Both brands are relatively new for Wrigley--they were acquired in 2005 from Kraft Foods. Plans call for Life Savers to be available this July in orange mint and sweet mint while new products include Creme Savers Desserts (including cinnamon bun and strawberry cheesecake) and Life Savers Gummies Fruit Splosions. Altoids will get more flavor and package extensions to try to boost its …

Kellogg Co. knows a good thing when it sees it. That's why the marketer has once again signed up its Pop-Tarts brand as the presenting sponsor of the American Idols Live! Tour, a concert tour that features finalists from the 2006 season of Fox TV's wildly successful "American Idol" reality TV show. This marks the fifth year that Pop-Tarts has sponsored the tour, which runs July 6 through Sept. 2, with performances in 41 cities. The promotion calls for the company to host pre-concert events including karaoke, and fans can again pose for photos with "American Idol" finalists, and then …

Restaurant chain Cosi is about to embark on an ambitious plan to expand its number of outlets from 100 to 800 and has hired a new CMO to help the company achieve its goal. The job, a new position for Cosi, will be filled by Chris Carroll, who joins Cosi after working for six years as worldwide marketing director at sandwich chain Subway. Previously in his career, Carroll worked as vice president of advertising, sales and promotion at Burger King. He has also worked at agencies on accounts such as Pizza Hut and McDonald's. Carroll left Subway last September after …

Applebee's International restaurant chain is looking for a new CMO, following the announced resignation of current CMO John Cywinski. The move comes at a time when Applebee's, which last year saw its income drop by 8 percent on revenues that were up 9 percent, is making a push on the marketing front, or what it calls "an evolution" of its marketing message. The company said Cywinski is leaving after five years in the position because he wants to end his commute between company headquarters in Kansas City and his home in Chicago. He has agreed to stay on as a …

A new TV network is offering marketers a new way to advertise. Forget about traditional commercials--the CW network wants companies to think in terms of "content wraps," a hybrid that employs story lines in two-minute segments that would be presented three times throughout an evening of programming. The CW network announced the idea at last week's upfront presentations. "It's entertainment," said Dawn Ostroff, entertainment president for the new network, which is a combination of the soon to be defunct WB and CBS-owned UPN networks. "This is a way to keep viewers with us throughout the night." Although advertisers and networks …

Marketers are spending more to advertise their products and services in China than ever before, and the media marketer there may be poised for explosive growth, reports Nielsen Media Research. According to Nielsen, ad spending in China increased 25 percent, to $10.3 billion, in the first quarter of 2006. Categories showing the most growth included wedding products such as jewelry and baby products like diapers. Ads for cars, credit cards and cell phone services also shot up. The figures are significant because they don't even include spending on Internet and outdoor ads, two increasingly important marketing channels in China. It's …

Johnnie Walker Scotch, marketed by liquor giant Diageo, is expanding its marketing efforts to include an extensive new "emerging media" global effort designed to attract men ages 25-34 who are Web-savvy whisky drinkers. The company announced that it has hired AKQA, a digital ad agency based in London, to handle online advertising, emerging media services and mobile marketing, and to redesign the brand's Web site. The agency will work in concert with Diageo's offline agency, BBH, London, and the "Keep Walking" theme developed by BBH will resonate throughout the interactive marketing push. "Their brief has been that Johnnie Walker inspired …