American consumers might soon have yet another choice in the cars they buy. Later this month, DaimlerChrysler AG will decide whether to introduce its Smart model, which is popular in Europe, in the U.S. The car is known for its small size and low gas mileage, a trait that should make it popular in the U.S., where gas prices have skyrocketed. It should also play well in large cities, because Smart is so small that two of them can fit in one standard size parking space. "I think the Smart is exciting -- there is some potential" for U.S. sales, …

Advertisers who worry about the value they receive from their sports marketing deals now have a new tool that can help them measure their ROI. The new service, called Relay SponsorVision, is being launched by Relay, a sports-marketing unit owned by Publicis Groupe. It uses optical-resolution technology to scan sports broadcasts for brand names and images, and its goal is to tell clients which sponsorships get the most attention from TV viewers. The scan tracks the percentage of the TV screen that is taken up by an individual corporate logo, as well as the logo's location on the screen and …

Stuart Redsun, a 20-year marketing veteran with experience at Motorola, Nike, and Gateway, is the new corporate marketing officer for Sony Electronics. Redsun, who will report to Sony's CMO Mike Dasulo, joins the company from his current post as executive vice president-marketing at mobile-service provider Helio. In his new role, Redsun will be responsible for designing and delivering brand strategy for its U.S. electronics business and product lines including Vaio computers, Cyber-Shot digital cameras, and Bravia TVs. At Nike, Redsun supervised the development of the Nike Concept Shops (mini-Niketowns) inside retailers. He also launched Nike Golf and was responsible for …