To encourage users of Google Maps to improve the service, the search giant has launched a program that pays users for supplying things like digital photos and information verification. The idea is to create a digital Yellow Pages to layer on top of Google Maps. The initiative is part of the Google Business Referral program, in which representatives can earn $10 for supplying information--$2 just for basic contact information and $8 for getting the company to verify it by sending a postcard or approving it online. The program effectively turns users into paid contractors. Their efforts could be …

General Motors will end its $1 billion sponsorship of the U.S. Olympic Committee when its current agreement expires next year. GM says the move is a result of changes in its marketing strategy and came after it evaluated the return on its advertising investment. GM spokeswoman Ryndee Carney says she does not know what the automaker's strategy would be for advertising related to the Olympics beyond the Beijing games in 2008. Chevrolet continues to sponsor the U.S. Snowboarding Team, and GM of Canada is sponsoring the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver. GM signed a 10-year, $1 billion …

Even carrots, milk and apple juice tasted better to preschool kids if they were wrapped in the familiar packaging of McDonald's, according to research appearing in August's Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine. Study author Dr. Tom Robinson, a Stanford University researcher, says the kids' perception of taste was "physically altered by the branding." The study, funded by Stanford and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, involved 63 low-income children ages 3 to 5 from Head Start centers in San Mateo County, Calif. Robinson believes the results would be similar for children from wealthier families. "This is …

In an effort to lure men to its new zero-calorie soda spiked with ginseng and extra caffeine, three new Diet Pepsi Max spots starring Dallas Cowboy notables will break prior to the kickoff of the NFL season on Sept. 6. Quarterback Tony Romo, owner Jerry Jones and new coach Wade Phillips will fall victim to a yawn--as in previous executions--during key game situations. The new drink stops the yawn. Diet Pepsi Max launched in June as the answer to Coca-Cola's male-focused Coke Zero. But for males with little interest in diet drinks, the new product may itself elicit …

Coinciding with the launch of Electronic Arts' "Madden NFL 08" football game, Microsoft is cutting the price of its main Xbox 360 console by $50 Wednesday to $349 in the U.S. Rumors of the price cut had leaked, but some thought that Microsoft wouldn't cut its price before the late-September release of "Halo 3," which is expected to drive demand for new consoles. Aaron Greenberg, group product manager for the Xbox 360, says the price move is not a reaction to Nintendo's Wii, but it hopes to bring in consumers who have an Xbox or PS 2. He maintains …

Forbes calculated the brand value of the 122 teams in the NBA, NFL, NHL and MLB by adding up their revenues from sponsorships, naming rights, local media, tickets and merchandise not attributable to demographics. Because its study focused on growth rather than absolute value, most of the teams on its list are turnaround situations. Increasing a team's brand value is essential--not just for landing the best stadium and sponsorship deals domestically--but for selling merchandise and media platforms abroad. Location is not something a team owner can usually change, and market size plays a big role in the …

In a development that stunned Detroit, Cerberus Capital Management today will reportedly name former Home Depot CEO and GE executive Robert Nardelli as chairman of the board and CEO of Chrysler. The move comes after DaimlerChrysler and Cerberus completed the deal Friday in which Cerberus invested $7.4 billion to acquire 80.1% of Chrysler. Tom LaSorda, who has been Chrysler's CEO and president since September 2005, will become the No. 2 executive at Chrysler as vice chairman and president. CFO Eric Ridenour, who has worked for the company for 23 years, is expected to leave the automaker. Wolfgang Bernhard, a …

Virgin America, which begins daily flights linking San Francisco to New York and Los Angeles on Wednesday, hopes that new on-board amenities will lure passengers. In addition to offering satellite TV, radio and videogames on its 10 new Airbus jetliners, the seat-back entertainment system allows passengers to send each other text messages, order food and choose from a library of 3,000 songs. The debut is rolling out with the stylish marketing that accompanies Virgin products from cola to cell phones to music stores. Print and Internet ads tout on-board bells and whistles from leather seats and "mood lighting" …

Sports apparel brand Under Armour--which wants its logo to be just as recognizable among women as men--is undertaking its biggest advertising campaign to date. It's aimed at high school and collegiate female athletes--or "team girl" in marketing parlance. The company only began selling to women four years ago. The campaign has been dubbed "BoomBoom-Tap," to represent the sounds women make after breaking a huddle during a game--and a reference to its onomatopoeic "Click-Clack" ads for its men's cleats. Under Armour founder and chief executive Kevin Plank calls it a "rallying cry" for female athletes. The first TV spot …

Thirteen years after Nike signed an unprecedented sponsorship contract with the University of Michigan, adidas is working to catch up. It's signing contracts with colleges formerly in the Nike fold, such as Michigan and Texas A&M. But Nike still controls almost half of the market for athletic shoes, jerseys, and clothing, says Tom Doyle, vice president for research and information for the National Sporting Goods Association. As more consumer money flows to athletic apparel, major companies work to construct deals that will gain them support from college loyalists. They hope the scarlet and gray, or maize and blue, will …