An unsuspecting American woman whose Twitter account goes under the name of @theashes has been bombarded with messages from cricket fans. She had no idea about the biennial series between Australia and England and she certainly had no inkling that the Test series had such a big army of fans. Now, "Qantas wants to see @theashes In Australia. We'll fly her from New York To Australia for the Ashes!" the Australian airline tweeted on Monday. And Vodafone, too, has expressed an interest: "We want to #gettheashestotheashes so if @theashes can get over here we'll pony up #theashes tickets & …

Burger King and Nike each won two.

Big changes at Mazda North America this year. New CMO, new agency, new vehicles. Yet, the decade-old slogan, "Zoom-Zoom," remains. CMO Don Romano says it will continue to be a big part of Mazda's marketing even as the brand's story evolves. "We'll be taking 'Zoom-Zoom' to the next level," Romano said. "Through the jingle we've gotten more recognition than what the brand stands for, so that will be a priority for us in the next 12 to 18 months." Meanwhile, he and his global counterparts will be working with WPP's newly formed Team Mazda to define an integrated communications …

One consultant says of the airports and airlines making it easier to drink alcohol, "They're trying to mimic what occurs on the ground in terms of consumer promotions." The increased access and options reflect efforts by some airports to boost revenue, as well as a growing marketing savvy by airlines, which now sell everything from meals to day passes to their premium lounges, travel experts say. Of course, some people are afraid that it raises the risk of more drunken travelers, especially when many find the airport travel experience frustrating and stressful.

Every so often, advertisers all look at one actor and decide he or she is the one that captures a mixture of the here-and-now and the particular product the ad will promote. This makes for an odd perfect storm of advertising for viewers, who all see one person playing different roles across different brand platforms. Currently, that guy is named R.J. Kelly III and you may have seen him recently about how this happens and if the phenomenon is good or bad for brands.

And here's another.

Here's one take on the travel industry's future.

Used to be, Thursday was the best night to reach mass audiences. But Sunday has snuck up as the new mass-reach day for live awards shows and major sporting events, so much so that one major marketer, Audi of America, is aligning its entire 2011 TV marketing calendar around the seventh day. As part of its self-dubbed "Sunday Media Strategy," Audi will concentrate nearly 70% of its media budget for its A8 model on TV during 2011 with its ongoing sponsorship of the National Football League, its upcoming buy on Super XLV and an increased investment in Sunday-morning news …