Ford’s Octane Academy Builds Brand Affinity with Action Sports FansMotocross icon Brian Deegan gave action sports enthusiasts their first glimpse of Ford’s limited edition F-150 ATV developed by BDA and KYMCO USA. In a video promoting the new Fuel TV series “Octane Academy,” Deegan tours his Metal Mulisha compound in Temecula, Calif., from the seat of a Blue Flame Metallic “Built Ford Tough” ATV.
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BDA Appoints Joe Ungari Director of Creative ServicesBDA today announced it has named Joe Ungari as Director of Creative Services. In this role, Ungari will be responsible for driving the company’s creative philosophy, methodology and capabilities to all levels of BDA’s global clientele, business departments and service lines. Specifically, he will direct cross-disciplinary development of BDA’s in-house award-winning design agency. Ungari brings to BDA nearly 30 years of international product innovation experience, having worked with companies in Europe, Japan and China.
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NBC Is Looking for Big Payoff on OlympicsTwo years ago, the Winter Games in Vancouver were just beginning. When they ended, NBC Universal reported a loss of $223 million. Now, with the Summer Games in London five months away, NBC is hoping to avoid a big loss on its $1.18 billion rights fee, the most paid for the Olympics by a United States network. Seth Winter, the senior vice president of the NBC Sports Group, said last week that national advertising sales for the London Games were just above $900 million. **ALSO THIS WEEK... Stories from The New York Times, AdAge, Ad Week, Media Daily News, Direct Marketing News.
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The Super Bowl Ads Most Don’t SeeThe talk this week was which Super Bowl ads were the funniest and which flopped. Multimillion-dollar TV spots are certainly the most familiar and talked about form of Super Bowl advertising, but the sponsorship story doesn’t end there. Those of us fortunate enough to attend or be in the host city of a Super Bowl, World Series, Final Four, Daytona 500, Stanley Cup Final or Olympic Games are exposed to another more tangible advertising medium—branded merchandise.
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The Ads of Super Bowl XLVI: Adweek’s Post-MortemAdweek has post-mortem coverage of the commercials of Super Bowl XLVI at adweek.com/super-bowl. Check out all the commercials again, and read through the transcript of Adweek's live blog, featuring commentary from the Adweek editorial team. **ALSO THIS WEEK... Stories from AdAge, Marketing Daily News.
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The Ads of Super Bowl XLVI: Adweek’s PreviewThe Super Bowl is fast becoming an auto show. And last year's record number of car-related spots have led to an even bigger haul this year. Expect close to 20 separate auto (or auto-related) commercials in the game—that's almost one-third of the total number of spots—from brands including Acura, Audi, Bridgestone, Cars. com, Chrysler, General Motors (Chevrolet and Cadillac), Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Lexus, Toyota and Volkswagen. **ALSO THIS WEEK... Stories from Ad Week, AdAge, Mashable, Marketing Daily News.
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BDA Recognizes Top Suppliers for 2011The results are in for this year’s BDA Supplier Awards, voted on by BDA sales, product development, logistics and operations staff. This year's winners represent Alpha Shirt, Pro Specialties Group and LogoMark.
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Automotive Execs Plot Comebacks, Hype Super BowlAt a major international auto show, the marketing machine is rarely on stage, even on press days. Of course, chief marketing officers might be observed wandering the show floor, eyeballing the competition or taking part in a panel. Then they're gone. Celebrities they are not—even if they are rock stars in the marketing world. **ALSO THIS WEEK... Stories from AdAge, Ad Week, Marketing Daily News.
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Patriots Fans to Receive 'I Was There' Towels at AFC Title GameAll week long, the Patriots have been praising Gillette Stadium for its atmosphere. They loved it last week, as a previously sleepy place came alive. This week, the Patriots are expecting more. To help, they are hanging out towels—to be waved—as a free giveaway for Sunday’s game vs. the Ravens. BDA delivered 70,000 towels for the AFC title game.
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BDA Cares Foundation Celebrates Launch with 'Rock the Needle' FundraiserBDA today celebrates the formation of the BDA Cares Foundation with the “Rock the Needle” charity event at the Space Needle. BDA employees will show their strength by walking 1,000 miles on the Space Needle’s observation deck in support of domestic violence. The foundation, dedicated to the prevention of violence against women and children, was created by BDA co-founders, Eric Bensussen and Jay Deutsch, as a result of the impact of a domestic violence tragedy within the BDA community.
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BDA Cares Foundation Celebrates Launch With 'Rock the Needle' Fundraiser Featuring University of Washington Basketball Coach Lorenzo RomarBDA today celebrates the formation of the BDA Cares Foundation with the “Rock the Needle” charity event at the Space Needle. BDA employees will show their strength by walking 1,000 miles on the Space Needle’s observation deck in support of domestic violence. The foundation, dedicated to the prevention of violence against women and children, was created by BDA co-founders, Eric Bensussen and Jay Deutsch, as a result of the impact of a domestic violence tragedy within the BDA community.
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Pizza Hut to Pick Stars of Super Bowl Pre-Game Ad Via FacebookLike many marketers advertising in and around the Super Bowl this year, Pizza Hut’s game plan calls for a little Facebook. The pizza chain introduced the TV spot below on Jan. 1 that threw down the gauntlet to fans: Do your own rendition of the featured song and your video might be featured in a pre-game Super Bowl ad. **ALSO THIS WEEK... Stories from Mashable, Inc, AdAge, Marketing Daily News.
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Quitters Never Win in Olympic Sponsorship GameFrom London 2012-branded t-shirts by Adidas to Panasonic cameras branded with the Olympic Games logo, Olympic sponsors are worming their way into our psyche, hoping the feel-good Olympic association they acquired at huge cost will pay off. The value of Olympic sponsorship deals remains a closely-guarded secret. **ALSO THIS WEEK... Stories from CNBC.com, Mashable, Wall Street Journal, Big Lead Sports, Media Daily News.
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China’s Li-Ning Takes on Nike, Adidas With U.S. E-Commerce SiteTop Chinese sports brand Li-Ning is making a second pass at the U.S. market and for now their strategy is branded e-commerce. The company's first English-language consumer website has already picked up some popular U.S. e-commerce tactics, like free holiday shipping and a Facebook page. The company's founder, former Chinese Olympic gymnast Li Ning, has ambitious plans to challenge rivals like Nike on their home turf with his namesake brand. **ALSO THIS WEEK... Stories from AdAge, Ad Week, Direct Marketing News.
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BDAinc.com Earns 'Best in Class' Award from Interactive Media CouncilThe new BDA corporate website has been recognized by the 2011 Interactive Media Awards for its superior design and user functionality. BDAinc.com was named Best in Class in the Advertising/Marketing category, the highest honor bestowed by the Interactive Media Council.
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Gaming Accessories for the Entire FamilyGetting the whole family together can be a challenge, especially considering everyone’s unique interests. One group activity that’s more popular than ever is video gaming. The newest POWER A controllers for PS3, Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii were the focus of a recent segment on the morning show, “The Balancing Act” on Lifetime Television.
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AARP pleased with NASCAR sponsorshipIn the first season of its multimillion-dollar sponsorship of Jeff Gordon, the AARP Foundation claims it raised $14.1 million and donated 4 million meals to local hunger relief operations. AARP Foundation President Jo Ann Jenkins said the deal exceeded the organization’s expectations and achieved its two main goals: to raise money and awareness of hunger among elders. The three-year, 22-race-a-year deal is valued at $10 million to $15 million a year. **ALSO THIS WEEK... Stories from AdAge, Ad Week, Marketing Daily News, Fast Company.
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Mobile Codes Run ‘Gauntlet’ in Marketing BookReaders of former Kodak CMO Jeffrey Hayzlett’s upcoming business book Running the Gauntlet will get videos of the marketing guru to start every chapter, courtesy of 2D mobile codes. This is one of the first and more extensive uses of mobile codes in a full-length book. **ALSO THIS WEEK... Stories from AdWeek, AdAge, Marketing Daily News, Direct Marketing News.
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Our Top 10 Holiday Gift GuidesBeing a company that’s dialed in to emerging retail, product and technology trends really pays off during the holiday shopping season. We’re authorities on gift-giving. Whether it’s putting together themed gift baskets, presenting ideas for high-end executive gifts or managing a Fortune 500 organization’s entire holiday gifting program, BDA knows how to make the season bright.
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The 10 Best Commercials of 2011Many people groaned last winter when it became clear that Super Bowl XLV would be packed bumper to bumper with automotive ads. It's not a category that's exactly wowed with its creativity in recent years. Now, with the year almost passed, it's become clear that two of those ads in particular weren't just among that evening's best spots. They turned out to be among the year's best. **ALSO THIS WEEK... Stories from AdAge, AdWeek, Marketing Daily News.
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More than 200,000 Indivisible Wristbands SoldThe Create Jobs for USA fund has surpassed $1 million in donations for a new small business lending program since its Nov. 1 launch. That's equal to 200,000 of the red, white and blue "Indivisible" wristbands BDA is suppling Starbucks for the Create Jobs movement.
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Tweet Partnership Pays Off for “The X Factor”Earlier this month, "The X Factor" became the first-ever reality-TV competition show to allow voting by Twitter. "'The X Factor' has been a hands-down social-TV hit this TV season," Bluefin's Tom Thai says. "It averages 110,000 social-media comments per episode. It's the No. 1 social-TV show among reality series, out of 164 total, this season. **ALSO THIS WEEK.., Stories from The NY Times, AdAge, Ad Week, Marketing Daily news.
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Why the 'Power of Branding' is a MythBrand is important. No question of that. A strong brand can make it enormously easier to sell. However, the notion that "branding" can create a great brand is a myth. Worse, it's a myth that can cost you a lot of money, without getting much in return. Bottomline: Your brand is the emotion that a customer feels when thinking about your product. **ALSO THIS WEEK... Stories from Inc, Direct Marketing News, Marketing Daily News, AdAge, Ad Week.
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B2B Marketers Have Much to Learn About SocialEnterprise marketers are spending millions of dollars annually on social marketing, the cloud marketing automation software vendor finds, although nearly 30% are not tracking the impact of such campaigns on lead generation and sales. And among those who do, about 42% of marketers replied that zero or an uncertain number of sales leads resulted from social media programs—a startlingly high percentage. **ALSO THIS WEEK... Stories from Online Media Daily, AdAge, Ad Week.
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BDA Hosts 17th Annual Baseball Think TankBDA is hosting its 17th annual Baseball Think Tank this week in Las Vegas. The three-day conference fosters league-wide collaboration on product ideas for sponsorship activation, merchandise giveaway strategies and best practices within the sports marketing and promotions industry. “It's an opportunity for teams to leverage our expertise and experience as the leading sports promotions agency,” said Jay Deutsch, CEO and co-founder of BDA.
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Banding Together to Support U.S. Job GenerationStarting today, Starbucks stores across the country are collecting donations from customers to stimulate hiring among small businesses through the coffee company's “Create Jobs for USA” program. Donors who contribute $5 or more receive a red, white and blue wristband with the message “Indivisible.” BDA was brought in to oversee development of the wristbands.
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Ford Enters Boxing Ring with Trio of TrucksFord is putting its F-150, Ranger and Super Duty trucks in the boxing ring in a trio of spots for the ongoing Built Ford Tough Sales Event. The effort, produced by L.A.-based production house King and Country (K&C) for Ford’s WPP agency consortium Team Detroit, uses a "Main Event" prize fight as a central motif, and continues the rant-style voiceover that Ford has used in the clearance campaign since 2008. **ALSO THIS WEEK... Stories from AdAge, Ad Week, MarketingDaily.
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BDA Appoints New Director of New Business DevelopmentBDA today announced it has named Rebecca Gerber as Director of New Business Development. Gerber comes to BDA from Zorch where she was VP of Business Development and Implementation. Gerber’s diverse background includes sales, finance and expertise working with Fortune 200 clients in the financial, energy, telecommunications, insurance, transportation, waste management, CPG and airline industries.
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The Most Important Rule of Sponsorships: Invest Rather Than BuyEven though spending on corporate partnerships with sports, entertainment and nonprofit organizations will reach $18 billion in North America this year, a majority of sponsorships remain ad hoc projects, fragmented and siloed within the company rather than optimized, integrated and aligned behind growth and enterprise-wide impact. **ALSO THIS WEEK... Stories from AdAge, Ad Week, Marketing Daily News.
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Innovative Product MashupsWhat differentiates a smart innovation is that it has the capability of moving a business forward in ways that can result in more customers, more sales, more brand loyalty, more good will, or some combination of those effects. Innovations are smart when they are not just inventions for innovation's sake, just to be new and different; rather they provide a strategic benefit. **ALSO THIS WEEK... Stories from AdAge, Ad Week, Inc., Marketing Daily News.
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St. Louis Embraces the Rally SquirrelThis year's MLB playoffs are all about the Rally Squirrel. BDA delivered 40,000 rally towels featuring the beloved critter to the St. Louis Cardinals for Game 3 of the NLCS. BDA has already delivered more than 1 million towels this postseason, with the World Series still to come.
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BDAinc.com Brings Home Best in Show Honors from 2011 W3 Awards CompetitionThe new BDA corporate website earned top honors in the 2011 W3 Awards competition, which drew more than 3,000 entries from the best interactive agencies worldwide. Launched in May, www.bdainc.com was created entirely by the BDA award-winning design team. BDAinc.com collected a prestigious Best in Show award for Copy/Writing. Only the top 1 percent of all work entered receives Best in Show honors.
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'Batman: Arkham City' game widens franchiseVariety reports Warner Brothers is rolling out an extensive marketing campaign around the release of "Batman: Arkham City." WB has also let its consumer products arm play with the property, releasing batarang-shaped videogame controllers from BDA, toys from Mattel and more.
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Drawing Inspiration from ‘Urbanized’ DocumentaryInspiration may come from objects, actions or the very people who will use the product. We can be motivated by color in nature, the human body, a latch on a toolbox or button on a cell phone. Every designer approaches a problem in a different way and every day is different because design is inherently an emotional process. Going to a gallery opening, car show or a film like “Urbanized” is a great way to geek-out professionally and look how others in the industry are attacking similar design problems.
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Linkedin Updates Enhance Brands, Member InteractionOnline professional network LinkedIn announced a pair of services aimed at giving brands new ways to interact with its 120 million members. One is the ability for companies to share updates directly with their page followers on LinkedIn. The other is the launch of a certified developer program connecting marketers and agencies with a group of preferred partners to help develop custom social programs and applications using LinkedIn tools. **ALSO THIS WEEK... Stories from AdAge, Ad Week, Media Post.
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Digital Advertising Logs Record-Breaking QuarterInteractive advertising revenues totaled a record $14.9 billion in the first half of 2011, a 23.2 percent increase over last year. The growth rate is comparable to pre-recession levels, said Sherrill Mane, Senior Vice President, Industry Services, IAB. The second quarter was especially strong; revenue increased 24.1 percent over last year to $7.7 billion. **ALSO THIS WEEK... Stories from Ad Week, Media Post News, AdAge.
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MUNITIO to Release Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare® 3 Billets™ 9mm Special Edition EarphonesMUNITIO, a precision sound control brand owned and operated by BDA specializing in mobile lifestyle electronic accessories, today announced an exclusive partnership with Activision Publishing, Inc. to launch a licensed Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare® 3 Special Edition version of its upcoming Billets™ 9mm tactical earphones. Modern Warfare 3 will release worldwide Nov. 8.
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Martha Stewart Meets Betty CrockerTwo titans of the culinary world came face to face for the first time this month when Martha Stewart visited Betty Crocker Kitchens. Longtime BDA client General Mills wanted to mark the occasion properly. What better way than aprons?
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‘X Factor’ Sponsors Using Merchandise to Engage ViewersLast week’s “X Factor” premiere was the biggest fall debut for Fox in five years—drawing 52 percent more viewers in the network’s target demographic of 18 to 49 year-olds than Fox’s programming on the same night a year earlier. Simon Cowell’s Syco Television and FremantleMedia, the production companies behind “X Factor,” are bringing BDA along for the ride.
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Four Common Mistakes When Using Video OnlineThere's always a temptation to make your online video ad longer than a standard commercial length because with online, there aren't the limitations you have with TV and other media. If you really want people to see you entire message or video, don't do it! In fact, if anything, you should try shorter versions of your message wherever possible. **ALSO THIS WEEK... Stories from AdAge, Ad Week, Forbes, MarketingWeek.
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Coffee Meets CoutureThis year, Starbucks celebrates 40 years of coffee, culture and its evolution into a global icon. To mark the occasion, the coffee giant invited the past three recipients of the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund award to design a line of Starbucks-inspired T-shirts. BDA was contracted to handle the manufacturing and fulfillment and distribution of the shirts, which are available at StarbucksStore.com and select Nordstrom locations.
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CLC ‘out to tackle any new areas of retail that we can find’ with expanded line of productsNew or expanded lines of college products are showing up in places you’d never expect. Boots sporting a school’s logo are being sold in western wear retailers. Licensed sunglasses are in Sunglass Hut stores all over the country. Logo pacifiers can be found in Babies “R” Us. Even on the computer, virtual goods with college marks are appearing on social networking and gaming sites. These are all new distribution outlets for college merchandise this fall. **ALSO THIS WEEK... Stories from AdAge, AdWeek, Marketing Daily News.
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An American Flag for Every NFL FanStars and stripes forever. That was the scene in stadiums across the country over the weekend as fans ushered in another season of pro football. The opening Sunday of the NFL schedule coincided with the 10th anniversary of September 11, 2001, creating a unique opportunity for the league to pay tribute to victims and survivors of the attacks. The NFL called on BDA to manage a league-wide gate giveaway of American flags.
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How Consumers Interact With Brands On FacebookPeople interact with their favorite brands on Facebook far more than on any other social network, according to a recent study of online consumer behavior. The study analyzed the behavior of 1,491 consumers ages 18 and older throughout the U.S. and revealed a number of details about how people interact with brands on the world’s largest social network. **ALSO THIS WEEK... Stories from AdAge, AdWeek, Associated Press, Media Post.
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Are We Approaching the End of the Daily Deals Era?The golden age of daily deals, led by the unprecedented growth of Groupon, seems to be coming to its end. That’s not to say daily deals won’t be sticking around for a long time—clearly there is a business in it—but when two major players withdraw from the space and its biggest player experiences a 50% traffic decline, it’s a clear sign that the daily deals market is no longer in its heyday. **ALSO THIS WEEK... Stories from Mashable, AdAge, Wall Street Journal, Direct Marketing News.
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POWER A Rocks the PAX Prime 2011 Game ConventionAir Flos, Batarangs and Mini Pro controllers, oh my! This year’s PAX Prime gaming lifestyle convention, located in downtown Seattle, Wash., received its first POWER A visit, and what a visit it was. POWER A showcased a select collection of the hottest products from its fall line-up and received great feedback.
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A Tiger at 60: How Kellogg’s Tony the Tiger is Changing for a New AgeAs the food industry faces a crackdown on advertising to children, Kellogg Co. has found a new target for Tony the Tiger: Dads. The campaign—which will air during adult programming on networks including ESPN—comes as Kellogg and other food advertisers face a new proposal by the federal government that would all but eliminate kid-targeted ads for sugary cereals such as Frosted Flakes. **ALSO THIS WEEK... Stories from AdWeek, AdAge, Marketing Daily News, Media Post.
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Seeing Green at the Seattle Gift ShowEco was everywhere when BDA visited the summer edition of the Seattle Gift Show earlier this month. Event organizers delivered a significantly expanded selection of green, sustainable, organic and recycled goods. “The Pacific Northwest region has long been a leader in the green movement and the Seattle Gift Show is committed to meeting area retailers’ need for earth-friendly options in product and design,” said Doug Miller, president of Urban Expositions, the group that produces the show.
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Maker of the ‘baddest earphones on the planet’ acquired by BDAMunitio earphones are made out of 9mm bullet casings, and they are built to provide mind-blowing sound. Now, the high-end earphones have landed in the hands of a Seattle area company, with Bensussen Deutsch & Associates announcing that it has acquired the San Diego maker of earphones and other mobile electronics products. Munitio earphones don’t come cheap, ranging in price from $159 to $179. And then there’s the perception of sticking a bullet casing in your head to listen to music.
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BDA Announces Acquisition of High-End Mobile Audio Accessory Brand MUNITIOBDA today announced its acquisition of San Diego-based MUNITIO (mu-nish-eo), a precision sound control company specializing in mobile lifestyle electronic accessories. Music and fashion enthusiasts around the globe have positioned MUNITIO at the forefront of the premium audio accessory market for sound purity, innovative design and the quality of the company’s products.
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