Entertainment Tie-Ins Aligning the brand with a hot media property can bring short-term sales boosts and long-term goodwill, which is why every marketer with a pulse is eyeing tie-in deals these days. promo honors the best alliances of the past year in the first Entertainment Marketing Awards. Special pullout section.

Media 2000: Special Events Marketers enjoy hitting the road to spread the word about their brands. But you don’t have to sponsor the Rolling Stones latest tour to make the brand mobile – you can create your own event.

Premium Incentive Strategies How do promos with premiums compare with campaigns that don’t use them? What’s the secret for building a points-for-prizes program that sells and builds brand? promo answers these and other questions in its annual look at premiums and incentives. Featuring a spotlight on top premium offers, including IMRA’s 1998 Gold Key winners.

Coupon Trends An ageless marketing strategy gets a youthful new look as marketers and retailers use electronic delivery systems to customize programs. Leave those scissors in the drawer. promo’s annual look at the industry includes the Coupon Planning Calendar. n

Business-to-Business Whether it’s a loyalty program like the one Folgers runs for business customers, or the branding campaigns non-packaged goods vendors such as Symbol Technology and Hyperion Software use to win over their tough trade audiences, business-to-business promotions are becoming an increasingly vital part of the scene. n

Industry Focus: Travel & Hospitality Discriminating consumers are making airlines work harder to develop attractive frequent-flier programs, which has led to some interesting cross-marketing alliances. On the hotel front, chains use continuity programs to woo the business set and entertainment tie-ins to win over families.

P-O-P Strategies The point-of-purchase industry ain’t what it used to be, not with retailers increasingly calling the shots and displays going interactive. Promo examines the latest trends.

Clubs & Continuity Programs Brands like Beanie Babies and Sony PlayStation have found that you can lead a horse to water and keep him drinking for a long time if you offer club memberships and the right perks.

Media 2000: Phonecards & Interactive Systems Promotional phonecards haven’t even reached mass awareness yet, and already pundits are calling them old hat. PROMO looks at what companies are doing to stay creative in a still-emerging market.

Cause Marketing Everybody – from traditional players like Coca-Cola and Kraft to promotion-green energy companies – are tapping cause marketing as a way to reinforce their brand messages. This year, the Special Olympics goes online, suggesting that the Internet could soon become the medium of choice. promo’s annual look at cause marketing includes a round-up of the tie-in opportunities that are out there. Senior editor Betsy Spethmann reports.

Promoting to the College Crowd It doesn’t matter whether they’re bookworms, geeks, jocks or barflies – college students love to be wooed by marketers. And if you can teach this demo the value of your brand now, you may gain friends for life. promo examines recent trends in promotions to the campus set.

Industry Focus:

Consumer Electronics promo kicks off a six-part series focusing on trends in specific industries with a look at consumer electronics, where companies such as Sony, Samsung and Aiwa are shifting from trade-oriented to consumer promotions and trying to shake an expensive cash rebate habit.

Marketing All-Stars Who are the promotion marketers that had the biggest impact on the business world in 1998? Find out next month when promo profiles the 10 at the top. We also reveal the editorial staff’s pick for Marketer of the Year.

Millenium Mania Next month, brands are going to start partying like it’s 1999 – because it will be 1999. Regular contributor Bob Woods presents a preview of the Year 2000 countdown promotions that will – for good or ill – crowd the consumer consciousness in the months ahead.

Media 2000: The Pager Option The first in a series of six special features examining a marketing phenomenon: promotional tactics and devices as alternative media. Perplexed by the inefficiencies of traditional mass media like TV and radio, brands are taking their messages straight to their targets through mobile tours, interactive phonecards, special events, and yes, pagers. Senior writer Richard Sale reports.

Top-Promoted Brands Which brands spend the most time, money, and thought on promotion? You’ll find out in our December issue when our editors profile the heavy hitters and show how promotions mesh strategically with their marketing plans.

World PRO Campaigns The winners of the most coveted prize in promotion, the World PRO of Excellence Award, have been announced. Next month, learn the details of their successes as we present case studies of the 15 best promotions in the world.

Hasslin’ over Rasslin’ Ted Turner introduced World Championship Wrestling to loosen the World Wrestling Federation’s stranglehold on America’s favorite dance of controlled chaos. The result: Pro wrestling and both organizations are stronger than ever. Bob Woods looks at how they are employing sponsorships and tie-in promotions in a quest for ring supremacy.

Promotion Comes to Detroit The big three automakers discover brand management as they lean on promotion to compete with megastores like CarMax and AutoNation. GM has taken the lead after adopting Procter & Gamble’s brand management model two years ago, but Ford and Chrysler are catching up. Senior Editor Betsy Spethmann reports on automakers’ new love affair with promotion.

Internet Promotions Okay, we all know it’s a big (World Wide) Web out there and the possibilities are endless. But who’s really getting it done in cyberspace? Senior Writer Richard Sale looks at some successful online promotions and includes an update from Procter & Gamble’s online summit.

Alcohol Marketing Hit the bars this weekend and you’re in for a free show. It’s upscale ambush marketing, the latest in high-concept sampling from the alcohol companies. How do these bar-specific promos help build a national brand? promo takes a sober look at the latest trend in alcohol marketing.

Product Sampling Chart Make room on your wall for the sampling planner for 1999 programs. Learn about the major sampling programs for the upcoming year in a handy pullout guide.

Product Sampling Story What’s hot and what’s not in the varied world of product sampling. Senior Writer David Vaczek judges the fastest growing segment of the market, out-of-home sampling, and the old standby, in-store programs.

Promotion Measurement and Evaluation The best part of promotions, besides the ability to drive sales, is that you can measure how well they perform. Senior Writer Richard Sale takes a look at the new types of accountability that promos are meeting today, as well as the role technology is playing in changing how to judge promo’s effectiveness.

Are Ads Dead? It’s time to answer the question that is being whispered in corporate hallways, ad agencies, and especially promotion agencies. With a fragmented audience that’s seen it all, promotions are becoming the centerpiece of brand marketing. Recent action from clients such as Miller Brewing, Pillsbury, and Kraft support the growing trend. Don’t miss Senior Editor Betsy Spethmann’s analysis of this building trend.

Fresh Look, New Start Fox Family Channel starts the biggest cable TV launch ever this month when it takes control of the former Family Channel. Fox is keeping only the channel’s key promo, 25 Days of Christmas. Find out the strategy behind Fox’s and Saban’s launch of 24 hours of new programming in 73 million homes.

100 Years of Promotion What’s the first promotion you ever participated in? What’s your favorite promotion of all time? See the answers to these questions and others from industry builders as promo unwraps the timeline of the last 100 years in promotion.

Account-Specific Gems What are the trends in the hottest segment of promotion today? Senior Editor Betsy Spethmann looks at some of the most successful and daring account-specific promotions in the field.

Special Report: Going Global Find out what you need to know to see if your promotion could work overseas, down under, or at any of the other global hot spots. This special report will include a list of legal differences from other countries that could scuttle your program, a list of foreign holidays, and winning case studies from around the globe.