Pay-per-view marketing specialist Spring Communications, Los Angeles, has formed a strategic venture with New York City-based The Erlick Group to develop sponsorship-friendly media events for TV and the Internet.
The new venture will seek to develop music concerts and other events conducive for such specific marketing needs as launching new products or repositioning old brands, according to Spring president John Rubey. “We’ll design events to meet the sponsors’ objectives,” he says.
Spring is looking for the Erlick Group to provide “a wealth of experience from the brand world and some incredible client relationships” to the venture, says Rubey. Erlick specializes in managing strategic corporate sponsorships, and has put together programs for American Express and MovieFone, Inc., and Visa USA and the League of American Theaters and Producers.
Spring has developed multimedia marketing programs for clients such as Microsoft Corp., Best Buy, United Airlines, Subaru, and Gillette through sponsorships for pay-per-view music concerts, boxing matches, comedy shows, and rodeos, among others. The company handled 12 pay-per-view events last year and will do 18 in 1999, according to Rubey.
Velocity Marketing Inc., Norcross, GA, and sponsorship consultants International Money Group have joined on a strategic partnership to promote African-American motorsports marketing and sponsorships in North America. Velocity already has a management deal with Andrew Kelley, an African-American identified through an initiative launched in July by CART and two FedEx Championship Series racing teams.
Metrocall Inc. and Pagemaster Corp., joined forces to offer alphanumeric messaging devices and wireless services to members of MasterCard’s BusinessCard program. The New York City-based credit-card company will use the service as a means of incenting increased card usage.
New England grocery chain Shaw’s Supermarkets, Inc., partnered with San Francisco-based Web promoter planet U to offer the latter’s U-pons and U-Porium Internet Mall to its shoppers. Shaw’s is the first supermarket chain to offer the service.
Candie’s Inc., Purchase, NY, the company that put Playboy pin-up Jenny McCarthy on the commode in print ads, signed kid star-turned-primetime vamp Alyssa Milano to endorse the company’s new fragrance and jeanswear lines this fall.
Meridian Consulting Group, Westport, CT, formed a strategic alliance with The Emerson Group, Wayne, PA, to provide packaged goods companies with end-to-end execution of category management programs, promotions and trade marketing, and field sales management. The new group will be called Meridian/Emerson.
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