CONSUMER-MARKETING | ACQUISITION

Ford Motor Co. is boosting two of its brands via Webisodes that promote the new Mercury Milan and Lincoln Zephyr sedans.

The Hershey Co. this week breaks a multi-pronged marketing blitz for its Take 5 candy bar, its first comprehensive campaign since launching Take 5 last year. Hershey hopes to jumpstart trial with extensive sampling, buzz marketing and in-theatre promos as well as TV, online ads and a dedicated Web site, Thegreatestcandybarever.com.

CompUSA announced last week that it has teamed up with CBS Sports to become an official National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) corporate partner.

The History Channel is building buzz around its new mini series, 10 Days That Unexpectedly Changed America via a seven-city mall tour and sweepstakes, in which consumers can win themed trips to historic U.S. locations.

Online video-sharing community vMix and Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment are building buzz around the release of Walk The Line on DVD with an online sweepstakes challenging fans to create a musical slide show to win their very own copy of the movie.

1-800-Flowers.com has partnered with Tourism Ireland in an instant-win promotion that dangles a trip to the Emerald Isle.

Universal Records is launching a Willy Wonka-style promotion to build buzz around Prince's newest album 3121.

World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is creating big time buzz around WrestleMania 22 with a multi-million dollar marketing campaign, which includes sweepstakes overlays and a host of in-store promotions.

Citibank was looking for a way to build membership in its loyalty rewards program and chose New York City's Grand Central Station as a focal point to draw a crowd with skill games, mechanical surfboards and sumo wrestlers.

Gillette tapped a little star power in real estate mogul Donald Trump to build buzz around its Fusion razor on The Apprentice, and is leveraging its sponsorship with a sweepstakes.