Russ Klein to leave Burger King

This breaking news says that Russ Klein, CMO of Burger King, is leaving effective December 15th.

Excerpted from BSLG's weekly subscription news reader service Food Business News. To subscribe or for information about licensing, contact Broad Street Licensing Group (tel. 973-655-0598)

Broad Street Brokers Deal for Italian Wines

Montclair, NJ, October 27, 2009: BROAD STREET LICENSING GROUP has brokered an exclusive licensing agreement between Votto Vines Importing and The Order Sons of Italy in America (OSIA) for a retail line of imported Italian wines bearing OSIA’s LEONE D’ORO® trademark. The Order of the Sons of Italy in America is the largest and oldest national organization for people of Italian heritage in the United States.

The LEONE D’ORO-branded line of red, white and sparkling varietals will be imported from vineyards in the Italian regions of Piedmonte, Fruili and Le Marche. Each wine will retail from $12-20 per bottle.

“OSIA is one of the most-respected organizations in the country, and we look forward to working with them to bring the Leone D’Oro varietals to all who appreciate Italian wines,” said Peter Votto, VP Global Logistics for Votto.

“We are genuinely exhilarated by OSIA’s partnering with Votto Vines— a dynamic and visionary company whose principals know as much about wines as they do about Italy, the importance of family and the U.S. market,” stated Philip Piccigallo, National Executive Director for OSIA.

”Broad Street Licensing Group helps its clients extend their reach to consumers via new platforms and channels of distribution,” says Carole Francesca, president of Broad Street. Our goal is to extend OSIA’s brands into retail, leveraging consumer’s ongoing love affair with Italy and its magnificent foods and wines with the most respected Italian-American association in the U.S. Votto Vines is an excellent company that will bring these exciting wines to the American consumer across a variety of channels of distribution.”

The wines are part of the program Broad Street has developed for leveraging the Leone D’Oro and Figli d’Italia trademarks into a variety of food products in specialty grocery markets, and is designed to help consumers gain access to high-quality items from Italy allowing them to buy with confidence.

About Broad Street Licensing Group

Broad Street Licensing Group (BSLG) is a full-service agency specializing in developing, implementing and managing licensing programs, both for well-known consumer brand names and select non-profits, with a special focus and expertise in food and restaurant brands. They develop long-term licensing partnerships for their clients focusing on brand extensions designed to reach across platforms and channels of distribution. Their roster of experience includes Burger King, Bruegger’s Restaurants, The Culinary Institute of America, BIC USA, Rich’s Foods, Unilever, Fabergé, Cutty Sark, Good Humor-Breyers, Snuggle, ReaLemon, and Popsicle.

Brands Fight Back

As Private Label products soar, the national brands are fighting back.

Brands are switching their ad spend from gourmet and luxury items to staples like Kool-Aid and Hamburger Helper as shoppers cut back even at home. Land O’Lakes unveiled the first ad promoting its core butter in 10 years, passing over other products like cheese and eggs, while Hormel’s SPAM and Dinty Moore stew have seen double-digit sales growth following new ads targeting the frugal consumer.

During the last significant downturn in the 1980s, companies simply slashed ad budgets. But with private label products stealing market share, brands are fighting back this time. To drive home that point, Nielson Co. reports sales of store brands overall rose 9.1% to $84.8bn in the 52 weeks ending March 21, while branded products rose a mere 1.7% ($421bn). Kraft has been pushing Kool-Aid year-round now, instead of just during the Summer in an effort to capture dollars from consumers cutting out soft drinks. Not all marketers are ignoring the high end, though: Unilever is pushing its cheap Suave shampoo, but also boosting its spending on Bertolli frozen meals, along with announcing a line of licensed PF Chang's frozen Asia entrees. Hamburger Helper, introduced during a recession in the early 1970s, is seeing a doubling of ads from parent company General Mills as sales of dry meals have risen 9%. The company believes converts in hard times will carry over once the economy recovers because consumers continue to demand convenient meal solutions.

Even companies doing well in the private label wars are arming themselves for things to come: PepsiCo’s Frito-Lay reported sales volumes were strong in the quarter ending March 31 even with higher prices. To combat the incursion of the store brands into its market share the company has stopped “short weighting” product (putting less in while charging the same), adding upwards of 20% more for retail grocery SKUs (as opposed to vending). In addition it has launched value lines Munchos and Santitos at $2 per bag. Groupe Danone is combatting the erosion of its Dannon yogurt brands with a combined response of cutting prices, promoting some products, advertising more and introducing new products. Focus remains on its high-margin Activia line vs. more commoditized yogurt.

If you were a subscriber, you'd have received this news faster, as it was excerpted from BSLG's weekly subscription news reader service Food Business News. To subscribe or for information about licensing, contact Broad Street Licensing Group (tel. 973-655-0598)

Broad Street Licensing In the News

Broad Street Licensing In the News:

The Wall Street Journal

Nation's Restaurant News

Chain Leader

Marketing Daily

Restaurant News Resource

Forbes

StreetInsider.com

NACS Online

QSR

Quick Frozen Foods International

FMI Smartbrief

License!Global

Food Business Review

Yahoo Finance

Finanzen.Net (Germany)

MSN Money

Franchising.com

Fidelity Investments

CNN Money

Lexis News

PotatoPro Newsletter

Earth Times

AOL Money & Finance

Food Biz Daily

Refrigerated & Frozen Foods

The Modesto Bee

To subscribe to BSLG's weekly subscription news reader service Food Business News, contact Broad Street Licensing Group (tel. 973-655-0598)

BROAD STREET LICENSING GROUP BROKERS DEAL FOR NEW BURGER KING-BRANDED CRISPY MICROWAVEABLE FRENCH FRIES FROM CONAGRA

This just in....

Miami, FL,: Montclair, NJ-based BROAD STREET LICENSING GROUP brokered an exclusive deal between Burger King Corp. and Con Agra Foods Lamb Weston for a retail line of crispy microwaveable Burger King-branded French fries. The line will hit shelves of select retailers including Wal-Mart this fall. King Krinkz, seasoned crinkle-cut fries, will be the first to market in early September, soon followed by King Kolossalz, extra-large fries, and King Wedgez, seasoned potato wedges.

Once out of the microwave and with a quick rip of the top, the box becomes an easily transportable container reminiscent of Burger King Corp.’s signature FRYPOD® container. The perfect size for snacking or sharing, the products offer the convenience of microwave cooking while maintaining the delicious taste and texture of crispy fries.

“Burger King Corp.’s tremendous brand strength and reputation for great-tasting French fries give this new line of King retail fries a head start in the marketplace,” said Sharon Miller, vice president of retail sales for ConAgra Foods Lamb Weston. “Now consumers can enjoy King-fries at home in an easy-to-prepare, microwaveable format that’s perfect for today’s busy families.”

"This licensing deal, brokered by Broad Street Licensing Group, gives Burger King Corp. the ability to take our HAVE IT YOUR WAY® brand promise beyond our restaurants and engage customers in a new way,” said John Schaufelberger, senior vice president, global product marketing and innovation, Burger King Corp. “The innovative and portable design of the packaging makes these fries perfect for an on-the-go snack.”

Excerpted from BSLG's weekly subscription news reader service Food Business News. To subscribe or for information about licensing, contact Broad Street Licensing Group (tel. 973-655-0598)

Unilever Jumps into Restaurant Licensing

Unliever just inked a deal with restaurant chain P.F. Chang parent company China Bistro for prepared P.F. Chang-branded Asian frozen meals. Unilever attributes its desire to grow its licensing program to having successfully launched licensed Bertoli Frozen Italian Skillet Meals in 2005.

This is quite surprising news, since usually Unilever is very conservative about licensing, and has for the most part eschewed licensing its own brands to other categories. But it goes to show that retail extensions are here to stay with brands big and small.


Excerpted from BSLG's weekly subscription news reader service Food Business News. To subscribe or for information about licensing, contact Broad Street Licensing Group (tel. 973-655-0598)

Food Licensing Marketplace Gets More Crowded

Food licensing is now the "hot" segment with a rush into the category, both by licensors and licensing agents eager to establish their bona fides with some quick successes. One of the most-active licensors has been the Food Network, which currently has a line of kitchenwares through Kohl's.

Not to be outdone, fellow cable network Bravo is licensing shows like "Top Chef" to wines and cutlery, along with "Real Housewives of Orange County" to Kooba handbags (rumors of a license to Glock for "Real Housewives of New Jersey" are just that- rumors). Both cable networks have aggressively mined product placement strategies in the past with companies like Hershey and Moët & Chandon, but received no royalties from any sales generated by this high-profile exposure. Product placement is a long and lucrative method for entertainment companies to increase profits, and has become more and more active (some would say intrusive)— think of Tom Hanks in "Castaway" and the value to FedEx.

In a bit of licensing insider trivia, Food Network has been lobbying LIMA, the licensing trade association, to have its products moved from the "entertainment" category to "corporate brands" as part of LIMA's annual awards balloting. That would mean they would no longer compete against Disney and the other studios, but against corporates like Burger King (nominated for this year's "Best Corporate Brand Extension"). Food Network believes they will far better competing against Jeep, Burger King and other true corporate brands in the annual contest for licensing glory.

In other food licensing news:

• It's Miller Time for Sara Lee who is launching Hillshire Farm "Miller High Life Beer Brats." The sausages will be cooked in the beer with six-packs retailing for $3.99 at national supermarket chains.

• Regional QSR Steak 'N Shake has hired a licensing agency to leverage the brand to retail. The Indianapolis-IN firm was taken over by private equity financier, Sardar Biglari, last August after a showdown with the previous management following the company's generally dreadful stock performance. Recent financials have shown the chain emerging from those doldrums.

• In news reported to our subscribers previously, Kraft has confirmed launching flatbread pizza and microwavable flatbread melt sandwiches under both its DiGiorno and California Pizza Kitchen-licensed brands.


Excerpted from BSLG's weekly subscription news reader service Food Business News. To subscribe or for information about licensing, contact Broad Street Licensing Group (tel. 973-655-0598)

Chicken Little & the Restaurant World

The Wall Street Journal giveth and the Wall Street Journal taketh away....

The Journal was kind enough to feature Broad Street Licensing Group in an article about leveraging restaurant brands to supermarkets that has had the phone ringing off the hook. But now it has published an article about dumb brand extensions that is likely to scare off restaurant CEOs who think licensing will mean fewer visits or lower profits. No one outside the restaurant business thinks there's a shred of reality to that, but who am I to tell the CEO of a major chain he's full of ####.

And I would be the first to admit there have been stupid licensing ideas. Snuggle Fabric Softener once asked us to license the brand and its cute bear to ice cream bars because their in-bred ideation sessions had convinced middle management Snuggle meant "comfort" and not "nice-smelling clothes." It turned out that at the time, one of our clients was Good Humor-Breyers, the ice cream megalith. Their reaction to a Snuggle ice cream bar?

YUUUUUUUUUUUUCCCCCCCCCCCKKKKKKKKKKKKKK!!!!!!

Fabric softener doesn't bring to mind good-tasting treats. Yet interestingly, the Snuggle people said we weren't good "team players" because we tried to tell them their idea wouldn't work.

Sometimes it's better to tell a client a lie than the truth. I never do, but then, that's me.

Excerpted from BSLG's weekly subscription news reader service Food Business News. To subscribe or for information about licensing, contact Broad Street Licensing Group (tel. 973-655-0598)

More Retaurant Licensing News

In a move first reported in our weekly subscription service some months ago, HJ Heinz is rolling out a new line of frozens licensed from T.G.I. Friday’s.

Five complete Skillet Meals inspired by the restaurant’s famous sauces such as “Firecracker Sesame Chicken” and "Cajun-style Alfredo Chicken and Shrimp" will feature an innovative delivery platform where the main ingredients are individually packaged. Keeping the components separate will allow the meats to brown without the vegetables getting soggy or the pasta going limp. In addition, toppers like sesame seeds and bacon bits will make the results a cut above the usual frozen entrée. The offerings will serve two, and include Sizzling Steak Fajitas, Chicken Fajitas, Chicken Pasta Carbonara, Firecracker Sesame Chicken and Cajun-Style Alfredo Chicken & Shrimp. Prices range from $6.99-$7.99.

Friday's has been licensing its brand for some years, and has deftly moved from the frozen appetizer to complete meals/entrees. It's the goal that any good licensor should be looking at, since frozen entrees can rack up sales of as much as $100MM+ annually.

But you can't reach the stratosphere in licensing without supporting your licensees, and Starbucks is expanding it licensed retail product line with four new super-premium ice cream flavors (manufactured under license by Unilever) with a bold move. Based on four Starbucks coffees, the products claim to be all natural and made with milk from farmers who pledge not to use cows treated with bovine growth hormone (rBGH). Flavors announced are Caramel Macchiato, Mocha Frappuccino, Java Chip Frappuccino and just plain Coffee. Sold in pint containers, the suggested retail price (SRP) is $3.99. Java Chip Frappuccino will also be offered in a 3.6 fl. oz. single-serve cup for $1.29 (SRP). Starbucks is supporting the products with coupons to drive sales of the retail product, coupons they are giving away in their cafes.

For years, this was restaurant heresy: driving consumers away from your business to the grocery store. But gradually restaurant executives are getting their heads out of their ***es and understanding that consumers see eating at-home and eating-out as TOTALLY SEPARATE MEAL OCCASIONS. So they aren't driving traffic away from the cafes so much as reinforcing their brand with consumers who will be going to the store anyway. Never have met a shopper who went to the store just to get a few cents off a product they wouldn't buy otherwise....

Unilever also manufactures, markets, and distributes the Ben & Jerry's, Breyers, Good Humor, Popsicle ice cream and frozen novelty brands among others. Broad Street Licensing Group represented both Good Humor and Popsicle for many years until their licensing programs became mature. Starbucks already has a successful line of licensed coffees at retail through a deal with PepsiCo.

Excerpted from BSLG's weekly subscription news reader service Food Business News. To subscribe or for information about licensing, contact Broad Street Licensing Group (tel. 973-655-0598)

Broad Street Licensing Group in Print

This article by me, Bill Cross, is a succinct accounting of what we have done and and can for restaurant brands looking to grow their reach through the retail grocery aisle.

Excerpted from BSLG's weekly subscription news reader service Food Business News. To subscribe or for information about licensing, contact Broad Street Licensing Group (tel. 973-655-0598)

New Products from the CIA Masters Collection

Montclair, NJ (July 1, 2009) – Broad Street Licensing Group announced that The Culinary Institute of America’s Masters Cookware Collection is introducing new block knife sets, gourmet kitchen sets and revamped packaging, making it easier for retailers to customize gift sets and promotions. The CIA Masters Collection, manufactured by licensee Robinson Home Products, includes over 100 SKUs of CIA-branded cookware, gadgets, bakeware and cutlery, all sold exclusively to gourmet stores and specialty retailers.

The Masters Collection contains everything anyone who loves to cook will need in their kitchen. “What sets this collection apart from other lines of kitchen ware is that it has been designed by CIA’s master chefs for serious home cooks, stated Carole Francesca, president, Broad Street Licensing Group. “The line’s beauty and elegance is enhanced by the highest standards of construction and engineering,” Francesca added.

Sales from the CIA Masters Collection benefit the Culinary Institute of America Scholarship Fund.

Excerpted from BSLG's weekly subscription news reader service Food Business News. To subscribe or for information about licensing, contact Broad Street Licensing Group (tel. 973-655-0598)

Burger King Licenses Apple Fries to Retail

BK® FRESH APPLE FRIES BROKERED BY BROAD STREET LICENSING GROUP COMING TO GROCERY STORE SHELVES THIS FALL

Miami, FL, June 18, 2009: Montclair, NJ-based BROAD STREET LICENSING GROUP brokered an exclusive deal between Burger King Corp. and Crunch Pak, which will bring the brand’s popular BK® Kids Meal product, BK® Fresh Apple Fries, to approximately 10,000 supermarkets nationwide starting in the fall of 2009.. Bringing BK® Fresh Apple Fries – fresh-cut, skinless red apples sliced to resemble real french fries – to stores across the country is a testament to the power of Burger King Corp.’s innovation and the broad appeal of the BURGER KING® brand.

While exact serving sizes and price points are not yet confirmed, a single serving will be available for approximately $1, and a larger package with multiple servings will be available for $4 to $5. Found in the produce section of major retailers with other fresh-cut fruits and vegetables, BK® Fresh Apple Fries packaging will be clearly labeled with the brand logo to make it instantly recognizable as a BURGER KING® branded product.

“Our goal in developing BK® Fresh Apple Fries was to create a menu item that satisfied parents’ demands for nutrition and convenience and kids’ appetites for great-tasting food,” said John Schaufelberger, senior vice president, global product marketing and innovation, Burger King Corp. “With more than 29 million servings sold since its launch last year, we knew we had a winner with both parents and kids alike. The popularity of this clever product is now opening up new channels for our business and providing our customers with a menu favorite in the places they shop most.”

The licensing arrangement allows Burger King Corporation’s exclusive licensee, Crunch Pak, to bring BK® Fresh Apple Fries to the retail market. Located in Washington State and New York, Crunch Pak is the retail leader in sliced and prepared apples.

BK® Fresh Apple Fries became available in BURGER KING® restaurants nationwide starting on June 30, 2008 and is one of the hallmarks of the nutrition initiative under the BK Positive StepsSM program, which demonstrates Burger King Corp.’s commitment to providing innovative and nutritionally balanced menu options that parents and kids agree on.

About Burger King Corporation

The BURGER KING® system operates more than 11,800 restaurants in all 50 states and in 74 countries and U.S. territories worldwide. Approximately 90 percent of BURGER KING® restaurants are owned and operated by independent franchisees, many of them family-owned operations that have been in business for decades. In 2008, Fortune magazine ranked Burger King Corp. among America's 1,000 largest corporations and Ad Week named it one of the top three industry-changing advertisers within the last three decades. To learn more about Burger King Corp., please visit the company's Web site at www.bk.com.

Excerpted from BSLG's weekly subscription news reader service Food Business News. To subscribe or for information about licensing, contact Broad Street Licensing Group (tel. 973-655-0598)

Broad Street in The Wall Street Journal

A new article in The Wall Street Journal says in part:

Restaurant chains are increasingly looking to attract grocery store shoppers to help offset restaurant losses. For instance, Burger King Holdings Inc. plans to sell its Apple Fries in 10,000 grocery stores nationwide this fall. California Pizza Kitchen Inc. saw supermarket sales of frozen pizza increase 19.6% to $159 million last year, reported The Wall Street Journal. "Restaurants are thinking, 'If we can't capture those consumers in our own stores, we'll get them at home and, when the economy improves, they'll return to our stores,'" stated Bill Cross, vice president of food licensing at Broad Street Licensing Group.

To subscribe to our weekly update on the food industry or for information about licensing, contact Broad Street Licensing Group (tel. 973-655-0598).

Licensing Expo 2009

The annual Licensing Show has just concluded in Las Vegas (see clip above).

The show moved this year from NYC, and it looks as though a significant number of exhibitors and attendees failed to make the move West. Broad Street Licensing Group president Carole Francesca attended the Show on behalf of client Burger King, and she found it much smaller than in previous years. Some of that undoubtedly was due to the current recession, with companies cutting back on expenses. And since it's no longer a cab ride for a reporter and a film crew to visit the show, exposure from the national media was off.

The Show in some ways is returning to its roots as primarily an exposition for the movies and characters. Yet licensing remains a valuable tool for brand building in the food sector. Simply put, it's cheaper to "rent" an established brand than start one from scratch. Shelves are crammed already, and retailers either want "slotting fees" to carry products or steep discounts and incentives. So don't be surprised to see more brands being licensed to the grocery channel.

Excerpted from BSLG's weekly subscription news reader service Food Business News. To subscribe or for information about licensing, contact Broad Street Licensing Group (tel. 973-655-0598)

Case Studies: California Pizza Kitchen

One of the successful food licensors is California Pizza Kitchen; they recently cited slow sales in what they called "unprecedented economic times" (unprecedented except for the Joads) and heavy impairment charges while posting a $5.3MM loss in its fourth quarter of 22 cents per share, compared with a profit of $3.5MM, or 12 cents a share, in the year-earlier quarter. Expansion will be limited this year to only 5 company-owned restaurants and 10 franchised units. Excluding the impact of more than $13 million of impairment charges and other one-time items, CPK said it would have earned $3.1 million, or 13 cents a share, in the fourth quarter. Fourth-quarter revenue dipped slightly to $161.8MM, down 0.7% from a year ago. Same-store sales fell 7.2% in the fourth quarter; for the entire year CPK reported net income of $8.7 million, or 34 cents a share, compared with profit of $14.8 million, or 50 cents a share, in the year before. Annual revenue rose nearly 7% $677.1MM. Same-store sales fell 2%. For the current fiscal year, CPK predicted same-store sales would fall between 5.5-6.5%.

But in one of the bright spots for the company, it will shortly debut its first non-pizza retail offering with a line of CPK-licensed "Flatbread Melts" sandwiches. Produced and marketed under license by Kraft, CPK's new offerings extend its "core" retail product line outwards to the fast-growing category of "enrobed meals" (sandwiches, Hot Pockets, etc.). As consumers look for alternatives that are tasty and easy-to-prepare, items that traditionally would qualify as snacks are taking their place as meal solutions. It's part of the trend towards "bringing the restaurant experience home" that has all the restaurant world talking about how they, too, can leverage their brands to retail.

That's market-speak for "how can I get a piece of that action?"

For information about licensing, contact Broad Street Licensing Group (tel. 973-655-0598)

BSLG-Brokered License Nominated for Best Corporate Licensee

Naturally, we're pretty excited about this....

BURGER KING®-BRANDED SNACK CHIP DEAL BROKERED BY BROAD STREET LICENSING GROUP NOMINATED FOR LIMA “BEST CORPORATE BRAND LICENSEE OF THE YEAR”

MONTCLAIR, NJ – The Broad Street Licensing Group announced today the line of snack food chips licensed from client Miami-based fast-food giant Burger King Corp. has been nominated for “Best Corporate Brand Licensee of the Year” by the licensing industry’s trade association LIMA (Licensing Industry Merchandisers’ Association). Marketed by AZ-based The Inventure Group, the license was brokered by Broad Street Licensing Group, the exclusive food licensing agent for BURGER KING Corp. “The Inventure product line is already being sold around the world in the Caribbean, Mexico, Central America, and South America, along with Asia, Europe and The Middle East,” said Broad Street President, Carole Francesca. “Estimates are the line will eventually top $50MM in sales annually.”

This is the fourth straight year a Broad Street Licensing Group client’s licensed product has been nominated for this prestigious honor. Past BSLG nominations include Creamsicle®-branded candies and The Culinary Institute of America’s “Masters Collection®” line of housewares.
About Broad Street Licensing Group

Broad Street Licensing Group (BSLG) is a leading full-service licensing agency specializing in corporate brand building. They develop long-term licensing partnerships for their clients focusing on brand extensions designed to reach across platforms and channels of distribution. In addition to Burger King, their roster of experience includes Bruegger’s Bagels, The Culinary Institute of America, BIC USA, Unilever, Fabergé, Cutty Sark, Bugatti, Good Humor-Breyers, Rich Foods, Snuggle, ReaLemon, and Popsicle.

About Burger King Corporation

The BURGER KING® system operates more than 11,700 restaurants in all 50 states and in 74 countries and U.S. territories worldwide. Approximately 90 percent of BURGER KING® restaurants are owned and operated by independent franchisees, many of them family-owned operations that have been in business for decades. In 2008, Fortune magazine ranked Burger King Corp. among America’s 1,000 largest corporations and Ad Week named it one of the top three industry-changing advertisers within the last three decades. To learn more about BURGER KING®, please visit the company's Web site by clicking here.

Broad Street Licensing Group One of Top 20 Agencies

License! Global magazine has taken a comprehensive look at the top licensing agencies representing the biggest brands and creating industry buzz, and Montclair, Broad Street Licensing Group was named to the top twenty agencies worldwide, with retails sales of licensed products brokered by the NJ-based agency topping $93MM and climbing.

The magazine's profile of us (click here) says: "The agency’s portfolio of clients has grown to include Burger King, The Culinary Institute of America, Unilever, BIC USA, Cutty Sark, Rich Foods, Bruegger's Bagels, Helene Curtis, Elizabeth Arden, Breyers Ice Cream, Popsicle and Fabergé. Key achievements include the Burger King salty snacks line, sold in the U.S. through vending, club, mass, drug, c-stores and grocery, and now in distribution in Asia, South America, Europe and the Middle East, and recently nominated for “Best Corporate Licensee” by LIMA, the licensing industry trade association. During 2008, The Culinary Institute of America achieved record sales with its CIA Masters Collection of cookware, bakeware and cutlery from Robinson Home Products, as well as expanded product lines such as the Instant Gourmet Kitchen Sets and the Professional Series food processors. BSLG also expanded BIC USA’s leadership in disposable lighters with a line of NASCAR drivers, such as Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Gordon, and Kasey Kahne. For 2009, the agency will continue to build strategic and innovative brand extension opportunities for current and new clients in the U.S. and international markets.”