Hemi Shooutout Online through Pilote Media

The 2008 NHRA US Nationals have been taking place in Indianapolis this week. In amongst the racing in the Superstock division has been an event within an event - the MOPAR HEMI Challenge, otherwise known as the Hemi Shootout.

In association with Nash Performance, Pilote Media have provided fans of these cars with unprecedented news, results and images from the event via a new site: hemishootout.net

As well as covering this week's US Nationals, the site is updated with official results for the whole Hemi Challenge season.

Social Network Sponsorship for Virgin Mobile

Virgin Mobile has announced they will sponsor Bebo’s latest online drama, The Secret World of Sam King. Using the new funding model of brand integration developed by Bebo, Virgin Mobile will be cleverly referenced in the show. An additional dimension to the sponsorship will see Virgin Mobile take the show on location to the V Festival.

The Secret World of Sam King, a first between a social network and music company, launches on Wednesday 6th August and revolves around junior ’facilities’ employee, Sam King, who from his base at Universal Music secretly founds his own start-up label in the post room.

The Secret World Of Sam King will upload 3-5 minute episodes daily on Bebo, a format made successful by stable mates on the social network KateModern and Sofia’s Diary. For a sneak preview, go to http://www.bebo.com/samking.

James Kydd, Managing Director of Marketing at Virgin Mobile commented: "This sponsorship deal is a great tie-in for us as a brand. Virgin Mobile is constantly looking for ways to engage with its customer market, and we are confident that such an innovative sponsorship opportunity will create real impact with Bebo users"

Mark Charkin, VP Sales Bebo added: "We are very excited to have Virgin Mobile on board for Sam King. Their interest in aligning with our newest entertainment property is a fantastic opportunity for us to demonstrate our ongoing success in the arena of social media, and in particular our proven funding models"

Extreme Brief: Holy Crap! Truck,

"Holy Crap!" indeed.

The Nike 6.0 Extreme Sports Group have developed an action-sports urban assault vehicle -- actually a converted 1959 amphibious tank-like truck to create buzz for extreme sport consumers.

The brief for the project was, in fact, "Holy Crap!" -- defined by the client as creating a presence impossible to ignore and sure to create a camera-phone viral response, said Andrea Collette, the shop's communications director.

Nat Kidder and Dan Phillips developed the basic concept, working with cd D.J. O'Neil and a team under design director Peter Judd. The vehicle was chosen from among 20 Hub ideas.

The team needed to convert an actual urban-assault vehicle to achieve heightened realism.

Quick completion of the project meant very quickly assembling what Collette called "an unorthodox team including an architect, strategic planners, industrial and graphics designers and a copywriter." The assault vehicle was completed in just two weeks.

Vehicle features include a skate ramp, wakeboard tower, surf racks, skateboard rails and BMX racks -- as well as creature comforts such as a barbeque, sleep-in camper shell, a waterproof CD player, radio and remote control iPod. She declined to disclose Nike's spending on the assignment.

From AdWeek