Verizon Wireless has recently inked a multi-million dollar deal making it the ‘Official Provider of Wireless Phones’ to the National Hockey League (NHL) for the next several years. The agreement entitles Verizon advertising spots on the NHL website, during the Stanley Cup, and other prominate positions. Verizon customers will now be able to access exclusive NHL ringtones and background pictures. My only question is what sort of ringtones can you get that are ‘NHL-themed’?

AT&T will begin to advertising space on mobile devices as well as internet services and television as many of their competitors have started to do. Monkey-see, monkey-do, the company will center around AT&T’s ‘U-Verse’ bundle of phone, television, and internet services.

Verizon Wireless recently announced (according to AdJab) that it will begin to sell mobile banner ads to mobiel customers while surfing the web in early 2007. AdWeek reveals that although this move for Verizon sounds great, there is still a lot of experimentation going on out there with mobile ads. Companies are feeling their way around and creating applications that advertisers can utilize throughout the year. After doing that, marketers will need to find a way to give trial and error runs for advertisers to set up campaigns and promotions in the mobile world. Expect 2007 to be a growth but not an explosion period.

Verizon Wireless - one of the nation’s top and most respected brands intends to seize the surge on mobile marketing in 2007 by positioning itself as an AD medium. Banner ads will begining appearing on many news, sports, weather and other websites when Verizon users surf via their mobile phones according to the New York Times. The company told the associated press that they are going to be cautionate about ‘over-doing-it’. “There’s still a question of cost and value,” said David Cohen, EVP and U.S. director of digital communications for Universal McCann. Because of a lack of inventory, CPM rates average around $40, compared with $10-$15 on the web, he is quoted as saying.

Google and Orange (mobile phone operator) are in a multi-billion dollar discussion on bringing the web to phones for the 21st century. According to the UK’s Observer, Google is in talks with the France Telecom company to develop a ‘Google Phone’ which comes with built in Google software and having the screen size of an iPod. “There are numerous situations in which people say ‘I wish I had Google in my hand,’ and I can imagine the younger generation of users would think that a Google phone is a cool idea,” said Tony Cooper, a telecom consultant. “It could bring in location-based searches like ‘Find a Thai restaurant in my area.’”

One of the hottest trends in advertising today is wrapping cars and trucks with graphics like moving billboards down the highway. Companies are starting to realize the investment opportunities that a fleet of vehicles wrapped in vinyl material and printed with photos/words can be for getting their message across. Many companies are becoming more and more elaborate with their designs.

Vehicle wraps have been around for nearly 6 years but are only recently gaining suprising attention. “It has really taken off. It gives businesses a way to explain what they do. A masonry contractor can put a picture of a brick wall on a vehicle with the logo so people really know what they do,” said Jerry Hoyler, owner and general manager of a Fast Signs franchise in Glendale that does wraps.

Graphic car wraps generally cost at least $3,000 per vehicle and are extremely easy to install on boxy vehicles such as a Hummer H2, Scions, and RV’s.

Verizon Wireless phones with V-Cast technology will now be able to receive Revver and YouTube videos. Verizon will be the exclusive U.S. distributor os Revver content for an unknown period of according to Multichannel News. Verizon V-Cast will provide video content access for $14.99 per month starting in early December 06′.

“We’ve chosen to work with Revver because of its well-known respect for copyright and for the selection of high-quality video content it attracts,” Verizon Wireless vice-president of marketing John Harrobin said in a statement. Verizon will provide new clips to V-Cast subscribers twice a week.

The Taxi Cab Industry must have been watching too much XZibit and MTV’s “Pimp My Ride”. Imagine having a 32 inch liquid crystal television in a Boston Taxicab. Now imagine a rolling billboard that fetches up to $1,750 a month from advertisers. The taxi cabs in Boston might soon be able to receive ads on these televisions that change as the taxi cabs move throughout different neighborhoods. Talk about mobile target marketing on the road!

Clear Channel Taxi Media has been outfitting 20 Boston, MA taxi cabs with these “LCD Digital Smart Tops” which display black and white digital banners. Another 80 cabs will be outfitted in early 2007. Boston is the first U.S. city to be equipped with such new fangled marketing tactics. Herald

Mobile marketing seems to have jumped the gun and many leading companies such as P&G are investing heavily into their mobile budgets for next year. Ad Age reports that big name companies are starting to think of mobile marketing/advertising less in terms of trial and error runs and discretionary spending.

A study this month from JupiterResearch found 22% of companies advertising online also are doing mobile marketing. Overall, the study predicted mobile ad spending to more than double from a predicted $1.4 billion this year to $2.9 billion in 2011.

Cingular Wireless is organizing a series of nationwide texting bees which were designed to educate parents on the basics of text message on cell phones. Cingular hopes the classes will boost sales of handsets and remain the top selling cell phone carrier in the United States. The campaign will begin early 2007 and will hopefully educate parents on how to text thier children while learning the newer generations ‘text slang’ used in cell phone messages and emails.

Would you click and visit advertisers to get a free Google Cell Phone? Google is planning on launching a cell phone which tracks the ads you click and watch to pay for minutes. The move is one of many new strategies Google is using to learn more about how consumers interact with mobile marketing. Maybe this move will work for Google. I am sure people will always think of who gave them the phone and the ads they have to watch. Let’s hope some consumers will feel better about their phone will with the Google Cell Phone. Read

There’s a great article by Fierce Wireless’ Monthly Columnist Gerry Purdy. In this month’s column, Gerry offers his analyis of the mobile media market and speaks to his theory that “Mobile will be the largest media market for advertising of all time.” While that’s a rather profound comment in light of the billions of dollars spent in advertising for print, TV, radio and Internet, mobile is destined to be very important - likely the most important - media market of all time.

Read the Column

You can now receive Caffeine Marketing headlines delivered straight to your cell phone. Whether you have a Palm Pilot, Blackberry, Verizon Wireless, or any other cell phone with internet access you can have your fill everyday.

Just click on the icon below to get started!

Internet mobile content provider go2 (the yellow pages for your mobile phone) has introduced a new mobile web application that targets golf lovers. The web application will search for content from Golf Digest Magazine and information about local golf courses and weather conditions. The site will be accessible through all mobile devices and will be primarily sponsored by Acura. Acura will be using the sponsorship opportunity by placing advertisements and links to more information on the all new 2007 Acura MDX. (via)

Google was caught testing cell phone ads, following mobile-ad announcements by Yahoo and Microsoft.

View the screenshot capture of Google’s Mobile Ad test.