It's less than a month before the NBA All-Star Game tips off in Houston — which means it's time for Nike’s marketing department to begin leveraging as many sales as possible from basketball fans.

Today, the sportswear giant announced a series of shoes and sportswear tied to the event that use space as a theme since Houston is the home of NASA’s Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center. 

Nike made a similar space tie-in during last year's All-Star Game in Orlando, Fla.Continue reading...

When Chrysler airs the first TV commercial for the 2013 Dodge Dart tonight during the All-Star Game, a lot more is at stake than may be readily apparent.

The spot opens with the line, "'How to change cars forever," features cameos by Tom Brady and other athletes, runs for an unconventional 90 seconds, and positions Dart as a game-changer. It really needs to be that for Chrysler, for a number of reasons.Continue reading...

Taco Bell is introducing its new "Live Más" tagline in a kickoff campaign for Doritos Locos Tacos (joining the quick serve restaurant chain's menu on March 8th). The first commercial, "Pockets," will premiere during TNT's All-Star Game telecast on Saturday night. Find out more below.Continue reading...

The NBA season may only be 66 games this season, but Nike is not missing an opportunity to sell more shoes. At the start of February, three of its big-name endorsers — Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers, the Miami Heat’s LeBron James, and Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder — lent their names to Black History Month-themed sneakers on store shelves.

Now the talented trio will all be taking the court for the NBA All-Star Game in Orlando on Feb. 26 and Nike isn't missing a beat. The sports shoe giant is releasing space-themed shoes for each player to sell in honor of the city’s relationship with space travel, according to Fox News. (It’s only an hour west of Kennedy Space Center.) As Fox News reports, the Nike shoes will feature graphics that "pay homage to the supernova — arguably the most powerful force in the universe." The outsoles of the shoes will glow in the dark and show will have individual “mission patches,” just the way astronaut uniforms do.Continue reading...

The NBA's clip of Justin Bieber's East vs. West Celebrity game highlights on All Star Weekend is zooming up YouTube today, with more than 1.1 million views since it was uploaded on Feb. 19. Another viral hit with kids — the functioning Angry Birds birthday cake.Continue reading...

Coming off the Super Bowl (which some might consider the Ad Bowl), it's hard to believe yet another major sporting event is maxed out with advertisers. But execs at the National Basketball Association must be smiling as the NBA All-Star Game gets ready to tip off on Sunday in Los Angeles, just two weeks after the Super Bowl.

TNT, which will broadcast the game, has experienced a 30% increase in "NBA on TNT" ad sales, and a 16% ratings increase in viewers through 34 NBA telecasts, according to Jon Diament, EVP, Ad Sales and Marketing for Turner Sports. "This is probably the strongest sports marketplace in history," he tells Brandweek.

Advertisers have been lining up for the All-Star Game, although not all of them are interested in buying TV time; instead, some will focus on social media.Continue reading...