It's time to take those Madden NFL video game skills you've honed with your buddies and put them on display for all to see.

Thanks to a promotion with EA SPORTS™, a label of Electronic Arts Inc. (Nasdaq: ERTS), "The World's Most Refreshing Beer" is giving legal-drinking-age consumers the opportunity to showcase their video game talents in bars and restaurants across the country this fall.  In addition to the national promotion, each market will plan a series of promotions in local accounts that will enable consumers to challenge each other on the spot at Madden NFL 11.  And in select markets, people will have the chance to compete in tournaments for the right to play Madden NFL 11 against a local NFL alumnus.

The national promotion also features a sweepstakes, which kicks off September 1 and continues through December 31.  One grand prize winner could have his likeness featured in an upcoming Madden NFL game.  Additional prizes include tickets to Madden Bowl XVII party in Dallas on February 3, 2011, during Super Bowl week, as well as copies of Madden NFL 11 and discounts on select EA SPORTS merchandise.

"Coors Light consumers are passionate about football in all forms, whether they're cheering on their favorite team on Sunday or facing off against friends in Madden NFL 11," said Rick Gomez, vice president of marketing for the Coors Family of Brands.  "As cool as it is to whip your buddies in Madden NFL 11, imagine how much better it would be to do it in front of a bar full of people, or next year with 'video you' there to help your team march to victory."

"EA SPORTS continues to bring Madden to the People in new and creative ways," said Christopher Erb, senior director of partnership marketing for EA SPORTS.  "This promotion with Coors Light gives fans not only a way to play Madden NFL, but to become part of it."

To participate in the national sweepstakes, consumers can text codes found on Coors Light and Coors Banquet point-of-sale materials in on-premise retail accounts such as bars and restaurants or enter online.  Full details on the text-to-win sweepstakes can be found at CoorsLight.com/madden.

About Electronic Arts

Electronic Arts Inc. (EA), headquartered in Redwood City, California, is a leading global interactive entertainment software company. Founded in 1982, the Company develops, publishes, and distributes interactive software worldwide for video game systems, personal computers, wireless devices and the Internet. Electronic Arts markets its products under four brand names: EA SPORTS™, EA™, EA Mobile™ and POGO™. In fiscal 2010, EA posted GAAP net revenue of $3.7 billion and had 27 titles that sold more than one million units. EA's homepage and online game site is www.ea.com. More information about EA's products and full text of press releases can be found on the Internet at http://info.ea.com.

About EA SPORTS

EA SPORTS™ is one of the leading sports entertainment brands in the world, with top-selling videogame franchises, award-winning interactive technology, global videogame competitions and breakthrough digital experiences.  EA SPORTS delivers personal access to the emotion of sports through industry-leading sports simulation videogames, including Madden NFL football, FIFA Soccer, NHL® hockey, NBA ELITE basketball, NCAA® Football, Fight Night boxing and Tiger Woods PGA TOUR® golf, and EA SPORTS Active.

For more information about EA SPORTS, including news, video, blogs, forums and game apps, please visit www.easports.com to connect, share and compete.

EA, EA SPORTS, EA SPORTS Active, EA Mobile and POGO are trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc.  John Madden, NFL, NHL, NBA, NCAA, Tiger Woods and PGA TOUR are trademarks of their respective owners and used with permission.

© 2010 NFL Properties LLC. Team names/logos/indicia are trademarks of the teams indicated.  All other NFL-related trademarks are trademarks of the National Football League.

About MillerCoors

Built on a foundation of great beer brands and more than 288 years of brewing heritage, MillerCoors continues the commitment of its founders to brew the highest quality beers.  MillerCoors is the second largest beer company in America, capturing nearly 30 percent of U.S. beer sales.  Led by two of the best-selling beers in the industry, MillerCoors has a broad portfolio of highly complementary brands across every major industry segment.  Miller Lite is the great tasting beer that established the American light beer category in 1975, and Coors Light is the brand that introduced consumers to refreshment as cold as the Rockies.  MGD 64 completes the company's premium light beer portfolio, offering consumers fresh, crisp taste at just 64 calories.  MillerCoors brews full-calorie beers Coors Banquet and Miller Genuine Draft; and economy brands Miller High Life and Keystone Light.  The company also imports Peroni, Grolsch, Pilsner Urquell and Molson Canadian and offers innovative products such as Miller Chill and Sparks.  MillerCoors features craft brews from the Jacob Leinenkugel Company, Blue Moon Brewing Company and the Blitz-Weinhard Brewing Company.  MillerCoors operates eight major breweries in the U.S., as well as the Leinenkugel's craft brewery in Chippewa Falls, Wis., and two microbreweries, the Leinenkugel's 10th Street Brewery in Milwaukee and the Blue Moon Brewing Company at Coors Field in Denver.  MillerCoors vision is to become the best beer company in America by driving profitable industry growth.  MillerCoors insists on building its brands the right way through brewing quality, responsible marketing and environmental and community impact.  MillerCoors is a joint venture of SABMiller plc and Molson Coors Brewing Company.

SOURCE Coors Light

Back to top

RELATED LINKS
http://www.easports.com

Honours are drawn level after a grand blind taste-off between more than 700 wines that pitted Australia's best shiraz wines against iconic syrah brands from France and other world producers.

For the first time, judges in the 'World's Greatest Shiraz Challenge' hosted by Australia's Winestate Magazine were unable to split the top two  – Hardys HRB D637 2006 Shiraz from South Australia and the 2006 Domaine Auguste Clape Rhone Cornas (syrah).

"It was an exhaustive contest involving different styles and price points and estate-grown versus regional vineyard blends – and in the end our judges found it impossible to decide a clear winner," said Winestate publisher Peter Simic.

The Hardy's HRB D637 2006 Shiraz is a blend of Clare Valley and Adelaide Hills grapes and retails at $39AUD, while the Auguste Clape is the benchmark flag carrier for the small appellation of Cornas with a price tag of $210AUD.

"A striking feature of the tasting is the emergence of more elegant and vibrant shiraz styles in Australia in a shift away from the high alcohol blockbusters of the past," Mr. Simic said. "The finesse of the HRB D637 makes it more food friendly and closer to traditional international syrah styles."

It was the 5th challenge organised by Winestate with an 18-strong panel of winemakers and masters of wine sampling 780 shiraz & syrah wines from Australia, New Zealand, France and South Africa.

South Australia dominated the taste-off involving the highest ranked wines with seven in the top 10. The 2005 Penfolds Bin95 Grange was squeezed into fourth place by France's E.Guigal Chateau d'Ampuis Cote-Rotie.

Wines tasted ranged from low budget to the highest priced wines. Panel chair Louisa Rose said the challenge highlighted that good drinking shiraz wines were available at great-value prices.

Results are featured in the September/October edition of Winestate magazine or by subscription to www.winestate.com.au .

The contest is managed by Winestate Publishing, the Southern Hemisphere's oldest and most respected magazine authority on Australian & NZ wines and the industry. Each year it evaluates over 10,000 wines from regions in Australia and New Zealand, plus international offerings.

Publisher and wine doyen Peter Simic says this latest tied score between Australia and Europe showed the relevance of extending publication of Winestate in the UK as a bastion for Australian wine information.

Winestate Magazine was established in 1978. Readership in Australia, NZ and Asia is over 80,000 and as the UK is the largest export destination for Australian wines, the publisher sees a demand in the UK for information on these wines.

   CONTACT: Peter Simic, Publisher, Winestate Magazine

                      Tel. +61 8 8357 9277 or +61 414 695 232



SOURCE Winestate Publishing

Back to top

RELATED LINKS
http://www.winestate.com.au

Ball Corporation (NYSE: BLL) and Coors Light are bringing yet another eye-catching, highly functional packaging innovation to market that is bolder, colder and more portable than ever before.  Coors Light is launching the 16-oz. resealable Silver Bullet Aluminum Pint in Alumi-Tek bottles nationally on September 1, just in time for football season.

"The Coors Light Silver Bullet bottle represents a great opportunity for us," said Rick Gomez, vice president, Coors Family of Brands. "We've seen our past innovations drive share and volume growth. And we're going to really leverage the Silver Bullet bottle to gain incremental distribution."

With its striking design emphasizing the Cold Activated mountains, the new Silver Bullet Aluminum Pint reinforces Coors Light's positioning as the World's Most Refreshing Beer, according to Gomez. The bottle delivers portability with a resealable twist off cap and wide mouth opening for a smooth pour. Cold Activated technology provided by thermochromic graphics printed on the bottle plus a Cold Activation Window in the secondary packaging lets consumers see that the beer is cold before they buy it. The unbreakable, 100 percent recyclable bottle helps keep beer cold and is perfect for any occasion, including patios, beaches, sporting events and other occasions in which glass may not be appropriate.

In addition to beer, Ball's light weight Alumi-Tek bottle can be used for a wide variety of beverages, such as carbonated soft drinks, juices, energy drinks, enhanced water and beverages requiring retort processing. Ball leverages its two-piece aluminum beverage can manufacturing expertise to produce the Alumi-Tek bottle because the manufacturing technology for both packages is very similar. The bottles have the same high quality graphics found on cans and are decorated with the same printing process. Ball manufactures both 12-oz. and 16-oz. bottles at its plant in Monticello, Ind.

Ball Corporation is a supplier of high-quality packaging for beverage, food and household products customers, and of aerospace and other technologies and services, primarily for the U.S. government. Ball Corporation and its subsidiaries employ more than 13,000 people worldwide and reported 2009 sales of more than $7.3 billion including discontinued operations. For the latest Ball news and for other company information, please visit www.ball.com.

Photo available in Ball's image library: http://www.ballcorporate.com/page.jsp?page=44&id=58

Forward-Looking Statements

This release contains "forward-looking" statements concerning future events and financial performance. Words such as "expects," "anticipates," "estimates" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties which could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied. The company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Key risks and uncertainties are summarized in filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including Exhibit 99.2 in our Form 10-K, which are available at our Web site and at www.sec.gov. Factors that might affect our packaging segments include fluctuation in product demand and preferences; availability and cost of raw materials; competitive packaging availability, pricing and substitution; changes in climate and weather; crop yields; competitive activity; failure to achieve anticipated productivity improvements or production cost reductions; mandatory deposit or other restrictive packaging laws; changes in major customer or supplier contracts or loss of a major customer or supplier; and changes in foreign exchange rates or tax rates. Factors that might affect our aerospace segment include: funding, authorization, availability and returns of government and commercial contracts; and delays, extensions and technical uncertainties affecting segment contracts. Factors that might affect the company as a whole include those listed plus: accounting changes; changes in senior management; the current global recession and its effects on liquidity, credit risk, asset values and the economy; successful or unsuccessful acquisitions, joint ventures or divestitures; integration of recently acquired businesses; regulatory action or laws including tax, environmental, health and workplace safety, including in respect of climate change, or chemicals or substances used in raw materials or in the manufacturing process; governmental investigations; technological developments and innovations; goodwill impairment; antitrust, patent and other litigation; strikes; labor cost changes; rates of return projected and earned on assets of the company's defined benefit retirement plans; pension changes; reduced cash flow; interest rates affecting our debt; and changes to unaudited results due to statutory audits or other effects.

SOURCE Ball Corporation

Back to top

RELATED LINKS
http://www.ball.com

This college football season, ESPN 3D and Sony are changing the way fans view games from home with the introduction of the "3D Game of the Week."  Every week, Sony will sponsor the airing of one top-level college game with potential Bowl Championship Series (BCS) implications on ESPN 3D, beginning with Boise State versus Virginia Tech on Monday, Sept. 6.

Bud Light is helping to extend the experience, partnering with Sony to host co-branded 3D viewing parties in select 3D Game of the Week markets that include Bud Light mobile bars outfitted with six Sony BRAVIA HDTVs with 3D and active 3D glasses, along with PlayStation 3 systems.  The viewing parties will give consumers a chance to experience 3D technology firsthand. Sony's stable 3D signal from the HDTV to the 3D active glasses will allow for wide-viewing angles so everyone in the party can enjoy the telecast from a comfortable seat.  Bud Light and Sony will host 3D viewing parties at locations around select visiting teams' markets throughout the season as well.

"Sony is involved in every step of the 3D process and is a major partner in helping to deliver the 3D college football experience to the home," said Stuart Redsun, Sony Electronics senior vice president of marketing.  "Our professional HD cameras are being used to shoot the action for each ESPN 3D game of the week through the BCS National Championship game in January, and fans can now enjoy the games on our 3D HDTVs."

ESPN 3D launched on June 11 with the first game of the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa.  The channel has featured 25 World Cup games as well as the 2010 Home Run Derby.  Future plans include a featured college football game almost every week of the season.  Additional dates will be announced as the season progresses.  Sony is the official sponsor of college football on ESPN 3D, and college football games televised on ESPN 3D will utilize Sony professional cameras.

Bud Light will be the exclusive malt beverage category sponsor for all ESPN 3D college football telecasts, which will include cut-ins to the Bud Light and Sony 3D viewing parties during select games.  To support the telecasts, Bud Light will also debut a 3D commercial – titled "Ultimate Tailgate Car" – the first 3D commercial filmed and aired by a brewer.  The brand's relationship with ESPN extends into the college football post-season, where Bud Light will receive entitlement of the pre-game shows of the four BCS bowl games aired on ESPN, including custom opening and closing animations, on-set branding and full malt beverage category exclusivity.  

"The introduction of a 3D commercial provides us a great way to showcase Bud Light and further sets the brand apart as a leader and innovator in the beer category," said Keith Levy, vice president, marketing, Anheuser-Busch, Inc.  "Connecting with consumers through new means strengthens Bud Light's position in the football season, and the use of 3D technology plays an important role in our overall football campaign this season, 'Bud Light Playbook.'"

To view 3D games in the home, consumers will need a 3D TV such as Sony's BRAVIA 3D capable models and active shutter 3D glasses, as well as access to the ESPN 3D channel.  ESPN 3D is currently carried on AT&T U-verse, Comcast and DirecTV.  

About Anheuser-Busch

Based in St. Louis, Anheuser-Busch is the leading American brewer, holding a 48.9 percent share of U.S. beer sales to retailers.  The company brews the world's largest-selling beers, Budweiser and Bud Light.  Anheuser-Busch also owns a 50 percent share in Grupo Modelo, Mexico's leading brewer.  Anheuser-Busch is a major manufacturer of aluminum cans and has been a leading aluminum recycler for more than 30 years.  The company is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Anheuser-Busch InBev, the leading global brewer, and continues to operate under the Anheuser-Busch name and logo.  For more information, visit www.anheuser-busch.com.

About Sony Electronics

Headquartered in San Diego, Sony Electronics is a leading provider of audio/video electronics and information technology products for the consumer and professional markets.  Operations include research and development, design, engineering, sales, marketing, distribution and customer service.  Sony is noted for a wide range of consumer audio-visual products, such as the BRAVIA LCD and 3D high-definition televisions, Cyber-shot and alpha digital cameras, Handycam camcorder and Walkman personal stereo.  Sony is also an innovator in the IT arena with its VAIO personal computers; and in high-definition professional telecast and production equipment, highlighted by the XDCAM HD and CineAlta™ lines of cameras and camcorders, and the SXRD™ 4K digital projector.  The latest news and information is available at the company's website at www.sony.com/news.

SOURCE Sony Electronics; Anheuser-Busch

Back to top

RELATED LINKS
http://www.sony.com/news
http://www.anheuser-busch.com

O/E Learning of Nevada (O/E), one of the most prominent training companies in the country, has been chosen to conduct state and county mandated alcohol beverage awareness training classes for anyone handling alcohol within Nevada.

The National Hospitality Institute® (NHI) recently selected O/E to be the only official provider of the Techniques of Alcohol Management (TAM)® training program in Nevada. "O/E was selected because of its vast experience in running and operating training centers and for its technical expertise in the development and hosting of online learning services," said Lance Binoniemi, Executive Director at the NHI.

TAM® of Nevada has been an approved provider of alcohol awareness education and a provider of alcohol education cards through Nevada's Commission on Postsecondary Education for more than 25 years. An alcohol education card is required for owners, operators, managers, bartenders, wait staff, servers, security guards, cashiers, stock handlers, and clerks at casinos, bars, restaurants, night clubs, and grocery/convenience stores.  

In Nevada, alcohol education cards are valid for four years after which time card holders must renew by taking the course again to refresh their knowledge with the latest legislation and become skilled in the new techniques and methods for keeping themselves, their establishment, the community, and their patrons safe. Those who complete the online or classroom training and successfully pass the proctored exam will receive an official alcohol education card (TAM Card®).

"This sensitive training is obviously very important for the livelihood of those in the industry. Our scenario-based online training approach and our skilled staff of instructors will ensure that anyone handling alcoholic beverages or working in an establishment that sells or serves alcoholic beverages are properly trained and prepared to protect themselves, their establishments, their patrons, and the community while doing their jobs," said Rick Vlasic, O/E Chairman and CEO. "We are honored and privileged to run TAM® of Nevada for the NHI and look forward to fulfilling our role in the community by offering top-notch alcohol awareness education in Las Vegas."  

The courses will be offered at the new, official TAM® training center at 3900 Paradise Road, Suite G, Las Vegas, 89169-0929 or online at www.tamnevada.com.

Techniques of Alcohol Management (TAM)® is nationally recognized as the leading program for responsible server training. TAM® provides risk management tools that should be used by all licensees to control the day-to-day operations of their business. TAM® was developed by those in the licensed beverage industry—people with real-world, everyday experience in the sale and service of beverage alcohol—in conjunction with liquor control, law enforcement, highway safety and substance abuse organizations.

O/E Learning of Nevada is the only official provider of the TAM® training program and issuer of the TAM Card® in the State of Nevada. In addition, O/E Learning of Nevada also provides other online training programs to casinos and the hospitality industry, including: Title 31—Currency Transaction Reporting; Responsible Gaming; Standard First Aid, CPR, and AED; and Defensive Driving. Parent company, O/E Learning (www.oe.com), of Troy, Michigan, has been assisting large corporations and non-profits with their training and communication needs since 1984. O/E designs and develops new training and performance improvement programs, as well as converts existing programs to different forms of delivery including web-based, instructor-led, virtual classroom, CD/DVD, and mobile devices. O/E's diverse services range from organizational development initiatives to professional certifications to O/E's own proprietary safety management system, SafetyIMPACT! (www.safety-impact.com). O/E's mission is to make the world safer, healthier, greener, and smarter.

SOURCE TAM of Nevada

Back to top

RELATED LINKS
http://www.tamnevada.com

<< 1 2 3 4 5

Sponsors