Esurance Making the Most of their U.S. Open Sponsorship

Esurance is serving up a range of activities this weekend in conjunction with their involvement with the U.S. Open tennis tournament.

Esurance is a tier two sponsor as are Heineken, Polo by Ralph Lauren, United Airlines and Xerox.

Esurance is the official car insurance of the 2011 U.S. Open and is in the second year of a three-year sponsorship deal. "Partnering with the USTA and sponsoring the Open is a great way to increase our exposure to a wider audience," says an Esurance spokesman. "The 2010 Open drew more than 710,000 fans; more than 70 million domestic TV viewers watched the Open last year."

Esurance has sponsored tennis events since 2005. Since 2007, Esurance has been the title sponsor of the Esurance Tennis Classic, which takes place in Northern California and benefits the Harbor Point Charitable Foundation. This year's event takes place Sept. 23-25, 2011, and will include John McEnroe, the Bryan Brothers, Tracy Austin, Gigi Fernandez and Murphy Jensen.

An onsite spotter team for Esurance at the Open will be giving away prizes to attendees wearing an Esurance tag they can pick up at the company's booth. Prizes include U.S. Open gift cards, Evian water, rain ponchos, seat cushions, lip balm and sunscreen. At the Esurance booth, visitors can get their picture taken via green screen technology with doubles champions Mike and Bob Bryan, and download them or share them with friends and family on Facebook and Twitter. Touchscreen kiosks will also offer tennis tips with the brothers as well as entry into Esurance's "Play with the Pros" sweepstakes.

Mercedes-Benz Goes "Green" at U.S. Open

As the Official Vehicle of the US Open, Mercedes-Benz USA (MBUSA) is returning to the courts in Flushing with the all new S350 BlueTEC clean-diesel sedan that is part of its fleet of vehicles used for athletes, staff and officials while supporting the USTA's commitment to green initiatives.

The first diesel-powered S-Class in the U.S. market since the 1995 model year, the new 2012 S350 BlueTEC 4MATIC all-wheel drive model is powered by a purpose-built 3.0-liter V6 diesel with 240 horsepower, an astonishing 455 lb.-ft. of torque and estimated fuel economy of 20 mpg city / 31 mpg highway.

Beyond the new S350 BlueTEC, a driving force behind supporting green transportation for the US Open is the S350's innovative sibling, the Mercedes-Benz S400 HYBRID sedan in addition to a fleet of Sprinter Vans. These Mercedes-Benz eco vehicles represent over 60 percent of the fleet used for player and VIP transportation in an effort to reduce the overall carbon footprint of the US Open tournament. The S400 HYBRID features the world's first lithium-ion battery designed specifically for automotive use. The light-weight, high-capacity lithium-ion battery works with a 20-horsepower electric motor and a 275-hp V6 gasoline engine to provide hybrid power with impressive fuel economy estimated at 30 miles per gallon on the highway.

The US Open launched its comprehensive environmental program in 2008 and continues to expand its green initiatives each year. In 2011, key initiatives include recycling, energy management, composting and utilizing paper products comprised of at least 30% post-consumer waste.

"As an innovator in luxury eco-transportation and the Official vehicle of the US Open, we are in a good position to positively impact the USTA's green initiatives. The S350 BlueTEC clean diesel is another innovative mode of transport in our portfolio of eco vehicles that provide green transportation without having to sacrifice luxury or safety," said Stephen Cannon, Vice President of Marketing for Mercedes-Benz USA.

New GEICO Commercial "Take on Me"

GEICO, a company that has had good commercials in the past has out done themselves this time.

In what looks like it could be a skit from Saturday Night Live, a crazy middle-aged lady states she is sick of paying for music downloads so she had trained her dog and cockatoo to play music.

What happens next it hilarious.  If you love Yellow Labs in commercials this is the funniest one since the famous "There ain't no bugs on me" spot.

I present to you A-Ha's "Take on Me."  The volume is a little low on the Youtube video, so turn it up!