The reality is that amid the new media frontier, the search for big brand ideas endures, but advertising is no longer the dominant driver to create and tell brand stories.

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The Jordan Brand is the biggest Nike driver, and is a staple for the average consumer and celebrities alike.

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Providing an environment that allowed people to see products, get help and even take computer courses has been a big driver in growing sales of its brand in recent years, Dunn said.

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It doesn't hurt, either, that Callaway staffer Phil Mickelson won so impressively last week at Phoenix and couldn't stop talking about his brand-new-on-Tuesday Callaway RAZR Fit Extreme driver.

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"In the eyes of brand decision makers, she was a personality who happened to be a very good race car driver, " says Dan Migala, who runs a sports business newsletter called the Migala Report.

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Adidas-TaylorMade's new driver offers its users a dizzying 168 separate settings, according to the company's brand director Jason Howarth.

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Driver Denny Hamlin, currently No. 1 in the NASCAR power rankings, signed with Jordan Brand in 2011.

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