USA Today is "expanding its Super Bowl ad-rating platform to other categories of sports media," according to Lucia Moses of ADWEEK. Ad Meter: The Year in Sports will "invite sports fans to vote in categories like Best Sports Marketing Campaign and Best Athlete Endorsement Ad." Online voting will "take place on Ad Meter’s digital hub in November, with the winners to be announced Dec. 9 at an event" in N.Y. USA Today is "trying to carve out a stronger identity among the other national newspapers, and one way it's seeking to do that is to amplify social engagement." USA Today Sports Media Group President Tom Beusse: "We've tapped into that popularity of sports, that phenomenon that people want to weigh in. The Ad Meter has been the gold standard. It's just been underleveraged." Moses reports a mobile app for the Tony Awards "was launched in April," and USA Today Publisher & President Larry Kramer is looking at extending Ad Meter "to other events like the Oscars, as well as other sports franchises like the World Series and the Final Four" (ADWEEK, 5/20 issue).
