Frohlinger's Marketing Report articles from November 1999

Frohlinger's Marketing Report archives from November 1999

BIG BANG, THE LOWE WAY.
November 1, 1999... After much handwringing, Interpublic Group management has decided to rinse itself of one major headache and merge two agencies into Lowe Lintas & Partners Worldwide. Newly merged agency pegged at $11 billion in global billings. New...

CRUCIAL CHANGES AT YOUNG & RUBICAM.(Brief Article)
November 1, 1999... Peter Georgescu, Young & Rubicam Inc.'s leader, is drastically cutting back his commitment to the communications holding company. Following Thanksgiving, Peter will cut back his daily role at Young & Rubicam to a minimum, allowing a new group...

PEPSI THROWS DARTS AT CHANNEL ONE.
November 1, 1999... Newly installed Primedia CEO Tom Rogers is facing difficult negotiation prospect with one of the company's most well-known relationships-between Pepsi and Channel One. The contract, valued between $12-14 million a year for exclusive media...

PHILIP MORRIS TAKES ITS OATS.
November 1, 1999... Top executives at Philip Morris Inc. are worried about getting the stock price up but feel a quick turnaround is impossible, given large government issues and mounting legal opposition. "They feel bad about the legal hassles. They are not...

FOURTH NEW WAVE.
November 1, 1999... For most start-up companies and large entities for that matter, the single most important asset is proprietary technology or its intellectual property portfolio, which includes, but, is not limited to, patents, trademarks, copyrights and trade...

HP UNREST.
November 1, 1999... There is a significant amount of churn in senior management ranks at Hewlett-Packard, report sources. Many top managers, nurtured by years of loose accountability standards, have been shaken to the core by its new CEO. "Everyone is terrified...

NABISCO LOOKS AT UB.
November 1, 1999... Nabisco is trying its hardest to nail down the biscuits division of UBC but the company's executives are in the dark. "It's something which is a huge priority for Nabisco but we're not getting any feedback on. The bids were put in last week but...

ROVER DRIVING AWAY?
November 1, 1999... There seems to be lots of speculation over the future of the Land Rover account handled by Grace & Rothchild. "The media was taken away and there seems to be a lot of talk about what happens to the business. The creative work has been terrific...

NISSAN BLOWS A GASKET.
November 1, 1999... Architect of Nissan's revival plan, Chief Operating Officer Carlos Ghosn, has been working hard to trim costs at the Japanese automaker. On the fire has been the lead agency worldwide for Nissan-TBWA International. "There have been top...

FORD GOES FOR REAL PEOPLE.
November 1, 1999... In a departure, Ford is taking a slice of life approach using real people in real situations with its truck products. Ads developed by J. Walter Thompson break this month in print magazines (outdoor enthusiast buys like Field & Stream). TV ads...

Ad Libs:.
November 1, 1999... Smart move by McCann-Erickson management to add Tony Miller back to top group in States. Tony exceptional executive&Accounts to watch: Roche as it builds a new consumer practice&Broadcast.com. insiders feel a change is possible for the major...

PLANET Rx DEFINES NEW MARKETING MODEL.
November 15, 1999... PlanetRx President Michael Biendorff tackling headon the issues of branding a new company as an Internet brand with strong array of marketing and research tools. Biendorff sees new Internet model as not radically different from real world...

THE LAND OF THE RISING SUN POLISHES AN APPLE.
November 15, 1999... The combination of D'Arcy Masius Benton & Bowles and Leo Burnett into a new holding company, temporarily called BDM, will add a new holding company element into the publicly traded ad circles. The new company, comprised of The Leo Group and...

DELL Vs. SUN CONFLICT?
November 15, 1999... Most ad industry observers believe the conflicts between Dell Computer (formerly handled by Ammirati Puris Lintas) and the Sun account (handled by the San Francisco office of Lowe Lintas & Partners Worldwide & Partners) will come to a crash in...

THE WILD WORLD OF AD MERGER MANIA.
November 15, 1999... One of the wildcards that never came to fruition was the long dance between Interpublic Group and the MacManus Group. Interpublic Group courted D'Arcy Masius Benton & Bowles long and hard but at the end of the day stock wasn't as attractive as...

THE BRIGHTER SIDE OF SEARS.
November 15, 1999... The current ad work effort from Sears is a marked departure from the past. The campaign work is seen as running counter to the emphasis on brand building efforts in recent years from Sears. "The focus has clearly switched to more of an emphasis...

EVANS CLICKS WITH ECOMMERCE.
November 15, 1999... The Internet sector is primed for bill-paying on-line with security features built in. Official Payments Corp CEO Tom Evans is building a pipeline to tap into it. The former GeoCities CEO is developing a huge payment portal network that will...

THE RIGHT STUFF.
November 15, 1999... McCann-Erickson's top executive, John Dooner, is polishing up the agency's strongest arms with additional reinforcements. McCann is pushing forward aggressively to develop its operations and Universal Media launched as a global brand....

TIME TO FLY AWAY?
November 15, 1999... Holding companies can manage to keep accounts separated by Chinese Walls but the three-way merger into the new Leo Group structure has three airline accounts that may or may not take flight. D'Arcy Masius Benton & Bowles has one of the world's...

DIRECT SOLUTION.
November 15, 1999... A new start-up in Shelton, Connecticut is gaining some attention. The group is headed by former CUC executives familiar with membership and direct marketing experience. Assignment handled by Korn Ferry. "The model is to provide a branded...

WARNER SNIFFS AROUND.
November 15, 1999... Warner-Lambert, currently in takeover talks with friendly bids from American Home Products and an unfriendly offer from Pfizer, is looking to fill some holes from within before the merger is finalized. The company is looking for a Senior Vice...

CAMPBELL's - THE ROACH MOTEL.
November 15, 1999... The Campbell Soup Company is now being lovingly called the Roach Hotel-you can get in but you can't get out. The company's heavy-handed approach to dealing with executives is spilling out on the street and as predicted (FMR, 12-97), the company...

CENDANT TRAIL PICKS UP.
November 15, 1999... Netmarket Group, the new Internet related division of Cendant, a direct and relationship marketing company, has kicked off a $15 million ad campaign to capture new members and build brand identity for two of its online e-commerce entities,...

BACARDI GOES FOR PUBLIC CONSUMPTION.
November 15, 1999... Bacardi mulls going public Bacardi Ltd. confirmed it's considering going public (as predicted, FMR, 2-97). The U.S.' No. 5 spirits firm said in a statement it "regularly reviews its financial structure and resources in light of its business...

NEWSPAPERS CLICK ON.
November 15, 1999... Many newspapers are devoting special sections to e-commerce and benefiting from the obvious potential. The San Francisco Examiner published their most successful special section to date on Sunday, earning nearly $600,000 in advertising...

TECHNOLOGY UPS AGENCIES.
November 15, 1999... With the resurgence of interest in ad agencies by Wall Street (witness doubled stock prices of True North and Havas in past year, plus healthy increases for other holding companies), the astute investors in ad agencies might be looking at how...

NEW BREW?
November 15, 1999... Sources indicate that there may be some changes in the offing at the nation's dominant coffeehouse. The company's management has come under attack of late from Wall Street as its profits have mellowed a little and the company has poured...

Ad Libs:.
November 15, 1999... MVP.com is looking for a chief marketing officer. Search handled by Spencer Stuart. CEO position filled last week by a major consumer packaged goods heavyweight. Company backed by Denver Broncos ex- QB John Elway. Company designed as a men's...