Frohlinger's Marketing Report articles from October 1998

Frohlinger's Marketing Report archives from October 1998

KELLOGG's BIDDING WAR ESCALATES.
October 5, 1998... KEA bidding war has quietly erupted over the future of the Kellogg Company, the leading cereal marketer in the world. Three companies, FMR has exclusively learned are involved in the initial bidding for Kellogg: Unilever, Procter & Gamble...

HASBRO TAKES ACQUISITIONS FOR A SPIN.
October 5, 1998... Hasbro has taken a very active role in acquisitions in the past month as growth in its business has slowed. Hasbro has announced that second half 1998 results are expected to be above 1997 but will be lower than expectations, primarily due...

NEW DIRECTION.
October 5, 1998... Pennzoil-Quaker State has emerged with a new President to lead the company through the merger of the two companies. Former Nabisco President Jim Postl takes the helm as President/Chief Operating Officer shortly confirmed Vice Chairman Herb...

SUPERMARKET MEGA-MERGER?
October 5, 1998... Talk has been circulating about the possible merger of Kroger Co., the Cincinnati-based supermarket chain with Safeway. Kroger Co. CEO Joseph Pichler said in an internal memo that the company is "actively analyzing opportunities to make...

FREEZE FRAME.
October 5, 1998... Why is Rochester, New York getting such a bad reputation? The search process to fill the position of President, North America for the Kodak Company has blasted into its second quarter without being filled and insiders point to several...

J. WALTER THOMPSON REBUILDS.
October 5, 1998... New York office of J. Walter Thompson will become the main focal point for the global network. Promotion of Bill Hamilton into new worldwide Creative Director position first move to reposition agency. New York President Bob Jeffrey plans to...

KC DRUMBEATS.
October 5, 1998... Sources indicate that there could be massive changes forthcoming from Kimberly- Clarke. K-C spends over $200 million globally on advertising and key agencies include Ogilvy & Mather and McCann-Erickson. "There is talk about some changes....

THE DIAMOND'S NEW GLOW.
October 5, 1998... A major advertising drive will kick off in the 4th quarter in North America from DeBeers. The estimated $40 million effort will represent an integrated marketing effort to drastically jumpstart DeBeer's North American sales, in an effort, to...

MIDWAY EYES ACCLAIM.
October 5, 1998... Industry source report consolidation will pick up shortly in the computer/software industry. High on the list of possible deals is Midway and Acclaim. "Midway has been looking at Acclaim very strongly for a while. The two companies would fit...

BURNETT RIPE FOR CHANGE.
October 5, 1998... Look for a dramatic makeover at Leo Burnett in the next year as the company adjusts to top-level management changes at Procter & Gamble and adjusts to the massive changes in the advertising world holding company lineups. Leo Burnett has...

TIME TO COOK.
October 5, 1998... Look for Ammirati & Puris Lintas to lose its $25 million Ragu account in the next few weeks. Advertising spending on brand has declined and Lipton management has shifted energies behind Five Brothers, an upscale brand which is handled by...

RUBBERMAID EXPANDS.
October 5, 1998... There is a new products emphasis at Rubbermaid and one of the items out of the gate is a filtration water bottle. Marketing Director Jim Miller noted the product was part of a new philosophy at the company. "We set our sights on being a...

MATTEL WRESTLES BARBIE.
October 5, 1998... Mattel's flagship line, Barbie, is feeling dramatic softness. Mattel insiders point to several reasons for the slump in Barbie sales. "One of the problems the company has experienced is they were very aggressive with their space. They did...

Ad Libs:.
October 5, 1998... The floodgates seem to be opening at Pepsi. "There are lots of resumes out on the street from the company. We've never seen it as high tempo as this," said a top search executive&The Chief Marketing Officer position for Starwood is being...

VOLKSWAGEN KICKS OFF $600 MILLION MEDIA REVIEW.
October 19, 1998... In one of the largest media reviews ever, Volkswagen AG has launched a major media review for its European advertising budget which is pegged at $600 million. Volkswagen spends over $400 million in Germany alone and the review underway is for...

PEPSI MOVES BACK INTO PLACE.
October 19, 1998... The sweeping launch of Pepsi One and additional moves to coordinate the soft drinks division with Frito-Lay are the first major step in laying down a sorely needed strategic focus for the company. The initial buzz on Pepsi One indicates the...

FIRST UNION BREAKS THROUGH.
October 19, 1998... First Union is trying to redefine itself as a national institution serving multiple financial markets and the new advertising effort developed by Publicis Riney is a major step forward. The estimated $40 million in Fall advertising clearly...

NEWS CORP. REDEFINES SPORTS.
October 19, 1998... The astronomical figure of $1 billion paid by the News Corp. for Britain's Manchester United soccer team has redefined global sports marketing. Murdoch was criticized when he spent $1.6 billion five years ago to purchase professional...

STARBUCKS PERKS UP.
October 19, 1998... Decision by Starbucks to enter into joint venture with Kraft's Maxwell House unit smart move. Starbucks highly successful retail operation but move into grocery sales was fraught with issues. "They had their toe in the water in grocery coffee...

JUST BRUSHING UP.
October 19, 1998... Colgate-Palmolive is looking for top-level help to assist with its estimated $400 million+ global marketing budget. The search for a Senior Vice President of Media has taken a different turn. The key criteria, report Colgate insiders, is...

MOLSON DRAFTING NEW SIGNALS.
October 19, 1998... Industry executives predict that there could be changes in the advertising done for Molson Beer in the U.S. "The ads don't seem to be working as well as they should be. There is a buzz about and it seems that the work could be about to...

HEINZ-ANTICIPATION TIME.
October 19, 1998... Look for some additional agency realignments from the Heinz camp in the near future. The company has a slew of new products work that will be assigned to non roster agencies in the near future. "There are some new products that the company...

CRUNCH TIME.
October 19, 1998... Sources indicate that DDB Needham has pulled itself out of the hot seat on the $20 million Fort James account for the time being. "There were definitely some major issues there. The jury is not out and we're still looking at that one to...

CANON STAYS.
October 19, 1998... Canon, the Japanese conglomerate, has decided for the time being to stay with Grey New York. "They had conversations with other agencies in New York but they decided at the 11th hour to stay with Grey. They had some issues with photo...

ARDEN SHUFFLES AROUND.
October 19, 1998... Elizabeth Arden, the major HBA division of Unilever, is doling out project work beyond its core agencies. Arden has given out assignments to Goodby Silverstein & Partners, report sources. "They are doing some new image stuff for new...

INSURANCE CATEGORY: RIPE FOR CHANGE.
October 19, 1998... With several of the largest insurance companies, going public, focus has shifted to the marketing and advertising of the top-tier companies. Prudential, Met Life and MONY are increasingly on the lists of many new business executives. "These...

JUST A LITTLE BIT OF SOUL PLEASE.
October 19, 1998... Warner Bros. Music, the music arm of Time Warner, has a search out for a Chief Marketing Officer. The senior position reports directly in to one of the top two WB music execs-Bob Daly. "They want someone who can really to do something to...

DIAL OUT TIME.
October 19, 1998... The Dial Corp. has just gone through a management shake-up. Top marketing officer Scott McHenry has left the Arizona-based consumer products company and a search is out for his replacement. McHenry, a former McKinsey consultant who also...

COKE PUTS SIZZLE INTO CORE BRANDS.
October 19, 1998... Recent signs at Coca-Cola show that the company will really fine-tune its marketing efforts and purge some flanker brands in the future. Moves orchestrated apparently by new Vice President Charlie Frennette. "Charlie's strategy is going in...

TIME WARNER LOOKS STRONG.
October 19, 1998... Despite a malaise in broadcast industry stocks, the outlook for Time Warner is strong."We will have a great year. Earnings for the third quarter and in the 4th quarter will be phenomenal. . We expect it to be up 20% in profits and the...

NASTY STUFF.
October 19, 1998... New York Times Co. said it filed suit in New York State Supreme Court to block the sale of Weider Publications' Senior Golfer to Times Mirror Magazines, publisher of Golf Magazine. The suit accused Weider of reneging on a deal to sell Senior...

Ad Libs:.(News Briefs)
October 19, 1998... Mike Polk is a visible up & comer in the Kraft ranks. After moving through a number of assignments, Polk has just added Executive Vice President stripes& It appears that Goldman Sachs may have struck up a relationship with Ammirati & Puris...