Advertising Age articles from April 2007

Advertising Age archives from April 2007

MATCH HUMAN AND PRODUCT BRANDS FOR GREATER IMPACT; IDENTITY MARKETING: Connect with consumers by understanding how they define themselves.(CMO Strategy)
April 2, 2007... Byline: ROBERT MAXWELL Personal identities define who we are to ourselves and one another. Comprising race, gender, physical traits, occupation, social groupings and even the person we think we are, they can be real or aspirational. We...

Just what this country needs: less talk and a lot more Kissing.(Adages)(American Broadcasting Companies Inc. ABC Broadcast Group purges marketing-industry judges Ed Evangelista, Mary Lou Quinlan, and Doug Hall)(Steve Kissing on contesting presidential elections)(Interview)
April 2, 2007... Byline: Ken Wheaton Adages often leads into a politically related item by swearing we aren't into the whole politics thing. Obviously, we're lying about as much as Hillary Clinton saying she's paying off Tom Vilsack's campaign debts just...

WHAT YOU SAID ABOUT 'CHAOS'.(News)(advertising )
April 2, 2007... When Bob Garfield talks, people listen. And when he's wearing his AdReview hat, they often don't like what they hear and are quick to tell him. But when Garfield dons his big-picture hat, as he did for "The Chaos Scenario 2.0: The Post...

SEARCH STAR MAKING GLOBAL VENTURE CLICK; Q&A: 10 years removed from 'special hell,' Marckini plots a multinational search model.(Media Planning)(Fredrick Marckini speaks)(Interview)
April 2, 2007... Fredrick Marckini quit a job in Washington D.C. 10 years ago and, determined to write a business plan, moved back in with his parents in Boston at age 30. "It was,'' he recalls, tongue in cheek, "a special kind of hell.'' His idea: to...

Mourning glory: This Life just a shell of original; OBITUARY: Ad Age's own Media Guy bids goodbye to once-storied Time title.(News)(Life.com)
April 2, 2007... Byline: SIMON DUMENCO sdumenco@adage.com You needn't look too hard to contemplate-and mourn-Life's glory days. Right on the home page of Life.com, there's a "cover search'' feature that allows you to browse through the title's often...

DIGITAL-HUNGRY MARKETERS RELY ON AGENCY EXPERTS; RUNNING THE GAMUT: Whether they are over-eager early adopters or new-media newbies, clients turn to pros to make ideas reality.(Media Planning)
April 2, 2007... Byline: DAISY WHITNEY As the world goes digital, many marketers' eyes are bigger than their stomachs. It's often up to the experts at their agencies to sate this new-media appetite. Even for the well-heeled, part of the problem is the...

This doesn't make Subway any better for your badonkadonk.(Garfield's AdReview)
April 2, 2007... Byline: Bob Garfield Yeah, great invention is the art of realizing the obvious, but it's still amazing nobody came up with this before: drive-thru truth. The scene is an anonymous fast-food joint. A couple pulls up to the intercom to...

J&J seeks savings with $3 billion review.(News)(Johnson and Johnson)
April 2, 2007... Byline: MATTHEW CREAMER And JACK NEFF mcreamer@adage.com, jneff@adage.com Johnson & johnson might be mum on why it's reviewing its $3 billion media business, but a look at the numbers shows its current setup, with its media-planning...

How will MLB market Bonds' run at history? League isn't rushing to celebrate slugger as he nears home-run record.(News)(Major league Baseball)(Barry Bonds)
April 2, 2007... Byline: RICH THOMASELLI rthomaselli@adage.com Major league Baseball is a game of records, and the biggest one of all-perhaps the biggest in team sports-is about to broken. Under normal circumstances, that would be a cause for huge...

Greetings from Florida; Couldn't make it to CTIA WIreless 2007? Here are 10 highlights you missed:.(News)(Canadian Independent Telephone Association)(Brief article)
April 2, 2007... Byline: alice z. cuneo 1. There were hundreds on display, but the phone that intrigued attendees most-the iPhone-was under lock and key. Even Randall L. Stephenson, CEO of AT&T, touched one for the first time during his keynote. 2. LG...

The latest functional drink? Coffee; IDEA SPOTTING: 7-Eleven says its juiced-up java will help to keep you healthy.(News)(Fusion Energy)
April 2, 2007... Byline: KATE MACARTHUR kmacarthur@adage.com You've heard of doctoring up cocktails with energy drinks. Now your morning cup is getting an extra energy kick. Convenience chain 7-Eleven has begun selling coffee with an herbal boost...

Google's overlooked ad network; Search giant 'sneaking up on people' as it builds display, video inventory.(News)
April 2, 2007... Byline: ABBEY KLAASSEN aklaassen@adage.com While google is busy grabbing headlines for its offline exploits, the search giant, long the leader in text and search ads, has steadily been adding to its online display- and...

Media Morph: Outside.in.(Digital)(online publishing)(Brief article)
April 2, 2007... Byline: beth snyder bulik What it is: Enter a ZIP code and get localized content-blogs, news, information and other user-submitted info-aggregated in one place. Outside.in indexes content and uses geo-tagging to create ZIP-code-level...

Where to find talented consumers who would love to build your ads; XLNTads hopes marketers grab professional-looking creative from tech-savvy types at bargain prices.(Digital)(consumer generated advertising)
April 2, 2007... Byline: ABBEY KLAASSEN aklaassen@adage.com The nfl spot. The Doritos' "Crash'' spot. While the Super Bowl has been lauded as a turning point for consumer-generated advertising, the fact is that the best examples are more often from...

Look out, traditional TV: Here come the set-top boxes; Steve Rubel on Social Media.(Digital)
April 2, 2007... Byline: Steve Rubel This week, like thousands of other early adopters, I picked up an Apple TV for my living room. If you haven't tried one of these devices, invest $300 and get one. Apple TV is a small set-top box that connects to any...

Rosewood Hotels & Resorts; AgencySacks, New York.(Work)
April 2, 2007... Fifteen artists created "A Sense of Place" for each of Rosewood's 15 properties worldwide. Creative director: Lynn Kokorsky. Creative director/copywriter: Michael Ward. Art director: Madeline Pachter-Vail. Artists are credited beneath each...

Now You Can Buy Junk Food Just Like Homer.(News)(7-Eleven Inc.'s promotion campaign )(Brief article)
April 2, 2007... 7-Eleven is planning to convert 11 stores into Kwik-E-Marts as part of a promotion for the July 27 debut of "The Simpsons Movie.'' The Richmond Times-Dispatch broke the story on the plan, which it said includes selling products from the show,...

Volvo wants a piece of your right brain; Whoever wins review will be asked to take the automaker beyond safety.(News)
April 2, 2007... Byline: JEAN HALLIDAY jhalliday@adage.com Think volvo, and you think safety. It's a rock-solid association most advertisers would love to have, but Volvo thinks it's time to move on. "Safety on its own is not enough,'' said Tim...

Microsoft also gets in the game.(News)(acquisition of DoubleClick)(Brief article)
April 2, 2007... Byline: abbey klaassen Suddenly, third-party ad serving is hot. A deal that would have Microsoft acquiring DoubleClick would be full of real and perceived benefits for the Redmond, Wash., company and could trigger a slew of other...

Ford hopes DJ signing cranks up cred, sales; Names Expedition after Funkmaster Flex, eyes Caddy's path to success.(News)(Ford Motor Co.)
April 2, 2007... Byline: JEAN HALLIDAY jhalliday@adage.com Ford's got escalade envy. The automaker has been watching the sales escalation of GM's Escalade, which has become the ride of choice for big-name rappers, professional athletes and hip-hop...

You almost all agree: Pet-food marketers are in the doghouse.(News)(Brief article)
April 2, 2007... Byline: emily tan What you say: 93% While polls about politics and YouTube yielded close results, respondents were close to unanimous when it came to a threat to pets. Some 93% said the pet-food industry didn't do enough to address...

Who, me? I'm not addicted to my BlackBerry. No, really. NO ESCAPE: Total access part of job, blinking light 'haunts my existence'.(Business of Life)
April 2, 2007... Byline: LISA SANDERS lsanders@adage.com Agency executives sleep with them, drive with them, even vacation with them. Not husbands or wives-these significant others are neither human nor even mammalian. While they're "personal'' and an...

Agency model of the future? Keep an eye on media guys.(The World)
April 2, 2007... Byline: Ivan Pollard There has been a debate over here about the shape of the agency of the future. A spate of new agencies has sided with "putting media back in the mix'' by employing communications people and blending them in. And...

Going digital.(Media Planning)(tips for media planners)(Brief article)
April 2, 2007... Adam Kasper, digital-media chief at Media Contacts, has five tips on how media planners can help marketers join the digital revolution. Rely on insights: Create a media plan based on fact and insight, not a list of sites to optimize. ...

The hottest media property that's not for sale? Time Inc.(News)
April 2, 2007... Byline: NAT IVES nives@adage.com Time warner chief Dick Parsons recently told a "town hall'' meeting of 400 employees about a conversation he'd had with Omaha investment wizard Warren Buffett on the subject of selling Time Inc. "As...

Why is this marketing effort different from all other efforts?(matzos)(Column)
April 2, 2007... Byline: Lenore Skenazy Tonight, jews all over the world, including me, will celebrate Passover, the holiday that commemorates the exodus from Egypt-and the birth of experience marketing. That's not what it says in the sacred texts,...

CAUGHT IN THE CLUTTER CROSSFIRE: YOUR BRAND; In the first of a two-part series, Ad Age explains why the pollution is worsening despite cleanup efforts.(News)
April 2, 2007... Byline: MATTHEW CREAMER mcreamer@adage.com Somewhere between 254 and 5,000 is a number that represents just how many commercial messages an average consumer gets each day. There's no consensus on it, but just about everyone agrees on...

Marketers of all stripes will star in Univision branded reality show; Hispanic network's 'Apprentice'-as-beauty-contest showcases Ford, JC Penney, L'Oreal and Cingular.(Multicultural)
April 2, 2007... Byline: LAUREL WENTZ lwentz@adage.com It's miss universe meets "The Apprentice.'' Marketers are stampeding into Spanish-language network Univision's reality show "Nuestra Belleza Latina'' ("Our Latin Beauty''). A dozen finalists...

Road to the upfront.(Briefs)(advertising camapign)(Brief article)
April 2, 2007... Byline: claire atkinson the cw The TV upfront is right around the corner, and Advertising Age is here to help you keep track of the players in both broadcast and cable. The Player: The CW Key Execs: Dawn Ostroff, entertainment...

The Future of Media Agencies; By proving that communications planning-or whatever you want to call it-is a vital tool for marketers, shops hope to survive in an increasingly digital world.(Media Planning)
April 2, 2007... Byline: MATTHEW CREAMER mcreamer@adage.com Fourteen months ago, Naked Communications, the communications-planning agency that helped upend the advertising business in the U.K., opened in New York City after years of threatening an...

Libel action settled, but Sorrell-Benatti rumble is far from finished; Another trial will likely start next year to resolve contract, dismissal issues.(News)(Martin Sorrell)(Marco Benatti)
April 2, 2007... Byline: Emma Hall ehall@adage.com [london] The libel trial is over, but the acrimony continues to simmer as Martin Sorrell gears up for his next legal bout with Marco Benatti, the WPP Group country manager for Italy he fired in 2006....

Airbust? A380 hits marketing turbulence; Bad press, production delays leave airline execs dubious about giant jet.(News)(Airbus S.A.S.)
April 2, 2007... Byline: GREG LINDSAY adageeditor@adage.com It's a marvel of engineering, but when it comes to marketing it's still struggling to get off the ground. The arrival of the double-decker Airbus A380 on U.S. runways last month was a...

Reports of mag-industry demise greatly exaggerated.(Viewpoint)
April 2, 2007... The world is flat, and so is the magazine business. But that doesn't mean the world and publishing are coming to an end. That's not to underestimate troubles facing magazines. Three members of Ad Age's Magazine 300-Life (No. 88 in 2005...

Out of Site at AdAge.com.(marketing professional's views on consumers)(US Airways's services)(Brief article)(Column)
April 2, 2007... As seen on AdAge.com/outofsite Don't even look at my cellphone Now, despite all the lip-service being paid to the idea that the consumer is in control, it seems most marketing professionals are still under the delusion that consumers...

It's Miller time on old-school radio; Q&A: Veteran comedian launches a three-hour show on Westwood One.(News)(Dennis Miller)(Interview)
April 2, 2007... Byline: ANDREW HAMPP ahampp@adage.com With satellite radio stuck in merger limbo, it would seem as perfect a time as any to introduce some top-shelf talent onto the terrestrial airwaves. Enter veteran TV talk-show host, sports...

COMPETING WITH MULTICHANNEL MARKETING ANALYTICS; IT'S A FACT: The time to leverage analytics as a competitive advantage and a route to profitability is now.(CMO Strategy)
April 2, 2007... Byline: THOMAS H. DAVENPORT And JEANNE G. HARRIS Wanamaker's famous quip about half of all advertising being wasted has become outdated, as marketing is rapidly becoming a highly analytical discipline. In the words of the chief marketing...

Here's a shop reorganization that's working; Element 79 adds sports unit (but few staffers) and lands three clients.(News)(Element 79 Partners)
April 2, 2007... Byline: JEREMY MULLMAN jmullman@adage.com It's an old agency tactic: Hyping a new unit that isn't all that new or a reorganization that really isn't. But in the case of Element 79, the touted shift actually resulted in the agency...

Ameriquest pulls out of naming-rights, sponsorship pacts; Alters deals with Nascar driver, Texas Rangers as mortgage industry reels.(News)(The Orange cancels contracts)
April 2, 2007... Byline: RICH THOMASELLI rthomaselli@adage.com Call it "When Naming Rights Go Bad.'' As the sub-prime mortgage industry struggles with an unprecedented number of foreclosures, one of the industry's leaders, Ameriquest, has backed...

Not a sure thing; A look at some recent agency reorganizations.(News)
April 2, 2007... One that worked: Element 79 Sports, 2006: The Omnicom shop formalized a sports practice and quickly netted three sports accounts. One that didn't: Lowe & Draft, 2003: In this "merger'' of creative and direct-marketing giants,...

A good planner is hard to find: search firm looks outside industry.(Media Planning)(Mike Drexler and Rochelle Geller launch their search firm Drexler Geller Associates)(Interview)
April 2, 2007... The internet has wrought seismic changes on the media and advertising business, so it's no surprise that agencies are having a tough time keeping pace when it comes to staffing. The importance of digital venues has changed everything, and it's...

Boomer boon: 'Crazy aunts and uncles' spend $1.7 trillion.(Column)
April 2, 2007... Byline: Rance Crain The first wave of baby boomers turned 60 last year, and they are preparing for their retirement years much differently than any generation before them. Look no further than newly minted sexagenarian Elton John. ...

How BofA juggled 9 shops, single message; CASE STUDY: Working with Omnicom, bank integrates 'opportunity'.(News)
April 2, 2007... Byline: LISA SANDERS lsanders@adage.com Anne finucane took over as CMO of Bank of America with a big task-completely reposition the industry leader's consumer, credit-card and private-banking businesses-and do it in less than 12...

On the road: Kellogg's Healthy Beginnings.(Multicultural)(Kellogg USA Inc. targets hisapnic american market with the help of Meredith Corp. Meredith Integrated Marketing by launching a health magazine)(Brief article)
April 2, 2007... Byline: laurel wentz Kellogg is taking its multibrand Healthy Beginnings program to the Hispanic market with a national tour that sets up booths in retailers' parking lots and offers tests by bilingual nurses for several conditions...

Problem Child: Meredith just loved its siblings more.(MediaWorks)(Meredith Corp. decides not to spend on newsstand distribution)(Gruner + Jahr USA Publishing Co.)
April 2, 2007... Byline: Ann Marie Kerwin It comes down to this: Child just couldn't keep up with its new siblings. Meredith, as you probably remember, became its parent nearly two years ago when it acquired Gruner & Jahr USA Publishing for $350 million....

What you missed.(Briefs)(Patron Tequila under scanner for using sex in its advertisements)(Sears Holdings Corp. is reviewing its plans)(Cadbury Schweppes Beverages America looks into its digital-advertising duties)(Brief article)
April 2, 2007... Patron Tequila is being slapped by the spirits industry's governing body for using sex to fuel its surging sales. The Distilled Spirits Council of the U.S. released its semi-annual marketing code report last week, in which it disclosed the...

Media Guy quits his bitching (don't worry; it will resume shortly); What's to love about the currrent media climate? Oprah's latest pick, '30 Rock' and Gawker-free living.(MediaWorks)(American Idol's viewership declines)(The Road written by Cormac McCarthy is well composed)(comedy show 30 Rock is doing well)
April 2, 2007... Byline: Simon Dumenco Every once in a while I'm not miserable. Not pissy. Not unhappy. I always make sure to take notes when such fleeting episodes of non-dissatisfaction occur, and then I add them to my running list of Simple Media...

Pernod Ricard sets sail to boost profile among China's rich; As competition grows in whiskey category, company sponsors country's first-ever America's Cup entry.(The World)
April 2, 2007... Byline: NORMANDY MADDEN nmadden@adage.com [shanghai, china] Sailing is almost unknown in China, but Pernod Ricard sees the traditional Western sport of yacht racing as a chance to raise the profile of its Chivas Regal whisky brand...

Global highlight: 'Pure training' push from Nike.(The World)(Nike's advertising campaign created by Wieden & Kennedy Inc.)(Brief article)
April 2, 2007... Byline: normandy madden [Shanghai, China] Nike is pumping up awareness of its Nike Pro apparel line in Asia with the workout energy of the world's top athletes. The ambitious international campaign was created in Shanghai by Wieden &...

How Home Depot plans to reach acculturated Latinos; Airs spot in Spanish and English to target elusive demographic.(Multicultural)(Vidal Partnership plans to help in developing the campaign for Home Depot Inc.)
April 2, 2007... Byline: LAUREL WENTZ lwentz@adage.com In an innovative solution to a tough challenge for marketers-reaching acculturated, English-speaking Hispanics-Home Depot will air separate English- and Spanish-language versions of a commercial...

WHY TIME WARNER should PART WITH TIME INC.(News)(Brief article)
April 2, 2007... * It could fetch bids above $16 billion. That's billion. * Time Warner might grow faster-or at least be perceived as a faster-growth business-without Time Inc. * One less business unit might lower the "conglomerate discount'' analysts...

Lessons learned.(News)(Anne Finucane )(Brief article)
April 2, 2007... Byline: Source: Bank of America Five tips from Bank of America Chief Marketing Officer Anne Finucane on managing a multiagency relationship: 1. Centralize leadership. Appoint a small team composed of both marketer and agency executives...

RULE NO. 1 FOR PLANNERS: BE A NEW-MEDIA WHIZ; 'ORGANIZED CHAOS': Teams take pains to stay on top of technology trends, know where consumers will turn next.(Media Planning)
April 2, 2007... Byline: BROOKE CAPPS bcapps@adage.com The ever-growing list of media possibilities makes the 50,000-plus beverage combinations at Starbucks seem simple, even manageable. But somehow media planners not only need to be nimble enough...

THE HEAT INDEX; Weekly rating (0-10) of sizzle and fizzle.(MediaWorks)(OK GO was voted the most creative video in YouTube's awards)(Jane Pratt launches her Sirius radio show)(Magazine staffers looking fo jobs after layoffs at American Media)(Brief article)
April 2, 2007... 10 OK GO Chicago-based band dancing on treadmills was voted most creative video in YouTube's first awards. Other winners included videos you've never seen. 8 Onion News Network The weekly's online-video play could become Heat's favorite...

People & Players.(More Media announces winners of its seventh-annual 40-plus model search)(Conde Nast Media Group and CIT Corp. host a business event)(Spin Media throws a party)
April 2, 2007... Austin, Texas: sxsw Spin throws a party at South by Southwest featuring performances by the Frattellis, Kings of Leon and Buzzcocks. (From l.) Spin Media CEO Nion McEvoy, musician Perry Farrell and Spin Media President Tom Hartle. New...

J&J seeks savings with $3 billion review.(News)(Johnson & Johnson)
April 2, 2007... Byline: MATTHEW CREAMER And JACK NEFF ***** Correction: RE: "J&J Seeks Savings With $3 Billion Review'' (AA, April 2). The article stated: "Interpublic's Initiative handles most global planning and buying'' for Johnson & Johnson. In...

Road to the Upfront: CBS.(Briefs)(advertising campaigns)
April 9, 2007... Byline: claire atkinson, andrew hampp Believe it or not, the TV upfront is right around the corner, and Advertising Age is here to help you keep track of the players in both broadcast and cable. THE PLAYER: CBS Key execs: Leslie...

Major marketers get wise to the power of assigning personas; Best Buy, others name specific customer groups to align services with those consumers' motivations.(Digital)
April 9, 2007... Byline: LISA SANDERS lsanders@adage.com Are your customers Jills, Luises or Nicks? Harried moms, budget-conscious small-business owners or tech-savvy tinkerers? Most marketers can reel off scads of qualitative information about...

Why is Kellogg so hot? It's focused on consumer; Q&A: First find big idea, says CMO Baynes, then surround target with it.(News)(Mark Baynes appointed as chief marketing officer at Kellogg North America )(Interview)
April 9, 2007... Mark Baynes, recently named chief marketing officer, Kellogg North America and Global Coordination, has inherited marketing oversight of a food company that's a Wall Street darling. The 45-year-old Mr. Baynes, a 17-year Kellogg veteran who was...

Pet-food crisis a boon to organic players; Companies specializing in natural products thrive as P&G, others scramble.(News)(Procter & Gamble Co.)
April 9, 2007... Byline: JACK NEFF jneff@adage.com One brand's crisis is another brand's opportunity. As panic-stricken pet owners flocked to the web in recent weeks for news about pet-food recalls, natural- and organic-pet-food brands greeted...

K-C beefs up marketing team, spending; EXCLUSIVE: Adds $200M and three global execs, focuses on digital media.(News)(Kimberly-Clark Corp.)
April 9, 2007... Byline: JACK NEFF jneff@adage.com For its first century in operation, Kimberly-Clark Corp. didn't even have a CMO. Now it's adding three global executives to its central marketing organization, ramping up marketing spending $200...

Coming soon to TV: your favorite mags; Hearst inks development deal with Fox, will turn popular titles into series.(News)(Fox Television Studios and Hearst Magazines Div. teams up to advertise on television)(Brief article)
April 9, 2007... Byline: JAMES HIBBERD jhibberd@tvweek.com Fox television studios and Hearst Magazines are joining forces to create series for broadband and eventually network TV based on popular magazine titles. The development deal includes two...

Hearst: It's gonna work this time.(News)(Hearst Magazines' deal with Fox Television Studios )(Brief article)
April 9, 2007

Why Starwood Hotels' visionary CEO had to go; Earnings shot past $1 bil, but Heyer's management style rankled the board.(News)(Starwood Hotels & Resorts Inc.)(Steven J. Heyer )
April 9, 2007

COLD PLAY: COORS PUSHES POSITIONING; IDEA SPOTTING: Brewer hopes to heat up sales of No. 3 light beer with 'glacier' tap handles and temperature-activated labels.(News)
April 9, 2007

5 things an executive can't do without; MUST-HAVES: No, not just the AmEx card or Razr or BlackBerry. When today's executives gird for the marketing wars, the indispensable ordnance of choice ranges from a famous view for inspiration to the ultimate house band.(Business of Life)
April 9, 2007... Byline: Kate MacArthur MUST-HAVES: No, not just the AmEx card or Razr or BlackBerry. When today's executives gird for the marketing wars, the indispensable ordnance of choice ranges from a famous view for inspiration to the ultimate house...

Guess who's not getting any fatter! Celeb mags max out; Weeklies' growth dries up as Star cuts circ 10% and OK misses rate base.(News)
April 9, 2007... Byline: NAT IVES nives@adage.com After years of an exponentially expanding celebrity obsessed culture, you thought the public's appetite for Britney's bare head, Katie's romantic prison and Anna Nicole's early death could never be...

LET CONSUMERS CONTROL MORE THAN JUST ADS; DIRECT INVOLVEMENT: Innovative marketers invite consumers to guide business strategy.(CMO Strategy)
April 9, 2007... Byline: DIANE HESSAN Stop selling consumers short. They want to do more than create ads for you. The latest wisdom of the crowds is that it's a good idea to ask consumers to create ads they think will appeal to other people like them....

CABLE WEBSITES BOOST CONTENT, TIGHTEN TV TIES; Their days of serving as glorified TV programming guides are long gone, but cable networks' websites are still wrestling to shed their image as weak players in the digital-ad marketplace.(Special Report: Cable)
April 9, 2007... Byline: KATE FITZGERALD THEIR DAYS OF SERVING AS GLORIFIED TV PROGRAMMING GUIDES ARE LONG GONE, BUT CABLE NETWORKS' WEBSITES ARE STILL WRESTLING TO SHED THEIR IMAGE AS WEAK PLAYERS IN THE DIGITAL-AD MARKETPLACE. "For nearly every cable...

We'll cheer Hillshire's humor, but that scary meat is no joke.(Garfield's AdReview)(Sara Lee Refrigerated Foods)
April 9, 2007... Byline: Bob Garfield In the interest of full disclosure, be informed that the entire AdReview staff believes deeply in the food chain. Uninfluenced by religion, cardiovascular health, animal rights, mad-cow disease or sentiment, we...

POLLUTION SOLUTION: MAKE 'EM PAY FOR BAD ADS; Commercial ratings might just point the way toward a reduction in clutter.(News)
April 9, 2007... Byline: JACK NEFF jneff@adage.com Whereas global warming is still sometimes appended by the word "theory'' and engenders heated debate, no one-not even vested insiders-debates the existence of commercial clutter. Everyone from the...

Retooled MTVN Wrestles for Relevance; After a tough 2006, company ups focus on digital ad sales, works to reinvent rep as a trendsetter and keep its fickle young audience from straying.(Special Report: Cable)(MTV Networks )
April 9, 2007... Byline: Daisy Whitney For 25 years MTV stood for all that is hip and cutting-edge. But after six tumultuous months, what the iconic brand will represent over the next quarter-century is anyone's guess. The struggles at MTV Networks...

Baynes' challenges:.(News)(marketing tips)(Brief article)
April 9, 2007... * Focus more on market research and increasing "consumer-centricity'' * Reach further into digital space, ensuring ROI concerns don't limit exploration * Allow brand teams to go beyond communication to create "real and meaningful...

Beyond pre-roll: New opt-in options that could help monetize online video; Companies experiment with ways to get users to click to view your ads.(News)
April 9, 2007

HOW BRAVO'S PRESIDENT LURES 'AFFLUENCERS' TO BRAVO FOLD; Q&A: VH1 vet Lauren Zalaznick has revitalized another network with branded entertainment and gains in younger viewers.(Special Report: Cable)(Lauren Zalaznick )(Interview)
April 9, 2007... Looking to inject some youthful energy and buzzworthy panache to your brand? Lauren Zalaznick might have a solution. A veteran producer of indie films (including 1995's "Safe''), Ms. Zalaznick helped lead VH1 out of its adult-contemporary,...

WITH TONS OF CONTENT, DISCOVERY PICKS ITS SPOTS; Q&A: New boss David Zaslav explores mobile, foreign markets, but reveals why he's holding off on new media.(Special Report: Cable)
April 9, 2007... It's only been four months, but with the progress David Zaslav's made in his new gig as president-CEO of Discovery Communications, you'd think he'd been with the company for years. Mr. Zaslav came to Discovery in January from NBC, where he...

Sorrell got a nasty nickname, but was trial worth his time?(The World)(Martin Sorrell)
April 9, 2007... Byline: Emma Hall Sir Martin Sorrell's libel trial may be finished, but there are elements of his two weeks in court that will forever cling to the WPP Group chief executive. The "mad dwarf and nympho schizo'' tag will follow Mr....

Chryslers aren't the only cars in Omnicom's lot.(News)(Omnicom Group Inc.)(DaimlerChrysler AG)(Brief article)
April 9, 2007... John Wren's top client is on the block, but Omnicom Group's CEO is still in the driver's seat when it comes to auto advertising, with Nissan at TBWA/Chiat/Day, Mitsubishi at BBDO, Subaru at DDB and Volkswagen at DDB abroad. General Motors Corp....

Out of Site at AdAge.com.(Columns)(Brief article)(Column)
April 9, 2007... As seen on AdAge.com/ outofsite MySpace to host presidential primary MySpace apparently is going to hold its own presidential primary. This is interesting in the way that Model U.N. is interesting. But it does strike me as slightly...

Ford maps out the safe route into urban territory.(Viewpoint)(Ford Motor Co.)
April 9, 2007... For a company that's supposedly all about bold moves, Ford's attempt to drum up "street cred'' by signing a deal with DJ Funkmaster Flex seems a bit timid. As reported in Advertising Age, Ford will create Funkmaster Flex editions of the...

Why United tapped tiny startup; Airline follows creatives behind 'Time to Fly' push over to just-born BDM.(News)(Barrie D'Rozario Murphy)(United Airlines)
April 9, 2007... Byline: BROOKE CAPPS bcapps@adage.com For United Airlines, shifting its creative account from a 10-year relationship with Fallon Worldwide to week-old independent shop Barrie D'Rozario Murphy was all about a commitment to a campaign....

Barrage a trois? Middlemen clamor for piece of digital-TV action; Nets want distribution to be broad; 3rd parties only too happy to help, cash in.(News)
April 9, 2007

For $7B, you get Chrysler ... and a marketing quagmire.(News)
April 9, 2007... Byline: JEAN HALLIDAY jhalliday@adage.com You want to buy Chrysler Group? You'd better have some marketing savvy-as well as $7 billion to spare. Sure, the incoming buyer of the group will, on paper, be getting a bargain. The price...

UPFRONT METRIC OF CHOICE: ENGAGEMENT? NO CONSENSUS: 'E-word' has many definitions, but networks want to make sure they get credit for keeping viewers tuned in.(Special Report: Cable)
April 9, 2007... Byline: ANDREW HAMPP ahampp@adage.com The 2007 upfront season has agencies and cable networks haggling to determine the currency by which inventory will be sold. With Nielsen's new commercial ratings not available till May 31-and...

WITH 30M SUBSCRIBERS, FOX BUSINESS LOOKS TO MAKE SPLASH; CROWDED: Pundits wonder if Ailes' programming will be enough to make the financial net stand out.(Special Report: Cable)
April 9, 2007... Byline: LARRY DOBROW Ever since cnnfn went the way of the dodo bird in 2004, marketers wanting to hit financial muckety-mucks where they work have had basically two options: CNBC and Bloomberg, especially with the CNN mother ship devoting...