Advertising Age articles from August 2008

Advertising Age archives from August 2008

HOW TO BRIDGE THE DIGITAL GAP AND KEEP AHEAD; Brand-building principles have changed, but it's now easier than ever to understand consumers.(CMO Strategy)
August 4, 2008... Byline: ALLEN ADAMSON You'd have to be caught in a "Mad Men'' time warp not to realize that digital technology has changed marketing and brand building in a way even quick-draw Don Draper couldn't have imagined. His challenge to stay ahead...

SOME AD TACTICS DON'T AGE; Why 9 out of 11 Ogilvy commandments still ring true four decades later.(CMO Strategy)(David Ogilvy)
August 4, 2008... Byline: JOHN SWEENEY I am one of those struggling veterans trying to keep up with all the changes hitting the advertising world. I'm trying, on the one hand, to keep up with the latest fashions in TV writing while understanding the...

How to keep from feeling blue if you get a pink slip.(TalentWorks)
August 4, 2008... Byline: Sally Hogshead Getting fired hurts. It's sort of like being dumped by a lover but also comes with all kinds of unpleasant financial and professional implications. Unfortunately, there's huge turnover within agencies, so one day...

Former Telemundo exec Zel to head La Comunidad; Will be first ad-agency job for entertainment and marketing veteran.(Hispanic)(Antoinette Zel)
August 4, 2008... Byline: LAUREL WENTZ One of the U.S. Hispanic market's hottest creative shops, La Comunidad, will name Antoinette Zel, a well-known former top Telemundo executive, president today. Ms. Zel has never worked at an ad agency. "That's what...

All I want for Christmas ... is for Christmas to come! on marketing leadership.(CMO Strategy)
August 4, 2008... Byline: Jonathan Salem Baskin Seasonality in a time of global warming. It sounds like the title of a Gabriel Garc a M rquez novel, but it captures how I've scared myself pondering how much we depend on market externalities. We human...

WIRED AIMS TO CONNECT GUCCI AND THE GEEK; Magazine's new publisher goes for glam advertisers with 'new lux' strategy.(News)
August 4, 2008... Byline: NAT IVES You could always forgive the publishers of Wired magazine for not landing the Gucci account, that Sean John schedule or those Prada pages. Wired is not like most Conde Nast glossies, after all, which usually come plump...

TV can boost book sales, too.(News)(television)
August 4, 2008... Byline: sherry mazzocchi Michael Kors isn't the only one getting inspired by "Mad Men.'' Don Draper is also responsible for sparking a revival in sales of Frank O'Hara's poetry. After a few moments of exposure on a recent episode, sales of...

To magazine publishers, sharing is not caring.(MediaWorks)
August 4, 2008... Byline: nat ives The Magazine Publishers of America almost sounded like the trade group for Hollywood or record labels last week. "We believe [this] is a blatant copyright infringement of our members' titles,'' the association fumed to our...

As Kaline hits the road, Ford shuffles sales, marketing staff.(News)(Mark Kaline)
August 4, 2008... Byline: JEAN HALLIDAY Mark kaline, Ford Motor Co.'s high-profile global media manager, left the automaker last week as a casualty of its mandate to reduce white-collar staff 15% by Aug. 1. Mr. Kaline, board chairman of the Association of...

Succession rumors circle P&G, Unilever; CEOs Patrick Cescau and A.G. Lafley show signs of stepping down.(News)(Procter and Gamble, chief executive officer)
August 4, 2008... Byline: JACK NEFF As the going gets tough, are the CEOs about to get going? Speculation is mounting that the chieftains of two of the world's biggest advertisers, Procter & Gamble Co. and Unilever, are laying plans to step down....

Students rank social responsibility; Survey finds green has grown in importance of brand choice at colleges.(News)
August 4, 2008... Byline: MICHAEL BUSH This september, some 13.6 million college students with $237 billion in spending power will be making their way across campuses in the U.S., according to Alloy Media & Marketing. But marketers shouldn't expect to see...

Victim of success: What marketers can learn from Twitter's stumbles.(Adage.com)
August 4, 2008... Byline: Pete Blackshaw What are the limits of consumer loyalty when a particular product or service consistently stumbles or just doesn't work? What if those stumbles are actually due to the immense popularity of the product? Any...

How newspapers can turn problems into profit; on digital communications.(Digital)
August 4, 2008... Byline: steve rubel Newspaper publishers are facing a perfect storm thanks to three megatrends: rising inflation, America's growing green conscience and disruptive technology. To succeed in this era of great change, they need to think...

To get teen attention, JCPenney becomes player in game world; Will launch interactive back-to-school campaign on microsite, Facebook in effort to change image.(Digital)
August 4, 2008... Byline: NATALIE ZMUDA JCpenney is getting playful this back-to-school season. For the first time, the retailer is incorporating a variety of games into its campaign, through both a microsite and Facebook, in an effort to engage teens....

Media Morph: The future of fun.(Digital)(Brief article)
August 4, 2008... Byline: sherry mazzocchi A recent Ad Club of New York panel left us optimistic that life is becoming, well, more fun. Why? Because games are permeating all sorts of everyday activities, from watching TV to going to the movies. The...

September no salvation for magazines.(News)
August 4, 2008... Byline: nat ives If the magazine industry was hoping traditionally fat September issues would help boost their performance in a year when they've scrambled just to stay even with last year's business, there's plenty of disappointment out...

As seen on AdAge.com.(Viewpoint)(Brief article)
August 4, 2008... As seen on AdAge.com/ smallagency Cleveland: Hold on to contrarians I believe that one observable trait of a creative thinker is a contrarian attitude. People who like zagging because of all of the zigging they observe tend to discover...

PRIUS PRICES OUTRUN INVENTORY; Consumers clamor for fuel-efficient cars; used models of red-hot hybrid command top dollar.(News)(Toyota Prius)
August 4, 2008... Byline: JEAN HALLIDAY Who says iphones are the summer's hottest product? In June, a used 2008 Prius with almost 8,000 miles on the odometer sold for nearly $1,300 more than a new one. There aren't enough of the world's first...

BLOGGING IN BEIJING.(News)(China)(Brief article)
August 4, 2008... After years of planning by the Chinese government and some of the world's biggest marketers, the 2008 Olympic Games have finally arrived. Ad Age's China Olympics 2008 daily blog will chronicle what's happening inside and outside the...

Ad cutbacks backfired for bankruptcy victims; Mervyn's, Bennigan's, Sharper Image all dialed back on ads to no avail.(News)
August 4, 2008... Byline: NATALIE ZMUDA And EMILY BRYSON YORK In the really tough times, it's almost instinctual for a company to dial back on marketing, but there's a growing body of evidence-and bankruptcy filings-to suggest that cutting ad dollars can be...

Your vacation paradise awaits on the other side of the tunnel.(Columns)(Long Island, New York)(Column)
August 4, 2008... Byline: Lenore Skenazy "aloha, baby!'' That's what the ad says, complete with a picture of a giant wave. A campaign for Hawaii, right? Try "The Island Next Door''-Long Island. Yes, Long Island-and not the glamorous, gazillionaire...

From Fact Pack: Hispanic revenue in general market.(Hispanic)(Brief article)
August 4, 2008... Byline: laurel wentz In a tough economy, general-market agencies are increasingly eager to claim expertise in specialist markets such as Hispanic advertising, seen as a growth area. This year, for the first time, at least three...

Hispanic mags post double-digit ad gains, but not all are thriving; Tu Ciudad partner Emmis pulls the plug, while parenting publications continue to show promise.(Hispanic)
August 4, 2008... Byline: LAUREL WENTZ Just a few months ago, Publisher Jaime Gamboa was talking about expanding Tu Ciudad, the Los Angeles city magazine he started three years ago, to New York and Miami. Instead, the June-July 2008 issue was the last...

HOW THE ECONOMY IS-AND ISN'T-AFFECTING OUR LIVES; Our roundup of the often confusing news about consumer spending behavior.(News)
August 4, 2008... Byline: SHERRY MAZZOCCHI smazzocchi@adage.com It seems every day there is dire news about the economy-and even more dire news about how it is affecting our everyday lives. If you believe the headlines, we're driving smaller cars-or...

Just so you know, no one paid for this article; Manning Selvage & Lee survey finds pay-for-play editorial is on the rise.(News)
August 4, 2008... Byline: MICHAEL BUSH Mark hass, ceo of the Publicis Groupe-owned public-relations agency Manning Selvage & Lee, had a rather alarming conversation last month with a "very senior'' media planner from an agency outside of his parent holding...

They tried to make the L.A. Times go to rehab (no, no, no!); 'Magazine people,' those champions of journalism, arrive to teach ink-stained wretches a thing or two.(MediaWorks)(Los Angeles Times)
August 4, 2008... Byline: Simon Dumenco I'm beginning to think the Los Angeles Times should just rechristen itself the Groundhog Day Times-after the Bill Murray movie-and be done with it. Of course, many daily newspapers are getting more than a little...

Is it a good time to buy holding co. stock?(News)
August 4, 2008... Byline: MATTHEW CREAMER For months now, shrieks of warning that the ad market has been infected by the economic malaise have become routine: Analysts have slashed spending forecasts. Marketers such as General Motors and Procter & Gamble...

... but food companies stay the course; Kraft, Kellogg claim that upping marketing spending allowed them to pass on price hikes, boost sales.(News)
August 4, 2008... Byline: EMILY BRYSON YORK Rather than yank money out of marketing in an ailing economy, several top food players are doing just the opposite-and reaping the rewards. Kraft Foods, Hershey, Kellogg Co. and General Mills have all cited...

Economy tests TV upfront commitments.(News)
August 4, 2008... Byline: brian steinberg Media buyers are looking to mid- to late August for hard evidence of whether the economic climate will prompt marketers to trim spending on broadcast TV. That's the period when advertisers can choose to fulfill the...

P&G, Unilever slash ad spending ... Story looks especially bleak for magazines as package-goods giants respond to rising commodity costs.(News)
August 4, 2008... Byline: JACK NEFF Procter & gamble co. slashed media spending last quarter at a steep double-digit pace that accelerated as the quarter progressed-a move that bodes ill for media players who had been counting on the relative stability of...

PSA's that actually works and don't beat you over the head.(Garfield's AdReview)(public service advertising)
August 4, 2008... Byline: Bob Garfield So AdReview was minding its own business Friday morning when a reporter called to inquire about a commercial that appeared on ESPN. It was for the website AshleyMadison.com, which is a sort of Match.com for...

MICROSOFT'S VARMA MOVES TO STARBUCKS.(News)(Vivek Varma )(Brief article)
August 4, 2008... Byline: emily bryson york Starbucks has snagged Microsoft's Vivek Varma as senior VP-public affairs. Mr. Varma will continue in his role as general manager-communications and public relations for Microsoft's platforms-services division...

Want your cause on Oprah? Try a billboard; Outdoor ad from animal shelter caught Winfrey's attention, inspired imitation.(News)
August 4, 2008... Byline: JEREMY MULLMAN How's this for roi: Buy a single billboard, get your cause hyped during a full hour of "Oprah.'' A nonprofit Pennsylvania animal shelter managed exactly that in its continuing crusade against puppy mills. And now...

THE question: which of these ads did you find offensive: Verizon pit-bull spot; Snickers' mr. t ad, Churchill's Dog, or none of the above? 66% of AdAge.com voters found none of the ads offensive.(News)(Brief article)
August 4, 2008... Ad Age readers tempered animal, gay and-er-anti-expletive rights activists' increasingly irate calls for ad agency blood this week by sounding off on the recent trifecta of controversial ads brought to us by Verizon, Snickers and U.K.-based...

Commercial Closet Association can teach you a thing or two.(Adages)
August 4, 2008... Byline: Ken Wheaton I'm happy to report that the Commercial Closet Association's award show July 28 was a gay old time. (Get it?!) And, once again, Mike Wilke and the gang managed to conduct an award show that finished on schedule. Listen...

Study: Stick to skinny models for fat profits; Ultra-thin bodies make women like brands more but themselves less.(News)
August 4, 2008... Byline: JACK NEFF Thin is still in for advertising, new research suggests, unless you're trying to sell cookies or self-esteem. Women who had just seen thin models were nearly four times more likely to turn down a snack pack of Oreo...

'MAD MEN' AS FASHION MUSE; AMC hit has brought back the skinny tie, slim suits and pearls-and inspired a Michael Kors line.(News)
August 4, 2008... Byline: NATALIE ZMUDA "mad men'' has conjured up nostalgia, hostility and more than a few Emmy nominations. And now the slick world of Sterling Cooper is inspiring fashionistas everywhere. The 1960s-era AMC series is causing a stir in...

Harkin gives marketers no reason to trust his words.(Viewpoint)(Tom Harkin)
August 4, 2008... Perhaps food and beverage marketers should spend a billion dollars to send Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, back to college for a business course. Or maybe they can send him to finishing school to learn some basic manners. No one should be...

Ad industry should follow IAA's lead in furthering responsibility.(Columns)(International Advertising Association)(Column)
August 4, 2008... Byline: Rance Crain The international Advertising Association, as part of its "responsibility'' mantle, is sponsoring a poster contest on climate change. I like the idea that the IAA is getting involved with issues affecting the...

The shape of things to come: Election year will rain millions more on media.(Adage.com)
August 4, 2008... Byline: Evan Tracey While there are less than 100 days left until the election, there are still billions of dollars to be spent on ads. With the countdown to Election 2008 upon us, below is your viewing guide to all things political...

THE HEAT INDEX; Weekly rating (0-10) of sizzle and fizzle.(MediaWorks)(Brief article)
August 4, 2008... 10 'Mad Men' AMC got lots of buzz off the fact that 2 million people tuned in for the new season. This summer, that counts as a hit. 8 LATimes.Com It takes an earthquake, apparently. The website crashed due to heavy volume as people tried...

Creativity Top five: July 28.(Work)
August 4, 2008... In this week's episode of Creativity's Top Five, Nike flashes back and forth and everywhere in between for the past 20 years of "Just Do It"; the Discovery Channel lets us play Martin Brody again with the second installment of its online shark...

People & Players.
August 4, 2008... ***** Correction: In People & Players (AA, Aug. 4), Shelley Lazarus was incorrectly identified as former CEO of Ogilvy & Mather. Ms. Lazarus will remain CEO until the end of the year. ***** new york: 'black in america' screening...

Revenue grows 8.6%, propelled by digital; Our Agency Report finds the business in surprisingly good health.(Agency Report 2008)(Company rankings)
August 4, 2008... Byline: BRADLEY JOHNSON ***** Correction: Marca Hispanic was omitted from Ad Age's annual ranking of the Top 50 Hispanic agencies (Hispanic Fact Pack, July 28, and the Agency Report, May 5). Revised rankings appear in a PDF version of...

HOW TO GET MORE OUT OF YOUR DATA; Who's the best target? If you're not fully leveraging customer information, you may never know.(CMO Strategy)
August 11, 2008... Byline: CHRIS DICKEY Do you really know who your best customer is? You'd be surprised how many marketers find this question difficult to answer. It's often because the answer is buried in structured and unstructured data and requires...

Exclusive! First pics of adorable Montauk Monster quintuplets! Ad Age announces it will lay off editorial staff to pay $23 million cost of photos-but it's totally worth it!(MediaWorks)(Unforgettable: Images That Changed Our Lives)
August 11, 2008... Byline: Simon Dumenco One of my all-time favorite art books doesn't have any art in it. "Unforgettable: Images That Changed Our Lives,'' a compact Chronicle Books paperback by British designer Peter Davenport, consists of almost entirely...

YES, COMPANIES ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR CHARITY; It's wrongheaded to think businesses' social awareness doesn't matter to employees, consumers, investors.(CMO Strategy)
August 11, 2008... Byline: MIKE LAWRENCE Writer jonathan salem baskin appeared to channel economist Milton Friedman in his July 21 Ad Age column ("Transparency, Not Charity, Is Corporation's Responsibility'') when he asked, "So where in the game rules does...

PS3's future rides on this unlikely superhero; Sony bets on popularity of 'LittleBigPlanet' star to boost console sales.(News)(Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc.)
August 11, 2008... Byline: BETH SNYDER BULIK Can sackboy be PS3's hero? Sony is banking on the inauspiciously named star of its new video game, "LittleBigPlanet,'' to boost sales of its PlayStation 3 console this fall-and the homemade-looking Sackboy...

WHAT OBAMA CAN TEACH YOU ABOUT MILLENNIAL MARKETING; Consistent mass branding works-but can backfire with other demographics.(News)
August 11, 2008... Byline: PETER FELD Baby boomers and Gen Xers declared mass marketing dead long ago. We live in a world of fragmented media surrounded by cynical consumers who can spot and block an ad message from a mile away. But what Gen Xers and boomers...

Time Warner's back to its roots: content.(News)
August 11, 2008... Byline: NAT IVES And ABBEY KLAASSEN Time warner has yet to shed the carcass of its disastrous merger with AOL. But as that prospect nears, the company appears to be hunkering down into the business it began with: creating great,...

Vista might be better than it seems, but its ads are worse.(Garfield's AdReview)
August 11, 2008... Byline: bob garfield At first blush, it seems like such a clever and powerful idea: Take a bunch of dubious potential Vista users, let them play happily with a new computer operating system called Mojave and then lower the boom: "That's...

GSTV, Obama trade barbs over politics at the pump.(News)(Gas Station TV)(Barack Obama)
August 11, 2008... Byline: ken wheaton Gas Station TV's decision not to run political ads on its network of filling-station screens may have spared consumers additional pain at the pump, but it didn't make the network any friends in Sen. Barack Obama's...

Select Resources becomes Google of consultancies; Some execs estimate consultancy is getting up to 70% of pitches.(News)(Select Resources International)(Brief article)
August 11, 2008... Byline: RUPAL PAREKH When it comes to conducting reviews of marketers' ad accounts, Select Resources International is eeking past rivals to become the de facto search consultancy. In recent days the Santa Monica, Calif.-based company...

ncaa keeps beer ads.(News)(National Collegiate Athletic Association)(Brief article)
August 11, 2008... Byline: ira teinowitz The NCAA is rejecting calls from critics to alter its policy allowing beer and wine-cooler ads on telecasts of college sports, saying the current policy is sufficient. The Division I executive committee announced its...

All those applications, and phone users just want to talk; Mike Vorhaus on Digital Consumers.(Digital)(Brief article)
August 11, 2008... Byline: Mike Vorhaus You might be surprised what online Americans do-or don't-want to do on their phones. While 84% of respondents ages 12 to 64 said they own a cellphone or comparable mobile device, a plurality-35%-do not care whether...

Creatives and producers grapple with a new era of production.(Column)
August 11, 2008... Byline: Teressa Iezzi As noted here previously, production ain't what it used to be. It's a lot more. Genuine collaboration is often necessary to bring a big, platform-spanning idea to life, and that collaboration means it's often harder...

As seen on AdAge.com.(Column)
August 11, 2008... As seen on AdAge.com/songsfor soap Moran: I.am not pleased with this While cellphone placements in music videos are really nothing to blog about these days, it's not often that we get an example that's quite as meta as this one from...

R/GA expands into branding biz, taking on traditional players; Agency launches division with the idea that digital increasingly influences how consumers see brands.(Digital)
August 11, 2008... Byline: SHERRY MAZZOCCHI As more brands connect to consumers digitally, can traditional branding practices keep up? Nick Law, exec VP-chief creative officer at R/GA, North America, says a big gap exists between the theory and practice of...

Media Morph: TripIt.(Digital)(Brief article)
August 11, 2008... Byline: abbey klaassen What it is: TripIt calls itself a personal travel organizer. And considering how many people use myriad online and offline travel services to book various bits of a trip, resulting in separate e-mail confirmations,...

McCain's ad buy in games tops Obama's; Last-minute, $6 million purchase will include network, cable spots.(Olympics)(NBC Universal Inc.)(Brief article)
August 11, 2008... Byline: IRA TEINOWITZ Sen. john mccain's presidential campaign is buying into NBC Universal's Olympics coverage. The McCain campaign made a last-minute $6 million ad buy, which tops the $5 million Sen. Barack Obama's campaign last...

BLACK SMOG MASKS COULD BE NEXT THING IN HAUTE COUTURE; Olympic athletes' pollution precaution may turn into a trend.(News)(United States Olympic Committee)
August 11, 2008... Byline: JEREMY MULLMAN The newest fashion accessory: the smog mask. That little black mask sported around Beijing just might become the Olympic equivalent of the little black dress. The masks were designed and distributed by the U.S....

Why empathy is as critical a skill as any other.(Talentworks)(presidential election campaigns)
August 11, 2008... Byline: CLIFF MEDNEY Leading up to the 1992 presidential election, Democratic strategist James Carville was right to focus the Clinton campaign on the single-minded message of the economy. Obviously it was not the only issue the campaign...

In YouTube world, humor can get lost in translation.(News)
August 11, 2008... Byline: EMMA HALL Imagine the reaction if the British determined that U.S. ads weren't sexy enough-and saw to it that some steamier ones got aired. Ridiculous? Maybe not so much, if you consider the situation Mars and H.J. Heinz...

TOMMY: ADS ALONE JUST WON'T CUT IT; Hilfiger fashions new media strategy around branded entertainment, with TommyTV website, Bravo show.(News)
August 11, 2008... Byline: ANDREW HAMPP Get ready for a redesigned Tommy Hilfiger. The once omnipresent, all-American designer, who sold his company for $1.6 billion to investment firm Apax Partners in 2006, has kept a relatively low marketing profile in...

Mandel to buyers: Ditch demos; NielsenConnect CEO and former agency exec bets on 'fusion' instead.(News)(Jon Mandel)
August 11, 2008... Byline: Brian Steinberg When he was one of the industry's top media-buying executives, Jon Mandel needed the equivalent of a rifle to target consumers, but all he had was a bazooka. Now he's gone from pressing the industry for better data...

Traditional ad channels lesser evil among consumers.(News)(Responsiveness to Ads Across Media analysis)(Brief article)
August 11, 2008... Byline: michael bush Here's the bad news: A third of consumers say they never want to see ads. But to reach those who are still receptive to ad messages, the good news is that traditional channels still work. Mediamark Research &...

Hottest deal of the (election) season: TV ads; Spots at some stations sell for up to 20% off amid marketer cutbacks.(News)(television advertising)
August 11, 2008... Byline: IRA TEINOWITZ The unthinkable is happening to political ads on TV: They're getting cheaper to buy. Faced with a recession, as well as cutbacks by automakers and financial advertisers, TV stations have sliced prices, according...

GM sends shivers down Mad Ave; Plan to slash agency fees more than $20M triggers worry others will follow.(News)(General Motors Corp.)(Madison Avenue Inc.)
August 11, 2008... Byline: JEREMY MULLMAN News that general Motors Corp., the country's No. 4 advertiser, intends to cut its agency fees by as much as 20% is stoking fears on Madison Avenue that others will follow. "A lot of these companies think the...

P&G: Ad spending to stay safe; Will continue to cut capital expenditures, restructure company.(News)(Procter and Gamble Co.)
August 11, 2008... Byline: JACK NEFF Procter & gamble Co. will have to keep tightening its belt to deal with rising commodity costs, but company executives maintain the media budget won't be cut. P&G said it held the line on ad spending as a percent of...

An ultimate light beer challenge for MillerCoors; Struggles to differentiate and grow former rivals while taking on A-B.(News)(Coors Brewing Co.)(Financial report)
August 11, 2008... Byline: JEREMY MULLMAN Coors light sales surged 5% in the second quarter; Miller Lite's declined 1.6%. That presents a conundrum for the newly merged MillerCoors: how to grow one without damaging the other-and, tougher still, how to get...

BK franchisees lose sleep over late-night rule; Operators upset with corporate mandate to remain open until 2 a.m.(News)(Burger King Corp.)
August 11, 2008... Byline: EMILY BRYSON YORK How would you like to be behind the counter at a Burger King at 2 a.m. in a high-crime area-or one near boisterous bars at closing time? The idea doesn't appeal to many people, which is why the fast feeder is...

INBEV, THE ONLY WAY TO BRING BACK BUD IS BY BEING FEARLESS; Budweiser soared when its owners and agency took chances. It can happen again.(CMO Strategy)
August 11, 2008... Byline: TIM ARNOLD As un-american as this is going to sound, maybe the best thing that could have happened to the would-be King of Beers' parent company is to be acquired by a Belgian-Brazilian multi-/mega-brewer that, despite honeymoon...

Beijingers feel like more than mere bystanders.(Olympics)(Viewpoint essay)(Brief article)
August 11, 2008... Byline: Ray Ally i love the olympic Games and have been a devoted fan since watching my first games in 1972. My dad had recently bought our first color TV, which for a 9-year-old made the event even more spectacular. This will be my...

Five rings, five questions: the real issues in Beijing.(Olympics)
August 11, 2008... Byline: David Wolf if you watch cnn, you probably think the most important issue hovering over the Beijing Olympics has to do with air quality or potential protests or internet censorship. All of those things make great copy, to be...

Making release of 'Breaking Dawn' one for the books; Bold marketing kept fan buzz going months before title's release.(News)
August 11, 2008... Byline: NAT IVES Frantic readers bought more than 1.3 million copies of "Breaking Dawn,'' the final book in Stephenie Meyer's vampire saga, on its first day of sale Aug. 2. The publisher said the figures proved Ms. Meyer is a pop-culture...

Big 3 TV nets follow consumers out of the living room; ABC, NBC and CBS set up screens at grocery stores, gas stations, malls.(News)(CBS Corp.)(NBC Universal Inc.)(Financial report)
August 11, 2008... Byline: BRIAN STEINBERG The big broadcast TV networks have a natural expertise in helping marketers reach potential customers as they sit in their living rooms, but now they want to follow those consumers out the door. In recent months,...

Newsstand sales disappoint, but subscriptions flourish.(MediaWorks)(Statistical data)
August 11, 2008... Byline: Nat Ives Magazines have watched newsstand sales fall all year as high gas prices have reduced traffic through checkout lanes and slimmed the wallets of those who were there, but as this week's semiannual circulation roundup...

Could I have the roast Olympic duck, please?(Olympics)(Viewpoint essay)
August 11, 2008... Byline: P.T. Black It's almost hard to believe the Olympics are finally here. The words "Beijing'' and "Olympics'' are so crossed in my mind now that I am worried I will accidentally order a roast Olympic duck the next time I eat out. ...

As the world gears up for the games, agencies are already looking past them.(Olympics)(Viewpoint essay)(Brief article)
August 11, 2008... Byline: Chien Hwang i have to confess, I'm still trying to find my place in the 2008 Olympic Games. In one sense, I can't believe that, at the end of the day, I'm just another spectator on 08/08/08 at 8:08-the exact starting time of the...

Ad skipping? Just wait. It's going to get worse; Court paves the way for DVR home invasion-and potential ad evasion.(News)
August 11, 2008... Byline: BRIAN STEINBERG By letting viewers skip ads, that pesky DVR has already gnawed away at the system media conglomerates have used for decades to score billions of dollars in ad revenue. Now it's primed to become a phenomenon on the...

The newspaper doomsayers still can be proved wrong.(Columns)(Column)
August 11, 2008... Byline: Jonah Bloom Another prediction of the death of newspapers just hit my inbox. It was a link to a blog post from William Lobdell, who recently left the Los Angeles Times after 18 years in its service. Among his observations: "The...

Extended Stay ad toilet-licking good! (And totally gross).(Adages)(Extended Stay America Inc.)
August 11, 2008... Byline: Ken Wheaton Talk about word-of-mouth. Extended Stay Hotels wants you to know that the best thing about its rooms is that they're "very clean.'' To make its point, it's launched a viral-marketing campaign. In a porn-esque video...

THE question: Should U.S. marketers consider banning the use of superskinny models in ad campaigns? 63% of readers are against the use of ultrathin models.(News)(Brief article)
August 11, 2008... Byline: sherry mazzocchi Advertisers might think clothes look and sell better when featured on young, thin women. But 63% of Ad Age poll respondents said the use of ultrathin models has a damaging effect, particularly on the self-esteem of...

THE HEAT INDEX; Weekly rating (0-10) of sizzle and fizzle.(MediaWorks)
August 11, 2008... 10 Obama Family Seems like you can't pick up a magazine these days without seeing the shiny, happy Obamas smiling back at you. 8 Tyra Banks Even pretending to be an Obama gets you buzz. Banks will be channeling Michelle Obama in a photo...