Advertising Age articles from February 2003

Advertising Age archives from February 2003

Global: Al Jazeera rival hits Middle East; Al Arabiya net touted as 'balanced'.(News)
February 3, 2003... Byline: SUSAN POSTLEWAITE ***** Correction: In ``Al Jazeera rival hits Middle East'' (Feb. 3, P. 1), TN Communications of Cairo, Egypt, was incorrectly identified as a unit of Interpublic Group of Cos. It is an affiliated agency of...

Garfield's AdReview: ESPN plays on spiritual sway of sports in Wieden campaign.(News)(Wieden & Kennedy)
February 3, 2003... Byline: Bob Garfield ***** Correction: Due to the shocking carelessness of an editor, the graphic in last week's column misidentified the Wieden & Kennedy, New York, office responsible for the ESPN branding campaign. We apologize,...

Baseball tries makeover; MLB, sponsors shoot for brand image that can regain fans' faith.(Major League Baseball)
February 3, 2003... Byline: RICH THOMASELLI Major League Baseball is attempting to transform its image with a series of moves and proposals designed to attract the casual viewer, regain the disaffected fan and instill confidence in its corporate sponsors. ...

The Week; Delta's Song to challenge JetBlue.(advertising-related news briefs )
February 3, 2003... Publicis Groupe's Leo Burnett USA, Chicago, will be the agency of record for Song, the new low-fare airline introduced Jan. 29 by Delta Air Lines as a cost-conscious competitor to JetBlue, Southwest and AirTran, executives at the agency and...

Interpublic to fold weakened Bozell into Lowe.(Interpublic Group of Companies Inc., Bozell and Jacobs Inc, Lowe Worldwide)
February 3, 2003... Byline: CLAIRE ATKINSON and RICH THOMASELLI Interpublic Group of Cos. is set to merge the ailing Bozell agency into sibling shop Lowe Worldwide, which will handpick staff and clients. An Interpublic executive said that once conflict and...

Adages; Good Morning Mr. Felcher: Reebok gets down and dirty.(News)
February 3, 2003... Byline: Richard Linnett Adages has uncovered an outrageous scandal. One of the most popular spots of the Super Bowl, Reebok's ``Terry Tate, Office Linebacker'' by the Arnell Group and Hypnotic Films, is obscene. That's right, and you heard...

Marketing scrutiny: McD's talks tough with its agencies; Fast-feeder's shops told they 'must perform'.(News)(McDonald's Corp. to scrutinize marketing/advertising programs)
February 3, 2003... Byline: KATE MACARTHUR McDonald's Corp. is putting marketing and advertising programs under its most intense scrutiny in years. ``Our marketing and advertising hasn't been what it needs to be,'' said Bill Lamar, senior VP-U.S....

At Cannes: Wieden will reward innovation.(News)(at upcoming Cannes International Advertising Festival)
February 3, 2003... Byline: ALICE Z. CUNEO In his role as president of judging for film, print and posters for the upcoming Cannes International Advertising Festival, Dan Wieden will be looking for ads that point the way to advertising's future. Rather...

The Buzz; What we're talking about.(Media Works)(American Media Inc. lays off workers at Weider Publications Inc., Revlon Inc. partners with Paramount Pictures Corp.)(Brief Article)
February 3, 2003... Byline: edited by Ann Marie Kerwin, contributing: jon fine, wayne friedman It took but five days after closing his deal to acquire Weider Publications for David Pecker, Chairman-CEO of American Media, to make serious changes at the unit....

AGENCY NEWS: AUSTRALIA'S ETCOM TAPS MARGULIS.(Multicultural)(multicultural marketing ideas from the US help Australia)
February 3, 2003... As other countries develop multicultural marketing, they are looking to the U.S. experience, leading one American from a Hispanic agency in New York to the No. 2 slot at Australia's largest multicultural agency. Les Margulis, VP-director of...

Meeting in the MIDDLE; Weaving a message: The fast-developing overlap between entertainment and advertising gives marketers many exciting new channels to reach the consumer.(Special Report: Madison + Vine)
February 3, 2003... Byline: HANK KIM The personal video recorder, unfriendly at least to the conventional TV commercial, seems destined to gain the kind of penetration that will considerably affect the decades-old business models of advertisers and TV...

Coke Classic to anoint Berlin; Interpublic remains lead partner, but WPP shop to get U.S. creative.(Berlin Cameron/Red Cell becomes North American agency)(News)
February 3, 2003... Byline: HILLARY CHURA Coca-Cola Co. is expected to formally name WPP Group's Berlin Cameron/Red Cell as the North American agency for its flagship Coca-Cola Classic. The move would be a blue-chip endorsement for the smaller New York...

Spots: Progressive Insurance.(News)(Brief Article)
February 3, 2003... Progressive Insurance launches its first ever auto insurance campaign specifically aimed at teens today with spots on cable networks such as Viacom's MTV. Agency G Whiz, New York, suggests that while it isn't possible to insure against tripping...

Work: Tiger Beer.(Asia Pacific Breweries' advertisement celebrating Chinese New Year)(The World: Ad Age Global News & Data)(Brief Article)
February 3, 2003... Asia Pacific Breweries celebrates Chinese New Year in a pan-Asian spot from Publicis Groupe's Leo Burnett Worldwide, Singapore, for Tiger Beer that cuts between celebrations in New York, Vietnam, Thailand and Malaysia. Bottles are entwined like...

People.(includes multiple promotions and assignments)(The World: Ad Age Global News & Data)(Brief Article)
February 3, 2003... Peter Weil to senior VP-general manager, international, Animal Planet, a new position in London, from VP-content, for Discovery U.K., London. Gary Bassell to president of ad agency La Comunidad, Miami and Buenos Aires. His last job was...

Finland to screen movie content.(The World: Ad Age Global News & Data)(Brief Article)
February 3, 2003... Byline: Gerard O'Dwyer [helsinki, finland] Finland's government, concerned about product placement, is monitoring movies for the presence of tobacco and alcohol, and TV shows could follow. Tobacco and alcohol ads were banned in Finland in...

Let's clean up the diet-ad mess; But the Federal Trade Commission needs help and it's looking to get it from media.(Viewpoint)(Column)
February 3, 2003... Byline: SHEILA ANTHONY There is an explosion of dietary-supplement and weight-loss advertising in all kinds of media, and much of it appears to be false or unsubstantiated. Advertisers sing an irresistible siren song to vulnerable...

Cordiant considers buyout bid in Oz; PEP eyes George Patterson Bates; sale may indicate network breakup.(Australian operations considers acquiring George Patterson Bates)(News)
February 3, 2003... Byline: PAUL MCINTYRE [SYDNEY] With one of its biggest clients in review, Cordiant's entire Australian operation, including the country's largest ad agency George Patterson Bates, is considering a $60 million buyout bid. The deal could be...

Tony Granger: One agency's loss ... Goodbye Bozell and hello Charlotte Street: Granger reflects on two tough roles.(News)(Tony Granger leaves position at Bozell to be creative director at Saatchi & Saatchi, London)(Interview)
February 3, 2003... Byline: STEFANO HATFIELD Tony Granger says he gets bored very quickly. So perhaps it shouldn't have been that much of a surprise when he rocked Bozell, New York, last month by announcing that he was leaving to step into David Droga's...

Jingle biz rocked by licensed pop in ads; Music houses lose to big acts, garage bands.(News)(product jingles being replaced with licensed songs)
February 3, 2003... Byline: VALERIE BLOCK All those rock tunes popping up in commercials are making superstar bands ever richer and turning unknown acts into the next big thing. With Bob Seger shilling for Chevy, who needs ``The heartbeat of America''?...

Editorial: USOC backers have job to do.(Viewpoint)(Brief Article)(Editorial)
February 3, 2003... Olympic sponsors love to bask in the Games' reflected glory. But the unwillingness of nearly all of them to lift a finger publicly to help fix the current U.S. Olympic Committee mess is an inexplicable abandonment of the athletes and fans they...

Growing pains for placements; Putting the product into the show has high risk for high payoff but at what price?(Special Report: Madison + Vine)(evaluating the effectiveness of product placement)
February 3, 2003... Byline: KATE FITZGERALD There are no rate cards for product placement on TV, and no official standards for measuring its effectiveness. Thus, marketing executives are struggling to determine its value even as record numbers of them...

The Player: Berg wants to keep up the breakneck pace at Euro RSCG; Fast growth will remain key to Havas unit.(People & Players)(John Berg, Partner-president at Euro RSCG MVBMS Partners)(Interview)
February 3, 2003... Byline: RICH THOMASELLI When John Berg was first contacted last spring by Euro RSCG MVBMS Partners about joining the Havas shop's New York office, he went through the natural emotional evolution in thinking it through. He was...

Feminine hygiene: P&G regains ground with Always, Tampax brands; Playtex readies responses to protect its lead.(News)(Procter & Gamble Co.)
February 3, 2003... Byline: JACK NEFF Feminine hygiene is a topic few people want to discuss, but Procter & Gamble Co. executives until recently had their own reasons to change the subject. After a decade-long climb to leadership in U.S. sanitary pads for...

Ad, talent shops dance a tentative tango; Culture clashes seem inevitable as operations meld.(Special Report: Madison + Vine)
February 3, 2003... Byline: JEFFERY D. ZBAR Ad and talent agencies -co-existing in the entertainment realm but traditionally servants of different masters-may be on a collision course as they all pursue the purported heir apparent to the 30-second commercial....

NYC, London jump oceans to find new creative leaders.(Viewpoint)(advertising agencies)
February 3, 2003... Byline: Stefano Hatfield Interviewing Dave Droga, I told him that if there was one person his career reminded me of it was Tony Granger, who was then executive creative director of Bozell, New York. He replied softly, ``I don't really know...

'Do not call' goes to court; Telemarketers file suits to block FTC rule.(telemarketers file lawsuit to block Federal Trade Commission's revised telemarketing sales rule)
February 3, 2003... Byline: IRA TEINOWITZ Hours after the Federal Trade Commission formally unveiled regulations for its ``do-not-call'' list last week, telemarketers fired off two lawsuits charging that the agency overstepped its legal authority and...

Work 2.3.03.(new advertisements from Godiva Chocolatier Inc., Lenox Inc., Moet et Chandon S.A.)(Brief Article)
February 3, 2003... Image of the week Bon. Yasmin Le Bon, that is. The supermodel spouse of Simon Le Bon, lead singer of `80s pop group Duran Duran, takes a seat and flashes her golden smile in anticipation for MOET & CHANDON champagne in this ad from TOP...

AOL Time Warner considers sale of assets to repair debt; Parsons says '03 'reset year' after $99 billion loss.(News)(CEO Richard Parsons)
February 3, 2003... Byline: MERCEDES M. CARDONA The world's biggest media company is thinking smaller. AOL Time Warner CEO Richard Parsons, looking to slash debt, says ``non-core, non-strategic'' assets could go on the block. But the question is whether that...

Lincoln launches Aviator TV effort; Tries to find niche in midsize SUV market.(Lincoln-Mercury Div.'s launches advertisements for new Aviator sport utility vehicle)
February 3, 2003... Byline: JEAN HALLIDAY Ford Motor Co.'s Lincoln brand launches its all-new Aviator on national broadcast and cable TV networks tonight, the kickoff of an expected $60 million in media for the midsize sport utility vehicles this year. ...

Entries for Ad Age Best contest due March 3.(News)
February 3, 2003... Advertising Age's annual creative contest, the Ad Age Best, is soliciting agencies to send their top TV and print work of 2002. Ad Age editors will judge the work, selecting the most outstanding creative of 2002. There is no admission fee and...

Recession resistant: Hispanic market stays hot; Hanes, Enterprise, Kmart court market; sector up 11% in '02.(Multicultural)
February 3, 2003... Byline: LAUREL WENTZ The recession-resistant U.S. Hispanic market continues in 2003 to attract first-time marketers, from pantyhose to rental cars, and a slew of other marketing services eager to cash in on a market that grew an estimated...

Hot Chicago agency: Dome leapfrogs rivals in PR game; Strategy to fill holding co. void pays off for shop.(Dome Communications)(News)(Company Profile)
February 3, 2003... Byline: KATE MACARTHUR Five-year-old Dome Communications is quickly earning a reputation as the Deutsch of the PR world and President-CEO Doug Dome could be considered its Donny. Young and brash, the agency has muscled its way into...

It's easy to counter-program and we are all doing it now.(television programming is hard, counter-programming is easier)(Viewpoint)(Column)
February 3, 2003... Byline: Randall Rothenberg While you indulged in the Super Bowl last Sunday, I surfed the competition. Here's what I found. On Bravo, two hours of mini-series ``Fire Island,'' then four hours of ``Gay Weddings.'' Not in my need-to-know...

Late News; New Infiniti SUV gets $40 mil intro campaign.(Infiniti 2003 FX45; includes multiple records)
February 3, 2003... [gardena, calif.] Nissan North America on Feb. 3 breaks an estimated $40 million launch campaign for the Infiniti 2003 FX45 sport utility vehicle on spot TV in 16 markets. The 315-horsepower model is positioned as having sports car handling...

Case Study: Bonafide's Billiken brand bulks up in lean times by listening to children.(The World: Ad Age Global News & Data)(kids create candy, Argentinian campaign)(Brief Article)
February 3, 2003... Byline: Charles Newbery [buenos aires, argentina] Confectionery-industry sales in Argentina fell 18% between 2000 and 2002 while local confectioner Bonafide's sales jumped 37%. The strategy: Let kids create the candy. The...

Brady's Bunch.(People & Players)(industry briefs)(Column)
February 3, 2003... Byline: James Brady Paige Rense of Architectural Digest, who knows more than most about running a successful mag, said over lunch at La Grenouille that as editor, she's brought up to date once a month on ad pages, doesn't pay much...

In-theater marketing: Cinema-ad seller offers big-screen creative via Aspect; Regal inks deal with L.A. entertainment shop.(News)(Regal CineMedia agreement with The Aspect Group)
February 3, 2003... Byline: Wayne Friedman To bolster its cinema advertising business, Regal CineMedia has inked an agreement with Los Angeles entertainment agency The Aspect Group to create in-theater campaigns for its clients. ``One of the greatest...

The Biz: Newsstand figures a concern for ABC.(Media Works)(Audit Bureau of Circulations)
February 3, 2003... Byline: JON FINE Want sharper looking newsstand numbers? There is a loophole within Audit Bureau of Circulations' rules for reporting magazine circulation that, some might say, you could drive a truck through. Should a magazine's total...

People.(multiple personnel changes)(Brief Article)
February 3, 2003... Russ Parkel to managing director, inChord Communications' Y, New York, from senior partner-global management director, WPP Group's J. Walter Thompson. Richard Lawton to senior VP, Comag Marketing Group, New York, a joint venture of Conde...

Fiat launches Alfa Romeo effort.(The World: Ad Age Global News & Data)(Brief Article)
February 3, 2003... Byline: Laurel Wentz [milan] The financially troubled Fiat Group broke its 2003 international campaign for Alfa Romeo models in Italy in late January, with the rest of Europe and Japan to follow, using the theme ``Beauty is not enough.''...

TBWA to take Grottera stake.(TBWA Worldwide buys majority stake in Grottera)(Brief Article)
February 3, 2003... Byline: Claudia Penteado [sao paulo, brazil] After six years and three failed attempts to establish itself in Brazil, Omnicom Group's TBWA Worldwide is buying a majority stake in local agency Grottera, a 17-year-old Brazilian shop with...

WPP names two board members.(The World: Ad Age Global News & Data)(David H. Komansky, Howard Paster appointed)(Brief Article)
February 3, 2003... Byline: Claudia Penteado [london] WPP Group named two new board directors, David H. Komansky, chairman of the board of Merrill Lynch & Co., and Howard Paster, former chairman of WPP Group's Hill & Knowlton who joined WPP in August 2002 as...

Vitruvio tapped for Affinity ads.(Vitruvio Leo Burnett)(Brief Article)
February 3, 2003... Byline: Ivan Castano [madrid] Spanish pet-food company Affinity hired Publicis Groupe's Vitruvio Leo Burnett to handle European advertising for aggressive expansion in Europe with TV and print ads breaking in February to promote Affinity's...

The Ad Market.(News)(poor economic conditions for ad agencies)(Brief Article)
February 3, 2003... Byline: Mercedes M. Cardona Turn Signals What's new: After a bad streak of new business in 2001, agencies saw no improvement in 2002, especially in the area of "new" new business-billings from newly created accounts. Auto companies...

Voted & Quoted.(Viewpoint)(best, worst Super Bowl ads)(Brief Article)
February 3, 2003... AdAge.com readers were asked what they thought were the best and worst Super Bowl spots. Best Advertiser: Reebok Agency: Arnell, New York Ad: Terry Tate is the office enforcer Worst Advertiser: White House Drug...

People & Players.(Brief Article)
February 3, 2003... New York Honey magazine unveils its first male solo cover subject, Showtime's "Soul Food" star Boris Kodjoe, with a meet-and-greet. Also pictured are "Soul Food" co-star Nicole Ari Parker (l.) and Honey Editor in Chief Amy DuBois Barnett (r.)...

HEAT INDEX; WEEKLY RATING (0-10) OF SIZZLE & FIZZLE.(Media Works multiple topics)(Brief Article)
February 3, 2003... 9 Home Video sales Driven by the popularity of DVDs, home video sales in 2002 outpaced rentals for the first time, according to research firm Alexander & Associates. At $28.5 billion, sales were up 15% over the year before. 5 Don Hewitt...

The Biz: Late-year flicks rev Oscar-ad engines.(Media Works)
February 10, 2003... Byline: WAYNE FRIEDMAN For the first time in years, the list of potential Oscar nominees are likely to come from a flurry of late-season movies, fueling a rush of increased marketing dollars. ``It's rare that three or four movies...

The next golden age; It's coming for the ad business, says San Francisco's Jeff Goodby, but in the new ad model there's no room for the dull or annoying.(Viewpoint)
February 10, 2003... Byline: JEFF GOODBY This is the story of a golden age in advertising that will massively weed out many of the people in the business, making it more fun for those who remain. Seriously. It begins in a time of greater innocence. A...

Brady's Bunch.(People & Players)
February 10, 2003... ``I have an exclusive for you,'' said Steve Forbes just as we sat down for lunch at the Forbes townhouse on Fifth Avenue with his brothers Tim and Kip, ``I'm not running!'' What has Steve more energized than politics these days is the family...

Exclusive: Site becomes thorn in Gillette's side; Freerazor.com offers Mach 3, Venus; sets sights on P&G, Clorox.(News)
February 10, 2003... Byline: JACK NEFF Freerazor.com may sound like a parody from the dot-com heyday, but it's no laughing matter to Gillette Co. Gillette has put a disclaimer regarding the renegade Internet razor marketer on its Web site and urges...

The Buzz; What we're talking about.(Media Works)
February 10, 2003... Byline: edited by Ann Marie Kerwin, contributing: Jon Fine ``It's no secret the Journal had some catching up to do,'' says Diane Salvatore, editor in chief of Ladies' Home Journal. She's discussing the broad redesign with the March issue...

Editorial: Wieden's smart goal for Cannes.(Viewpoint)(Brief Article)
February 10, 2003... In discussing his hopes for this year's Cannes International Advertising Festival, Dan Wieden is right on target-but not as impatient, as insistent, as he might be, or as many on advertising's creative cutting edge might wish. The...

People.(People & Players)(appointments)(Brief Article)
February 10, 2003... Angelo Gaziano, 54, to chief operating officer, Outside magazine and its parent company, Mariah Media, New York, from VP-finance and administration. Josh Simpson, 36, to senior VP-director of new-business development, Omnicom Group's BBDO...

'Branded' fuels debate: New book attacks marketing to teens; Author blasts 'invasive' ads aimed at young.(News)(Book Review)
February 10, 2003... Byline: HILLARY CHURA To some observers, the book ``Branded: The Buying and Selling of Teenagers'' underscores the dangers to which children are exposed. To marketers, the child demographic is a fact of life. No greater authority than...

Unilever takes stake in U.K. research firm.(News)(BrainJuicer)
February 10, 2003... Byline: SUZANNE BIDLAKE [london] Package-goods giant Unilever has taken a 40% stake in U.K. automated-research business BrainJuicer through its venture-capital arm. BrainJuicer, Cambridge, England, is the seventh U.K.-based company to...

Debate churns over 'new game in town'; Some claim deals overstated; Kellner derides 'free lunch'.(News)(advertising conference)
February 10, 2003... Byline: WAYNE FRIEDMAN The first Advertising Age Madison + Vine conference last week stirred passionate talk about new marketing models for how consumer-product companies would work with entertainment-content companies in the future. ...

Radio ratings: Arbitron under fire over slip in returns; Call drops cited; NAB demands new initiatives.(News)(National Association of Broadcasters)
February 10, 2003... Byline: IRA TEINOWITZ In an unusual public squabble, the National Association of Broadcasters warned Arbitron, the industry's primary source of radio ratings, that its method for assuring consumer diaries are returned is sorely lacking....

Adages; Ambidextrous adman pens novel, then writes ad touting book.(News)
February 10, 2003... Byline: Richard Linnett Will Jimmy Siegel become the next James Patterson, the retired adman who is now enjoying a run as author of countless, lucrative thrillers? Siegel, currently employed at BBDO as an executive creative director, has...

The Player: Loughlin leads revamp of battered but solid 'TV Guide'; Given $20 mil war chest to revive the title.(People & Players)
February 10, 2003... Byline: JON FINE Imagine for a moment you've just been named to run a magazine. Its circulation dropped almost 40% in a decade. It's owned by a company under federal investigation that restated financial results twice since November....

CEO interview: Sanger keeps General Mills flourishing on well-trod path; Chief says profit relies on health of stalwart brands.(News)
February 10, 2003... Byline: STEPHANIE THOMPSON General Mills, following a fiscal 2002 beset by volume declines stemming from the integration of Pillsbury, is now said to be back on track. CEO Steve Sanger sat down with Advertising Age reporter Stephanie...

Spots: Adidas.(News)(Agencies TBWA/Chiat/Day, Playa del Rey, Calif., and 180, Amsterdam)(Brief Article)
February 10, 2003... Agencies TBWA/Chiat/Day, Playa del Rey, Calif., and 180, Amsterdam, capture basketball's nuances and verbal exchanges in a game of one-on-one in this spot for Adidas sneakers. Executive creative director: Chuck McBride. Art director: Ben Nott....

Late News; Frost tipped to succeed Jones as Coca-Cola CMO.
February 10, 2003... [atlanta] Coca-Cola Co. and Chief Marketing Officer Steve Jones are parting ways, according to people familiar with the matter. Possible candidates for the spot include at least one outsider, Geoffrey Frost, corporate VP-global marketing and...

Work: Evian.(The World: Ad Age Global News & Data)(Danone's new Evian spot, ``Voices'' by Havas' EURO RSCG BETC, Paris)(Brief Article)
February 10, 2003... Continuing a French campaign that began several years ago with an intricately choreographed water ballet by babies, Danone's new Evian spot, ``Voices'' by Havas' EURO RSCG BETC, Paris, conveys the youthfulness that comes from attitude rather...

People.(The World: Ad Age Global News & Data)(appointments)(Brief Article)
February 10, 2003... Mike Townsin to the new position of global business development director, Grey Global Group's MediaCom, London, from regional director, Asia/Pacific, Hong Kong. He is succeeded by Duane Bruner, who will be based in Bangkok and retain the title...

Work 2.10.03.(Work)(ad community in Caracas united to create 200 spots to denounce anti-capitalism, President Hugo Chavez and urge early elections)(Brief Article)
February 10, 2003... Venezuela's ad offensive The ad community in Caracas united to create 200 spots to denounce anti-capitalism, President Hugo Chavez and urge early elections (see full story on P. 4). A gas gauge, a powerful symbol in oil-producing...

Cordiant confirms: exploring unit sales.(The World: Ad Age Global News & Data)(Australian operations)(Brief Article)
February 10, 2003... Byline: Laurel Wentz and Paul McIntyre [london] Cordiant Communications confirmed that the holding company is in ``preliminary discussions'' about the possible sale of a stake in its Australian operations but wouldn't comment on other...

New study: Net advantages; Online ads boost brand awareness for Colgate, K-C.(Interactive)
February 10, 2003... Byline: TOBI ELKIN Skeptical consumer package-goods marketers take note: Rivals are beginning to reallocate media dollars into digital media and marketing. Such shifts are resulting in substantial increases in brand awareness that can give...

'BIGGER CANVAS': NYTIMES.COM WILL LAUNCH HALF-PAGE ADS.(Interactive)(Brief Article)
February 10, 2003... Byline: Tobi Elkin Come April, marketers will have a bold new tool at their disposal to reach readers of NYTimes.com. The New York Times Co.'s New York Times Digital is selling advertisers half-page ad units that take up two of the site's...

4A's stays mum on media consolidation; Reverses plan to take an opposing stance.(News)(Advertising agencies and media buyers no official position on media consolidation)(Brief Article)
February 10, 2003... Byline: IRA TEINOWITZ The nation's advertising agencies and media buyers chose last week not to take a formal position on media consolidation, despite previous stands against further loosening of media ownership rules. Saying its...

The Week; Colgate plans sale of Fab and Ajax.(Briefs)
February 10, 2003... Having decided a decade ago to run its laundry detergent business for profit rather than share growth, Colgate-Palmolive Co. will ``sell it when we can,'' Chairman-CEO Reuben Mark told analysts last week. Conceding victory to Procter & Gamble...

New gig: Haubegger.(News)(Creative Artists Agency)(Brief Article)
February 10, 2003... Byline: Laurel Wentz Christy Haubegger, the founder of Latina magazine and one of the best-known personalities in the U.S. Hispanic market, turned up at Ad Age's Madison + Vine conference sporting Creative Artists Agency on her name badge....

Crucial crossroads: at the intersection of Mad + Vine.(Viewpoint)(Madison and Vine)
February 10, 2003... Byline: Scott Donaton Nothing focuses like pain-a point made, well, painfully clear at Advertising Age's first Madison + Vine conference last week. With apologies for the content-commerce convergence in this column (a.k.a. the...

Global: Venezuela ad shops reopen; Agencies, on strike, opposed Chavez with ads.(News)
February 10, 2003... Byline: CONRAD DAHLSON and LAUREL WENTZ [Caracas, Venezuela] Marketers and ad agency staff trickled back to work last week in Venezuela after an economically disastrous general strike failed to oust populist President Hugo Chavez, who has...

Garfield's AdReview: Nike and Reebok get chuckles but forget the fundamentals.(News)
February 10, 2003... Byline: Bob Garfield How rare is this? Two commercials, water-cooler conversation all over America, both funny, both fun-and for direct competitors yet. Not since the simultaneous Avis ``We Try Harder'' and ``Hertz Puts You in the Driver's...

Madison + Vine - Heyer's calling: collaborate or die; Coke prez says ad-content model must be redefined.(News)(Cola Co. President-Chief Operating Officer Steven J. Heyer called on the marketing, media and entertainment industries to collaborate in the creation of new business models or risk extinction)
February 10, 2003... Byline: HANK KIM In a no-holds-barred keynote address punctuated by blunt warnings, Coca-Cola Co. President-Chief Operating Officer Steven J. Heyer called on the marketing, media and entertainment industries to collaborate in the creation...

Conde Nast deal with Audi advances share-grab agenda; $12 mil deal part of Advance plan to corner market.(News)
February 10, 2003... Byline: JON FINE and JEAN HALLIDAY Advance Publications and Audi of America are near a deal to land the lion's share of the carmaker's print budget at the magazine giant's consumer titles, said several executives familiar with the matter....

Pfizer renegotiates agency-pay deals; Bitter pill for Deutsch, with $120M in billings.(News)
February 10, 2003... Byline: RICH THOMASELLI Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer is renegotiating compensation agreements with its agencies, executives familiar with the negotiations confirmed. The talks have been a particularly sensitive issue with Interpublic...

Just a midwinter day dream? TiVo a boon for the TV nets.(Viewpoint)(Jamie Kellner, chairman-CEO of Turner Broadcasting System, predicted that TiVo will bring down the entire economic structure of commercial TV)
February 10, 2003... Byline: Rance Crain Speaking at our Madison + Vine conference in Los Angeles last week, Jamie Kellner, chairman-CEO of Turner Broadcasting System, predicted that TiVo will bring down the entire economic structure of commercial TV-not to...

Y&R recruits BBDO's Patti to reignite NY; Creative named to CEO post.(News)
February 10, 2003... Byline: LISA SANDERS Y&R Advertising, New York, has lured away Michael Patti, the creative force behind BBDO Worldwide campaigns for clients from PepsiCo to General Electric Co., as chairman-CEO, signaling a move to reinvigorate the...

Ad-tax threat looms large in seven states; Ad groups beat back Conn. plan.(News)
February 10, 2003... Byline: IRA TEINOWITZ An 11th-hour proposal to tax media in Connecticut appears to have been derailed in a dramatic lobbying blitz by ad groups. But the specter of ad taxes remains a real threat in seven other states. The proposed 6%...

War shaking marketers around the globe.(News)(Fear of booycott of US goods)
February 10, 2003... Byline: MERCEDES M. CARDONA The war in Iraq hasn't started, but it's already taking its toll on the industry. Marketers are nervously eyeing consumers, afraid that war fears will take a toll on spending and bring on a dreaded ``double...

Upfront buyers suss out market.(News)(Television advertising)(Brief Article)
February 10, 2003... Byline: WAYNE FRIEDMAN and RICHARD LINNETT The TV upfront mating dance has started. Yes, already. Broadcast and cable network sales executives say media buyers are already sniffing around for clues about the coming upfront-possibly...