Advertising Age articles from February 2006

Advertising Age archives from February 2006

Advergames, content role juice up marketer's game; Fast-food, auto, wireless, music among category killers staking claim on the 13-to-34 demo.
February 6, 2006... Byline: T.L. STANLEY Fire up Electronic Arts' "Arena Football'' video game that launches this week and you'll see Champs Sports at every touchdown, punt and pass. The retailer's logo is everywhere, from the virtual athletes' helmets to the...

Now inside.(Brief Article)
February 6, 2006... New, bigger format, same deep insight into CMOs and the issues they face: This month Point focuses on risk-in marketing, management and personal careers. There's cover star Deepak Advani, trying to innovate for Lenovo without eroding the IBM...

Bring media planners back into the fold--this time as equals.
February 6, 2006... Byline: Scott Donaton The notion of media planning being reunited with creative at ad agencies has, when voiced in recent years, been mostly the wishful (and wistful) musings of executives at big traditional agencies. Who can blame...

Is TV via iTunes a good buy?(Apple Computer Inc. iTunes Music Store)(Brief Article)
February 6, 2006... When iTunes announced it would be selling TV shows online, I explained that I wasn't terribly excited. The quality was bad and it seemed too expensive. Being the nerd I am, I broke down the cost of downloading every episode of every show I...

Buenos Aires Zoo: Strange Pairs.(The World)(Brief Article)
February 6, 2006... The Buenos Aires Zoo in Argentina juxtaposes unlikely pairs of animals, like a giraffe and a polar bear together in the tundra, with the tagline "Together, only at the zoo.'' Other pairings in the latest print campaign by Del Campo Nazca...

Unilever's Lem bets big on July hair-care launch; $100M midyear rollout of Sunsilk cuts proving time for brand by half.
February 6, 2006... Byline: JACK NEFF Unilever's Esther Lem is shattering marketing convention by changing the timeframe for shampoo launches, and drastically reducing the length of time brands get to prove themselves in the viciously competitive category....

For $2M, they throw in the sheets; Ferrari brings its Driving Experience to owners with two-day hotel stay.
February 6, 2006... Byline: JEAN HALLIDAY You can tell a lot about a guy who drives a Ferrari. He's 45 to 50, and is more likely than not to own a private jet. There's a one-in-five chance he also has a motorboat. He's probably on his second Ferrari-oh,...

NBC getting Olympics message out far and wide.(National Broadcasting Company Inc)
February 6, 2006... Byline: T.L. Stanley Struggling this season in fourth place among advertiser-coveted young viewers, NBC is stretching its Winter Olympics promotions across outdoor, radio, big-box retailers, online, in-theater and cable TV, using some...

Pecker riles publishers with jump on circ rules; Time Inc., Hachette will count public copies as paid as long as possible.
February 6, 2006... Byline: Nat Ives Magazine publishers: Start your cursing. The Audit Bureau of Circulations gave you until next summer to stop classifying the magazines left around beauty salons, airports and doctor's offices as paid copies, but then...

Device & content ready-mobile TV set to take off; With technology catching up and consumers catching on, content-to-go has few limits.
February 6, 2006... Byline: Alice Z. Cuneo Just three years ago, MTV, keeper of the relationship with the coveted youth demographic, signed a deal giving Virgin Mobile exclusive rights to all its content. Fast-forward to the present. Sprint has broadcast...

Who is The Man? Ma Bell? A higher authority? Us? Maybe.
February 6, 2006... Byline: Rance Crain Let great minds ponder the mysteries of the universe. I'll settle for knowing what the Sprint guy means when he says "maybe'' about whether he's sticking it to himself when he's already the Man. I know you've seen...

Court TV deal makers talk engagement; Road to the Upfront: Will others follow the shift from traditional ratings-based model?
February 6, 2006... The shift from a payment-by-total-eyeballs approach to one that measures viewer engagement and ad recall will likely be cable TV's biggest 2006 upfront story. The movement builds on a series of deals introduced last year as Court TV inked...

Nielsen addition of DVR ratings ups the upfront ante.(Brief Article)
February 6, 2006... Byline: Abbey Klaassen The impact of A.C. Nielsen adding time-shifted ratings remains a major pre-upfront tit-for-tat between the media buyers and TV networks. One of the latest worries is it could create a perceived drop in TV-advertising...

AmEx: Consumers' new piggy bank; Credit-card co. touts savings acc't as selling point; critics don't buy it.(News)
February 6, 2006... Byline: Matthew Creamer Sign of the coming apocalypse No. 3,250: A credit-card company is encouraging consumer saving. Amid growing anxiety about American consumers' failure to sock something away for their golden years, American...

TV'S SAVIOR? With the :30 losing steam, TV networks find hope in product placement, tie-ins.
February 6, 2006... Byline: Marc Graser At first glance, TV seemed like it was in big trouble. When General Motors Corp. and Procter & Gamble Co.-the top two buyers of TV advertising-said in 2005 that they would spend considerably less on TV commercials...

Shocker: Oprah pregnant with James Frey's baby!
February 6, 2006... Byline: Simon Dumenco Insiders say that embattled faux-memorist James Frey and talk-show goddess Oprah Winfrey have not only reconciled following their notorious on-camera falling out, but have been secretly seeing each other. Now, says a...

Late News; Red Bull readies launch of 16-oz. drink.(Red Bull GmbH)
February 6, 2006... [Fuschl Am See, Austria] Despite denying plans for such a product, a 16-ounce, super-caffeinated energy drink named Face 2 Face from Red Bull has appeared on Mintel's Global New Product Database. A Red Bull USA spokeswoman said there were no...

Most readers say Oprah has escaped brand damage.(News)
February 6, 2006... Byline: Nat Ives AS THE JAMES FREY FIASCO fades, finally, from the national gaze, there remains a last, lingering damage assessment to be done. Not for Mr. Frey, who is, after all, still a bestselling author despite getting caught making...

People.(The Week)(Best Life Magazine)(Brief Article)
February 6, 2006... Andreas Lazar to senior VP-business development, Sirius Satellite Radio, from VP, Allen & Co. Mason Wells II to advertising director, Best Life Magazine, New York, from consumer-goods director. Joseph T. Assad to senior VP-general...

Covering the business of the Bowl; In Detroit: Reporter adds it up, hangs with celebs.(News)(Column)
February 6, 2006... Byline: RICH THOMASELLI [Detroit] Ford Motor Co. announces a restructuring plan that could mean the loss of 30,000 jobs less than two weeks before the Super Bowl, but the only time you heard the Ford name last week here is when people...

Icahn taps Biondi for Time Warner bid.
February 6, 2006... Carl Icahn enlisted Frank Biondi, the former CEO of Universal Studios and Viacom, to lead the effort to take over the Time Warner board. Should Mr. Icahn's slate succeed, Mr. Biondi agreed to serve as Time Warner's chairman-CEO, posts now...

Accenture's role at Ford is a test.(Viewpoint)(Accenture Marketing Services)
February 6, 2006... Ford Motor Co. made a good strategic move in hiring Accenture to scrutinize how best to spend its media money. Now the heat is on the consultants to prove they truly understand marketing. Let's hope Accenture succeeds, for that could raise the...

Yet another way to kill your goldfish.
February 6, 2006... Byline: Ken Wheaton Fresh off of mocking Oprah and James Frey, Adages once again toys with the format that dare not speak its name: memoir! Hitting book stores Feb. 7 will be "I Am Not Myself These Days,'' by Josh Kilmer-Purcell, a...

Super Bowl ads go for $7,000 a spot-in Quebec; Canada tries to drum up excitement for big game.(News)
February 6, 2006... Byline: Laurel Wentz and Gail Chiasson Marketers who splurged on Super Bowl ads to show off their new creative paid up to $84,000 for a 30-second spot-in Canada. All over the world, Super Bowl viewers watched ads with the game, but not...

No end to placement data services; Want to know a product's impact? Operations track the integrated message effect.
February 6, 2006... Byline: KAREN J. BANNAN Product placement isn't just about reaching TV viewers and moveiegoers anymore. Today, people who miss their favorite prime-time shows can can catch up via their iPod, cellphone or TiVo. Concert sponsorships,...

NBC mines China for winter gold; In face of tough market, network offers Turin buyers Beijing deals.
February 6, 2006... Byline: Abbey Klaassen Call it the Beijing factor. It might still be two years away, but the allure of the 2008 Summer Olympics in China is already helping NBC to sell this month's Winter Olympics. The Turin games didn't look like...

Five reasons to watch the Olympics.(News)(Brief Article)
February 6, 2006... * The outspoken Bode Miller and the American ski team aim to beat the Austrians. (Will Bode celebrate with a beer if they succeed?) Figure skater Michelle Kwan goes for the gold in her third, and last, Olympics. * Red-headed snowboarder...

THE SELL-OUT BOWL; And, no, we're not talking about ad inventory.
February 6, 2006... Byline: Bob Garfield Hope you enjoyed. Speaking for all aging baby boomers, we were delighted to see that the Rolling Stones lived long enough to perform at halftime. The only pity is that the band, which rocked the 15th century world...

NEW GENERATION OF POD PEOPLE; Apple expands appeal to young with Disney, Nickelodeon on iTunes.
February 6, 2006... Byline: Beth Snyder Bulik and Abbey Klaassen This year's fashionable preschooler will be wearing white-earbuds, that is. The ubiquitous iPod is finding an ever-younger fan base. What started out as a must-have for 20- and 30-something...

Unilever's Axe effort warps into reality show; Madison + Vine: BBH's `Gamekillers' won't actually feature brand.
February 6, 2006... Byline: LISA SANDERS Can an ad campaign be the genesis of a TV show? Can an ad agency be a major branded-entertainment creator? Can a major client like Unilever be persuaded to back an hour of programming even though its brand will never...

Those complicated cowboys.(Brief Article)
February 6, 2006... Byline: Ann Marie Kerwin Well, at least Jon Stewart now has his targets. When the "Daily Show'' host takes his best shot at getting Hollywood to laugh at itself on March 5 at the 78th Annual Academy Awards, he'll have several potentially...

People.(The World)(Brief Article)
February 6, 2006... Alison Burns to CEO of JWT London, succeeding Simon Bolton, who became global CEO of WPP's Enterprise IG (AA, Jan. 16). Ms. Burns was president of Fallon's New York office until January 2003, when she resigned to become a consultant. ...

Pirelli launches mini-film online.(The World)(Column)
February 6, 2006... Byline: Laurel Wentz [New York] Italian tire maker Pirelli will post a 10-minute video online in late March at pirellifilm.com, backed by a global advertising campaign by Publicis Groupe's Leo Burnett, Milan. The movie-quality film, named...

Burke turns his back on longtime tag, refocuses Visa on 'empowerment'.
February 6, 2006... Byline: Alice Z. Cuneo Kevin Burke bought a $49 program from CompUSA and used it last year to figure out how to strip his 100-year-old San Francisco Edwardian down to the studs and turn it into a modern house, leaving only the original...

Media Morph: Viral Video.(Brief Article)
February 6, 2006... Byline: Kris Oser WHAT IT IS: It's one of the main ways people waste time online. Videos gone viral are those goofy, weird or off-color clips that are e-mailed habitually around the Web. Many are ads. VIRAL-VIDEO LINGO: To rip is to...

Sorrell caught in Italian opera.
February 6, 2006... Byline: LISA SANDERS Martin Sorrell and a formerly trusted lieutenant, Marco Benatti, are facing off in an ad-world drama that one executive described as "a Shakespearean story involving power, women and money.'' As with several of...

California Milk Processing Board: Leche with Latin flavor.(Brief Article)
February 6, 2006... Hispanic hotshop Grupo Gallegos, Long Beach, Calif., replaced the California Milk Processing Board's bland Hispanic theme "Familia, Amor y Leche'' ("Family, Love and Milk'') with quirky commercials illustrating the extraordinary power of milk...

Most marketers park Hispanic buying at full-service shops; Exclusive: But three of top 10 agencies are specialists, in position to shake up status quo.(Multicultural)
February 6, 2006... Byline: Laurel Wentz Hispanic full-service ad agencies still dominate media buying in the $3.4 billion Hispanic market. Unlike the general market, where media buying moved to specialist agencies more than a decade ago, only three of the...

Starbucks, Kellogg plot cereal killing; Exclusive: Giants join to launch Grani, aim to build on-the-go breakfast sales.
February 6, 2006... Byline: Stephanie Thompson and Kate MacArthur Starbucks can't lure the latte-swilling masses into buying breakfast with their morning coffee. Kellogg can't persuade consumers to pay top dollar for a premium cereal. But together, they could...

P&G may kill Crest outside U.S. Folding it into Oral-B may pit Saatchi against Gillette shop BBDO.(News)
February 6, 2006... Byline: Jack Neff Pocter & Gamble Co. is looking at merging the Oral-B and Crest brands outside the U.S.-at least in some markets-in a move that tests how smoothly its integration of newly acquired Gillette Co. will go on two levels. ...

Burnett sees `Gold Rush' on AOL; In effort to be first in, `Survivor' creator turns back on Yahoo deals.(Mark Burnett )
February 6, 2006... Byline: Kris Oser Mark Burnett is bringing a new reality to the Web. The producer of network reality shows "Survivor'' and "The Apprentice'' is showing digital players how to be as cut-throat as anyone else in Hollywood. With a pact...

BBH leader pours creative talents into wine-making.(Bartle Bogle Hegarty Ltd)
February 6, 2006... Byline: Emma Hall John Hegarty, chairman and worldwide creative director of Bartle Bogle Hegarty, has had a lot of success to toast recently. His agency won two of the biggest pitches of 2005-British Airways and Unilever's Omo-as well as...

Ad groups lob criticism at Food Commission.(Brief Article)
February 6, 2006... Byline: Alexandra Jardine [London] Advertisers' groups have slammed a U.K. Web site that warns children about the dangers they face from companies marketing and advertising "junk food,'' as "biased.'' The site, ChewOnThis.org, which...

Mayor brings Rio's advertising in-house.(Brief Article)
February 6, 2006... Byline: Claudia Penteado [Rio de Janeiro, Brazil] Rio de Janeiro's controversial mayor, Cesar Maia, has decided not to use ad agencies anymore and to handle advertising in-house as a cost-savings measure. The news surprised even his own...

FYI...(for your information)(contract discontinued)(Brief Article)
February 6, 2006... Henkel, the German marketer of cosmetics and household cleaners, is dropping Carat, Wiesbaden, one of its three global media agencies. It held about a third of the $540 million account. In Germany, business will be split between Henkel's other...

No. 1 Pedigree; Top Spots.(Pedigree Petfoods)(Brief Article)
February 6, 2006... Byline: Ad Age/IAG A new installment from Pedigree's "We're for dogs" campaign ranked as the best-liked spot among consumers during the past month. New ads from candy brands Twix and Hershey's were also well-received. To see the Top Spot,...

People & Players.(award for Robert Redford)(Brief Article)
February 6, 2006... Park City, Utah: Sundancing Robert Redford accepts Entertainment Weekly's Entertainer With a Mission award at the magazine's Sundance Opening Weekend party. (From l.) Rick Tetzeli, managing editor, Entertainment Weekly; Dave Morris,...

Heat Index; Weekly Rating (0-10) of Sizzle & Fizzle.(Media Works)(Brief Article)
February 6, 2006... 10 'Brokeback Mountain' Leads with eight Oscar nominations, all among the most desirable: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor and Best Adapted Screenplay. Expect a lot of cowboys on stage March 5. 8 Mark Burnett King of Reality TV...

Images of the Week.(Brief Article)
February 6, 2006... DIAMOND TRADING COMPANY: JWT, New York Treat your love like a pulp-fiction lover. There are also radio spots beginning today. Exec VP-Chief Creative Officer: Ty Montague. Executive creative directors: Chris D'Rozario, Ed Evangelista. Art...

AdWatch.(News)(Brief Article)
February 6, 2006... Byline: Bradley Johnson TurnSignals November's 2.3% growth in U.S. measured ad spending was better than October's 0.6% gain but still a sign of a tepid market. Internet spending rose about $120 million; local newspapers fell $60...

From the Editor.(Editorial)
February 6, 2006... Byline: Jennifer Rooney "Risk! Risk anything! Care no more for the opinion of others, for those voices. Do the hardest thing on earth for you. Act for yourself. Face the truth.'' -British author Katherine Mansfield, 1922 Success...

CHICKENING OUT? U.S. poultry-industry CMOs see no need to overreact to avian flu.(cnief marketing officer)(Brief Article)
February 6, 2006... Sometimes, CMOs might believe they are better off keeping quiet about an issue that looms over their industry. That may be why the U.S. poultry-processing and retailing businesses still aren't saying much about avian flu. The deadly virus...

HIGH (IMPACT) STYLE.(Point)(Brief Article)
February 6, 2006... "A model of [dress] consistency is financial analyst Jim Cramer; on his hit [CNBC] cable show `Mad Money,' Cramer is a whirling, high-energy exponent of fast-response investing. He reinforces his style by not only moving quickly around the...

The only voice that counts; following the majority is the greatest career risk there is.(Point)
February 6, 2006... Byline: Sally Hogshead Never confuse your career with a focus group. You know how it goes. You start with an idea. The thinking behind it is original. Provocative. Even, perhaps, revolutionary. The idea is shared with a group...

TO SUCCEED, CHALLENGE YOURSELF TO FAIL.(Point)
February 6, 2006... Byline: rishad tobaccowala You do not know where the line is until you cross it. We all cower within self-drawn boundaries. We are risk-averse and often blame this risk aversion on others. We find fault with our bosses, our...

CUT TIES WITH TRADITION AND EXPAND YOUR INFLUENCE.(Point)
February 6, 2006... Byline: scott davis When it comes to assessing marketing's effectiveness in creating the type of customer relationships that help fuel business growth, consider this: Maybe marketers should stop thinking so much like traditional marketers....

LOSE ADD-ONS AND GAIN A DEFINITION OF REAL VALUE.(Point)(Column)
February 6, 2006... Byline: peter arnell This year as I watched my children open up their presents on Christmas morning, I noticed something that hit me like a brick. Present after present, they received a series of attachments, add-ons, plug-ins,...

How do you define a radical careerist?(Point)
February 6, 2006... Careerists kick-start momentum, push for bigger ideas and create their own opportunities. They have the courage to envision something bigger than themselves, and the audacity to make that vision a reality. At work, careerists refuse to merely...

PROTECTING HIMSELF from the 10th idea.(Point)
February 6, 2006... Byline: Jennifer Rooney He referred to himself as a "total stock-market junkie'' in his book, "Real Money: Sane Investing in an Insane World.'' And others have slapped him with such labels as "hot-tempered,'' "overcaffeinated'' and "smart...

when crisis equals growth; When calamity calls, smart marketers answer proactively.(Point)
February 6, 2006... Byline: Dale Buss A year before Hurricane Katrina devastated the U.S. Gulf Coast last fall, Hurricane Charley took a big swipe at Sanibel Island, the swank and fragile resort area on Florida's southwestern coast. The August 2004 hurricane...

OUT OF THE BLUE; Deepak Advani is shaking up IBM's conservative culture by taking risks-and Making them pay off.(Point)
February 6, 2006... Byline: Sarah Mahoney When it came time to launch the ThinkPad Z60 last fall, Deepak Advani had a tough decision to make, and he knew the outcome might as well have depended on a coin toss. On one hand, when the company had surveyed...

a penney for your thoughts; point taken.(Point)(Brief Article)
February 6, 2006... J.C. Penney CEO Mike Ullman wants to get inside of consumers' minds BUSINESSWEEK-J.C. Penney Co. is working to reinvigorate the middle-market department store sector by launching a.n.a., a proprietary women's clothing line, a move...

Don't Dis Brand Plans.(Point)(Brief Article)
February 6, 2006... Long-term plans for brands brought together through mergers and acquisitions are largely an afterthought. But failure to adequately address the brands' value or strategic roles can hinder future business success or create barriers to effective...

Stats.(Point)(Brief Article)
February 6, 2006... 11 Percentage of more than 400 high-level marketers who say that their marketing groups are "highly influential and strategic" within their companies. Fewer than half feel their teams are "well-regarded and respected." Source: CMO...

required reading; The books influencing how marketing leaders think about their business.(books on management styles)(Brief Article)
February 6, 2006... Byline: Craig Newmark founder, Craigslist.org "The Baroque Cycle," by Neal Stephenson. "This massive trilogy tells the story of the birth of the modern world, and markets, in a highly entertaining form. It helped me get that we're in a...

predictions '06; Trends, shifts and new opportunities that will shape the new year.(Point)(Brief Article)
February 6, 2006... "There'll be greater emphasis on innovation versus supporting base brands because CEOs are unsure what they're getting for those investments." -Dave Burwick, president, Pepsi-Quaker Tropicana Gatorade Canada "Comfort foods will enjoy a...

Bringing customers into the debate; Lenovo reaches out to consumers in its quest for ThinkPad success.(IBM ThinkPad )
February 6, 2006... The IBM ThinkPad Z60 has done so well that Lenovo is having lots of fun with it, turning the internal debate-whether to introduce the black versus titanium-into a nifty little viral marketing campaign. Although the company hedged its bets by...

Endpoint: crapshoot; Gamblers keep the betting business on a roll.(Point)(Brief Article)
February 6, 2006... "Whoever wants to know the heart and mind of America had better learn poker. The game, after all, has gone hand in hand with our history for almost two centuries now. Since its development on Mississippi riverboats, poker-with its risk-loving...

People.(The Week)(Kristin Moshonas joins Time Inc)(Ed Wells joins Nickelodeon Japan)(Chris Ficarra joins Viacom)(Brief Article)
February 13, 2006... Ron David Walter to executive creative director, Conductor, Los Angeles, from partner-creative director, Banjo, San Francisco. Regan Phillips to senior VP, Interpublic Group of Cos.' Weber Shandwick, Los Angeles, from senior VP, Edelman...

Dynamic times boost ad team collaboration; Agencies gaining help from marketers in bid to develop emerging media.(Special Report: Media Planning)
February 13, 2006... Byline: BETH SNYDER BULIK It's not enough for media-buying agencies to buy time and space anymore. With forays like OMD Next, the agency moves into the realm of research and development in the bewildering world of emerging media. ...

Opponents say law could cripple Web marketing; Ed Markey's bill seeks to protect consumer privacy, but would force massive database dumps.(Interactive)
February 13, 2006... Byline: KRIS OSER Legislation introduced into Congress last week could fundamentally change the way marketers use the Internet, according to policy experts. A bill introduced by Rep. Edward J. Markey, D-Mass., seeks to force Internet...

Six things you should know about the immediate future.(Viewpoint)
February 13, 2006... Byline: Randall Rothenberg The world economic Forum was not the only event to attract VIPs to Europe's snow country in recent weeks. Hubert Burda Media, one of Germany's largest and most influential media companies, convened its second...

The Super Bowl's real winners.(Viewpoint)(Brief Article)
February 13, 2006... We have now completed our analyses on the functional magnetic-resonance-imaging data from five healthy volunteers that were studied last night at the UCLA Brain Mapping Center while they were watching Super Bowl ads. We tested a total of 24...

Icahn's plans for media giant.(Carl Icahn )(Brief Article)
February 13, 2006... Byline: Nat Ives While Mr. Logan was speaking with Advertising Age and turning his thoughts toward bass fishing, billionaire financier Carl Icahn was putting the final touches on his plan to sunder Time Warner. During a presentation in...

The truth is: Consumers trust fellow buyers before marketers.
February 13, 2006... Byline: Jonah Bloom McCann Erickson is a great agency, but its maxim, "Truth Well Told,'' is bordering on irrelevance. While too many advertisers are still focused on the business of shouting one message over and over, today the most...

People.(The World)(appointments)(Brief article)
February 13, 2006... Silvio Matos to president-CEO and chief creative officer of Grey Brazil, Sao Paulo, which has been renamed MatosGrey. Mr. Matos was president-CEO, creative director and owner of 25% of Young & Rubicam in Brazil until he walked out with six...

Spotlight.(The World)(Brief Article)
February 13, 2006... Byline: Normandy Madden Marketer: Li Ning Co. Agency: Leo Burnett, Beijing China's Li Ning opts for American basketball player to share cachet NBA enjoys among Chinese. [Beijing] Li Ning Co., China's leading local sportswear...

Chateau Nascar; Sport follows American trend away from beer, toward wine.(News)
February 13, 2006... Byline: BETH SNYDER BULIK Ten years ago, when Nascar West team owner Randy Lynch traveled with his 12-member crew, he was usually the lone wine drinker at dinner. Today that same group of guys blows through a case or more of Mr. Lynch's...

Which ads were winners in the Super Bowl?(News)
February 13, 2006... Byline: Leslie Taylor The Steelers decisively won the football game, but it's hard to say which commercials were victorious. When AdAge.com readers were asked to select their favorite Super Bowl ad, their votes were fairly evenly split...

BzzAgent seeks to turn word of mouth into a saleable medium; Nascent arena shows signs of maturing as it tries out its first rate card.(News)
February 13, 2006... Byline: MATTHEW CREAMER Could ordinary people's buzz about products be bought and sold by agencies like so much time on TV or radio? BzzAgent, a Boston-based firm, is betting it can, as it launches a word-of-mouth media channel through...

How Omnicom keeps business in the family; Culture of collaboration, laissez-faire approach give clients other options.(News)
February 13, 2006... Byline: MATTHEW CREAMER Even when Omnicom Group loses these days, it wins. Visa USA, Dell Computer Corp., and any number of Frito-Lay and Pepsi brands kept their business at the No. 1 holding company over the past year rather than go...

Logan's run: Reflecting on life at Time Warner.(News)(Interview)
February 13, 2006... Byline: NAT IVES Time Warner's Don Logan, 62, retired as chairman of the media and communications group Dec. 31, but he can sometimes still be found in his New York City office, filling his new role as nonexecutive chairman of Time Warner...

Media Morph: Wholphin.(Media Works)(Brief Article)
February 13, 2006... Byline: Nat Ives WHAT IT IS: A DVD magazine, a quarterly collection of "video short films, foreign sitcoms and cinematic artifacts.'' Its name, according to accompanying literature, is a cross between a whale and a dolphin. McSweeney's,...

U.S. magazine readers in for a `Shock'; Hachette looks to start category with monthly full of provocative images.(News)
February 13, 2006... Byline: NAT IVES When Shock magazine appears on newsstands May 31, its ambitions won't be modest. "We might open up a new category here,'' said Jack Kliger, president-CEO at Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S., which adapted the magazine from...