Advertising Age articles from February 2007

Advertising Age archives from February 2007

IT'S THE SUPER BOWL, NOT THE TOILET BOWL; Old-fashioned violence beats out fart jokes this year.
February 5, 2007... No nipples to speak of. No satin-sheet sexcrobatics. No igniting horse farts. Nope. Putting aside some minor GoDaddy.com va-va-va-voom, America was graced with an FCC-approved Super Bowl, just chockablock with good, wholesome,...

Colors: Designers duke it out on New York subway platform.(Adages)
February 5, 2007... Byline: Ken Wheaton New York commuters rushing across the Grand Central Terminal platform to catch the shuttle to Times Square last week might have taken pause-for once in their harried lives-to notice that the space had been furnished...

COURTING THE MIND OF A DIFFERENT KIND; THOUGHT LEADERS: In the near future, marketers will need to sway computers' brand preferences.
February 5, 2007... Byline: JOHN MAYO-SMITH Google, yahoo and msn aggregate information of many kinds, including the brand preferences and opinions of consumers; now there is evidence that computer programs at the root of these services are forming...

Here's a weird idea, marketers: Create ads to build your brand.(Viewpoint)
February 5, 2007... Byline: Rance Crain Jon fine, in his BusinessWeek "Media Centric'' column, said marketers need to "relax about getting weird'' in web ads. Jon, a former Ad Age reporter (and a very good one, I might add) stated: "Of the many factors...

Four A's tells shops to fight for their (idea) rights; Group takes stand against marketers' push to own creative put forth in pitches.(News)
February 5, 2007... Byline: LISA SANDERS lsanders@crain.com The four a's has two words of advice for agencies asked to give away rights to ideas they present in new-business pitches: Say no. It is the first time the trade association has taken a...

AUTO EXECS SETTLE IN THE CITY OF DREAMS; SHORT COMMUTE: Car industry's movie-action craving expands colony of execs; even Nashville-bound Nissan left its placement star behind.(Special Report: Madison & Vine)(automotive industry increase entertainment marketing)
February 5, 2007... Byline: MARC GRASER mgraser@crain.com The automotive industry has long had a love-love relationship with Hollywood. But the two are getting a little closer. That's because an increasing number of the biggest automakers are setting...

DYNAMIC ADS PUSH VIDEO GAMING TO HIGH SCORE IN ROI; ALL THE RIGHT BUTTONS: Publishers open up more video titles, consumer base expands and marketers attracted to ad-value data.(Special Report: Madison & Vine)(video-game advertising)
February 5, 2007... Byline: BETH SNYDER BULIK bbulik@crain.com In-game marketing is at its tipping point as the industry's triumvirate of publishers, consumers and marketers begin to move in step. A wide array of marketers are getting their names and...

Miller, A-B miss the point ... again.(Viewpoint)(Anheuser-Busch Companies Inc., Miller Brewing Co.)(Brief article)
February 5, 2007... Chill out, Miller and Anheuser-Busch. In seeking-again-to bottle a bit of Corona Extra's lightning, the two beer giants provide a case study in what not to do when confronted with a successful, if smaller, competitor. What the large...

Out of Site at AdAge.com.(Viewpoint)(Slate Corp. to sponsor Nascar team)(woman's self auction is turned into marketing )(Brief article)
February 5, 2007... As seen on Slate Conspiracists, start your engines: Nascar's newest Slate's Seth Stevenson, who lives down the street from the Free Masons' national temple, offers the details of the group's decision to sponsor a Nascar team....

McD's lovin' its lead, but still shakes up shops; EXCLUSIVE: AKQA, Just Kid, Arnold and Moroch all winners in new plan.(News)(McDonald's)
February 5, 2007... Byline: KATE MACARTHUR kmacarthur@crain.com Even as it revels in its best performance in decades, McDonald's is undergoing a $1 million to $2 million global-brand-strategy study and shifting national creative duties on its largest...

MindShare follows an industry trend, sets up multicultural unit; Moves Hispanic media work to specialist group led by a former client.(Multicultural)
February 5, 2007... Byline: LAUREL WENTZ lwentz@crain.com Mindshare is setting up a multicultural unit, part of a growing trend toward specialist shops in a Hispanic media market still dominated by full-service Latino ad agencies and their media...

This Hissy Sissy is adhering to higher ethical standards.(MediaWorks)(Column)
February 5, 2007... Byline: Simon Dumenco Can cnbc's sexy star Maria Bartiromo ever get the stink of Money Honeygate-the revelation that she cozied up to blandly handsome former Citigroup executive Todd Thomson-off herself? Thomson, as you've surely read, got...

Media Guy's Pop Pick: The new 'Los Angeles'; Our columnist's current media obsession.(MediaWorks)(Los Angeles Magazine)(Brief article)
February 5, 2007... Byline: s.d. To a snobby East Coast media guy like me, all the attention paid lately to the Los Angeles newspaper world has been really tiresome. Truth is, the only L.A.-based print media I'm ever really excited about is Los Angeles...

Losing its brand soul: How Saturn blew its advantage; Seeking to regain earlier position, automaker taps Deutsch for $190M biz.(News)(Deutsch Advertising)
February 5, 2007... Byline: Jean Halliday jhalliday@crain.com In november, Ad Age's Bob Garfield hooted down Goodby, Silverstein & Partners' campaign for the Saturn Aura, saying "there hardly seems to be another explanation, other than maybe absolute...

Blue-ribbon tips for newspapers from ... Pabst? Industry should emulate beer marketers' efforts to diversify, build WOM.(News)(word-of-mouth marketing recommended)
February 5, 2007... Byline: JEREMY MULLMAN jmullman@crain.com [las vegas] Desperate to help stop their industry's long slide, attendees at the Newspaper Association of America's marketing conference last week may have been expecting tips to help them...

Car talk: Ford listens in on consumers' online chatter; Information from BrandIntel may influence everything from ads to customer service.(News)(automakers hire agencies to promote their brands)
February 5, 2007... Byline: JEAN HALLIDAY jhalliday@crain.com Ford is joining the ranks of marketers realizing listening is as big a part of their jobs as talking. The automaker is the latest to join the search for unvarnished consumer comment online...

MARKETERS NEED COMPLEX MAPS; Government-inspired technology would enable consumer targeting that's 99% accurate.(CMO Strategy)
February 5, 2007... Byline: CARRIE EDWARDS With an average lifespan of fewer than 24 months and enormous pressure to measure and improve return on investment, chief marketing officers now more than ever require robust technologies that can assist in customer...

AdWatch.(employments in marketing industry)(Brief article)
February 5, 2007... Byline: Bradley Johnson Turnsignals U.S. AdMarket1 employment neared 1.6 million in November, its best since August 2002. Market-research firms employed 109,400 in November; employment passed 100,000 in June '96, peaked at 119,400 in...

GREAT SCOTT! K-C VALUE BRAND REACHES $1 BILLION; Lessons from the latest and least likely to join the club.(Kimberly-Clark Corp.'s Scott brand)
February 5, 2007... Byline: JACK NEFF jneff@crain.com In the panoply of billion-dollar package-goods brands, the newest may well be the lowliest. Kimberly-Clark Corp.'s Scott brand reached $1 billion in U.S. net sales for the first time in 2006, after...

A shopping-cart-ad plan that might actually work; MediaCart launches pilot program in Northeast as retailers express interest.(News)
February 5, 2007... Byline: JACK NEFF jneff@crain.com The shopping cart as ad medium-a so-far elusive dream for everyone from fledgling entrepreneurs to Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. and Saatchi & Saatchi CEO Kevin Roberts-may finally have found its killer...

killer content; With branded entertainment such as 'Gamekillers' selling Axe, marketers are plunging into an array of new-media platforms in what's become a 21st century wild, wild west.(Special Report: Madison & Vine)
February 5, 2007... Byline: MARC GRASER mgraser@crain.com When BMW of North America launched its much-heralded short-film series "The Hire'' in 2001, the automaker had few options to get the films seen by consumers. The shorts wound up on their own...

Let's Get Along.(Business of Life)(rules of office etiquette)(Brief article)
February 5, 2007... The rules of office etiquette have become blurred, according to Lynne Lancaster and David Stillman, the speaking and consulting team from BridgeWorks. Here are a few pointers: Learn the language * This means keeping up not only...

McBride's video massacre won't scare up any new business.(News)(Chuck McBride)(Brief article)
February 5, 2007... Byline: meredith deliso More than 7,000 people have viewed the Chuck McBride massacre on AdAge.com, a prelude to his breakaway from TBWA. But 81% of respondents don't think it will bring in clients. "Other than being a fun, random,...

STAR-STUDDED BUD.TV LAUNCHES WITH A SPLASH; A LAUGHER: Comedy, talk, viewer-generated commercials all geared to make website a regular stop for regular guys.(Special Report: Madison & Vine)
February 5, 2007... Byline: T.L. STANLEY tstanley@crain.com Could bud.tv be the next Comedy Central, HBO or Adult Swim? It's perhaps not such a far-fetched notion, considering Anheuser-Busch is spending in the neighborhood of $50 million to launch a...

'Wild, Wild East' automaker sets its sights on U.S. market; Mahindra to bring Indian cars, and a hefty ad layout, stateside in the fall of '08.(News)
February 5, 2007... Byline: JEAN HALLIDAY jhalliday@crain.com Never mind those Chinese automakers, which have grabbed gobs of media coverage about their plans to sell cars in the U.S. Now it's India's turn. Global Vehicles USA, Alpharetta, Ga., is...

Spot on; How one sports marketer has narrowed the field.(CMO Strategy)(Brief article)
February 5, 2007... With hot-spot technology, better targeting is possible. Here's an example: A sports marketer-unnamed for competitive reasons-recently used hot-spot technology to identify specific neighborhoods and to target potential customers within ZIP...

Moving forward requires letting go of dollar-for-dollar mentality.(Viewpoint)
February 5, 2007... Byline: Scott Donaton It's time to stop waiting for a dollar to be a dollar. There still seems to be this magical belief in some circles of the old... er, traditional... er, let's say "established'' media business that all balance...

Work: `?toma leche?' Grupo Gallegos, Long Beach, Calif.(Multicultural)(Brief article)
February 5, 2007... Hispanic shop Grupo Gallegos is inventing more places in the world of " Toma Leche?'' ("Got Milk?''). In one town, everyone sleeps so well after drinking milk before bed that all their wishes and dreams, however unlikely, come true as they...

Global highlight: Brazil's Ethos Institute's `Corruption Inc.'.(Ethos Institute tackles widespread corporate corruption)(Brief article)
February 5, 2007... Byline: claudia penteado [RIO DE JANEIRO] In Brazil, corruption is widespread and often regarded as inevitable. Now, a local group called the Ethos Institute has gotten 300 Brazilian companies to sign an anti-corruption pact and is...

Forget message boards. Wikis are where it's at; T-Mobile, eBay, others embrace tool as a way to connect with consumers.(Digital)
February 5, 2007... Byline: ABBEY KLAASSEN aklaassen@crain.com Marketers have added another item to the multichannel checklist: wikis. A wiki, popularized by the community-created encyclopedia site Wikipedia, is an easy way for a group of users to...

A lesson from the 'CBB' fiasco.(Celebrity Big Brother)
February 5, 2007... Byline: Ivan Pollard You've heard of "Celebrity Big Brother,'' right? Where they lock a bunch of C-list celebrities in a house hoping something interesting will happen? In the U.K., the program is part of the core scheduling of Channel...

The right ads at the right time-via Yahoo; Web giant looks to offer behavioral-targeting tools outside its own properties.(News)
February 5, 2007... Byline: ABBEY KLAASSEN aklaassen@crain.com Imagine the value to a national automaker of isolating a swath of people so ready to splurge on a fuel-friendly hybrid they've price shopped and maybe even placed an eBay bid to buy a Prius....

Trash trucks: a new hot spot for ads; IDEA SPOTTING: Glad's NYC campaign leads to 2% boost in market share.(News)
February 5, 2007... Byline: JACK NEFF jneff@crain.com The garbage truck may have become the latest advertising vehicle of the future. Ads on New York City garbage trucks have worked so well for makers of Glad trash bags-boosting market share two...

Heat Index; Weekly rating (0-10) of sizzle & fizzle.(MediaWorks)(Dean Baquet returns to New York Times Co.)(Lloyd Braun teams up with Gail Berman)(Fox News Network L.L.C., Anderson Cooper swipe each other)(Brief article)
February 5, 2007... 10 - MidSeason Replacements It's February sweeps, and that means the networks will once again air new episodes of popular shows they stopped airing after the last sweeps, such as Fox's "House,'' ABC's "Lost'' and CBS's "Jericho.'' 8 -...

Media Morph: Phonezoo.(Digital)(Brief article)
February 5, 2007... Byline: beth snyder bulik What it is: A kind of YouTube for ringtones, Phonezoo allows users to upload songs, samples, snippets and other audio files. Registered users can send tones directly to their phones for free. Phonezoo is...

Tear down these Disney walls.(Digital)
February 5, 2007... Byline: Steve Rubel Sometime in the next few days, perhaps by the time you read this, Walt Disney Co. will unveil the next iteration of its flagship website. CEO Bob Iger touted the relaunch last month during his keynote at the Consumer...

Honoring two mag legends.(Thomas O. Ryder and Lewis Lapham)(Brief article)
February 5, 2007... Byline: Nat Ives The magazine business delivered its highest honors Feb. 1 to Lewis Lapham, who led Harper's as editor in two stretches totaling nearly three decades, and Thomas O. Ryder, the Reader's Digest Association chairman who...

Latino branding guru looks to boost Batanga; Rick Marroquin joins multimedia company after five years at McD's.(Multicultural)
February 5, 2007... Byline: LAUREL WENTZ lwentz@crain.com One of the leading Hispanic marketers, McDonald's Corp.'s Rick Marroquin, has left the chain to try out his flair for brand-building as chief marketing officer of Batanga, a small but fast-growing...

On the move.(Multicultural)(appointment)(Brief article)
February 5, 2007... Rick Marroquin New job: Chief marketing officer, Batanga Challenge: Build small multimedia company into a leading Hispanic brand Cristina Vilella New job: Director-marketing, U.S. Hispanic, McDonald's Challenge: Keep...

Lola's goal? Become the BBH of the Latino world; Lowe's Madrid-based shop wants a creative presence across the globe.(Lowe Latina)
February 5, 2007... Byline: LAUREL WENTZ lwentz@crain.com If fernando vega Olmos has his way, a brand-new network will be built around Latino creativity, and its name is Lola. Mr. Vega Olmos, probably Argentina's most revered creative, will be...

Viacom gives YouTube the Napster treatment.(News)
February 5, 2007... Byline: ABBEY KLAASSEN And CLAIRE ATKINSON aklaassen@crain.com, catkinson@crain.com Viacom slammed on the brakes last week in its talks with YouTube, mounting the first major public challenge to the popular video-sharing site, and...

Why Google and gaming isn't a killer combination; Search titan eyes move into ad-insertion market, but buyers have doubts.(News)
February 5, 2007... Byline: ABBEY KLAASSEN aklaassen@crain.com Google getting into video games seems at first blush like a natural evolution-after all, gaming is hugely popular and growing, console games are increasingly web-connected, and the search...

In-store radio is music to some retailers' ears; Kmart, Rite Aid insert ads into programming to increase POP sales.(News)
February 5, 2007... Byline: ANDREW HAMPP ahampp@crain.com Attention shoppers: There's an ad playing in aisle seven. And by the storefront display case. Even in the bathrooms. In-store radio is nothing new to consumers who frequent department stores...

GM shouldn't be shocked if the UAW boycotts this spot; It's cute, it's emotional and it's horribly insulting to laid-off employees.(General Motors Corp.)
February 5, 2007... Byline: MATTHEW CREAMER mcreamer@crain.com Here's the plot: A General Motors assembly-line robot is given the boot from the factory, triggering a downward spiral that sees him working at a fast-food drive-thru before taking a plunge...

News from adage.com.(Briefs)(Brief article)
February 5, 2007... AKQA, one of adland's hottest digital properties, sold a majority stake in itself to private-equity firm General Atlantic. The San Francisco shop, whose clients include Visa, Coca-Cola Co., Microsoft Corp. and McDonald's, didn't disclose the...

Donaton promoted to publisher of 'Ad Age'; Former editor elevated from associate publisher as Jill Manee retires.(News)(Brief article)
February 5, 2007... Advertising age last week promoted Scott Donaton from associate publisher to publisher, an announcement that coincided with the retirement of Jill Manee. Ms. Manee said the move had been in the works for a while. "When we promoted Scott to...

HERE COMES THE ROEHM AGAIN; Think you're burned out on Unruly Julie? 'New York' bets it can tempt you.(News)
February 5, 2007... Byline: MATTHEW CREAMER mcreamer@crain.com "Note to ad age,'' wrote an unnamed New York reader in the comments section of our website on a Jan. 24 story about Julie Roehm's lawsuit against Wal-Mart. "Please don't keep Julie alive in...

Excerpt: 'Snakes in the Garden'; New York scores first post-Wal-Mart-scandal interview with Howard Draft.(News)(Interview)
February 5, 2007... One step in the process of Julie and Sean's hunt for a new ad agency was the chemistry check. "You're not buying widgets, OK,'' said Sean, "you're buying-'' "People,'' said Julie. "And you have to know who those people are.'' From...

Locked in a cultural battle of the ages; GENERATION GAP: Age issues are often more about a power struggle.(Business of Life)
February 5, 2007... Byline: MYA FRAZIER mfrazier@crain.com "who's bernbach?'' Bruce Kelley was taken aback at that response from a young colleague who'd just plopped the Martin Agency vice chairman firmly into the generation gap. Mr. Kelley,...

Lite-Brites, big city and a whole load of trouble; Millions watch as obscure cartoon's PR stunt sends Boston into terror panic.(News)
February 5, 2007... Byline: ANDREW HAMPP ahampp@crain.com It's sure to be remembered as one of the silliest marketing efforts of all time, trumped only in its absurdity by the reaction it provoked-a reaction that should ensure the Turner Broadcasting...

Arches' java gets 'CR' thumbs up.(News)(Brief article)
February 5, 2007... Byline: kate macarthur McDonald's has the best coffee for the money, beating out Starbucks, Burger King and Dunkin' Donuts, according to a surprising Consumer Reports study. But rivals might be quick to reject the findings as the...

What it will mean for marketers.(News)(Brief article)
February 5, 2007... Byline: andrew hampp Turner's fiasco has raised a red flag for marketers looking to conduct viral outdoor campaigns. "There's a possibility that after what happened in Boston, these agencies will start having to hire lawyers,'' said Doug...

Corrections.(Viewpoint)(Correction notice)
February 5, 2007... * Re: "Other Ways to Play the Game" chart (AA, Jan. 29), the chart included an incorrect figure for 2006's network pre- and post-game Super Bowl ad revenue because of an error by TNS Media Intelligence. TNS said the correct figure was $38.1...

People & Players.(briefs)(Brief article)
February 5, 2007... Park city, utah: Sundance Film Festival Entertainment Weekly throws a party sponsored by L'Oreal Paris and DirecTV to celebrate actor Kevin Bacon's new charitable initiative, Six Degrees. (From l.) Entertainment Weekly President-Publisher...

Images of the Week: The world's first consumer-generated Super Bowl ads.(Work)(Brief article)
February 5, 2007... CHEVY 'Car Wash' Katie Crabb, 19, North Prairie, Wis. Back Story * Journalism student, University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee * Pitch time to client and agency: 10 minutes * Shoot location: New York * Ad produced by...

Brand-supported fare is finding its place on a wide array of platforms:.(Special Report: Madison & Vine)(briefs)(Brief article)
February 5, 2007... Websites With more than 100 million people on-line and broadband in 90% of work-places, streaming video is building empires for You- Tube, Google Video, AOL and MSN, all of which collect branded content. Video-on-demand VOD...

Quotes.(Special Report: Madison & Vine)(Quotation)
February 5, 2007... "The proliferation of media has probably caused the greatest amount of chaos in terms of budgeting and the expense of it" -Jon Kamen, chairman-CEO of Radical Media "It feels like the wild, wild west. We are constantly keeping up with...

Work: `[umlaut]toma leche?' Grupo Gallegos, Long Beach, Calif.(Multicultural)(Brief article)
February 5, 2007... Hispanic shop Grupo Gallegos is inventing more places in the world of "[umlaut]Toma Leche?'' ("Got Milk?''). In one town, everyone sleeps so well after drinking milk before bed that all their wishes and dreams, however unlikely, come true as...

McD's lovin' its lead, but still shakes up shops; EXCLUSIVE: AKQA, Just Kid, Arnold and Moroch all winners in new plan.(News)(McDonald's Corp.)
February 5, 2007... Byline: KATE MACARTHUR ***** Correction: In "McDonald's Hits Record Revenue but Shakes Up Agencies''(AA, Feb. 5), Advertising Age reported McDonald's had shifted national advertising duties for its breakfast business from national...

Out of Site at AdAge.com.(Viewpoint)
February 12, 2007... As seen on MTV.com No more tears: Ozzfest to be free According to MTV News, Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne have decided that this year's Ozzfest will be free to concertgoers. Bands won't be paid; instead the tour will rely on sponsors to...

Marketing-savvy creatives offer more than just punch lines.
February 12, 2007... Byline: Teressa Iezzi Late last month, I sat in a room with 11 very accomplished creative directors to talk about the nature of their jobs. The first thing I learned was that I didn't have to try that hard to ensure the assembled group...

Nearly one-third of AAF minority candidates vacate ad industry; Lack of mentors biggest stumbling block; being pigeonholed also an issue.(American Advertising Federation)(Most Promising Minority Student)(Brief article)
February 12, 2007... Byline: BROOKE CAPPS bcapps@crain.com One month after the New York City Commission on Human Rights released its minority-hiring goals for agencies, 50 of the most talented minority students in advertising came to New York for lunch-and...

Bowl advertisers drop the ball online; Millions re-viewed spots last week, but aggregator sites grabbed the eyeballs.(News)(Super bowl)
February 12, 2007... Byline: JACK NEFF jneff@crain.com Super bowl advertisers fumbled post-game viewing of their ads online by failing to buy search terms such as "Super Bowl ads'' and overlooking in their marketing popular websites that aggregate Super...

Five ways Apple is going after Vista.(Apple Inc.)(Brief article)
February 12, 2007... Online: On Apple.com, the company lists reasons to get a Mac instead of upgrading to Vista. On TV: Recent ads in the "Mac vs. PC'' campaign call out the brand-Vista-as the problem. In e-mail: Sending out mass sales messages is not a...

Breast-feeding execs add another appointment to busy schedules; While some offices offer nursing rooms, often a bathroom stall has to do.(Business of Life)
February 12, 2007... Byline: MYA FRAZIER mfrazier@crain.com Heidi singleton sat crouched inside a bathroom stall, rushing to squeeze in a breast-pumping session while a client waited in a nearby conference room, the unidentifiable swoosh, swoosh rhythm of...

Svedka's ad transgressions.(Brief article)
February 12, 2007... 2004: Discus board rules that the website's images of barely clothed women on all fours acting as vodka serving trays violate "generally accepted contemporary standards of good taste.'' Discus also finds Svedka guilty of "relying on sexual...

Apple plan: Lead consumers into temptation-and away from Vista.(News)
February 12, 2007... Byline: BETH SNYDER BULIK bbulik@crain.com Mac's on the attack. As Microsoft threw public parties in Times Square to celebrate its Vista operating system and lavished an estimated $500 million on the launch, barely a peep has been...

Computer giant Lenovo takes its PCs on the road; Tour of 1,000 small cities hypes Olympics theme, boosts sales over 50.(The World)(Lenovo Group Ltd.)
February 12, 2007... Byline: NORMANDY MADDEN nmadden@crain.com [beijing] Chinese computer giant Lenovo Group is bringing new meaning to the word roadshow with a massive 1,000-city tour of China's smaller towns, ranging from the capitals of outlying...

Who will be new Rain maker?(The World)(Korean international marketing strategy)
February 12, 2007... Byline: Dave Mccaughan Japan's prime minister recently declared he wanted to more actively support the exportation of Japanese musicians, anime movies and other popular entertainment to the world. Why? Rain. That's the Korean singer Rain,...

Media Morph DivineCaroline.com.(Digital)(Website overview)(Brief article)
February 12, 2007... Byline: abbey klaassen What it is: What MySpace might look like if Oprah were in charge. The first of three community sites from Real Girls Media, DivineCaroline is the antithesis of the uber-masculine sentiment of Heavy.com, Break.com and...

Who's really viewing YouTube; Mike Vorhhaus on Digital Consumers.(Digital)(Brief article)
February 12, 2007... Byline: Mike Vorhaus As online video takes hold in america, many people seem to be under the impression that only young people are drawn to this type of content and that the videos are mostly generated by consumers. In fact, nothing...

Facing Web 2.0, About goes straight to video; Up against the likes of Wikipedia, site evolves to offer up info in new forms.(Digital)(About Inc.)
February 12, 2007... Byline: ABBEY KLAASSEN aklaassen@crain.com Since about.com launched in 1997 (called Mining Co. at the time), it has served as a comprehensive repository of topical, professionally produced content on the web. But today the information...

Turning around.(News)(National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing Inc.)(Brief article)
February 12, 2007... Nascar's plan to pull out of what it hopes was a pit stop in 2006 * Draw in new blood while keeping hard-core fans happy. * Use TV partners wisely, offering coverage for both newcomers and insiders (and more opportunities for sponsors...

Plato's logos may reject emotion, but he didn't work on Pepsi ads.(Garfield's AdReview)
February 12, 2007... Byline: Bob Garfield The cola wars are back, and oh, how Plato would have chuckled. (Not that he was especially lighthearted. He'd always say preposterous things just to start an argument, not to mention the most obnoxious...

Granny, git yer panties!(Adages)(Dove's "Campaign for Real Beauty'')(Ellen DeGeneres to feature on the cover of W magazine)(GLAAD Media Awards)
February 12, 2007... Byline: Ken Wheaton Adages doesn't often have reason to crack open a copy of Ladies' Home Journal. It's no reflection on the magazine. Let's just say we're not exactly the target demographic. But last week, when we caught sight of the...

And the winner is ... everyone!(News)(advertising during the Super Bowl)(Brief article)
February 12, 2007... Byline: ken wheaton For marketers, the super bowl's like Little League-everyone wins, depending on the rankings used. For example, Doritos' consumer-created "Live the Flavor'' was No. 1 on IAG's best-liked list, but IAG's most-recalled was...

News from adage.com.(Briefs)(Brief article)
February 12, 2007... Jim Samples stepped down from his position as general manager of Cartoon Network Feb. 9 as a direct result of his company's involvement in the previous week's "Aqua Teen Hunger Force'' marketing snafu in Boston. The failed stunt cost parent...

Don't let consumer-created ads drown out larger conversation.(Viewpoint)
February 12, 2007... Byline: Jonah Bloom As i did my Super Bowl media rounds, offering my predictable thoughts on predictable commercials to weary general-market journalists whose editors or producers had demanded a segment on the big game, I was repeatedly...

Dodging the risks of major marketing change; IN CONTROL: CMOs can successfully shift gears by asking the right questions.(CMO Strategy)(Interview)
February 12, 2007... Byline: KUSUM L. AILAWADI And SCOTT A. NESLIN Developing and implementing annual marketing plans-and adapting them as needed through the year-is a tough responsibility for any marketing manager. Implementing major shifts in marketing...

'Aqua Teen' hubbub shows true power of guerrilla tactics.(News)(Cartoon Network promotional campaign for Aqua Teen Hunger Force)(Brief article)
February 12, 2007... Byline: emily tan "The U.S. is going nuts with security hysteria. We need more pushing the envelope, not less,'' said Robin Garr, media director-supervisor for Clifton Organic Works. Adam Reid, director-manager of advertising and...

GM cuts $600M off ad spend-yes, really; EXCLUSIVE: Automaker says it's less, but media owners still got burned.(News)(General Motors Corp.)(Brief article)
February 12, 2007... Byline: JEAN HALLIDAY jhalliday@crain.com GM slashed ad spending by more than $600 million last year, a drop so stunning it should convince even the staunchest doubters that the age of mass-media marketing is going the way of the horse...

In decade before 2006, GM's ad spending soared; From '93 to '05, layout more than doubled, but market share nosedived.(News)(General Motors Corp.)
February 12, 2007... Byline: BRADLEY JOHNSON bjohnson@crain.com General motors Corp.'s estimated U.S. measured media spending tumbled in the first 11 months of last year, but that came only after a remarkable run-up in spending over the past decade. ...

HOW NASCAR PLANS TO GET BACK ON THE FAST TRACK; With a $4.5B TV deal and Toyota in the fold, the league is out to prove '06 was just a speed bump.(News)(Toyota Motor Corp., National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing Inc., ESPN/ABC Sports Customer Marketing and Sales)
February 12, 2007... Byline: RICH THOMASELLI rthomaselli@crain.com [daytona, fla.] "Ah, who cares about that sponsor and marketing stuff,'' veteran driver Mark Martin said during Nascar Media Day last week. He's kidding, of course. This is the same...

Unilever, P&G battle hits YouTube; Sunsilk viral brings buzz, but huge display-ad buy satisfies Herbal Essences.(News)(Procter & Gamble Co.)
February 12, 2007... Byline: JACK NEFF jneff@crain.com A profanity-laced video of a screaming bride who cuts chunks from her hair in a fit over her style drew 12 million YouTube views and reams of publicity, including segments on "The Tonight Show with Jay...