Advertising Age articles from January 2008

Advertising Age archives from January 2008

Remembering Phil Dusenberry.(News)(BBDO Worldwide Inc.)(In memoriam)
January 7, 2008... Byline: steve hayden Phil was the sun king of the golden age of TV advertising. He made commercials more entertaining than the shows they sponsored and transformed brands into pop icons with global reach. He hired me in 1985 to work on...

IAG Research: Spanish- language ads.(Hispanic)(Report)(Brief article)
January 7, 2008... Byline: jean halliday IAG Research has started measuring Spanish-language TV ads for effectiveness and audience engagement, and said initial results revealed Hispanics like commercials on Telemundo and Univision better than those seen in...

AD INDUSTRY MOURNS A 'NATURAL'; Phil Dusenberry pioneered celebrity endorsements, created memorable ads for GE, Pepsi, FedEx.(News)(BBDO Worldwide Inc.)(Obituary)
January 7, 2008... Byline: Rupal Parekh Phil Dusenberry, the famed BBDO creative known for campaigns such as GE's "We Bring Good Things to Life'' and Pepsi's "The Choice of a New Generation'' died at his Manhattan home Dec. 29 after a battle with lung...

Transforming the movie-rental model; Netflix tries set-top box; Apple, 20th Century Fox ponder a partnership.(CES Preview)
January 7, 2008... Byline: BRIAN STEINBERG What will it take to get consumers to fork over good money for entertainment when so much already is available online free? Two deals-one already announced, one anticipated-illustrate what content producers and...

Remembering Steve Florio.(News)(Conde Nast Publications Inc.)(In memoriam)
January 7, 2008... Byline: richard beckman, scott donaton The first time I met Steve Florio was in 1985; he was the publisher of The New Yorker and taking time out of his hectic schedule to meet with me. I was 25, a boy from North London interviewing for the...

The boomers get attention and the weak get culled in 2008.(trends in advertising)(Industry overview)(Column)
January 7, 2008... Byline: Jonah Bloom Here's a look at what's coming in 2008. Darwinian culling of traditional media properties Even the quadrennial kick of Olympics and election won't be enough to hide the fact that advertisers are spending more...

How Ford snared starring role in 'Knight Rider' TV movie.(News)(Ford Shelby GT500KR)
January 7, 2008... Byline: claude brodesser-akner Asked what inspired him to do the original "Knight Rider,'' TV writer-producer Glen A. Larson once famously explained, "I wanted to do `The Lone Ranger' with a car.'' Last time around the car was GM's...

WHY BRANDS WIN IN REALITY COMPETITIONS; MADISON & VINE: Integrations on 'Project Runway,' 'Top Chef' leave lasting impressions on viewers.(News)(IAG Research)
January 7, 2008... Byline: ANDREW HAMPP Want consumers to remember your brand integrations? Try a Bravo competition reality series. The NBC Universal cable network finished 2007 with some of the highest engagement and brand-recall indexes of IAG...

Carson Kressley encourages ladies to get naked, look good.(MediaWorks)(Lifetime Television Network's reality program 'How To Look Good Naked')
January 7, 2008... Byline: Andrew Hampp It was so cold in Times Square last week even the Naked Cowboy didn't show up to a marketing gig for Lifetime's new series "How to Look Good Naked.'' But 160 women in white "How To Look Good Naked'' trench coats...

MTV plots comeback after new currency guts ratings; Net gets more aggressive with ad programming, branded entertainment.(News)(MTV Networks Inc.)
January 7, 2008... Byline: ANDREW HAMPP Mtv is well aware of the tumble its ratings took going into last year's upfront sales, so for 2008, the cable network built on music videos has resolved to make sure viewers interact with brands in every way possible....

RECOGNIZE THE POWER OF THE CULTURAL CONSUMER; ELITE NO MORE: The segment of creative-minded Americans is expanding and creating a big opportunity for marketers.(CMO Strategy)
January 7, 2008... Byline: PATRICIA MARTIN Here's a riddle for the new marketplace being formed by the convergence of art, technology, business and education: If creativity is the gift of a talented few, why are so many people suddenly creative? CMOs...

IOWA UPENDS POLITICAL-AD WISDOM; Bigger ain't necessarily better, men can sell to women and Gen Y does know how to caucus.(News)(political advertising)
January 7, 2008... Byline: IRA TEINOWITZ Mitt romney and Hillary Clinton learned a basic truth of marketing the hard way: All the media weight in the world isn't going to help if people don't like the message or the product. With the New Hampshire...

Agencies, define your uniqueness for job seekers.(TalentWorks)(Viewpoint essay)
January 7, 2008... Byline: BRIAN BROOKER Most people look at a red barn and see exactly that-a red barn. Instead, I see our challenge. When we try to recruit talent to Barkley in Kansas City, Mo., I know that's the first thing that pops into their heads (an...

Error 2007: A fatal error has occurred! Abort? Or retry? Vista was Microsoft's big humiliation last year; will a crop of Windows-free laptops ruin Bill Gates' 2008?(MediaWorks)(Microsoft Windows Vista)(Column)
January 7, 2008... On the eve of this week's nerdvana-the annual Consumer Electronics Show media orgy in Las Vegas-I can't help but feel pity for the world's most famous nerd: Bill Gates. For starters, there's no other tech titan who has endured as much...

Planning to go? Here are some tips.(CES Preview)
January 7, 2008... Byline: abbey klaassen Some say the best way to attend the Consumer Electronics Show is online. That's why we're sacrificing our sleep to scour the floor for the coolest innovations with the most potential to change the way marketers reach...

Double cheeseburgers working triple time at fast feeders.(News)(McDonald's Corp., Wendy's International Inc. and Burger King Corp.)
January 7, 2008... Byline: EMILY BRYSON YORK It's dollar double cheeseburger or bust at the big three fast feeders this winter. After years of playing into the mass-affluence trend by trying to get their consumers to trade up to pricier, fancier fare,...

E-newsletter is CPG killer app; Basic digital tool beats search among seekers of package-goods info.(News)(consumer packaged goods)
January 7, 2008... Byline: JACK NEFF For all the widgets, WAP and Web 2.0 offerings, the humble e-newsletter appears to be the digital medium of choice for consumers seeking information on package goods. In the latest of several studies showing...

EXPAND YOUR BRAND COMMUNITY ONLINE; JOIN THE DIALOGUE: Social media provides a new opportunity for sparking excitement about products and services.(CMO Strategy)(online social networks)
January 7, 2008... Byline: PATRICK HANLON And JOSH HAWKINS These days, consumers self-select into a media environment of trusted, on-demand sources. Traditional 30-second TV spots, viral stunts and PR campaigns are subject to rerouting through a milieu of...

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: Dusenberry was about creativity, perfection.(Viewpoint)
January 7, 2008... All ad agencies are obliged to say they're all about creativity. What's the alternative? "Our creative is OK, but our accounts-receivable department is state of the art''? At BBDO, under the leadership of Phil Dusenberry, it wasn't just...

Weather has big media players chatting up a storm; News Corp., Comcast among those showing interest in network, site.(News)(The Weather Channel Inc. and The Weather Channel Interactive Inc. weather.com )
January 7, 2008... Byline: ANDREW HAMPP Get ready for everyone to start talking about the weather-that is, the Weather Channel and Weather.com. Now that Norfolk, Va.-based Landmark Communications has put the most widely distributed independently owned...

Three trends that will shape digital in 2008; on digital communications.(Digital media and marketing)(Viewpoint essay)
January 7, 2008... Byline: Steve Rubel The new year is when people like to make predictions. However, I find it more valuable to look at the bigger picture-the trends that will play a role in shaping digital media and marketing over the next 12 months. ...

Media Morph: Next-generation e-mail.(Digital)(Xobni provides services for social networking site)(Brief article)
January 7, 2008... Byline: abbey klaassen The premise: One hot online space to watch in 2008: that internet relic we call e-mail. Just when we all thought it was dead, thanks to the massive popularity of social networking, several companies are cropping up...

More football fans hit ESPN's mobile site than its PC pages; Three times this season, the phone's NFL content reigned; shift could be a bellwether for the medium.(Digital)
January 7, 2008... Byline: ALICE Z. CUNEO The biggest upset of this football season may have been Appalachian State University's victory over Michigan. But for the mobile-marketing industry, it came the day ESPN had more visits to the NFL content on its...

Fox hopes candy man can sweeten sales plans; Net brings in Nestle vet in effort to increase its TV-marketing savvy.(News )(Brian Owens provides the service to Fox Broadcasting Co.)(Occupation overview)
January 7, 2008... Byline: BRIAN STEINBERG Brian owens isn't your typical TV executive. Prior to his arrival at News Corp.'s Fox in December, he worked at Nestle for 11 years, devising marketing programs for Raisinets and Nestle Crunch. Now he'll try to take...

A-B primes marketing pump, looks to take advantage of turmoil in '08; Brewer eyes Miller-Coors merger as opportunity to grow its core brands.(News)(Anheuser-Busch Companies Inc.)
January 7, 2008... Byline: JEREMY MULLMAN The new year is likely to be a volatile one for many players in the beer industry. Miller and Coors are planning to merge their U.S. operations, the leading imports are scrambling to regain lost momentum, prices will...

Ads for skyrocketing Blue Moon.(News)(Molson Coors Brewing Co.)(Brief article)
January 7, 2008... Byline: jeremy mullman Blue Moon, the Coors-owned craft beer with the explosive, ad-free growth , has quietly started advertising. The Belgian-style wheat beer last year began placing print ads in local newsweeklies and national...

Why even hardened racists will vote for Barack Obama.(Garfield's AdReview)
January 7, 2008... Byline: Bob Garfield A few years back, a relative was visiting from out of town and showed us a snapshot. It was his son posing with a new acquaintance. Big smiles all around. The acquaintance was a priest. And he was black. Why carry...

What You Say; 67% of respondents said the money was.(News)(political advertisement spending in Iowa )(Brief article)
January 7, 2008... Byline: ken wheaton THE question: Considering the small turnout for the Iowa caucuses and bigger primary battles ahead, was the record spending in Iowa money well spent? Perhaps it's a case of East Coast bias, but the overwhelming...

Why buy the shop when you can get the work for free?(Adages)(Woodbine Agency uses online social networks for business)
January 7, 2008... And you thought speed dating was just for those who can't even find a partner online, a two-hour event designed to remind a person that sometimes staying single is better than the alternative? Apparently it's a good way for an agency to pick a...

Braun parks it all at Omnicom; Latest to take holding-co. tack; P&G says strategy not right for all its brands.(News)(Braun AG )(Omnicon Group Inc.)
January 7, 2008... Byline: JACK NEFF Braun has become the latest Procter & Gamble Co. brand to adopt a holding-company assignment: Longtime creative shop BBDO Worldwide will lead an all-Omnicom Group cast of marketing-services agencies, according to P&G. ...

P&G's Venus: Goddess to problem-child; Dogged by trademark litigation, beloved brand hasn't grown as hoped.(News)(Procter & Gamble Co.'s Venus Razors and Gillette Mach3 marketing)
January 7, 2008... Byline: JACK NEFF The men's shaving business was the biggest attraction when Procter & Gamble Co. shelled out $57 billion nearly three years ago for Gillette, but it was no secret the giant marketer long had coveted women's brand Venus...

Ad wars move to South Carolina.(Iowa 2008)(political advertising)(Viewpoint essay)
January 7, 2008... Byline: Evan Tracey In an advertising sense, Iowa's numbers were very impressive. More than $45 million was spent on broadcast TV ads by 12 candidates and 18 groups. That is almost half the $107 million that has been spent in all the...

NEWS from adage.com.(Briefs)(Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. ranked second by overtaking Ford Motor Co.)(Mark Serrianne of Northlich steps now as the CEO and sells the entire stake of the company)(Nike Inc. awards contract to advertising agency 72 and Sunny)(Brief article)
January 7, 2008... Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. overtook Ford Motor Co. in U.S. sales in 2007, bumping the Detroit automaker to the No.3 spot. Toyota last year sold 61,962 more cars and light trucks than Ford, according to the Automotive News Data Center. Toyota...

'Knight Rider' reborn, pilots killed off; NBC's Ben Silverman hopes talking car is fix for broken TV model.(News)(National Broadcasting Company Inc. NBC Entertainment)(Ford Shelby GT500KR)
January 7, 2008... Byline: CLAUDE BRODESSER-AKNER Kitt, the car star of the 1980s hit series "Knight Rider,'' is set for a return to our screens next month with the Mustang Shelby GT500KR as the hero. The re-emergence of the talking auto, in an NBC two-hour...

JC Penney opens review for $32 million Hispanic account; Splits with Dieste Harmel; Vidal and Conill to participate.(News)(Partners)(Vidal Partnership and Conill Advertising Inc. )(Brief article)
January 7, 2008... Byline: LAUREL WENTZ JC penney co. has started a review for its $32 million U.S. Hispanic account after splitting with Omnicom Group's Dieste Harmel & Partners, Dallas, and the marketer expects to pick a new agency in March. The...

Multicultural players make social networks, mobile their priorities; ANA survey finds clients show more movement, interest in areas than general-market counterparts.(Hispanic)(Association of National Advertisers)(Survey)
January 7, 2008... Byline: LAUREL WENTZ Multicultural marketers are doing more mobile marketing and are more interested in using social networks than their general-market counterparts. The Association of National Advertisers recently surveyed its...

WHAT HAPPENS IN VEGAS MATTERS FOR MARKETERS; Big-name attendees make clear event is not just for nerds anymore.(CES Preview)(2008 Consumer Electronics Show, Las Vegas)
January 7, 2008... Byline: ABBEY KLAASSEN The attendee log for this week's Consumer Electronics Show reads like a cocktail-party invite list at the annual Association of National Advertisers conference. Once a bastion of tech barons, consumer-electronics...

A 'PIRATE' AND FATHER FIGURE AT CONDE NAST; Tough-talking exec became ad-world legend and nurtured entire generation of talent at publisher.(News)(Steven T. Florio of Conde Nast Publications Inc.)(Obituary)
January 7, 2008... Byline: BRIAN STEINBERG Steven t. florio, the magazine executive who used his larger-than-life persona to run Conde Nast Publications during what may turn out to be one of the last big boom periods for print media, died Dec. 27 from...

Upfront up in the air for Spanish-language networks; Telemundo, Univision undecided on what action to take for spring.(Hispanic)(Telemundo Communications Group Inc.)(Univision Communications Inc.)(Brief article)
January 7, 2008... Byline: LAUREL WENTZ Spanish-language tv is unaffected by the writers' strike and has no lack of fresh programming, but both major networks are wondering, like their English-language rivals, whether to go ahead with the annual blowout...

Yes, politicians can teach marketers a thing or two.(Viewpoint essay)
January 7, 2008... We would never urge major marketers to mimic political advertising-the lowest-common-denominator messages, the clutter of cliches, the empty and meaningless promises, the sometimes-dubious quality of spots slapped together in a hurry. That's to...

But wait, there's more: Eight great creative moments of '07.(Columns)
January 7, 2008... Byline: Teressa Iezzi Thorough as it was, Ad Age's Book of Tens just couldn't accommodate the many moments of creative excellence that gave 2007 its texture. Here, some creative highlights that may have been missed among the lists of...

Out of Site at Adage.com.(Columns)
January 7, 2008... As seen on AdAge.com/ smallagency Cleveland: Why make resolutions? This is not a trick question. Many times we make resolutions with no faith that we will succeed at achieving the prescribed goal. So why make them if we aren't planning...

Fox, Verizon team for 'Terminator'.(News)(Fox Broadcasting Co. and Verizon Communications Inc.)(Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles)(Brief article)
January 7, 2008... Byline: brian steinberg It's no secret that sci-fi fans and "Terminator'' movie buffs are a prime audience for Fox's "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles,'' set to make its debut Jan. 13. But Fox believes the sci-fi drama has the...

NBC readies new upfront as video goes out-of-home; Meeting this month comes as strike threatens spring presentations.(News)(NBC Universal Inc.)
January 7, 2008... Byline: BRIAN STEINBERG In a sign of the emerging power of out-of-home video NBC Universal has planned its first upfront presentation for its digital outdoor assets. The media company is hoping to get more advertisers to consider NBC for...

Timberland, Arnold go separate ways.(News)(Timberland Co. and Arnold Worldwide)(Brief article)
January 7, 2008... Byline: Rupal parekh After a three-year relationship, footwear and apparel retailer Timberland Co. and its global creative agency, Havas' Arnold, Boston, are parting ways with the retailer's account going into review. Both parties...

THE HEAT INDEX; Weekly rating (0-10) of sizzle and fizzle.(MediaWorks)
January 7, 2008... 10 Weather Channel Landmark puts one of last independent cable networks on the block. Expect a bit of a bidding war among NBC, News Corp. and Comcast. 8 Return of Late Night David Letterman and Craig Ferguson manage to keep their writers,...

People and Players.(People & Players)
January 7, 2008... miami: stars of the year People en Espa[currency]ol celebrates its year-end issue. (From l.) People en Espa[currency]ol Publisher Jackie Hernandez; actress Angelica Vale; People en Espa[currency]ol Managing Editor Armando Correa; and...

Work of the Week.(Work)(advertising executive Phil Dusenberry)(Brief article)
January 7, 2008... A FEW OF PHIL'S FAVORITE THINGS Phil Dusenberry (see P. 11) set the bar for advertising creative in the second half of the 20th century. He even wrote a big-time Hollywood movie. In the early days of the 21st century, his "New York...

Ogilvy's idea to yield a big turnaround: Think small; Revamp de-emphasizes advertising, puts accent on holistic marketing.(News)
January 14, 2008... Byline: RUPAL PAREKH Last thursday, in front of the 1,300 staffers crowded in Manhattan's Cipriani restaurant, Ogilvy North America co-CEO Carla Hendra ruled that the 60-year-old agency would now be in "perpetual beta,'' a state of...

The scoop might have lost value, but advertisers still need the news.(Column)
January 14, 2008... Byline: Rance Crain Rick smith, who stepped down last year as Newsweek CEO and editor in chief, is upbeat about most things, but he's not so optimistic about the value of good reporting in today's media universe. "There used to be a...

Colbert follows rule of good writing: Show, don't tell.(MediaWorks)(talk show hosts Stephen Colbert and Jon Stewart )
January 14, 2008... Byline: Ann Marie Kerwin Is a unibrow funnier than a strike beard? Apparently not. Last week, Viacom's late night hosts, Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert, were back on air, producing their first shows since the writers strike began Nov....

Marketing challenges loom for big retailers; Kohl's, Macy's, others likely to lean on promos to lure reluctant shoppers.(Recession Impact)
January 14, 2008... Byline: NATALIE ZMUDA With a poor holiday season behind them and perhaps a recession looming, the nation's largest retailers, including Kohl's, JC Penney and Macy's, are wrestling with the question of how to get consumers through the doors...

Cialis' pitch: Have sex more than twice a week; Ads will shift focus from 36-hour window after approval of daily dosage.(News)(Eli Lilly & Co.)
January 14, 2008... Byline: RICH THOMASELLI The famous "36-hour window'' that differentiated erectile-dysfunction drug Cialis from its competitors is no longer needed-either for sex or as a marketing tool. The Food and Drug Administration last week...

WHO JUST MADE A BOWL BUY? IT'S A BIG SECRET; After years on sideline, lingerie retailer Victoria's Secret gets back in the game.(News)
January 14, 2008... Byline: NATALIE ZMUDA Guess who's coming back to the Super Bowl. For the first time since 1999, Victoria's Secret has purchased a 30-second spot, which is slated to run once during the second half of the game. Executives at the Limited...

Media Morph: OLED.(Digital)(Brief article)
January 14, 2008... Byline: abbey klaassen What it is: A TV-screen technology to add to a jargon dictionary that already includes LCD, DLP and plasma. Technically, it stands for organic light-emitting diode and uses an organic carbon material as it converts...

Internet and TV lead list of ways men pass the time; on digital communications.(Digital)(Report)
January 14, 2008... Byline: Mike Vorhaus We asked consumers of both genders and most ages to identify from a list of activities, their favorite leisure activity. This month we look at the males-what are their favorite ways to spend leisure time? No...

Provocative? Please. Equinox ads just mimic other 'shockers'.(Garfield's AdReview)(Equinox Fitness Clubs)
January 14, 2008... Byline: Bob Garfield The new campaign for Equinox gyms is one, if we are to believe the press release, "like no other.'' Yeah, sure it is. In fact, the campaign from Fallon Worldwide is like many, many others. It is every perverse...

The Motor City on the ropes.(News)(BBDO Detroit layoffs 80 employees)
January 14, 2008... Byline: jean halliday When Chrysler Chief Marketing Officer Deborah Wahl Meyer took the stage at Detroit's Adcraft Club on Friday, there was an elephant in the room among the 1,000 members at the sold-out lunch. Chrysler's creative and...

Disappointing sales leads Wendy's to consider new hairstyle; Wig catches on as icon, but isn't bringing more traffic through the door.(News)(Saatchi & Saatchi's red-wig campaign for Wendy's International Inc.)(Brief article)
January 14, 2008... Byline: EMILY BRYSON YORK And RUPAL PAREKH Wendy's looks ready to flip its wig. The Saatchi & Saatchi campaign has been popular with customers but unpopular with franchisees. Add in disappointing sales results and the December...

Conde Nast shake-up widens race for crown; With top CEO contender Fox out, Wackermann, Florio join the shortlist.(News)(Mitch Fox, Bill Wackermann, Tom Florio)
January 14, 2008... Byline: NAT IVES For a few hours last Monday morning, Conde Nast seemed like the rumpus room of yore: Ad Age and BusinessWeek were told of executives losing their jobs before the company could announce the news; magazines were reassigned...

Verizon web spot inspires viewers to get the Led out.(Adages)(Verizon Communications Inc.)(Led Zeppelin)(Column)
January 14, 2008... Byline: Ken Wheaton Did you know that Led Zeppelin is practically satanic and that if you play "Stairway to Heaven'' backward, the devil comes through your window later that night and sends you straight to hell-in a Ford Pinto, no less?...

Something to think about before you click on a post about puke; Will the new pay system at Nick Denton's media empire change the economics for writing talent?(MediaWorks)(Gawker Media)
January 14, 2008... Byline: Simon Dumenco In january 1973, National Lampoon published what would become one of the most famous magazine covers of all time: A photograph of a cute pup with a gun held to its head, next to the headline "If You Don't Buy This...

The show does go on, as do plugs for P&G; MADISON & VINE: No red carpet at People's Choice.(Procter & Gamble Co.)
January 14, 2008... Byline: JACK NEFF Even if the show does go on, the result may not be pretty for Oscar advertisers. The experience of marketers in the People's Choice Awards last week offered a sobering glimpse of what could await them on February's...

The question: Can Mike Huckabee keep winning without upping spending? 72% said the GOP candidate will have to ramp it up.(News)(Brief article)
January 14, 2008... It was another landslide of negativity this week, as 72% of the nearly 180 respondents said former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee can't keep up his early success in the Republican race without shelling out more money. Bob Warterfield of TD...

Getting them is tough; keeping them is tougher.(TalentWorks)(employee retention)(Viewpoint essay)
January 14, 2008... Byline: BRIAN BROOKER As soon as new employees accept their jobs, they think about leaving. It's human nature. Once you get people in the door, you need to give them a reason to keep coming back. Otherwise your agency could end up being...

TV's shrinking audience not all shifting to web; Online-video viewership is up, but not enough to account for losses.(Writers Strike Fallout)(television viewers moving towords online broadcasting)
January 14, 2008... Byline: ABBEY KLAASSEN Last week a meme rumbled through the web touting the writers strike as the booster behind increased online-video traffic. The assumption was logical but incorrect. To be clear, online video is growing, strike or...

YOUR ADVERTISING SLOGANS ARE CRUMMY. CAN'T YOU DO BETTER? READ THEM AND WEEP: Meaningless taglines-replete with platitudes and too-cute ploys-hamstring the identities of many major businesses. But it doesn't have to be that way.(CMO Strategy)(advertising strategies)(Viewpoint essay)
January 14, 2008... Byline: STEPHEN WINZENBURG After wading through the recent onslaught of holiday ads, I've come to the conclusion that many major businesses do a poor job of communicating their identities by using meaningless phrases in taglines or...

Oscar odds.(Writers Strike Fallout)(Brief article)
January 14, 2008... Byline: claude brodesser-akner Want to bet the Oscars go down in flames? Wagering on the Oscars, of course, is illegal in Las Vegas, but that won't stop office pools all over America from being formed. Jay Kornegay, executive director-race...

Wanna be a popular social networker? Prepare to pony up; U.K.'s Badoo bans advertising and gives users who fork over the option to 'Rise Up' to reach mass audience.(Digital)
January 14, 2008... Byline: EMMA HALL [london] There's a new way to win popularity on a social network: Pay for it. Year-old social-networking site Badoo offers an antidote to the increased commercialization of rivals such as Facebook and Bebo by banning...

Did telling a whopper sell the Whopper? The jury is still out, but BK's burger-denial ads rake in big recall numbers.(News)(Burger King Corp.)
January 14, 2008... Byline: EMILY BRYSON YORK Burger king's "Whopper Freakout'' is on track to become the best-recalled ad in more than five years. That's according to IAG Research, which pegs the spots, which began running in December, as the...

What you'll start seeing; It might have been a slow show, but that doesn't mean there weren't a few trends worth dissecting. Here's what stood out.(CES 2008)(Brief article)
January 14, 2008... Byline: abbey klaassen Smarter user interfaces One example is the Motorola Rokr, not yet in stores, whose keypad changes depending on what mode it's in. Listening to music? The numbers disappear, and new symbols appear, eliminating the...

Out of Site at Adage.com.(Columns)(Brief article)
January 14, 2008... As seen on AdAge.com/bigtent Warren: Get your agency in shape A regimen to lessen the weight of our industry's burdensome past is based on the following elements. The first is consistent daily activity. This includes grass-roots...

Writers strike alienates viewers, burns advertisers.(Viewpoint)(Writers Guild of America)
January 14, 2008... Could TV writers be killing the goose that lays the golden egg? After all, as the strike drags on, viewers have to sit through more and more reruns, and marketers have to deal with watching those big-ticket event shows they planned to...

Even package goods not immune; Recession hits: What it means for ad biz.(Recession Impact)
January 14, 2008... Byline: JACK NEFF Anyone counting on package-goods marketers to provide shelter in a recession should think again: Signs indicate they may not be so resilient in the economic downturn, which means marketing spending in the category may...

What it takes to be a video star.(News)(Brief article)
January 14, 2008... So when can you declare your video a star on the net? According to ComScore, if it gets 50,000 unique visitors, you're gold-but most promotional sites don't go that high. True home runs, however, can generate a lot of traffic. Burger King's...

Writers strike takes a $300 million hostage.(Writers Strike Fallout)(Writers Guild of America)
January 14, 2008... Byline: BRIAN STEINBERG And CLAUDE BRODESSER-AKNER The writers-strike takedown of the Golden Globes last week has those who participate in the $300 million-Oscar economy shaking in their red-soled Louboutins. The continuing action by...

HP marketer David Roman gets personal.(CES 2008)(Hewlett-Packard Co.)(Interview)
January 14, 2008... Byline: MATTHEW CREAMER With the reinvigoration of its PC operation-now tops in market share-Hewlett-Packard is one of personal tech marketing's biggest success stories of late. At HP's booth at the Consumer Electronics Show, David Roman,...

MARKETERS, AGENCIES, IT'S TIME TO PLAY NICE IN THE SANDBOX; COMING TOGETHER: Connection planning would help fix broken agency model.(CMO Strategy)
January 14, 2008... Byline: ROBBIE VITRANO "We need to reinvent the way we market to consumers. We need a new model. It does not exist. No one else has one yet. But we need to get going now.'' -A.G. Lafley, chairman-CEO, Procter & Gamble When a CEO who...

AND the (potential) losers are... Jack Kyser, chief economist, Los Angeles Economic Development Corp., said the Oscars are worth $130M to L.A.'s economy-and that's just the start.(Recession Impact)(Brief article)
January 14, 2008... $100 million According to NPD Group, a red-carpet turn by a celebrity in a particularly stunning gown can spark an estimated $1 million worth of PR, meaning the Oscars can notch $100 million in potential publicity for companies such as...

Take the fat out of your food (just don't tell anyone about it).(Columns)
January 14, 2008... Byline: Lenore Skenazy A generation ago, air bags and antilock brakes were pricey extras. Wealthy folks bought `em; the rest of us just prayed we wouldn't crash into anybody. (We especially prayed we wouldn't crash into the wealthy folks...

So much for engagement; buys are still based on eyes.(News)
January 14, 2008... Byline: MEGAN MCILROY It's still about the eyeballs. For all the talk about engagement, top marketers and their media buyers still consider reach the No. 1 criteria when they're framing their media plans and making their purchases. In...

How Chrysler CMO plans to fix 'broken' image; Meyer unveils corporate push touting 'new' day at the 'new' automaker.(News)(Chrysler L.L.C.)
January 14, 2008... Byline: JEAN HALLIDAY "when people look at American cars, they just assume they might break.'' That was the response of Deborah Wahl Meyer, VP-CMO at Chrysler, when she was asked to cite consumers' greatest misperception about its...

Broadcast TV ratings start to strain; Late night's back, as is plenty of reality, but not the 18-to-49 crowd.(Writers Strike Fallout)
January 14, 2008... Byline: BRIAN STEINBERG Getting matthew krehbiel to watch broadcast TV was already a tough task. Generally, the 29-year-old graduate student said, he grazes a bit on cable, occasionally sampling a repeat of one of the "Law & Order'' shows,...

McD's grande plan: Become java giant; Starbucks' woes turn critics into believers that Arches can win in coffee.(News)(McDonald's Corp., Starbucks Corp.)
January 14, 2008... Byline: EMILY BRYSON YORK As little as two months ago, critics scoffed at the idea of high-end coffee drinks succeeding at McDonald's. But that was before Starbucks reported a bad quarter, posted its lowest share price in more than three...