Advertising Age articles from June 2006

Advertising Age archives from June 2006

Q&A with MySpace's Gold...or marketing on online steroids.(MySpace.com Inc., Shawn Gold)(Interview)
June 5, 2006... In the white-hot cyberworld of social networking, News Corp.'s MySpace is king. Approaching 80 million members and with sign-ups at an insane pace of 2 million weekly, MySpace is getting marketers to notice. MySpace's senior VP-marketing and...

REFLECTIONS OF REALITY; how marketers use the imaginary to picture their customers.
June 5, 2006... Byline: Dale Buss Roberto Moore's pad looks pretty typical for a 28-year-old single guy. An Xbox console and an issue of ESPN The Magazine hog the coffee table. There's a hockey stick mounted on a wall. An open can of Axe deodorant sits...

Buyers claim victory in live-viewer battle; Networks are backing down on time-shifting, paving way for ad deals.
June 5, 2006... Byline: CLAIRE ATKINSON Let the buying begin. Upfront negotiators will kick into high gear this week now that ABC and the other broadcast networks have backed off their demands to be paid for prime-time viewers who time-shift shows...

Hey, BMW: What's the big idea? This isn't one.(BMW of North America L.L.C.'s campaign)
June 5, 2006... Byline: Bob Garfield "When I was first asked to speak here today...'' If you're ever in an audience, and you hear those words from the podium, immediately fake a coughing jag and get out of the room. Hurry. The next 30 minutes are...

Scripps hammers home Web power; With kitchen, remodeling microsites as hooks, networks' online growth mushrooms.(Scripps Networks Inc.)
June 5, 2006... Byline: DAISY WHITNEY These days it's easy to have a new-media strategy. But in 2004, when Scripps Networks began formulating the concept for what became its pioneering strategy for broadband channels, nary a network had launched one....

Stylish Leigh brings in stable of marketers to country music net.(Great American Country's Susan Leigh)
June 5, 2006... Byline: LESLIE TAYLOR Although she wasn't specifically a country music fan, Susan Leigh didn't find it hard to change focus from stilettos to a Stetson when she moved from the Style Network to VP-ad sales for Great American Country. ...

Handwriting on the wall: Shops redo staffing, data; As media adapt, shops change mind-sets and ways they mine data to follow consumer online.(MindShare with new approach)
June 5, 2006... Byline: LISA SANDERS Mindshare took a new approach to attending broadcast networks' 2006 upfront presentations. In the past, these presentations were solely the domain of agency executives in charge of national and local broadcast buying,...

On target; B-to-b marketers use personas, too.(Campbell-Hausfeld Co.)(Brief article)
June 5, 2006... Personas can be effective for CMOs in just about any space or stage--even business-to-business. Consider Campbell Hausfeld. The Harrison, Ohio-based company has long supplied specialized tools and equipment to Home Depot, Lowe's and other...

Amazon Top 10 organizational change Books; As of May 30,2006.(Brief article)
June 5, 2006... 1 The First 90 Days: Critical Success Strategies for New Leaders at All Levels by Michael Watkins 2 The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement by Eliyahu M. Goldratt and Jeff Cox 3 The Art of Innovation: Lessons in Creativity from...

simply groundbreaking; 10 products and services that have rocked the world in the past decade.(Brief article)
June 5, 2006... Blackberry (introduced in 1999): More than 3 million subscribers Match.com (launched in 1995): More than 15 million members who are active users or have profiles posted Amazon.com (opened for business in 1995): $8.49 billion in sales...

Best practices: internal marketing campaigns; The drivers behind successful internal campaigns - which align, motivate and empower employees to consistently deliver a company's "brand promise":.(Brief article)
June 5, 2006... 1 Employee Engagement 2 Senior-Management Support 3 Human-Resources Involvement 4 Marketing Savvy 5 Brand-Promise Delivery 6 Relevant Communications 7 Integrated Horizontal Organizational Structure From "Internal...

More than just a label; Jeffrey Immelt redefines marketing at GE.(General Electric Co.)(Interview)(Brief article)
June 5, 2006... Harvard Business Review - Offering "the first deep look under the hood of [Jeffrey] Immelt's GE," Harvard Business Review Editor Thomas A. Stewart recently interviewed General Electric's chairman-CEO, asking him to detail his strategy for...

Quotes.(Point)
June 5, 2006... "The biggest contributor to the gap...[between CEOs and CMOs] is if CEOs perceive, treat or position marketing as a collection of activities, as opposed to an end-to-end view of how they...help the company win." -Rick Lenny, CEO, The...

Draft takes command, upends Old World order; The plan: Craft one-stop shop by grafting ailing FCB onto direct agency.(Foote, Cone & Belding Communications Inc., Draft Inc.)
June 5, 2006... Byline: MATTHEW CREAMER The advertising age is soooo over. Last week's news that Interpublic Group of Cos. is ending Foote Cone & Belding's 133-year run as a stand-alone ad-agency brand and merging it with direct-marketer Draft-with...

McLennan assumes Fudge role at Y&R.(Young & Rubicam Advertising appoints Hamish McLennan)
June 5, 2006... Byline: MATTHEW CREAMER Y&R brands last week named Hamish McLennan, head of its Australian and New Zealand operations, as CEO of Y&R Advertising. Mr. McLennan, 40, succeeds Ann Fudge in that role. Last year, Ms. Fudge, a former Kraft...

BEING GREAT IS NOT JUST A MATTER OF BIG IDEAS.
June 5, 2006... Byline: Jennifer Rooney The author of such definitive business tomes as "Built to Last,'' and "Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap... and Others Don't,'' Jim Collins has made a name for himself as an expert in the ways of...

Spotlight.(CSL Hong Kong Ltd., Leo Burnett Company Inc.)(Brief article)
June 5, 2006... Byline: normandy madden Marketer: CSL's 3G Mobile TV Agency: Leo Burnett Worldwide, Hong Kong Hong Kong's leading mobile-phone operator makes it easier to watch real-time TV on the third screen [hong kong] In one of the world's...

LAS VEGAS TURNS INWARD FOR NEXT ACT; As Sin City 2.0 reaches its limits, developers see visions of SoHo on the Strip.
June 5, 2006... Byline: GREG LINDSAY [las vegas] In one of the latest 30-second spots touting Las Vegas' motto, "What happens here, stays here,'' a suave young man is seen testing different identities on the women he meets during a night on the town. "I'm...

Players place bets on brands.(MGM Mirage Inc.)(Brief article)
June 5, 2006... Byline: greg lindsay Once upon a time, Circus Circus, relying on a value model of cheap rooms and food, was the most profitable casino on the Las Vegas Strip (and thus, the world). The name Sin City referred to actual sin. Then along...

Fine-tuning; How some major media agencies are adapting to the digital revolution:.(WPP Group USA Inc.'s MediaCom hires Kathleen Sheridan)(MediaVest Worldwide renames and appoints Pam Zucker)(Universal McCann appoints David Cohen, Damian Blackden )
June 5, 2006... Horizon Media (Independent) Merged Mass Transit Interactive with Horizon Interactive. Isobar (Aegis Group) Stand-alone unit offering online media planning/buying, paid search, creative. MediaCom (WPP Group) Hired Kathleen...

The FCC thinks you would look totally hot in a diaper.(Federal Communications Commission)
June 5, 2006... Byline: Simon Dumenco Last week a student at the Madrid campus of St. Louis University e-mailed me out of the blue to ask about the censorship policies of the Federal Communications Commission for a research paper he's writing. Among his...

Heat Index; weekly rating (0-10) if Sizzle & Fizzle.(Brief article)
June 5, 2006... 9 `cars' Disney has a lot riding on its now wholly-owned division Pixar's latest flick. Luckily for Bob Iger, reviews have been fairly glowing. 7 Brangelina Baby Shiloh Nouvel arrives over Memorial Day weekend in Namibia. Celebrity...

Learning to love change: What's your favorite future?(Carat Espace's David Verklin )
June 5, 2006... Byline: Jonah Bloom Carat's david verklin has been hitting the speaking podium again recently, and he's been asking his audiences a simple question: "What's your favorite future?'' His, he says, would see the Web become the center of...

EMBRACE THE IDEA OF LEADERS OF THE FUTURE.
June 5, 2006... Byline: Peter Arnell The world is flat. Writer Thomas Friedman knows it. He wrote a book of the same name and identifies "flatteners,'' or, in other words, things that have caused the world to become a small, flat place. In his book, he...

OPEN UP TO A NEW WAY TO DEVELOP BETTER IDEAS.
June 5, 2006... Byline: brett shevack Of all his great achievements, perhaps Bill Bernbach's most enduring contribution was the endorsement of the art director and copywriter "team'' way of creating advertising. No longer would a copywriter slip a...

Why This Box Changes Everything; TiVo gave it to you on your time; now Slingbox gives it to you on your turf.
June 5, 2006... Byline: ABBEY KLAASSEN Like many American families, Jon and Suzanne Davidman used to relax after a long day of work by plopping down on the couch and watching their favorite TV shows, most of which they recorded on their DVR. Some nights...

Contributing... sarah mahoney, meg mitchell moore and erik sherman.(Brief article)
June 5, 2006... Our cover story is the work of a team of seasoned journalists. They're Regular Point writers, so their names may be familiar by now: Sarah Mahoney, for example, who has profiled Verizon's Jerri DeVard and Lenovo's Deepak Advani for Point. Based...

BRAWNY: BRAWNY ACADEMY INTRO; Creativity's AdCritic.com Hot Spot.(Brief article)
June 5, 2006... In this spot introducing a Brawny reality show, an evolved Brawny Man schools ordinary schmoes in the masculine arts. Agency: Fallon, Minneapolis. Creative Director: Roger Camp. Art Director: Kris Wixom. Copywriter: Alisa Sengel Wixom....

Out of Site at AdAge.com.(America Online Inc.)(french wine marketing)(Brief article)
June 5, 2006... As seen in `PC World' AOL tops on list of very bad things Dan Tynan and his merry crew have cobbled together "The 25 Worst Tech Products of All Time.'' Right there at the top is AOL. About AOL, PC World says: "Since America Online...

New Mercury strategy targets 'Nuevo Latino'; Carmaker uses film, fashion events to make brand 'cooler'.
June 5, 2006... Byline: JEAN HALLIDAY In a bid to get closer to the Hispanic market that generally prefers foreign rather than domestic cars, Ford Motor Co.'s Mercury this year is shifting from heavy traditional media usage to new marketing techniques...

The Week: Sony taps former Nike exec Redsun.(Sony Electronics Inc. appoints Stuart Redsun)(Publicis Dialog New York appoints David Droga)(Nissan North America Inc.'s Jan Thompson )
June 5, 2006... Sony electronics has hired Stuart Redsun for the new post of senior VP-corporate marketing. Mr. Redsun joins the company June 19, reporting to Chief Marketing Officer Mike Fasulo. Mr. Redsun, exec VP-marketing at mobile-service provider Helio,...

Vonage loses fans with IPO.(initial public offering)
June 5, 2006... Vonage is good at signing up consumers for its money-losing phone service. Vonage also proved adept at selling those same consumers its money-losing stock. That creates a problem, for Vonage managed to use its IPO to turn happy customers into...

In land of biz mags, 'innovation is the new black'.
June 5, 2006... Byline: nat ives The current crop of business magazines is hardly content to let Conde Nast do all the innovating in the category. Business Week, in fact, is about to introduce a magazine within the magazine called IN: Inside Innovation, a...

Late News.(Procter & Gamble Co. cuts on marketing funds)(Ogilvy & Mather London appoints Pernod Ricard)(Malone Inc. opens new office)
June 5, 2006... P&G cuts marketing for Home Cafe singles [cincinnati] Procter & Gamble Co. will cut marketing funds for its Home Cafe single-serve coffee system this year, citing slow sales and a smaller-than-expected market for the system. P&G's high...

Guess who made top 10 credit-card list? Target; ANALYSIS: How retailer gets marketing lift from owning credit operations.(Target Stores Inc.)
June 5, 2006... Byline: MYA FRAZIER It's arguably the most touted in-store marketing pitch ever, repeated countless times daily by cashiers at practically every retail store in America. "Would you like to save 10% today?'' And no retailer makes more money...

Spots now stationed at gas pumps; Consumers are watching ads while they fuel up, thanks to startup GSTV.(Gas Station TV)
June 5, 2006... Byline: JEAN HALLIDAY Rather than watch the numbers spin higher and higher as they fill their gas tanks, drivers now have the distraction of TV spots at the pump. Startup Gas Station TV is offering national and local content with...

Yeah, we're going digital - but with dailies in tow.(Brief article)
June 5, 2006... Byline: leslie taylor Increased digital options for news consumers have had many bemoaning the death of daily newspapers. However, Brian Tierney, who organized the investment group that purchased The Philadelphia Inquirer and Philadelphia...

Call for entries.(Multicultural)
June 5, 2006... Entries are due this week for Advertising Age's eighth-annual Hispanic Creative Advertising Awards. The leading creatives on this year's jury include Raul Cardos, president of DDB Mexico; Pablo Buffagni, VP-creative director at Conill;...

Consumers are wrestling with how best to 'place-shift'.(Interview)
June 5, 2006... Analog or digital? Forty-inch LCD HD TV or 11/2-inch cellphone screen? Time-shift or place-shift? These are among the decisions consumers must make. Special Reports Managing Editor Dan Lippe talked to Joseph Bates, director of research at...

June's 'Point': 10 big ideas.(Brief article)
June 5, 2006... Big ideas aren't static, monolithic phenomena, but organic developments. Finding ideas is a process that itself takes creativity. Read how 10 marketing execs-such as Starwood Hotels' Javier Benito and VW's Kerri Martin-discover and...

Exclusively online; A Q&A with Debra Kelly-Ennis.(Diageo PLC at CMO Summit in Chicago)(Brief article)
June 5, 2006... Read about how the marketing chief of Diageo, a panelist at the recent 2006 Spencer Stuart CMO Summit in Chicago, is leading her company's efforts to make and keep its brands-such as Tanqueray, Captain Morgan and Baileys-competitive, effective...

Images of the Week.(Jeep Eagle Corp., BBDO Detroit)(Brief article)
June 5, 2006... JEEP: BBDO, Detroit Absolutely the coolest car ads in a long time, and perfectly seasonal. Creative directors: Bill Morden, Mike Stocker, Robin Chrumka. Art directors: John O'Hea, Paul Szary. Designer: Paul Viola. Copywriter: Ty...

It's a Screen Play; Keep tailored messages short, and make sure all media work together.
June 5, 2006... Byline: DAISY WHITNEY All screens are not created equal. That's why, amid the new-media zeitgeist of this year's upfront TV selling season, marketers and their agency envoys are scrambling not just to craft messages for multiple...

Is Fox doing the business?(Fox News Network L.L.C.)
June 5, 2006... Byline: Claire Atkinson First the London Times is coming to New York, and now Watercooler hears Fox News Business Channel is getting closer to launch. One Fox insider says carriage deals are more or less in place with the main cable...

Required Reading; The books influencing how marketing leaders think about their business.(Brief article)
June 5, 2006... Joe Tripodi CMO, Allstate "Control Your Own Destiny or Someone Else Will,'' by Noel Tichy "Talked about how Jack [Welch]...did an incredible job of changing a culture of a company that large.'' "Execution: The Discipline of...

Double hip replacement can't knock exec off bike.(Campbell Soup Co.'s Ian Smith )
June 5, 2006... Byline: Stephanie Thompson THE SERIOUS 500-mile-a-week guys might scoff, Ian Smith admits, but the Campbell Soup Co. executive's 150 miles-per-week road cycling is pretty good for a guy who a few years ago endured an excruciating...

By the numbers.(Brief article)
June 5, 2006... In 2005, non-innerspring mattresses made up 9% of mattresses shipped and 22.3% of the dollar value of the mattresses shipped, according to the International Sleep Products Association. Why? They're more expensive. A queen-size innerspring...

Corrections and amplifications to Agency Report.
June 5, 2006... The following corrections and amplifications are based on rankings published May 1 in the 62nd annual Agency Report. The changes also have been made in the Agency Report PDF found at AdAge.com Tequila, New York, the marketing-services arm...

Play ball: World Cup ad frenzy kicks off; A-B, Wal-Mart, others try to parlay Hispanic ardor for soccer into passion for their brands.
June 5, 2006... Byline: WILLOW DUTTGE Marketers to hispanics have never tried so hard to link their products to the World Cup and Latino passion for soccer. Most non-Hispanics are probably not aware that, according to their first World Cup efforts,...

AMA gives up push to ban DTC drug ads; Group calls for changes in $4B industry but won't prohibit popular strategy.(American Medical Association bans direct-to-consumer drug advertising)
June 5, 2006... Byline: RICH THOMASELLI The pharmaceutical industry is breathing a sigh of relief that the American Medical Association has opted not to call for a ban on direct-to-consumer drug advertising. The $4.1 billion industry was sweating six...

Time titles tout events in 'upfront'; 'People,' 'EW,' 'In Style' use red-carpet parties as lure.
June 5, 2006... Byline: NAT IVES With a round of advertiser presentations starting today, The People Group, Entertainment Weekly and In Style are kicking off their first self-styled "upfront,'' an attempt to use the summer of 2006 to sell sponsorships of...

Media Guy's Pop Pick: David Shrigley.(Brief article)
June 5, 2006... Byline: s.d. Each week, an uncharacteristically generous Media Guy lavishes praise on a pop-cultural gem. "Worried Noodles'' ($20 on Amazon), the new record by cult Scottish artist David Shrigley, isn't a record at all. It's an empty...

COUNTING SLEEP; Marketing hook flips air-mattress seller Select Comfort from also-ran to leader.(Select Comfort Corp.)
June 5, 2006... Byline: WILLOW DUTTGE Quick: name the top bedding specialty seller. Hint: It's not Sleepy's or Mattress Giant. Nope, It's Select Comfort, according to Furniture/Today's recent ranking of the top 100 U.S. home-furnishing stores. Thanks...

The World: Consumers to create Pepsi spot in China.
June 5, 2006... [shanghai] PepsiCo is tapping into the popularity of the Internet in China with a contest inviting user-generated content to create the next Pepsi commercial. With China's economic market reforms, "consumers, especially young people, are...

From the Editor.(Point)(Editorial)
June 5, 2006... Byline: Jennifer Rooney My husband came home the other day with a new book: "Ideaspotting: How to Find Your Next Great Idea.'' By the time I got my hands on it, it'd already been dog-eared, marked up with pencil and plastered with Post-it...

Much sound and fury over first issue of 'Shock'.(Hachette Filipacchi Magazines Inc., Polaris sued by Michael Yon for copyright infringement)
June 5, 2006... Byline: Ken Wheaton Who (aside from our bosses) says it's a waste of time to surf blogs that have seemingly nothing to do with your job? Adages, for example, had kicked off the old shoes and was relaxing with a cruise through milblogs...

FCB, through the years.(Foote, Cone & Belding Communications Inc.)(Chronology)(Brief article)
June 5, 2006... Byline: willow duttge * In 1881, Daniel Lord and Ambrose Thomas found Lord & Thomas advertising. * In 1916, a 14-year-old boy from Virginia creates Mr. Peanut as an entry into a Planters-sponsored trademark contest. FCB keeps Mr....

Newspapers could be the next big thing in advertising.
June 5, 2006... Byline: Randall Rothenberg The onslaught of interactive technologies has persuaded many-especially those in broadcast media desperate to retain their fragmenting audience-to adopt the refrain "How low can you go?'' But another mantra is...

CONNECT WITH WHAT MATTERS MOST; why tapping into a target's shared values spurs sales.
June 5, 2006... Byline: Steve Yanovsky With Ruth Simmons "C-level life''-complete consumer control-has arrived. Consumers now have unprecedented access to excess-entertainment, infotainment, utilitainment and everything in between. It has put chief...

P&G trims fat off its $2B trade-promotion system; Mimicks Gillette policies by tying retail payouts to in-store implementation.(Procter & Gamble Co.)
June 5, 2006... Byline: JACK NEFF Procter & gamble co. is preparing to reshape trade-promotion policies substantially for the first time since adopting "value pricing'' in the early 1990s-this time making its system more like that of recently acquired...

Adwatch.(Brief article)
June 5, 2006... Byline: bradley johnson TURN SIGNALS Measured ad spending rose 5.2% in the first quarter, according to TNS Media Intelligence, slightly below its 5.5% forecast. Internet jumped 19.4%. Network TV, fueled by the Olympics, rose 12.3%....

Conde Nast gets down to business; New mag 'Portfolio' will compete for pages in crowded ad category.(Conde Nast Publications Inc.)
June 5, 2006... Byline: NAT IVES When conde nast publications finally delivers the first issue of its new business monthly, Conde Nast Portfolio, to newsstands next April 24, its success or failure will hinge on one question: Whether it can be what Time...

POLO JEANS THROWN IN THE HAMPER; Ralph Lauren kills brand in U.S., tries upscale-denim tack.
June 5, 2006... Byline: STEPHANIE THOMPSON How much can you squander on a licensed luxury brand gone awry? If you're Polo Ralph Lauren, about $355 million. The preppy-clothing purveyor paid the vast nine-figure sum in February to buy back its Polo...

AdAgeChina goes weekly.(AdAgeChina)(Brief article)
June 5, 2006... No market is growing and changing faster than China. Starting this week, Advertising Age's e-mail newsletter AdAgeChina will go weekly, with breaking news available throughout the week at its Web site (AdAgeChina.com). Edited by...

When Inspiration Strikes; 10 CMOs and the Big Ideas that are Revolutionizing Their Business.(Chief marketing officer's inspiration)
June 5, 2006... Byline: Erik Sherman In a world where truly groundbreaking ideas are a rarity, the quest for inspiration is a provocative challenge. In marketing, big ideas go beyond hot new products. They can spur new marketing structures, processes,...

Joon Jun; Senior VP-North American brand marketing, LG Electronics.(reports)(vice president)(Brief article)
June 5, 2006... Byline: Erik Sherman Big idea: Slow rollouts How it came to him: Learning from a corporate disappointment How it's changing his business: Tripled brand recognition and increased revenue by more than 60% Few markets are as...

Javier Benito; Exec VP-CMO, Starwood Hotels & Resorts.(Chief Marketing Officer)(Brief article)
June 5, 2006... Byline: Erik Sherman Big idea: Streamlined offerings How it came to him: Competing in consumer cleaning products when at P&G How it's changing his business: Expanding potential audience for Starwood's properties Starwood...

Peter Stringham; Group general manager-marketing, HSBC.(Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Ltd.)(Brief article)
June 5, 2006... Byline: Erik Sherman Big idea: Total control How it came to him: An experience with a client when he was at BBDO Canada How it's changing his business: Drove a new brand to 29th most valuable in the world Marketers often are...

John Gilbert; VP-marketing, Dunkin' Donuts.(vice president)
June 5, 2006... Byline: Meg Mitchell Moore Big idea: A "spiked'' co-marketing deal How it came to him: A dinnertime flash of inspiration How it's changing his business: Became a restaurant's longtime bestseller Out to dinner with his family...

Ken Romanzi; COO-domestic beverages and foods, Ocean Spray.(chief operating officer )
June 5, 2006... Byline: Meg Mitchell Moore Big idea: Reintroduction of the cranberry to America How it came to him: By way of a cranberry bog How it's changing his business: Reinvigorating it Ken Romanzi doesn't have to reach too far back in...

Cie Nicholson.(advertising of Pepsi-Cola North America)(Brief article)
June 5, 2006... Byline: Meg Mitchell Moore Big idea: Branded water How it came to her: Conversations with consumers How it's changing her business: Making noncarbonated beverages one of the company's greatest strengths Spend some time in the...

Kerri Martin; Director-brand innovation, Volkswagen of America.(Volkswagen of America Inc)
June 5, 2006... Byline: Sarah Mahoney Big idea: Making car owners the Mini's best currency How it came to her: Gauging customer passion How it's changing her business: Building that owner-advocacy focus into VW programs As BMW was getting...

Steve Battista; VP-brand, Under Armour.(Interview)
June 5, 2006... Byline: Sarah Mahoney Big idea: The sound of success How it came to him: Adjusting sound effects in a commercial How it's changing his business: Writing the next chapter in the company's David vs. Goliath history Some great...

Mike Boylson; CMO, JC Penney.(interview)(Interview)
June 5, 2006... Byline: Sarah Mahoney Big idea:A big campaign-literally How it came to him: Brainstorming with colleagues How it's changing his business: Second looks from more consumers Call it the idea that ate Manhattan. It started while...

Few in Cannes can keep up with bouncing 'Balls'; Sony's spot stands out in pool of strong entries from across the globe.(awards)
June 5, 2006... Byline: EMMA HALL [london] In a record year for entries at most major awards shows, judges at the Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival will sift through 24,862 entries-up 12.5% from last year. It's always hard to predict what...

UNILEVER: POT NOODLES.(advertising)(Brief article)
June 5, 2006... To prove Unilever's Pot Noodles are truly the fuel of Britain, this spot by Mother, London, is set inside a Welsh noodle mine, where workers toil to carve through sheer rock to extract the delicate, beloved noodles. Recounting family histories...

March of the management consultants; IBM latest to join ad fray.(advertising)
June 5, 2006... Byline: MATTHEW CREAMER Accenture. ibm. mckinsey. These consulting giants are casting a lengthening shadow on Mad. Ave., a thoroughfare long avoided by these left-brain-dominated organizations. The day ad execs have long feared-when...

People.(appointments)
June 5, 2006... Jeremy Pink to president-managing director, CNBC Asia, Singapore, from VP-international news and programming at CNBC in Englewood Cliffs, N.J., where he ran "Worldwide Exchange,'' a global-business program. He succeeds Sandy Brown, who departed...

People.(appointments)(Brief article)
June 5, 2006... Donna Newton to VP-new business director, WPP Group's MediaCom, New York, from VP-business strategist, global development, Interpublic Group of Cos.' Foote Cone & Belding. Leslie Grand, 36, to VP-director of print trade, Aegis Group's...

NYC slaps subpoena on ad chiefs; DIVERSITY DEBATE: Hearings on hiring practices 'coincide' with Advertising Week.(News)
June 12, 2006... Byline: LISA SANDERS There will be two parades taking place during September's Advertising Week: a march of ad icons and a procession of Madison Avenue's leading executives to testify at hearings on the issue of their agencies' poor...

TLC spots: Giving cynics at least one reason to live.(Garfield's AdReview)
June 12, 2006... Byline: bob garfield Don't take this the wrong way, but there are times when we here at AdReview wish the axis of evil would, you know... what do you call it?... destroy our way of life. This has happened most often when we watched...

People & Players.
June 12, 2006... new york: 'Entertainment Weekly' Entertainment Weekly, Matrix Men and some "Desperate Housewives" stars get together to celebrate the start of the upfront season. (From l.) Francesca Raminella, general manager, Matrix; actress Felicity...

Wal-Mart persuades P&G, others to try smaller packaging; Sustainability may save money, but could hurt product performance.(News)
June 12, 2006... Byline: JACK NEFF Retail behemoth Wal-Mart Stores has decided small is beautiful-and is using its clout to get detergent marketers to see things the same way. Laundry heavyweight Procter & Gamble Co. is preparing to test doubling the...

Trouble in store for POPAI: P&G pulls out of study; Wal-Mart also opts out, creating an 'ugly situation' for the retail-ad project.(News)(Point of Purchasing Advertising International)
June 12, 2006... Byline: MYA FRAZIER An "ugly situation'' has stalled a much-ballyhooed pilot study to measure in-store marketing, as the country's top package-goods marketer, Procter & Gamble, and largest retailer, Wal-Mart, have opted not to participate....