Advertising Age articles from March 2003

Advertising Age archives from March 2003

The Ad Market.(News)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... Byline: Mercedes M. Cardona Turn Signals THE SHORT-TERM PLAN: While advertising shows some signs of recovery from the 2001-2002 recession, media planners and buyers say this year still looks tough. Nearly half say media budgets are...

'AA' extends Deadline to March 7 for annual Agency Report questionnaires.(News)
March 3, 2003... Advertising Age has extended the deadline for receipt of Agency Report questionnaires to March 7. Contents from the questionnaire will provide data for rankings in the 59th annual Agency Report slated for April 21 and in subsequent reports...

Voted & Quoted.(Viewpoint)
March 3, 2003... 91%...of readers say that, if they were the marketer for an obviously French brand, they'd be worried that U.S. consumers might boycott their goods. Only 9% were confident U.S. consumers would not change their purchasing habits. "The...

HEAT INDEX; WEEKLY RATING (0-10) OF SIZZLE & FIZZLE.(Media Works)(includes multiple news briefs)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... 8 My big fat greek life CBS debut of the sitcom based on the surprise hit movie"My Big Fat Greek Wedding" earns the best rating (7.4 in 18-49 demo) for a CBS sitcom since the debut of second time around "Cosby." 5 Newsweeklies Newsweek and...

Endurance challenge.(News)(listing of chief executive tenures at WPP Group PLC)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... John J. Dooner's three-year stint was certainly shorter than his predecessor's. Philip H. Geier headed the holding company for 20 years, the longest tenure of any of his peers. WPP's Martin Sorrell is next, with 18 years. WPP Martin...

Fallon creates spots for MTV.(The World: Ad Age Global News & Data)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... Byline: Normandy Madden [singapore] Publicis Groupe's Fallon Worldwide has created a brand campaign called ``Together Forever'' for MTV Asia featuring fake Siamese twins. Supposedly joined at the hip, Choy, who is Chinese, and his twin...

Council rules against McD's spot.(The World: Ad Age Global News & Data)(Sweden finds McDonald Corp.'s commercial to be gender discriminating)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... Byline: Gerard O'Dwyer [stockholm] Sweden's Marketing Council ruled a McDonald's Corp. spot was ``gender discriminating'' and out of order with the country's strict gender-equality legislation. It ran on three Swedish networks but can't...

Health-care shifts for Euro RSCG.(The World: Ad Age Global News & Data)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... Byline: Claire Atkinson [new york] Havas' Euro RSCG Worldwide is creating a single profit-and-loss structure for its health-care businesses in 16 countries and may replicate the move in other divisions. With billings of $1.6 billion, Euro...

India to ban tobacco advertising.(The World: Ad Age Global News & Data)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... Byline: Elena Bowes [london] India's cabinet approved a bill to ban all tobacco advertising and parliament is expected to ratify it in a few weeks, said Ambika Srivastava, president of Delhi-based media consultancy Strategic Mediaworks....

FYI...(The World: Ad Age Global News & Data)(includes news from General Motors Corp., Dentsu)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... Byline: edited by Laurel Wentz General Motors Corp. gave Interpublic Group of Cos.' Foote Cone & Belding Worldwide its first assignment anywhere for the car marketer: the launch of the Cadillac CTS sedan in Taiwan. Cadillac's agency in...

WPP braces for 'another difficult year'; Full recovery will have to wait until '04, says Sorrell; minimal '03 growth expected.(News)(WPP Group PLC)
March 3, 2003... Byline: MERCEDES M. CARDONA The U.S. market is improving, but WPP Group still anticipates a rough ride in 2003 after a weak showing last year. WPP-parent of such holdings as Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide, Hill & Knowlton and...

Spots: Crunch Fitness.(News)(gym chain launches buzz-marketing offensive)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... DiMassimo Brand Advertising, New York, today launches a buzz-marketing offensive in conjunction with a spot for gym chain Crunch Fitness. The ad calls for consumers to ``star in your own exercise video'' and describes a contest to find...

Ad buyers: `Show us the GRPs'; Integrated marketing oversold, big spenders rekindle love affair with TV.(Special Report: Media)(gross ratings points)
March 3, 2003... Byline: JACK NEFF As new money from dot-com, telecom and direct-to-consumer drug marketers pushed TV ad rates up rapidly in the late 1990s and early 2000, such terms as integrated marketing and holistic marketing increasingly gained...

No-nonsense Bell has fans on Street; Old-school adman, 21st century challenge.(News)(David Bell, new chairman-CEO of Interpublic Group of Cos.)
March 3, 2003... Byline: STEFANO HATFIELD At the end of lunch David Bell does an unusual thing. He takes a printed card from his pocket and notes down his expenses, there at the table, checking the spelling of his guest's name with a knowing twinkle. ...

People.(People & Players)(includes multiple personnel appointments)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... Sara Fitzgibbons Norgle, 32, to VP-account supervisor, Publicis Groupe's Leo Burnett USA, Chicago, from account supervisor. Also: John Greene, 28, to VP-planning director from planning director; David Brot, 31, to VP-account director from...

Ad Review: Mercedes ad masters medium.(The World: Ad Age Global News & Data)(Springer & Jacoby debuts spot for Mercedes C Class)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... Byline: Bob Garfield ``The medium is the message,'' Marshall McLuhan wrote. What McLuhan was trying to say was... actually, we're not exactly sure what he was trying to say. His writings were so theoretical and abstruse and, you know,...

Rebutting anti-war spots: Senator-turned-actor appears in pro-war ad.(News)(Fred Thompson appears in commercial for Citizens United)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... Byline: IRA TEINOWITZ A conservative group upset that Hollywood stars are out in force with a variety of anti-war messages has crafted a pro-war ad spot using former Sen. Fred Thompson. Mr. Thompson, a Republican who represented...

How the CEO sees marketing; McKinsey charts the `disconnects' facing CEOs and their CMOs.(Viewpoint)
March 3, 2003... Byline: DAVID COURT, TOM FRENCH and GARY SINGER Struck by the seemingly sharp differences between what CEOs and their top marketing professionals were saying, McKinsey & Co. analyzed the disconnects between these two client constituencies....

A Bug's life, or how marketing helps a brand become beloved.(Phil Patton's new book, 'Bug: The Strange Mutations of the World's Most Famous Automobile'; Viewpoint)
March 3, 2003... Byline: Randall Rothenberg Whenever I think of Phil Patton as a design writer, I realize he's done some of my favorite business reporting. But when I try to define him as a business writer, I recall his groundbreaking book on UFO...

Universal McCann plays both sides; Media Agency of the Year proud of its roots, but breaks out to gain business from indie status.(Special Report: Media)
March 3, 2003... Byline: RICHARD LINNETT Universal McCann proved the horse to beat in the race for Advertising Age's U.S. Media Agency of the Year honors for 2002. Under the precocious stewardship of Robin Kent, at 47 one of the youngest worldwide CEOs...

Trolling for media plan's role; Planning function at center of the bundling vs. unbundling question.(Special Report: Media)
March 3, 2003... Byline: KATE FITZGERALD The tug of war to control media planning is intensifying, as full-service ad agencies are pitted against standalone media-buying operations in a growing number of account reviews. ``With the economy being so...

The Biz: Salon, Slate grope for lifeline online.(Media Works)
March 3, 2003... Byline: TOBI ELKIN Can an online magazine, a favorite among the cognoscenti and irreverent hipsters, hook enough of them as paying subscribers to survive in such a tepid economy? The answer is likely to come this week as Salon Media Group,...

Media-consolidation debate to continue; FCC's Copps vows to hold more hearings.(Commissioner Michael Copps; News)
March 3, 2003... Byline: IRA TEINOWITZ [Richmond, Va.] A Democratic Federal Communications Commissioner believes the FCC has not fully explored the potential impact of media consolidation, including its implications for the ad market, and unveiled a plan...

EURO TOUCH TAKES ROOT.(Special Report: Media)
March 3, 2003... Byline: Kate Fitzgerald The latest wrinkle at major standalone media-buying shops is the emergence of elite teams charged with providing services ranging from brainstorming for marketing campaigns to overseeing sports marketing, events and...

Garfield's AdReview: Vegas ads call spade a spade, but truth is a little too naked.(News)
March 3, 2003... Byline: Bob Garfield This may be what they call a ``repositioning.'' Not long ago, Las Vegas was billing itself as a family destination, where Mom and Dad could go to floorshows and gamble, and the kids could swim and see actors...

Brady's Bunch.(People & Players)(Column)
March 3, 2003... Byline: James Brady Let's not forget it was Art Cooper who remade and revitalized GQ and ran it with grace and enormous energy for a long time. What Art did for GQ is analogous to what Tina did for Vanity Fair. A Wall Street Journal...

HISPANIC AWARDS: ENTRIES FOR 'AA' CONTEST DUE BY MAY 19.(Advertising Age accepting entries for its Hispanic Creative Advertising Awards; Multicultural)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... Advertising Age is accepting entries for its fifth annual Hispanic Creative Advertising Awards. TV, radio, magazine, newspaper, out-of-home and interactive ads and Web sites targeted at U.S. Hispanic consumers that broke between May 1,...

The Week; IRI may sell units separately.(Information Resources Inc.; Briefs)
March 3, 2003... Information Resources Inc. announced Feb. 26 it retained Chicago investment banking firm William Blair & Co. to explore ``strategic options,'' possibly including sale of the company in whole or in part, as well as mergers, capital infusions or...

Work: New Zealand Lotto.(creative work by Saatchi & Saatchi, Auckland; The World: Ad Age Global News & Data)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... The aspiring lottery millionaire in New Zealand's Lotto spot by Publicis Groupe's Saatchi & Saatchi, Auckland, is a cute little cog in a machine who slips out of the daily grind to seek its fortune and freedom from the world of work. Much of...

News Analysis: Opportunity abounds for Bell, Dooner; Despite hurdles, revival is possible.(David Bell; John J. Dooner; Interpublic Group of Cos.; News)
March 3, 2003... Byline: BRADLEY JOHNSON Wall Street is smiling, at least for now. David Bell is a proven CEO who knows how to manage bottom lines and expectations, while John J. Dooner Jr. will focus on his strong suit of directing an agency and clients....

Work 3.3.03.(Work)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... Images of the week Heineken USA commissioned pop artist Monsieur Z to design point-of-sale materials for its Amstel Light promotions (above). Ryan Partnership, Westport, Conn., handles. Senior art director: Ryan Murphy. Chivas...

Buyers cross borders; Immigrants use brands they knew in Mexico, China.(Multicultural)
March 3, 2003... Byline: JACK NEFF and HILLARY CHURA When immigrants arrive, they bring along brand preferences for everything from drinks to detergents that give some marketers a built-in advantage in multicultural markets. ``There's no question that...

Omnicom posts 28% profit surge for '02; Revenue up 9.4%; holding company forecasts continued long-term strength.(News)
March 3, 2003... Byline: MERCEDES M. CARDONA Omnicom Group laid out a bullish forecast for 2003 after reporting strong results for 2002. The holding company, continuing to report standout results in a depressed category, posted net income of $201.5...

Madison + Vine: Guinness makes ad character star of silver screen in Africa; In a marketing plot twist, brewer plays producer.(beer commercials spawn movie; News)
March 3, 2003... Byline: BILL BRITT Guinness is turning celebrity product endorsement on its head. Rather than signing an action-thriller film star to appear in Guinness commercials, the brewer's parent, Diageo, is bankrolling a feature film starring a...

Editorial: A silly lawsuit on cinema ads.(Viewpoint)(Brief Article)(Editorial)
March 3, 2003... If the charges weren't in a real lawsuit filed in a real court, they would be hard to take seriously. In fact, it is still hard to take seriously the allegation that some movie-theater operators are breaking the law and committing a fraud on...

War fears cloud an already stormy ad market in Europe.(Viewpoint)
March 3, 2003... Byline: Stefano Hatfield If you think it's bad in the U.S. ad market, then what about Europe? Despite the Interpublic Group of Cos.' continuing problems, Omnicom Group produced industry-leading figures, with net income up 10%year on year...

AT&T retooling image, shops for agency help; Says it's not looking to replace Y&R.(News)
March 3, 2003... Byline: TOBI ELKIN AT&T Corp. has approached several agencies in recent weeks to reinvent its consumer brand and corporate image, according to people familiar with the situation. WPP Group's Y&R Advertising, New York, is AT&T's agency of...

IPG regroups after shakeup; Short-term focus on key clients, key employees and improving margins.(News)
March 3, 2003... Byline: LISA SANDERS Just over two weeks ago John J. Dooner Jr. decided he wasn't the man to lead the Interpublic Group of Cos. The board had already come to the same conclusion. Last week, according to executives close to the...

Adages; Revisiting Baghdad Cafe. Live from the al-Rasheed Hotel.(Peter Arnett reporting from Iraq; News)
March 3, 2003... Byline: Richard Linnett Yes, Dan Rather interviewed Saddam Hussein for CBS, but did he interview Osama Bin Laden? No, but Peter Arnett did in March 1997 for CNN. Now Peter is the new war correspondent for ``National Geographic...

PR push: Marketers vie for exposure at Oscars.(News)
March 3, 2003... Byline: CLAIRE ATKINSON The Academy Awards, held this year March 23, is a hotly contested venue for marketers to get their products exposure via handouts to celebrities and other trend-setters. ``You are conspicuous by your absence if...

Weak link turns global star; Global Media Agency of the Year OMD packs stunning '02 resume.(Special Report: Media)
March 3, 2003... Byline: JONAH BLOOM Just two years ago, OMD was Omnicom Group's Achilles' heel. A media-buying lackey for its more glamorous and powerful creative siblings in the U.S., disparate and disorganized in Europe, and a nascent presence...

The Buzz; What we're talking about.(Media Works)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... Byline: edited by Ann Marie Kerwin, contributing: wayne friedman Evan Marriott, Fox's ``Joe Millionaire,'' and butler Paul Hogan are looking for their respective 15-minutes of endorsement fame. Randy James, a principal in James Levy...

Advertisers flock to SNTA conference; Event may surpass NATPE as premiere programming preview.(Syndicated Network Television Association; National Association of Television Production Executives ; News)
March 3, 2003... Byline: RICHARD LINNETT Advertisers flocked to the first annual conference of the Syndicated Network Television Association, raising serious questions about the future of the National Association of Television Production Executives as the...

People.(The World: Ad Age Global News & Data)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... Nick Bell to executive creative director of WPP Group's J. Walter Thompson, London, from executive creative director at Publicis Groupe's Leo Burnett Worldwide, London. He replaces Jaspar Shelbourne, who becomes one of 10 JWT worldwide creative...

Al Arabiya starts with limited ads.(new satellite TV channel; The World: Ad Age Global News & Data)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... Byline: Susan Postlewaite [cairo] As an impending war in Iraq boosted demand for news, new satellite TV channel Al Arabiya began airing Feb. 20 with 12 hours of news daily and a smattering of advertising, mainly from General Motors Corp....

Merrill Lynch cuts spending, cites war.(News)
March 3, 2003... Byline: MERCEDES M. CARDONA Merrill Lynch & Co. is scaling back its advertising commitments starting this month as investors watch and wait for a resolution of the U.S. standoff with Iraq. ``We did some consumer research and [found]...

Late News; Omnicom favored to win H-P entertainment work.(Omnicom Group's Diversified Agency Services; Hewlett-Packard Co.)
March 3, 2003... [palo alto, calif.] Hewlett-Packard Co., after a ``Madison vs. Vine'' showdown, is poised to award entertainment marketing to Omnicom Group's Diversified Agency Services division, said executives close to the situation. The H-P review pitted...

Talk Show? Cooper prepares a gentlemanly exit; Fabled editor reflects on 20 years at 'GQ,' the state of men's magazines and what he's looking forward to after retirement.(Art Cooper; News)
March 3, 2003... Byline: ANN MARIE KERWIN Art Cooper, editor in chief of Conde Nast Publications' GQ, walked into his boss' office Feb. 24 at 7 a.m. and emerged with a retirement date of June 1, almost 20 years to the day he took over what was then an...

Lack of financial know-how led to Dooner's downfall.(John J. Dooner Jr.; Interpublic Group of Companies; News)
March 3, 2003... Byline: MERCEDES M. CARDONA In one of his first meetings with Wall Street as Interpublic Group of Cos.' chairman-CEO in early 2001, John J. Dooner Jr. began by saying he wasn't good on financial details and therefore might not be able to...

The Player: Cordner to make creative job one for Ford accounts; JWT USA exec expects to bring energy to group.(People & Players)(a profile of Thomas Cordner)(Biography)
March 3, 2003... Byline: JEAN HALLIDAY Thomas Cordner is trading in his Lexus for a Ford. Since 1998, the co-chairman and executive creative director of Team One Advertising was charged with the $275 million national and regional Lexus dealer accounts...

'Parade' pairs with charity to tout Bake Sale fund-raiser; Betty Crocker, Tyson among advertisers.(News)('Parade' magazine and Share Our Strength will work together on The Great American Bake Sale)
March 3, 2003... Byline: STEPHANIE THOMPSON Parade magazine will partner with hunger-relief organization Share Our Strength for an April 27 national fund-raising event, The Great American Bake Sale, that it hopes to build as an annual platform for...

Buyers in frenzy over reality's run; Media plans can't keep up with youth-oriented fare, but viewers keep going back for more of same.(Special Report: Media)(media buyers feel that reality television may have peaked)
March 3, 2003... Byline: KATE FITZGERALD Reality TV has boosted network ratings and commercial prices this winter, but media buyers are recommending these programs with mixed feelings. Prices soared to as high as $500,000 for a 30-second spot on the...

The new charge: Fix McCann; Back at the helm, Dooner confronts laundry list of woes.(News)(John J. Dooner Jr. regains control of McCann-Erickson WorldGroup)
March 3, 2003... Byline: RICH THOMASELLI As John J. Dooner Jr. retakes control of McCann-Erickson WorldGroup, the man many call a consummate account executive will need to move quickly to regain the loyalty of agency employees and stabilize one of...

The Ad Market.(News)(advertising industry trends)(Brief Article)
March 10, 2003... Byline: Mercedes M. Cardona Turn Signals Modulation: Radio-the first U.S. media sector to slow down, in December 2000-recovered lost ground in 2002, ending the year with ten straight months of year-over-year growth. But the growth rate...

Ad Age/IAG's Top Spots; #1: Hallmark.(News)(Brief Article)
March 10, 2003... Hallmark claims the current top spot with a humorous execution promoting its 99o card line. Of note, Home Depot's fresh campaign is showing early signs of success, with its 60-second spot ranking among the most-recalled this week....

Voted & Quoted.(Viewpoint)
March 10, 2003... 85%...of readers say Interpublic Group of Cos. was not right in moving John J. Dooner out of his role as CEO of the holding company and back to the helm of McCann-Erickson WorldGroup. Only 15% of respondents said Interpublic made the correct...

Spam issue is our fight; Spam plague eating away at future for all forms of advertising.(Viewpoint)(Industry Overview)
March 10, 2003... Byline: PETE BLACKSHAW There are two trends every marketer should follow with laser focus in 2003. First is the shift in how consumers watch TV, enabled by the growth of services such as TiVo, Sonic Blue's Replay and the HBO on Demand...

HEAT INDEX; WEEKLY RATING (0-10) OF SIZZLE & FIZZLE.(Media Works)(evaluation of media people, programs)(Brief Article)
March 10, 2003... 8 David Zinczenko Men's Health editor in chief is a wanted man. He can't bat away rumors he's in line for GQ, and Playboy sent one of its gal scribes to snag a date with him for an article, which appears as his public romance with actress Rose...

Work 3.10.03.(Work)(death of Roy Grace)(Brief Article)
March 10, 2003... Remembering classic work of roy grace Amazing grace: Memorable and prize-winning advertising was the calling card of Roy Grace. Mr. Grace died Feb. 26 of prostate cancer at age 66 after a long and storied career as an art director and...

Diesel breaks commercial in U.S.(The World: Ad Age Global News & Data)(Diesel launches commercial)(Brief Article)
March 10, 2003... Byline: Laurel Wentz [molvena, italy] Diesel's first commercial in three years breaks on U.S. TV March 17 and in cinemas in Europe and Asia following a viral campaign by DMC, London, on diesel.com, FHM.com and other sites. The spot, by...

Meg Ryan stars in Spanish spots.(The World: Ad Age Global News & Data)(El Corte Ingles campaign features actress)(Brief Article)
March 10, 2003... Byline: Ivan Castano [madrid] El Corte Ingles, Spain's largest department store chain, is continuing its penchant for Hollywood actresses with an outdoor and TV campaign featuring Meg Ryan sporting the store's spring fashions, a role...

`FT' to launch Asian edition.(The World: Ad Age Global News & Data)(Financial Times)(Brief Article)
March 10, 2003... Byline: Laurel Wentz [london] The Financial Times is starting an Asian edition this fall, similar but on a smaller scale to the five-year-old U.S. edition. Deputy Editor John Ridding will move to Hong Kong as editor and publisher of The...

Vodafone, MTC brand in Kuwait.(The World: Ad Age Global News & Data)(Vodafone ads in Kuwait City International Airport)(Brief Article)
March 10, 2003... Byline: Suzanne Bidlake [london] One of the first things international media and military travelers arriving in the Middle East to prepare for war against Iraq will see are ads at Kuwait City International airport in Arabic and English for...

FYI . . .(The World: Ad Age Global News & Data)(Agency Assessments International, Allianz Group, and British Gas discussed)
March 10, 2003... Byline: edited by Laurel Wentz Two U.K. international advertising consultants, search consultant Agency Assessments International, and billetts, which analyzes and optimizes ad spending, have joined to offer multinational advertisers...

Demise of Dooner leaves holding company questions.(Viewpoint)(John Dooner demoted at Interpublic)(Company Profile)
March 10, 2003... Byline: Scott Donaton The question asked in the wake of John Dooner's dramatic demotion: Can David Bell fix Interpublic? The unasked question, the ignored elephant in the room: Is the holding-company model still relevant? The answer:...

Brady's Bunch.(People & Players)
March 10, 2003... Byline: James Brady Sobering to realize that a guy giving this country a national nervous breakdown and has us on the brink of a shooting war turns out to be John Belushi in his undershirt after a hard night at the Garden of Allah. ...

4A's conference: Big turnout signals media's optimism.(News)(American Association of Advertising Agencies)
March 10, 2003... Byline: RICHARD LINNETT [new orleans] The American Association of Advertising Agencies' 10th annual media conference last week was marked by surprisingly strong attendance of about 1,000, and an atmosphere of guarded optimism. War...

Interpublic net plummets 79% to $20.3 million for 4Q; S&P cuts debt to junk; stock falls to '91 level.(News)(Company Profile)
March 10, 2003... Byline: MERCEDES M. CARDONA Interpublic Group of Cos. will see more layoffs and may shut its money-losing racetracks as it tries to regain footing after yet another earnings restatement, dismal 2002 results, problems at McCann-Erickson...

People.(The World: Ad Age Global News & Data)(Tim Ellis, Richard Eyre, Tony Gardner)(Brief Article)
March 10, 2003... Tim Ellis, 42, to director, global advertising and sales promotion at Volvo, Gothenburg, Sweden, succeeding Anders Bothen, who will take a new international assignment. Mr. Ellis was a managing partner at independent agency Forsman & Bodenfors,...

Marketing beyond the pop-up; Gap, Absolut, Nike turn their Web sites into showplaces for cutting-edge creative.(Interactive)(Industry Overview)
March 10, 2003... Byline: TOBI ELKIN The hue and cry among marketers, agencies and online publishers alike has reached a fever pitch: Why isn't there more eye-popping creative on the Web? While clutter caused by pop-ups, pop-unders, banner ads and a...

Spots: Walt Disney Co.(News)(ads for Mickey Mouse credit card)(Brief Article)
March 10, 2003... Kids work to get their folks to use a real Mickey Mouse credit card in ads from Walt Disney Co., Bank One Corp. and Visa USA. The effort, from Bank One agency The Gardner-Nelson Project, New York, is part of an agreement announced last summer....

Work: Cannes Lions.(The World: Ad Age Global News & Data)(new campaign for International Advertising Festival)(Brief Article)
March 10, 2003... Renowned creative directors who have won dozens of Cannes Lions in their careers reveal what they really do with them. Almap BBDO's Marcello Serpa uses one of his 48 statuettes as a soap dish, while Clemmow Hornby Inge's Charles Inge has a nice...

Reality stars nab Mad Ave. payday; Coke, KFC, Milk board embracing TV's latest fad.(News)(Madison Ave.)(Industry Overview)
March 10, 2003... Byline: CLAIRE ATKINSON Those 15 minutes of fame are translating into 30-second bites as reality TV stars sign up in droves with Madison Ave. This week Coca-Cola Co. bows a new spot starring ``American Idol'' judge Simon Cowell from...

P&G claims Iams is top dog in pet food; Brand sales overtake giant Purina in Q4.(News)(Procter & Gamble)(Industry Overview)
March 10, 2003... Byline: JACK NEFF Procter & Gamble Co. claims its Iams brand has clawed its way to the top of the $10 billion U.S. pet-food category in less than four years since it bought the company in 1999. Corporately, however, P&G remains the...

Nielsen rolls Net-traffic gauge.(News)(Nielsen/NetRatings to launch syndicated Internet measurement tool )(Brief Article)
March 10, 2003... Byline: TOBI ELKIN Nielsen/NetRatings today will introduce a syndicated Internet measurement tool that allows digital media buyers and sellers the ability to target audiences by dayparts. The company's Internet Pocketpiece will allow...

Family Friendly group may try reality shows; Consortium of advertisers to meet this week.(News)(Family Friendly Programming Forum)
March 10, 2003... Byline: WAYNE FRIEDMAN and STEPHANIE THOMPSON The Family Friendly Programming Forum, the four-year-old advertiser consortium that funds and develops wholesome scripted TV shows, may now turn its attention to reality programs. While...

Late News; $80 mil Pfizer Celebrex account put in review.(Kia, America Online also discussed)
March 10, 2003... [new york] Pfizer is putting the $80 million advertising assignment for anti-arthritis drug Celebrex into review, said executives close to the situation. The incumbent, WPP Group's J. Walter Thompson Co., New York, is expected to defend. Two...

Kellogg to spend $50 million; Marketer sets ad blitz to support new kid-targeted cereal lines, waffles and Pop Tarts.(News)
March 10, 2003... Byline: STEPHANIE THOMPSON Kellogg Co. will launch at least $50 million in advertising this spring as it looks to support a frenzy of new-product activity for its breakfast brands. Kids will get the lion's share of attention in the new...

Brazil's new leader launches ad campaign against hunger; Gov't creates $40 mil account to push policies.(News)(President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva )
March 10, 2003... Byline: CLAUDIA PENTEADO [rio de janeiro, brazil] Brazil's new radical President Luiz Inacio ``Lula'' da Silva is enlisting local media for an ambitious anti-hunger campaign, even while preparing a separate $40 million account to promote...

Exclusive survey: Integration still a pipe dream for many.(News)(integrated approach to marketing discussed)(Industry Overview)
March 10, 2003... Byline: CLAIRE ATKINSON Just about all marketers these days consider themselves proponents of the ``integrated approach,'' but respondents to an exclusive survey conducted for Advertising Age by the New York American Marketing Association...

Havas reports $25.8M net income.(The World: Ad Age Global News & Data)(Brief Article)
March 10, 2003... Byline: Mercedes M. Cardona [paris] Havas credited better earnings to cost controls and cutbacks, but warned that Europe, its key region, remains weak. Havas posted net income of $25.8 million for 2002, after a 2001 loss of $63.5 million....

The Week; Hill Holliday starts Hispanic division.(Briefs)( Hill, Holliday, Connors, Cosmopulos; Grey global group; PBS discussed )
March 10, 2003... Interpublic Group of Cos.' Hill, Holliday, Connors, Cosmopulos has hired most of the former management team of Hispanic agency CreatAbility, Coral Gables, Fla. to open its own U.S. Hispanic unit. Jose Lopez-Varela, CreatAbility's former...

Adages; Notes from the underground: an adman gets abstract.(News)(artwork of Ron Burkhardt, president of Burkhardt & Partners, discussed)
March 10, 2003... Byline: Richard Linnett Ron Burkhardt, adman and weekend artist, exhibited his paintings and sculpture at Trump Tower last week. He says he is spearheading a new movement called ``notism.'' Ron enlarges pages from his agency letterhead...

The Player: Picker's role is to make Miramax a household name; Media VP a key to film studio's Oscar successes.(People & Players)(Caryn Picker, senior VP-media marketing at Miramax)
March 10, 2003... Byline: WAYNE FRIEDMAN Movie media buying and planning is an art form to its practitioners-fast moving, ever changing, and definitely not off-the-shelf. During Oscar marketing season, innovation runs high at Walt Disney Co.'s Miramax...