Advertising Age articles from March 2004

Advertising Age archives from March 2004

AdWatch.(News)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... Byline: Mercedes M. Cardona Turn Signals New business activity was mixed in January, with fewer accounts changing agencies, but a larger amount in billings moving. Only 35 accounts changed hands, compared to 43 a year ago, but they...

AdCritic.com's PlayList; A monthly guide to the songs behind the spots.(News)(Public Notice)
March 1, 2004... Byline: Jim Hanas AT&T: Faces Glasgow band contributes to "&" anthem. Agency: Y&R, New York Song: "Come Together" Artist: Primal Scream Music Co: Crushing Blueprint, New York Heineken: What Was the Piracy? ...

Voted & Quoted.(Viewpoint)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... 56%... of AdAge.com respondents don't think Wendy's new "Mr. Wendy" character will succeed as a brand spokesman. The remaining 44% think the new pitchman may have what it takes to put Wendy's foremost in consumer's minds. "The new 'Mr....

People & Players.
March 1, 2004... New York Sports Illustrated and Pontiac team up for a joint 40th anniversary celebration at the Pontiac GTO Sports Illustrated 40th Anniversary Swimsuit Issue Launch Party . (From l.) Mark-Hans Richer, advertising director, Pontiac; Dave...

Heat Index; Weekly Rating (0-10) of Sizzle & Fizzle.(Media Works)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... 8 'Sex and the city' HBO's 45-minute final episode was watched by 10.6 million viewers, a record for the pay-TV channel. Still, the show came in third for its time slot, behind ABC's "Super Millionaire" and NBC's "Law & Order: Criminal...

GM saves $4M with ad system.(The World: Ad Age Global News & Data)(General Motors Corp.)
March 1, 2004... Byline: Jean Halliday [Detroit] General Motors Corp. saved nearly $4 million last year after starting a collaborative ad development system for its Latin American, Middle Eastern and African region. Before, each nation developed its own...

Canada suspends execs in ad scandal.(The World: Ad Age Global News & Data)
March 1, 2004... Byline: Gail Chiasson [Montreal] The heads of three major government-owned Canadian advertisers have been suspended as the investigation continues into misuse of some $76 million of $190 million in government sponsorship dollars funneled...

Marketers boost budgets in Argentina.(The World: Ad Age Global News & Data)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... Byline: Charles Newbery [Buenos Aires, Argentina] In a sign of Argentina's ongoing recovery after a devastating economic collapse in late 2001, major marketers like Procter & Gamble Co., Coca-Cola Co., Unilever, and Danone Group doubled...

FYI...(The World: Ad Age Global News & Data)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... After steadily losing much of its General Motors Corp. business in the U.K. to Delaney Lund Knox Warren, Lowe won a pitch against that agency and Omnicom's TBWA GGT to re-launch the Tigra.... London-based M&C Saatchi plans to open its first...

Mimicking New York, L.A. hawks its assets.(News)
March 1, 2004... Byline: T.L. STANLEY Facing a projected budget shortfall of $250 million, Los Angeles is following New York and joining the growing list of cities seeking cash from marketers and merchandise. The City of Angels is exploring the sale of...

Ad Council seeks partners for $50 million initiative; Gauging support among agencies, marketers for potential programs.(News)
March 1, 2004... Byline: IRA TEINOWITZ The Advertising Council is sizing up partners to kick in up to $50 million over the next decade to support a new initiative. The group has tapped non-profit fund-raiser Community Counseling Services to gauge...

Garfield's AdReview: Burger King cleverly borrows from the Beeb in new effort.(News)
March 1, 2004... Byline: Bob Garfield Welcome to the wonderful world of creativity-or, as we like to call it: Other People's Ideas Co-opted. We can't exactly decry the notion of mining gems from the pop culture and exploiting them for the benefit of...

Madison+Vine: Burnett cuts rich deal for 'Contender'.(News)
March 1, 2004... Byline: HANK KIM NBC and a production team led by reality king Mark Burnett entered into a jaw-dropping deal last week for "The Contender,'' an unscripted drama about boxing that will cost the peacock network $2 million an episode in...

Lowe ex-CEO joins DDB in U.K.(The World: Ad Age Global News & Data)(DDB London)
March 1, 2004... Byline: Lisa Sanders [London] Paul Hammersley, who was CEO of Lowe, New York, until last June and previously ran the Interpublic Group of Cos.' agency's London office, joins Omnicom Group's DDB London this month as chairman-CEO. Long one...

Who is 'Cargo' man? Looking to get 'Lucky' with men, Conde Nast bows shopping title.(News)
March 1, 2004... Byline: JON FINE Is it a magazine or a sociological experiment? Yes. The magazine industry, marketers and even culture watchers will be paying close attention this week as Conde Nast Publications bows Cargo, its shopping mag for men....

Media infatuation with 'Sex' clouds reality of viewership.(Viewpoint)
March 1, 2004... Byline: Randall Rothenberg Call me a churl, but I, for one, am only too happy to bid adieu to "Sex and the City.'' I'd long grown tired of all the ink spilled in my daily rags over a program I'd never seen. OK-"never'' is too strong a...

People.(The World: Ad Age Global News & Data)(Manuel Torres, MTV International)(Chris Boothby, Aegis Group PLC)
March 1, 2004... Manuel Torres to new Miami-based position of VP-consumer products Latin America, Viacom's MTV International, to create a division to oversee licensing and merchandising in Latin America for products from shows such as Nickelodeon hits...

Work: Guinness.(The World: Ad Age Global News & Data)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... Three friends lost in a dark Brazilian rainforest use a swarm of moths to guide them on foot towards the light of a lively bar in the latest epic commercial for Guinness from Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO in London. The spot introduces a new...

Verizon Wireless upsells youth via instant texting; Seeks to mine 'fertile ground' of techie demo.(News)
March 1, 2004... Byline: LISA SANDERS and ALICE Z. CUNEO Facing the loss of its status as the nation's leading cellphone service provider due to the recently announced merger of its two biggest competitors, Verizon Wireless is going after the lucrative and...

Tatham name axed as shop struggles; Amid client, staff defections, agency moves to resolve creative issues.(News)
March 1, 2004... Byline: KATE MACARTHUR The Tatham name is being interred in the agency graveyard. Founded in 1946, the shop now known as Euro RSCG Tatham was for decades a stronghold of the Chicago agency world. As recently as 1998, the shop boasted...

Marc Platt & David Stone; 'Wicked': Slow to find its legs, prequel to Dorothy's adventure in Oz shows that witches are far from dead.(Special Report: Entertainment Marketers of the Yea)
March 1, 2004... Byline: Jenna Schnuer Witchy weather has dropped a house on several Broadway plays this winter, but at New York City's Gershwin Theatre, the producers of "Wicked'' are as pleased as the residents of Munchkinland. Based on Gregory...

Adrienne Sparks & Suzanne Herz; 'The Da Vinci Code': Pieces of elaborate marketing puzzle are carefully constructed by book team.(Special Report: Entertainment Marketers of the Yea)
March 1, 2004... Byline: Jenna Schnuer "The Da Vinci Code'' is a rare bird-it offers something for everyone, including secret societies, religious conspiracies, codes, art history, murder and a touch of romance. "People who don't read books are going out...

Mona Scott; Missy Elliott: Once 'painfully shy' performer steps out front with adidas and Gap deals, and adoring audience.(Special Report: Entertainment Marketers of the Yea)
March 1, 2004... Byline: Jenna Schnuer Marketing somebody who didn't want to be marketed was the dilemma facing Mona Scott. The reluctant client: rapper Missy Elliott. Ms. Scott characterizes Ms. Elliott as "painfully shy'' when she took on the...

Jonathan Abrams; Friendster: Viral marketing turns to viral nagging as Internet site rides buzz to connect 6 million advocates.(Special Report: Entertainment Marketers of the Yea)
March 1, 2004... Byline: T.L. Stanley It started with an idea, a beta test, about 20 people and no marketing budget. A year later, Friendster.com is nearly 6 million users strong, valued at more than $50 million and referenced in the scripts of hot TV...

Spotlight: Hutchison Telecom.(The World: Ad Age Global News & Data)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... Byline: Normandy Madden Marketer: Hutchison Telecom Agency: TBWA Worldwide, Hong Kong What will phones do next? Hutchison tries to make futuristic 3G a cool must-buy for Asians [Hong Kong] Hutchison Telecom hopes to transform...

Holding companies to take profit hit on new options rule; Some in U.S. move items to expense column.(News)
March 1, 2004... Byline: BRADLEY JOHNSON Burying stock options in financial footnotes soon will no longer be an option, and more companies-including Omnicom Group-are starting to report options as an expense. Interpublic Group of Cos. next week likely will...

Frank Gibeau; EA Sports: Billion-dollar 'Madden NFL' series makes marketing and publicity work hand in hand with videogames.(Special Report: Entertainment Marketers of the Yea)
March 1, 2004... Byline: Alice Z. Cuneo Frank Gibeau, videogaming's billion-dollar man, has done more than build the No.1 U.S. videogame software publishing house. Electronic Arts' exec VP-marketing has led the industry's synthesis into what's been dubbed...

The Player: Commerce's Cunningham reaches out to consumers.(People & Players)(John J. Cunningham Jr.)
March 1, 2004... Byline: MERCEDES M. CARDONA John J. Cunningham has had to deal with fast growth, industry consolidation and even terrorism during his career, but in the end, counting the coins in customers' penny jars has paid off. In his 16 years as...

$6 mil TV push: Protein pitched as hot new ingredient.(News)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... Byline: STEPHANIE THOMPSON The next big food ingredient to be marketed to consumers is soy protein. With protein in the news due to the Atkins diet, Solae Co. is hitting the airwaves with its first-ever national TV campaign. The...

Unilever stamps corporate name on all packages; Kao, P&G adopt similar strategy.(News)
March 1, 2004... Byline: JACK NEFF Unilever is placing its corporate brand-which now lurks in the background of its packaging-more prominently across its far-flung lineup. The move is the latest by multibrand package-goods manufacturers including Kao...

The Buzz; What we're talking about.(Media Works)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... Byline: T.L. Stanley The hot seat that Walt Disney Co.'s chairman-CEO Michael Eisner is sitting on just got a little toastier, and just in time for the March 3 annual shareholder meeting. Eisner, already under fire for issues ranging...

Child obesity debate: Marketers bite back as fat fight flares up.(News)
March 1, 2004... Byline: MERCEDES M. CARDONA The release of two studies critical of kids' advertising has reopened a big, fat argument in the industry-are ads making kids fat? Likely, yes, concluded two studies-by the American Psychological Association and...

Adages - Marquis Jet to Deutsch's 'Apprentice' girls: You're fired!(News)
March 1, 2004... Byline: Richard Linnett Donny Deutsch and his ad agency execs preferred the sexy campaign that the women's team created for Marquis Jet in the second episode of NBC's hit reality show "The Apprentice.'' As a result, the women won that...

Subway cans schtick to focus on food in its creative; Cheeky campaign 'had potential,' but ads fell flat with public.(News)(Subway Restaurants )
March 1, 2004... Byline: KATE MACARTHUR Any comic will tell you that once you have to explain a joke, it's not funny. So after Subway Restaurants used the Super Bowl to air a 60-second TV spot to explain the joke of its 4-month-old "It's OK, I had Subway''...

Editorial: Stern warning on content issue.(Viewpoint)(Howard Stern)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... In the most disingenuous media moment since Claude Rains declared himself shocked to find gambling going on at Rick's Cafe, Clear Channel CEO John Hogan discovered last week that Howard Stern's radio show violated decency standards and...

Mixed messages muddy mission, effectiveness of PR.(Viewpoint)
March 1, 2004... Byline: Jonah Bloom Open the file labeled "most advertising agencies don't advertise'' and make an addendum: most PR agencies don't clearly communicate their strengths. This is a time of huge opportunity for PR shops. In January, Bob...

The Week; Ruling: Milk ads violate free speech.(Briefs)
March 1, 2004... Dairy Management plans to appeal a decision by the 3rd Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals in Pennsylvania last week that ruled in favor of dairy farmers who object to paying ad assessments for fluid milk marketing efforts. The ruling cited the...

Unilever ramps up Latin effort; Events, promotions and big boosts in Hispanic budgets for Knorr, Ragu and others.(Multicultural)(Unilever Group)
March 1, 2004... Byline: LAUREL WENTZ In a growing focus on the U.S. Hispanic market, Unilever is adding Spanish-language advertising for some brands for the first time to some brands, developing multibrand Hispanic promotions, and creating products aimed...

Susan Duff; Hilary Duff: Persevernce pays off as Disney tween breaks out as multifaceted entertainment property.(Special Report: Entertainment Marketers of the Yea)
March 1, 2004... Byline: Jennifer Pendleton Many talented kids migrate to Hollywood with dreams of seeing their names on a marquee. Of course, few make it. Around three years ago, a very adorable Hilary Duff broke through as a superstar of the...

Marketing must rule again; As Gap, McDonald's found out, it's time to reinstate marketing as the growth engine.(Viewpoint)
March 1, 2004... Byline: JEFFREY MERRIHUE The golden age of marketing lasted for most of the 20th century, when W.K. Kellogg's invented and commercialized cereals, Coke became ubiquitous, soap operas were sponsored by Procter & Gamble, agencies were run by...

Double-digit promises: Sara Lee sets bold targets, stuns Street.(News)
March 1, 2004... Byline: STEPHANIE THOMPSON Sara Lee Foods is primed to unleash a host of products and up consumer marketing spending significantly in an aggressive bid to defy Wall Street and drive double-digit growth of its top meat brands. The...

Work.(Multicultural)(GlaxoSmithKline AB)
March 1, 2004... In work from new Hispanic agencies, GlaxoSmithKline's Tums, one of the few pharmaceutical brands targeting Hispanics, aims sly digs at less- effective rival antacids that remain nameless because Hispanic consumers tend to favor the...

Car dealers court existing buyers; Add amenities, efforts to hold onto customers.(News)
March 1, 2004... Byline: JEAN HALLIDAY While waiting for their Lexus to be serviced in Plano, Texas, consumers can sit on the sofa and watch a big-screen TV in the waiting room, surf the Internet or sip lattes in the beverage area. The Park Place...

Call for entries: 'Ad Age' Opens its Hispanic Awards Show.(Multicultural)
March 1, 2004... Advertising Age is accepting entries for its sixth 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,...

Nader on Advertising.(News)
March 1, 2004... Byline: Claire Atkinson Consumer activist and presidential hopeful Ralph Nader wants to create an Internet index dunning marketers who overstep the boundaries he's set in regard to advertising intrusion. Mr. Nader could not be specific...

Brady's Bunch.(People & Players)
March 1, 2004... Byline: James Brady Its title is ungrammatical (an adverb should modify an adjective) but undeniably punchy, and now, four years after its launch, Time Inc.'s Real Simple is an inarguable hit. I lunched last Monday with its publisher...

People.(News)
March 1, 2004... Sean F. Cassidy, 35, to managing director-president, Dan Klores Communications, New York, from senior partner. Also: John Marino, 55, to managing director-managing partner from managing partner; and Luana Floccuzio to managing director-chief...

Late News; Kennedy to propose new rules for DTC ads.
March 1, 2004... [Washington] Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., is readying a new attack on direct-to-consumer pharmaceutical ads as part of new Medicare legislation that could effectively kill broadcast ads, an aide to the senator told a pharmaceutical...

Chris Carlisle; FX: Once caught in rerun rut, cable network blossoms via edgy first-run fare like 'Shield,' 'Nip/Tuck' and promotion efforts.(Special Report: Entertainment Marketers of the Yea)
March 1, 2004... Byline: Jennifer Pendleton FX has been around for a decade, but with a schedule relying heavily on reruns as recently as three years ago, few knew what the News Corp.-owned basic cable channel stood for. It was adrift in the multichannel...

The Biz: U.K. broadsheets try on tabloid size.(Media Works)
March 1, 2004... Byline: EMMA HALL In one of the U.K. media's most dramatic stories, broadsheet newspapers are trying to reverse the industry's decline in readership by transforming themselves into half-the-size tabloids. Two of the four main broadsheets,...

Susan Rosenberg; Clear Channel Entertainment: Concert executive helps keep the Stones tour fresh, ticket revenue sky high.(Special Report: Entertainment Marketers of the Yea)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... Byline: Ann Helming The non-stop buzz sparked by Susan Rosenberg helped the Rolling Stones score the highest average ticket price for the top 100 tours of 2003. Tickets for the Stones' Licks World Tour went for an average of $158.17 last...

Russell Schwartz & Rolf Mittweg; 'Lord of the Rings': Promotion team widens the ring, tweaks the emotional pull of a movie series turned instant classic.(Special Report: Entertainment Marketers of the Yea)
March 1, 2004... Byline: T.L. Stanley Russell Schwartz (below, upper photo) had sold the spectacle, the lore, the effects, "the precious.'' Then, facing the third installment of the wildly successful "Lord of the Rings'' franchise, he went for the...

T.K. Kimbrell; Toby Keith: Manager unleashes blunt-talking, flag-waving country star all the way to top of the charts; Ford along for the ride.(Special Report: Entertainment Marketers of the Yea)
March 1, 2004... Byline: T.L. Stanley Though he has some strong opinions of his own, T.K. Kimbrell has climbed to the top of the country music management heap by allowing his most famous recording artist, self-professed redneck Toby Keith, to speak his...

Oren Aviv; Buena Vista Pictures: 'Making do' with odd set of movie properties, exec puts up stunning box-office numbers.(Special Report: Entertainment Marketers of the Yea)
March 1, 2004... Byline: T.L. Stanley With no big marquee name to sell several movies on his 2003 schedule, Oren Aviv turned to the story as star. In our celebrity-obsessed culture, a bankable star can do wonders for a campaign, but Mr. Aviv, president...

Earnings growth: WPP's Sorrell: 'Out of the bath'.(News)
March 1, 2004... Byline: MERCEDES M. CARDONA WPP Group's management could have been justified in crowing after posting a strong end to a difficult 2003, but the company's leaders remained cautious. WPP-parent of Ogilvy & Mather, J. Walter Thompson and...

GE favors Y&R for insurance biz spinoff; Genworth looks to leverage GE heritage.(News)(General Electric Co.)(Young & Rubicam Inc.)(Genworth Financial)
March 1, 2004... Byline: LISA SANDERS To help establish a separate brand identity for its life and mortgage insurance business, General Electric Co. is looking beyond longtime shop BBDO Worldwide to work with Young & Rubicam companies, including brand...

Keeping the fizz; If Steve Heyer departs Coke, his marketing shakeup may go flat.(News)
March 1, 2004... Byline: KATE MACARTHUR If Steve Heyer doesn't ascend to the Coca-Cola throne most had assumed was his, it could cause an unraveling of the marketing revolution he started at Big Red. When, in the wake of the announced planned departure...

Work 3.1.04.(News)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... Images of the week Grand Marnier gets topical. Agency: Tracy Locke Copywriter: Carl Sastram. Art director: Brian Hutter. Wieden & Kennedy, Portland, Ore., toasts rapper Jay-Z and director Quentin Tarantino in new ads for Belvedere...

Vivi Zigler; Bravo: Stylish, and with a lighter touch, 'Queer Eye' puts cable network in a whole new league that 'really resonates with audience'.(Special Report: Entertainment Marketers of the Yea)
March 1, 2004... Byline: Judann Pollack From the ocher-tinted silhouettes on outdoor boards to whistles carrying the message "Bad style really blows,'' Bravo's marketing campaign to introduce "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy'' struck the right tenor for the...

Heyer at top of exec wishlists; No-nonsense style appealing.(News)(next chief executive officer of Coke?)
March 1, 2004... Byline: KATE MACARTHUR Steve Heyer will be a CEO. The only question is where. Coca-Cola Co.'s hesitation to name Mr. Heyer, currently president-chief operating officer, as its next CEO could put the brash-but-well-regarded executive in...

McD's taps Burnett for Thai account.(The World: Ad Age Global News & Data)(McDonald's Corp., Leo Burnett Worldwide Inc.)(Brief Article)
March 8, 2004... Byline: Normandy Madden [Bangkok, Thailand] McDonald's Corp. has named Publicis Groupe's Leo Burnett Worldwide, Bangkok, to handle its estimated $2.5 million account in Thailand and help translate its "I'm lovin' it'' global platform for...

AdWatch.(News)(Brief Article)
March 8, 2004... Byline: Mercedes M. Cardona Turn Signals Consumers APPEAR to be boosting the recovery, but the job market remains pokey. After a high in January, the Conference Board's Consumer Confidence Index slid nine points in February and...

Ad Age/IAG's Top Spots; No. 1: AFLAC.(News)(Advertisement)
March 8, 2004... The latest spot from AFLAC-featuring its spokesduck in a "film noir" spoof-ranked as the most memorable ad of the period. Also nabbing top recall: JC Penney and Diet Pepsi for ads launched during the Oscars, plus two spots from Burger King. See...

Voted & Quoted.(Viewpoint)
March 8, 2004... 77% AdAge.com voters think there is a direct link between TV ads and childhood obesity. The remaining 23% of nearly 1,000 respondents feel there is more at fault than just advertising. "Ultimately the diets of children should be based on...

People & Players.
March 8, 2004... New York Entertainment Weekly holds its 10th annual Oscar Viewing Party at Elaine's. (From l.) Tenten Wu, marketing manager, L'Oreal Paris; Edie Falco, actress; Fred Nelson, VP-editorial development, Entertainment Weekly; Lisa Carvalho,...

Heat Index; Weekly Rating (0-10) of Sizzle & Fizzle.(Media Works)(Brief Article)
March 8, 2004... 9 Oscars The 76th annual Academy Awards, earlier by a month this year, had 43.5 million viewers tune in to see "Lord of the Rings" nab 11 awards, a 32% viewer gain over last year. 7 Frank Rich New York Times columnist is reportedly being...

Mitsubishi goes viral for Evolution launch.(The World: Ad Age Global News & Data; Mitsubishi Motors Europe launches Lancer Evolution VIII)(Brief Article)
March 8, 2004... Byline: Emma Hall [London] Mitsubishi Motors Europe, trying to build on a 2.4% sales increase to more than 200,000 cars in Europe in 2003, is launching the Lancer Evolution VIII with a viral and print campaign by StrawberryFrog, Amsterdam,...

KitKat reprises U.K. `Biggest Break' event.(The World: Ad Age Global News & Data)(Brief Article)
March 8, 2004... Byline: Emma Hall [London] With a $10 million campaign, Nestle's KitKat is urging everyone in the U.K. to take a 15-minute break March 12 at 3 p.m. in the second-and perhaps last-"Britain's Biggest Break'' to reinforce 50-year-old tagline...

Media Co. wins P&G media acc't.(The World: Ad Age Global News & Data)(Brief Article)
March 8, 2004... Byline: Lisa Sanders and Jack Neff [New York] After a review, Procter & Gamble Canada is shifting its $60 million media buying account for English-language broadcast and radio to The Media Co., part of Grey Global Group's MediaCom...

FYI...(The World: Ad Age Global News & Data)(Pernod Ricard S.A.)(Brief Article)
March 8, 2004... Pernod Ricard named Grey Global Group's Grey Relationship Marketing arm to build a regional CRM initiative and develop communication strategies for its flagship cognac brand, Martell, in Chinese markets such as mainland China, Hong Kong,...

People.(News)(Brief Article)
March 8, 2004... Phyllis Maguire, 48, to exec VP-managing director, Havas' MPG, Boston, from senior VP-director of local broadcast. Also: Mary Warren to senior VP-group account director, Boston, from senior VP-group media director; and Lisa Delio to senior...

Garfield's Political AdReview: First Bush ads pleasantly presidential.(News)
March 8, 2004... Byline: Bob Garfield The first official Bush-Cheney ads are on the air and, holy smokes, we want to vote for him. We want to work for him. We want to have his baby. Hitherto we were personally prepared to elect A.B.B., including Al...

Major marketers turn to yellow pages; Kellogg, Merck, Campbell Soup target specific consumers with $14 billion medium.(News)
March 8, 2004... Byline: LISA SANDERS In January, cereal maker Kellogg Co. invited Las Vegas residents to take up its annual Special K Challenge through a unique show-and-tell promotion advertised in an unlikely place: the 2004 Las Vegas Yellow Pages. ...

The Biz: FSN to be the new face of Fox Sports.(Media Works)
March 8, 2004... Byline: RICHARD LINNETT Fox Sports Net is going short-hand. Like its closest competitor, Entertainment Sports Programming Network, now just ESPN, the News Corp.-owned sports franchise is going for the acronym FSN, in an effort to simplify...

The Buzz; What we're talking about.(Media Works)(Brief Article)
March 8, 2004... Byline: Richard Linnett Size apparently does not matter when it comes to scandals. Martha Stewart's court case involves a mere $250,000 worth of Imclone stock shares that she allegedly sold on an inside trading tip, but her trial commands...

McD's adds to Disney distress; Burger chain seeks new partners as Eisner fails to lock down Pixar deal.(News)
March 8, 2004... Byline: T.L. STANLEY and KATE MACARTHUR As if he needed another headache, Walt Disney Co. CEO Michael Eisner has now lost the confidence of a major marketing partner, McDonald's. The tie-in partner is exploring deals with rival...

Advertising must be true to the brand experience.(Viewpoint)
March 8, 2004... Byline: Rance Crain Advertising's job, at its most basic, is to capture the brand experience. Not enhance it, nor embellish it, but to reflect the interaction between the product or service being bought and the consumer buying it. The...

Forum focuses on content: Ratings dismal for family friendly fare.(News)
March 8, 2004... Byline: RICHARD LINNETT "family friendly'' programs turn out not to be very ratings friendly. The TV shows created by a script development fund at The Family Friendly Programming Forum, a group of 48 national advertisers, have for the...

The Player - Heekin's vision: Make Euro a streamlined global power.(People & Players)
March 8, 2004... Byline: LISA SANDERS Ousted from the top job at global agency network McCann-Erickson WorldGroup in February 2003, Jim Heekin one year later is again at the helm of a global agency network. Depending on whom you ask, Mr. Heekin, 54,...

Host of TV superstars boost bullish syndication market; Dominating key dayparts, syndicators see it `as the best value in TV today'.(Special Report: Syndication)
March 8, 2004... Byline: RICHARD LINNETT Syndication will be the savior of television, some TV ad executives say. While prime-time network fare stumbled this season, losing audience share and some advertiser holds in the second quarter, syndication numbers...

Las Vegas ad slogan takes on life of its own; Tagline turns up on Oscars, news shows.(News)("what happens here, stays here")
March 8, 2004... Byline: RICH THOMASELLI On a recent Southwest Airlines flight that was taxiing to a gate at McCarran Airport, the flight attendant told the passengers to remain in their seats until the seatbelt sign was turned off, thanked them for flying...

'Exceptional, not structural': Havas upbeat despite 2003 loss.(News)(Brief Article)
March 8, 2004... Byline: MERCEDES M. CARDONA Restructuring costs caused Havas to post a large loss for 2003, but the company's management said the pain is already passing and the company could show growth in the first quarter. Havas-parent of Euro RSCG...

People.(The World: Ad Age Global News & Data)(Brief Article)
March 8, 2004... Eryck Rebbouh and Bruno Kemoun, CEOs of Aegis Media Europe until they left in November and started their own business, are expected to join WPP Group to set up a third international media network. Romain Hatchuel, former CEO of the Cannes...

M&M's wraps up promo with color; Bright update for package, candy.(News)
March 8, 2004... Byline: STEPHANIE THOMPSON M&M's is playing up its colorful past to ensure a successful future. The iconic Masterfoods U.S.A. brand this week introduces bolder colors for its candies, packaging with new graphics and an artist-inspired ad...