Advertising Age articles from May 2007

Advertising Age archives from May 2007

How Euro RSCG caught Coke's Esther Lee; Names her president of global brands and first North American CEO.(LISA SANDERS)
May 7, 2007... Byline: LISA SANDERS lsanders@adage.com David jones finally got his star. After wooing Coca-Cola Senior VP- Chief Creative Officer Esther Lee for 12 months, the CEO of global ad network Euro RSCG sealed the deal, anointing Ms. Lee...

Subscriber leaks persist at newspapers; Dailies lose 941,470 paying customers; circ rises for just six of biggest players.
May 7, 2007... Byline: NAT IVES nives@adage.com The latest newspaper-circulation results released last week again show an industry slowly but steadily losing paying readers. Although subscriber churn was down and the paid-circulation decline was...

P&G PRIMES ITS PINPOINT MARKETING; Elva Lewis pulls back the curtain to reveal how she plans to build 60 million relationships.
May 7, 2007... Byline: MATTHEW CREAMER mcreamer@adage.com Can the makers of tide, Pampers and Crest be something other than the villainous intervener between you and your episode of "Desperate Housewives''? Can it be a source of useful, accurate...

Latino marketers and agencies set out to explore virtual worlds; Dieste, Vidal and Sprint among those experimenting in Second Life to connect with tech-savvy consumers.(marketing strategy of Vidal Partnership)
May 7, 2007... Byline: LAURA MARTINEZ RUIZ-VELASCO Hispanic marketers and agencies are using Second Life to gain experience in creating virtual worlds to appeal to Latinos, who are more likely to play online games than their general-market counterparts....

Holding companies must bring all disciplines to table.(opinion of Martin Sorrell of WPP Group on traditional advertising business in mature markets)(Brief article)
May 7, 2007... When WPP Group Chief Executive Martin Sorrell announced record 2006 results, he made a confession to Wall Street analysts: "If you said to me what do we worry about, well, I think we worry about the traditional advertising business in the...

Zit cream targets teens with direct web effort; IDEA SPOTTING (LITERALLY): Zapzyt uses rich media to break out on MySpace.
May 7, 2007... Byline: JACK NEFF jneff@adage.com What could be more horrifying for a teen than waking up the morning before the prom with a giant pimple? You might say direct-response TV on the web, particularly on MySpace. That's the idea...

PSP retools in bold first-place bid; Sony turns to price cuts, high-octane marketing to grab hand-held share.
May 7, 2007... Byline: BETH SNYDER BULIK bbulik@adage.com With some deft strategy strokes-a dramatic price drop, a new target demographic, broader content and aggressive marketing-Sony is angling for the dominant share that's eluded it since the PSP...

McCann's exec shuffle stirs chatter about who will fill Dooner's shoes; Client performance is the key; McLaren, Gosper emerge as front-runners.
May 7, 2007... Byline: BROOKE CAPPS bcapps@adage.com As "the sopranos'' draws to a close, McCann Worldgroup has kicked off its own drama with a plot that focuses on jostling to be the family's next don. CEO John Dooner has said he'll exit the...

Look out, '08 candidates: YouTube users are watching.(presidential elections)(Brief article)
May 7, 2007... Byline: emily tan What you say: 70% Did you doubt it? Some 70% of voters believe YouTube can get out the vote in the 2008 election-and influence the result. However, some believe YouTube's outreach will hit the 18-to-24 crowd but leave out...

Blog ad networks just can't compete with big portals; on digital communications.(Digital)
May 7, 2007... Byline: Steve Rubel Many bloggers face a critical choice: Write for love or for money? However, in the past few years, a crop of advertising networks, including BlogHer, Federated Media, FeedBurner, B5 Media and BlogAds, have helped a...

Dallas Morning News suffers 14% decline; But execs claim slip was expected; paper latest to scrap 'other paid circ'.(News)
May 7, 2007... Byline: JEREMY MULLMAN jmullman@adage.com Amid the dreadful circulation numbers released by newspapers last week, The Dallas Morning News' numbers stood out as particularly shocking. Industrywide, total weekday paid circulation...

Tracking web traffic: Upstarts trump titans; ONLINE SCORECARD: CBS, NBC beaten by About, Weather Channel sites.(News)
May 7, 2007... Byline: ABBEY KLAASSEN aklaassen@adage.com While nbc, The New York Times, Time Inc. and Clear Channel may be kings of the offline media world, it's a whole new ballgame on the web, where such stalwarts regularly are thumped by smaller...

Unilever hopes moms will melt for pops that don't.(News)(Brief article)
May 7, 2007... Byline: STEPHANIE THOMPSON sthompson@adage.com This summer, Unilever promises to deliver something moms have always wanted: less drippy Popsicles. The Slow Melt varieties (in typical red-stain flavors including cherry and...

Lee's resume.(Esther Lee of Euro RSCG Worldwide (Paris, France))(Brief biography)(Brief article)
May 7, 2007... B.A., Cornell University 1981 Internal operations consultant-management services, JP Morgan 1984: Account executive, D'Arcy Masius Benton & Bowles 1986: Senior VP-account director, JWT, New York 1993: Exec VP-director of client...

Marketers to mags: Give guarantees or we'll walk; EXCLUSIVE: MediaVest wields $900M to land issue-by-issue circ promises.(News)
May 7, 2007... Byline: NAT IVES nives@adage.com Kraft, wal-mart and Coca-Cola are among the marketers that are prepared to stop spending in magazines if they don't get issue-by-issue circulation guarantees. Media buyers long have been frustrated...

MARKETERS CASH IN ON CUTE KNUT; Zoo licenses bear for toys, tees and all manner of media.(News)
May 7, 2007... Byline: DAGMAR MUSSEY adageeditor@adage.com [dusseldorf, germany] There are already Knut stuffed toys, china knickknacks and a CD. Now get ready for Knut the book, the musical and the movie. The Berlin Zoo's most famous resident,...

Would WSJ still be WSJ under Rupert Murdoch? Skeptics fear mogul's name, politics could taint business daily's brand.(acquisition of Dow Jones & Co. by News Corporation Ltd. )
May 7, 2007... Byline: NAT IVES nives@adage.com If rupert murdoch's News Corp. succeeds in buying Dow Jones & Co. for $5 billion, the biggest prize will be The Wall Street Journal. But given the premium his offer represents, Murdoch watchers wonder...

The bid and the Bancrofts.(Dow Jones & Company Inc.)(Brief article)
May 7, 2007... The Bancrofts, who control 64.2% of Dow Jones shareholder votes and four of 16 board seats, comprise three branches and five generations of adults. Christopher Bancroft, 55, controls 19% of the family's supervoting shares and sits on the...

PSP's missteps.(News)(PlayStation Portable)(Brief article)
May 7, 2007... Too expensive. With rival Nintendo DS launching around the same time $149, PSP's initial $249 price suddenly looked exorbitant. Marketing snafus. Edgy ads in Europe had protesters complaining of racism; graffiti ads in New York subways were...

Need to move some simian statuary? Get your video on eBay.
May 7, 2007... Byline: Teressa Iezzi When you're trying to convey the true essence of a monkey statue or a giant Garfield alarm clock (the latter sounds slightly less alarming when you realize the clock is a giant cartoon cat, not an ad reviewer),...

Digital media needs the skills and smarts of older professionals; Success in interactive industry is not about age, and it's a shame more employers can't see that reality.(Talentworks)
May 7, 2007... Byline: LESLIE LAREDO There is a tremendous amount of ageism in our industry. Don't get me wrong: There are many talented and knowledgeable younger people in our industry, but we need many more people to meet the demand of the...

STEAL THIS BAG ... ... AND LOOK INSIDE: There's a lot more than lipstick and keys in there. A hundred women show marketers what floats their totes-and what doesn't.(News)(Survey)
May 7, 2007... Byline: JACK NEFF jneff@adage.com The purse is relatively unexplored territory for marketers. And no wonder: It's scary in there, filled with old gum wrappers, crumbs, lipstick with the cap off, tampons with the wrappers coming off and...

CONSUMERS EAT UP MEAT MARKETERS' GOURMET BRANDING; They may not know what Angus is, exactly, but diners and shoppers shell out for higher quality.(News)
May 7, 2007... Byline: KATE MACARTHUR kmacarthur@adage.com Quick: what's angus-a cut of beef or a bovine breed? When Hardee's asked the question four years ago, many respondents didn't know. "They weren't really sure, but they did know it was...

What's your beef?(News)
May 7, 2007... Picking the right meat is such a challenge it's become a comedy bit for CBS's "Late Show with David Letterman.'' In his weekly current-events quiz, "Know Your Cuts of Meat'' is a category where audience members try to identify cuts of meat...

What's in store.(News)(Survey)(Brief article)
May 7, 2007... Byline: kate macarthur Upscale-meat sales are soaring, but butchers are losing out, according to a survey for the American Meat and the Food Marketing institutes. Just 6% of shoppers buy most of their meat from a butcher, and nearly six in...

Valentic: From Ford to fertilizer; Q&A: Carmaker's former VP-global marketing on her new gig at Scotts.(News)(dialogue with Jan Valentic of Scotts Miracle Gro Co.)(Interview)
May 7, 2007... Byline: JEAN HALLIDAY jhalliday@adage.com Jan Valentic has found greener pastures at Scotts Miracle-Gro Co., which she joined in March as senior VP-marketing for North America. Though she came from Y&R, Seattle, where she was exec...

Katy Frohling; Senior VP-Brand Strategy, Wells Fargo.(CMO Strategy)(Wells Fargo & Co.)(Brief article)
May 7, 2007... At Wells Fargo, Ms. Frohling, who joined the company two years ago, is responsible for brand strategy and corporate identity. During the previous 20 years she served as VP-director of advertising at Chase and gained experience on the agency...

Andrea Spiegel; VP-Sales and Marketing, JetBlue.(CMO Strategy)(JetBlue Airways Corp.)(Brief article)
May 7, 2007... Ms. Spiegel joined JetBlue in 2005. She oversees branding, product development, research, sales and distribution, advertising, promotions, interactive marketing and marketing-partnership programs. Prior to joining the airline, she ran her own...

Roger Adams; Senior VP-Chief Marketing Officer, Home Depot.(CMO Strategy)(The Home Depot Inc.)(vice president)(Brief article)
May 7, 2007... Having joined Home Depot in 2005, Mr. Adams is responsible for marketing, advertising, brand management, consumer insights and event marketing. He joined Home Depot from General Motors Corp., where he served most recently as exec...

Tarang Amin; VP-Marketing, Laundry and Home Care, Clorox.(CMO Strategy)(Brief article)
May 7, 2007... In addition to overseeing all laundry and home-care marketing, Mr. Amin is responsible for leading the $1.4 billion Clorox franchise and for the company's health-and-wellness platform. He joined in 2003 as VP-marketing, Home Care; he became...

Prim and proper? Please. Just look at the British media.(The World)
May 7, 2007... Byline: Ivan Pollard Myths abound about us Brits. Some of them are probably true, but some of them need to be challenged. We do not all talk like Hugh Grant; we do not all stop for a spot of afternoon tea; we did not all go to private...

Media Morph: Tumri.(Digital)
May 7, 2007... Byline: abbey klaassen What it is: A start-up trying to bring branded e-commerce to the ad-network space. The idea is that by using traditional ad-targeting techniques and detailed information from e-commerce product databases, Tumri can...

Don't count us out: Microsoft assuages online advertisers; After big buys by Google and Yahoo, giant must use annual client summit to showcase all it has to offer.(Digital)
May 7, 2007... Byline: ABBEY KLAASSEN aklaassen@adage.com Microsoft's annual ad gathering this week in Seattle comes on the heels of big deals by Google and Yahoo, and the Redmond, Wash., giant wants its biggest advertising clients to know it isn't...

P&G will bolster spending for fiscal '08; Lafley: Emphasis is on 'nonmeasured media' and top-line growth.(News)(Procter and gamble Co)
May 7, 2007... Byline: JACK NEFF jneff@adage.com Procter & gamble Co. will spend heavily on marketing for its year starting July 1-putting a big emphasis on what Chairman-CEO A.G. Lafley called "nonmeasured media.'' Further, the marketer indicated...

Nissan tripped up by middling marketing.(News)(Nissan Motor Company Ltd.)
May 7, 2007... Byline: JEAN HALLIDAY jhalliday@adage.com Nissan has lost its marketing magic. Nissan Motor Co. President-CEO Carlos Ghosn confessed at a recent Tokyo press conference that though the automaker's models are well-received by...

Media Guy's got love for readers-even if some call him names; Thoughtful fans offer kudos for column on Virginia Tech, but Twitter devotees just think he's an idiot.(MediaWorks)
May 7, 2007... Byline: Simon Dumenco I'm a nasty little bugger, aren't I? Or so I've read. I'll explain, but first I'll note that this is Media Guy R.A.W.-Reader Appreciation Week-in which I give thanks to the lovely, smart, generous and...

New York (no -er) dominates National Magazine Awards.(MediaWorks)(Mark Whitaker)
May 7, 2007... Byline: nat ives Mark Whitaker, former editor of Newsweek, newly dubbed VP at NBC News and longtime ASME stalwart, stepped onstage at Jazz at Lincoln Center last week halfway through the National Magazine Awards ceremony to say, "I guess...

Out of Site at AdAge.com.(Brief article)(Column)
May 7, 2007... As seen on AdAge.com/outofsite AirTran effort makes us say `ewww' We're not quite sure what to say about an effort by AirTran to generate some viral feedback. On AirTran U.'s YouTube channel (or EweTube channel, if you will), the...

Adage.com readers respond to madden's manifesto:.(Small Agency Diary)
May 7, 2007... I've had many clients tell me off, hang up the phone and disagree with me... and I just keep lovin' them and helping them through thick and thin. It's had an extremely positive effect on my income! I just had to pull out for this very...

Global highlight: 'Cool in Your Code'.(The World)(Brief article)
May 7, 2007... Byline: emma hall Good ideas travel well, and the "Cool in Your Code'' branded-entertainment series has done just that, making the hop from New York to London. The concept started as an Emmy Award-winning 30-minute local cable show...

Chinese sportswear brand Anta aims to become next Nike; Company plans to leverage stronghold in second- and third-tier cities to compete in global market.(The World)
May 7, 2007... Byline: NORMANDY MADDEN nmadden@adage.com [fujian, china] Anta, one of China's largest sportswear marketers, hopes its slogan "Forge yourself'' will someday be as well-known as Nike's "Just do it'' and Adidas' "Impossible is...

Ad Age is accepting entries for Hispanic Creative Awards; Jury includes creatives and marketing execs; two categories added.(Multicultural)
May 7, 2007... Byline: LAUREL WENTZ lwentz@adage.com Aldo quevedo, president of Dieste Harmel & Partners, Dallas, will chair the jury for Advertising Age's ninth-annual Hispanic Creative Advertising Awards. Entries are due this month. He will be...

Waiting game: Consumers clamor for Wii; Nintendo promises to up production, but shortage hasn't damaged brand.(News)(Nintendo of America Inc.)
May 7, 2007... Byline: BETH SNYDER BULIK bbulik@adage.com It's becoming a Sunday-morning tradition in parking lots and malls across America: Line up at Target, Wal-Mart or Best Buy for Nintendo Wii the same day the ads appear in the weekly circular,...

Video-game publishers ride Wii wave.(News)
May 7, 2007... Byline: beth snyder bulik Don't expect the Wii faithful to sport suntans this summer. Nintendo's announcement last week that it has 45 Wii games (and 70 DS games) in the pipeline stirred a lot of excitement, considering the console...

Road to the Upfront: mynetworktv.(News)
May 7, 2007... Byline: andrew hampp The Player: MyNetworkTV Key Execs: Roger Ailes, chairman, Fox Television Stations; Bob Cesa, exec VP-ad sales and cable programming; David Barrington, senior VP-ad sales; Greg Meidel, president, MyNetworkTV ...

Why Fox couldn't care less about the upfront; Q&A: Nesvig says market is strong, solutions to ad skipping are in the works.(News)
May 7, 2007... Byline: ANDREW HAMPP ahampp@adage.com Jon nesvig will be talking about a lot of new things at next week's upfront presentation: an expanded broadband player and the still-unnamed online video partnership with NBC are just two examples....

Who cares if your ideas are brilliant if you can't sell them? Hogshead on...(Talentworks)(risk analysis)
May 7, 2007... Byline: Sally Hogshead I recently gave six speeches in five days in four cities. They varied from a half-day brand workshop in Milwaukee to a tech conference in Northern California, with audiences ranging from venture capitalists to...

SHOCKER! US CLAIMS RIVALS LIED TO READERS; Celebrity weekly calls out competitors in new feature that denounces 'faux biz'.(US Weekly)
May 7, 2007... Byline: NAT IVES nives@adage.com If beauty is truth and truth beauty, to paraphrase a 19th-century celebrity, then Us Weekly thinks it's pretty. Suddenly the weekly that injected magazines with mania for Hollywood betrayals and...

Bullying clients getting you down? Fire them.(Small Agency Diary)(coping with agressive and non-cooperative clients)
May 7, 2007... Byline: Peter Madden In advertising, branding, marketing, design, public relations, we live and breathe creativity. And the thing about creativity is, not everyone agrees on the interpretation of the brand, whether ad concept or identity...

Thou shalt stop yelling: Rules for car dealerships.(Small Agency Diary)(Viewpoint essay)
May 7, 2007... Byline: Doug Zanger When I left entercom in February, a colleague said, "Boy, I bet you're glad you don't have to do any more car commercials.'' I thought there was some truth to that until I started getting phone calls from car dealers...

Measure brand equity by consumer choice.(CMO Strategy)(Discussion)
May 7, 2007... People will pay more for superior service, executives say During the course of the discussion, Advertising Age Editor Jonah Bloom asked the executives whether they think it's possible to "crack the link between marketing and brand...

Yahoo/MSN rumor swirls again, right on schedule; But buyers would rather have four portals with mass scale than three.(News)
May 7, 2007... Byline: ABBEY KLAASSEN aklaassen@adage.com It was on. It was off. It was on again. It was off again. For the second year in a row, rumors of a deal between Microsoft and Yahoo swirled again days in advance of Microsoft's annual ad...

Roll with the changes: NBC rejects 30-second web spots.(News)
May 7, 2007... Byline: ABBEY KLAASSEN aklaassen@adage.com Nbc universal wants to reel in $1 billion in digital revenue by 2008. But there's one thing it won't do to get there: put 30-second spots in front of short-form video. While the...

Has licensing's time come? It has for Mustang, Stanley.(Columns)(brand licensing)
May 7, 2007... Byline: Jonah Bloom This father's day a new men's fragrance from Estee Lauder will go on sale in Sears. Its name: Mustang. Yes, that's right, Mustang. As in the storied automobile. Mustang as in a Ford marque that appeals to men who are...

What you missed.(Taco Bell Corp. appoints David Ovens as new chief marketing officer)(JWT, Chicago to layoff staff following loss of some Kraft Foods accounts)(Anne Saunders moves to Bank of America Corp. as brand and advertising executive)(Brief article)
May 7, 2007... For those wondering how Publicis Seattle would handle the $150 million account it inherited from sibling Fallon late last year, here's the answer: Instead of "Live richly,'' Publicis Seattle proposes: "Let's get it done.'' The print, TV and...

Involve agencies as partners in brand innovation, not just vendors.(Discussion)
May 7, 2007... At one point during the evening, talk turned to agencies and the role-or lack thereof-they play in product and brand innovation, as well as whether or not they should be compensated for their ideas: ms. ROONEY: To what extent are agencies...

Little Lad produces big laughs in genius Masterfoods spot.
May 7, 2007... Byline: Bob Garfield AdReview knows what it knows. For instance: that most advertising is ordinary and a lot of it dreadful. And that skewed creative values esteem punch lines and spectacle over salesmanship. And that the agency business...

A dress so stunning we couldn't keep our fingers off it.
May 7, 2007... Byline: Ken Wheaton If Elizabeth Gage, president of PCM International, ever loses her day job, she's certainly got a career in design. Check out the Yellow Pages dress she sported at the Yellow Pages Association Annual Conference Industry...

Bitter New York rivals produce best growth; But both tabloids have upped 'paid' numbers with sponsored copies.(New York Daily News )
May 7, 2007... Byline: NAT IVES nives@adage.com The warring New York Post and New York Daily News last week each reported better growth than any other top-25 newspapers-with the Post holding its lead over the News. Far from leading the industry...

On the road: Corona Extra's 'Best of Mexico'.(Brief article)
May 7, 2007... Byline: laurel wentz Corona Extra, the leading imported beer in the U.S., traditionally has been marketed to Mexicans in the U.S. with a nostalgic focus on their homeland. A Spanish-language TV, radio and outdoor campaign breaking around...

Employees a critical linkto brand innovation.(Discussion)
May 7, 2007... Round table: On a Monday evening in late April, the night before the Association of National Advertisers' first Brand Innovation Forum, four marketing executives gathered for a private dinner at Django, a French-Mediterranean restaurant in the...

THE HEAT INDEX; Weekly rating (0-10) of sizzle and fizzle.
May 7, 2007... 10: RUPERT MURDOCH Given the sheer horror journalists expressed at prospect of Dow Jones buy, this is not a story that's going away soon. 7: Dolan Family Manages to finally get together an offer to take Cablevision private that's accepted...

People & Players.(Capitol File throws an after-party)(Complex magazine fetes its fifth-anniversary issue)(American Express Co. cardholders meet Tiger Woods at private outing)(Brief article)
May 7, 2007... Beverly hills, calif.: myspace stage Singer-songwriter Pete Yorn plays at an exclusive party before MySpace's Never-Ending Friending event, co-hosted by Isobar and Carat. (From l.) Isobar Worldwide CEO Nigel Morris, Fox Interactive Media...

2007 International Andy Awards.(Awards list)(Brief article)
May 7, 2007... BEST OF SHOW (Grandy) NIKE Plus R/GA, New York For the first time, the Advertising Club awarded top prize to a digital campaign. Executive creative directors: Kris Kiger, Nick Law, Richard Ting. Executive producer: Matt Howell....

Zit cream targets teens with direct web effort; IDEA SPOTTING (LITERALLY): Zapzyt uses rich media to break out on MySpace.(News)
May 7, 2007... Byline: JACK NEFF ***** Correction: In "Zit Cream Targets Teens With Direct Web Effort'' (AA, May 7) the "InPerson'' rich-media product used by Whitman Pharmaceuticals' Zapzyt on MySpace was developed by Rovion. The article...

Agency, heal thyself?(News)
May 14, 2007... Campbell-Mithun tapping an outside agency to market Campbell-Mithun was sufficiently unusual that we thought we'd ask the experts whether they believe it will work or fall flat. Judy Neer, president, Pile & Co. "I can't recall another...

To reinvent, shop harks back to past.(News)(Brief article)
May 14, 2007... Campbell-Mithun worked with branding firm Cue to develop "Seven Tenets'' that made the agency unique. The tenets-derived from quotes from founder Ray Mithun-are incorporated throughout the agency's office in a series of murals and in its...

Like no other tagline in the world-maybe.(News)(Mercedes-Benz USA Inc.)
May 14, 2007... Byline: jean halliday Mercedes-Benz USA once owned engineering excellence. Its famed "Engineered Like No Other Car in the World'' was even uttered by Clint Eastwood in the 1990 movie "The Rookie,'' after the Mercedes 500SL he drove through...

What you say.(Brief article)
May 14, 2007... Byline: judann pollack 78%: It's a landslide: More than three-quarters of Ad Age readers feel Rupert Murdoch will harm The Wall Street Journal -- or even destroy it -- if Dow Jones accepts his $5 billion bid for the company. Journal...

How can Lafley keep P&G expanding? ANALYSIS: Q3 didn't see broad gains on rivals; key brands struggled.(News)(Procter & Gamble Co.)
May 14, 2007... Byline: JACK NEFF jneff@adage.com a.g. lafley's turnaround of Procter & Gamble Co. has been little short of miraculous, and the package-goods giant continues to beat its stated targets. Yet the question is being asked: Can the...

Crest is king: Brand wrests No. 1 spot from Colgate; How can Lafley keep P&G expanding?(News)
May 14, 2007... Byline: JACK NEFF jneff@adage.com it took almost 10 years and $2 billion in ad spending, but Crest has grabbed toothpaste-category leadership from Colgate in the U.S. Like any claims in hotly contested category-leadership wars,...

INTEGRATION OPPS FUEL HISPANIC NETS' GROWTH; SPANISH-LANGUAGE: Univision, others primed for strong seasons thanks to cross-platform offerings and content tailored to product placement.(Special Report: TV Upfront)
May 14, 2007... Byline: LAURA MARTINEZ RUIZ-VELASCO tv networks come to this year's Hispanic upfront-estimated at $1.8 billion-armed with marketing proposals that go beyond the traditional fare of soccer and telenovelas. In fact, marketers should...

Upcoming Hispanic upfront presentations.(Special Report: TV Upfront)
May 14, 2007... May 14: Azteca America May 15: ESPN/ESPN Deportes, Fox Sports en Espanol, Telemundo May 16: GolTV, Univision, Discovery Networks

Gala goers bombarded with boldface names at Time 100; Water Cooler.(Mediaworks)
May 14, 2007... Byline: Nat Ives We would love to talk about the Central Park views, the hors d'oeuvres and the way the black-tie Time 100 gala last Tuesday reflected the modern media business-but really all any of the guests wanted to talk about were the...

Unilever no show? Titan sounds off on upfront; EXCLUSIVE: VP-media weighs options.(News)
May 14, 2007... Byline: JACK NEFF jneff@crain.com in what could signal a broadening of the revolt begun last year after Johnson & Johnson and Coca-Cola Co. pulled out of the TV upfront, another package-goods giant with a half-billion-dollar-plus...

INDUSTRY FIXATES ON PLUMMETING LIVE AUDIENCES; NETWORKS: As ratings wither in face of DVRs and new Nielsen methodology, broadcasters force talks toward other metrics.(Special Report: TV Upfront)
May 14, 2007... Byline: CLAIRE ATKINSON climate change is wreaking havoc on the airwaves. Everywhere marketers look, they see network prime-time ratings melting away-huge blocks of audiences simply snapping off, top-rated shows sinking to record lows. ...

Media Guy's Pop Pick: Compete.com.(Mediaworks)
May 14, 2007... Byline: Simon Dumenco Our columnist's current media obsession My name is Simon, and I'm an Alexaholic-make that a recovering Alexaholic. Alexaholic.com, of course, is the indie site that used to automatically draw website-traffic data...

ESPN MAKES JUMP TO MAJOR LEAGUE; Q&A: Network President George Bodenheimer on the brand's first outing in the broadcast upfront.(News)(Interview)
May 14, 2007... Byline: ANDREW HAMPP ahampp@adage.com in the increasingly crowded sports-media landscape, one brand comes out on top of every platform it plays in-ESPN. Since its 1979 beginnings in Bristol, Conn., as the Entertainment and Sports...

NBC AD CHIEF EYES 'CRISPER THINKING' AT NET; Q&A: Mike Pilot, who recently shifted from GE, says new technology (and a few more hit shows) will boost Peacock.(Special Report: TV Upfront)(Interview)
May 14, 2007... Mike Pilot joined NBC Universal as president-ad sales in January. Mr. Pilot talked to Claire Atkinson about his views on commercial ratings, the health of the upfront market and what NBC is going to discuss in its upfront presentation. You...

Everything you ever wanted to know about the TV upfront ... ... but were afraid (or too busy watching YouTube videos of Nora, the piano-playing cat) to ask.(Mediaworks)
May 14, 2007... Byline: Simon Dumenco just in time for the network TV upfront, Media Guy presents this helpful guide to the changing TV landscape. What show are you most excited about? "American Shreb Shreb Nuna'' on Fox. To compete with ABC's...

PORTALS MAKE PLAYS FOR UPFRONT DOLLARS; INTERNET EVENTS: From Yahoo's 'In Front' presentations to AOL's 'First Look,' key online landing spots seek early exposure.(Special Report: TV Upfront)
May 14, 2007... Byline: JANET STILSON ok, so it's not such a bad idea after all. Those internet-portal folks who called the 2006 upfront "antiquated'' are now coming around to the concept of an advertiser-targeted blow-out event. This year,...

Cablers chase revenue from VOD, online video; Industry eyes potential sources of growth as ad dollars flow to internet.(The Cable Show)
May 14, 2007... Byline: ANDREW HAMPP ahampp@adage.com [las vegas] As any media buyer who's been through the past four months of pre-upfront presentations can tell you, the cable guys sure know how to have fun. For their first Cable Show, the National...

Notable quotes from Gates, Levy and others gathered in Seattle.(Microsoft Advertising Summit)(Discussion)
May 14, 2007... Byline: abbey klaassen "The theme of this conference? Guilt.'' Overheard in the hallway after Bobby Shriver spoke about raising money to cure AIDS through ProjectRed; Laurie David spoke about her efforts to curb global warming ("Do you...

This stuff's not staying in Vegas: The best of Cable Show '07.(The Cable Show)(Conference news)
May 14, 2007... The Cable Show had its fair share of awards ceremonies throughout its four days in Las Vegas, but there were plenty of unrelated highlights. Herewith, the Ad Age awards for Best Moments of Cable Show '07. Best swipe at the press: FCC...