Advertising Age articles from May 2008

Advertising Age archives from May 2008

How to stay informed while avoiding the Attention Crash; on digital communications.(Digital)
May 5, 2008... Byline: Steve Rubel One of the most important skills executives need today is the know-how to manage and harness their personal information flow. The Attention Crash is a crisis in global business that is getting worse every day. By...

more from adage.com/bigtent.(The Big Tent)
May 5, 2008... why agencies aren't rushing to brag about meeting diversity goals The good news for many of the agencies that came under the gaze of the New York City Commission on Human Rights is that they met their goals for minority hiring in 2007. The...

P&G polls the public on controversial media moves.(News)
May 5, 2008... Byline: JACK NEFF The nation's largest advertiser is inviting consumers to weigh in on its controversial media decisions. Procter & Gamble set up an option on its main consumer toll-free line a couple of weeks ago in response to a...

Google: Those TV spots better be good; In planned system, you'll pay more for the same slot if your ad doesn't perform.(News)
May 5, 2008... Byline: ABBEY KLAASSEN If you're fretting that Google's TV Ads system will somehow commoditize the $64.4 billion the TV industry takes in ad revenue, don't. Google has a more radical notion than that. As it does with its AdWords search...

Revenue grows 8.6%, propelled by digital; Our Agency Report finds the business in surprisingly good health.(Agency Report 2008)
May 5, 2008... Byline: BRADLEY JOHNSON Revenue for U.S. agencies-advertising, marketing services and media-jumped 8.6% in 2007 despite a tepid ad market. And for that, you can thank digital. While it comes as no surprise that revenue at digital...

Funny or Die comedy site keeps its options for growth wide open; Year-old website aims to be celebrity playground, star maker, branded franchise and advertising vehicle.(Digital)
May 5, 2008... Byline: Beth Snyder Bulik There's no denying Funny or Die is funny. Go ahead, try not to laugh while watching 2-year-old Pearl of "The Landlord'' scream, "I need to get my drink on'' at actor Will Ferrell. Or director Judd Apatow's...

THE HEAT INDEX; Weekly rating (0-10) of sizzle and fizzle.(MediaWorks)
May 5, 2008... 10 Happy Birthday: The worldwide web celebrated its 15th birthday last week. Remember when it was taking its first dial-up steps? 6 Tom Cruise: Set to appear on "Oprah" for the first time since his infamous couch jumping this week to...

Work of the Week.(Work)
May 5, 2008... creativity top five This week on Creativity's Top Five, Yugo Nakamura and the web wizards at Tha Ltd. craft a customizable jingle for Uniqlo's T-shirts; AEG-Electrolux makes a loud statement about its silent washing machine by pointing out...

Ad-blogging crank rants about bloated field of 'must-attend' marketing confabs.(News)(Conference news)
May 5, 2008... Byline: George Parker I just came back from speaking at a new media and future trends conference in London. It was a very different kind of conference-one that in my opinion eclipsed the many hundreds of conferences I've attended or spoken...

Different, not deficient: Lesson for marketers in Jeremiah Wright's words.(The Big Tent)
May 5, 2008... Byline: Rochelle Newman-Carrasco A funny thing happened to me on my way home from Fiesta Broadway. For those of you who don't know Fiesta Broadway, it is billed as the nation's largest Latino Festival and attracts about 500,000 people to...

The new-media age gives us power; it's time to create content that matters.(The Big Tent)
May 5, 2008... Byline: Moses Foster Let's talk about three of my favorite things: content, diversity and power. But first, let me frame the conversation by telling you how I answer when someone asks me what I do for a living. For people who don't...

As seen on Adage.com/smallagency.(Column)
May 5, 2008... Zanger: Hit the road, Jack It's yet another marathon travel session for yours truly. Ironically, one of the stops on the road was in Boston for the Boston Marathon. Since I can only cobble together 26.2 miles in around 10 runs, it's clear...

Finally, the 4A's charts course into 21st century.(News)(Conference news)
May 5, 2008... Byline: MATTHEW CREAMER And RUPAL PAREKH [laguna niguel, calif.] Google CEO Eric Schmidt talking about addressable TV. A hallway crammed with displays providing 101 tutorials on Flickr and YouTube. Lots and lots of Nike Plus and iPhone...

For Unilever, P&G, no good deed is going unpunished; Damned if you do: Cause efforts become ammo for the critics.(News)
May 5, 2008... Byline: JACK NEFF Greg allgood, who directs Procter & Gamble Co.'s Children's Safe Drinking Water program, recently has spent a lot of time demonstrating Pur's purification packets for developing countries that turn disgusting, brown water...

Starbucks can reclaim its coffeehouse cred by thinking like an indie label.(Madison & Vine)
May 5, 2008... Byline: Charlie Moran Lately, starbucks' chairman, CEO and president, Howard Schultz has been grabbing the coffee giant by the scruff of the neck and yelling, "Remember where ya came from, kid!'' like some cheesy ringside boxing coach in...

Apple's latest iPod ad feels strangely familiar.(Madison & Vine)(Brief article)
May 5, 2008... What would this blog be if it didn't mention the new Apple iPod and iTunes "Gamma'' ad that premiered this weekend? Reprising the familiar silhouette theme that's been sitting on the shelf lately, the spot features more people dancing with...

Sony's superthin TV is way cooler than its special effects.(Garfield's AdReview)
May 5, 2008... Byline: Bob Garfield Google "cool song.'' You get 1.17 million hits. Same for "cool movie.'' Now try "cool car.'' That gets you 1.08 million hits. How about, let's see, "cool toilet''? Only 9,620, because, well, after all. So...

We better start monetizing social media before it's too late.(Digital Next)
May 5, 2008... Byline: Ian Schafer Technology is a funny thing. It enables humans to be capable of so much. It raises our potential to improve our lives and the lives of those around us. But so much of technology is hidden from plain view because it...

It's so easy to produce a podcast, there's really no excuse not to.(Digital Next)(Viewpoint essay)
May 5, 2008... Byline: Mat Zucker I didn't know it at the time, but all the radio spots I did back in the '90s really set me up nicely for the digital-content era, especially for my favorite emerging-media vehicle: podcasting. News and entertainment...

Selling better isn't the same thing as building loyalty; Reason for Pause.(CMO Strategy)(chief marketing officer)
May 5, 2008... Byline: Jonathan Salem Baskin In real life, we use "loyalty'' to label benefits that appear undeserved. Dogs greet us at the door when we've been away all day. Friends do things for friends whether they want to or not. We're loyal to our...

In a consumer-controlled world, journalists should be marketers.(Columns)(Jack griffin)
May 5, 2008... Byline: Rance Crain Jack griffin, president of Meredith Publishing, kicked up a ruckus when he told attendees at a Folio conference, "We don't hire editors anymore; we hire content strategists.'' His comments were interpreted by some...

Finding a band to dance with your brand is a fine art.(Column)
May 5, 2008... Byline: Lenore Skenazy If you think the advertising world has been slammed by a hurricane of change, try hanging out with some music moguls for a while. Better yet, hang out with Aaron Isaacson, founding partner of Beverly Hills'...

Four A's stops worrying, learns to love the internet.(Viewpoint)
May 5, 2008... It looks like the agency world might catch on to this internet thing just yet. The advent of the internet and disruption of the ad model caused by the proliferation of digital technologies have prompted a number of reactions from ad...

Honda, Dodge, others flog cars on big screen; Cinema players see surge as automakers seek out young, captive crowds.(News)
May 5, 2008... Byline: JEAN HALLIDAY The onslaught of cars rolling into movie theaters this summer isn't the cartoon kind. Rather, it's an advertising barrage from automakers trying to get at the blockbuster crowd and driving double-digit segment growth...

WILL MACY'S GO FAR ENOUGH? New local focus is a good one, but to make it work, the retailer must think broadly.(CMO Strategy)
May 5, 2008... Byline: PHILIP ALEXANDER Give macy's Chief Marketing Officer Peter Sachse a high five for the giant retailer's plans to implement a localization initiative called "My Macy's.'' This recognition that Macy's must remember its local roots by...

Keep it casual and see clients flock to you.(Talentworks)
May 5, 2008... Byline: TROY DUNN Traditional networking is a bit out of my comfort zone. As a business owner, I know that networking is critical to business development. I appreciate the value of professional- association meetings, but I don't believe...

Media Morph: In-call media networks.(Digital)(Brief article)
May 5, 2008... Byline: alice z. cuneo What it is: Know those seconds of dead time waiting for a call to be connected? A new network wants to use those quiet moments to whisper short, targeted ads directly into the consumer's ear. Some say services like...

Marketing expert in hot seat; Author James Twitchell faces plagiarism probe by university employer.(News)(Occupation overview)
May 5, 2008... Byline: NATALIE ZMUDA James twitchell, a marketing expert and the prolific author of titles such as "Twenty Ads That Shook the World: The Century's Most Groundbreaking Advertising,'' has admitted to plagiarism. The University of...

MARKETERS CHASE REBATE CHECKS; Businesses design deals around stimulus checks, hoping to snag some government-promoted spending.(News)
May 5, 2008... Byline: NATALIE ZMUDA The checks are in the mail. Economic-stimulus checks will begin hitting consumer mailboxes this week, and businesses large and small are champing at the bit. Across the country, businesses such as restaurants,...

Ellies go to publications besides The New Yorker.(Mediaworks)
May 5, 2008... Byline: Nat Ives Some years, the National Magazine Awards amount to a heap of accolades for The New Yorker, while last year emerged as a five-win coronation for New York. The 2008 awards last week seemed to cover a wider range, giving...

Mars-Wrigley combo: better or just bigger? Analysts say result will be lean player in industry ripe for consolidation.(News)(merger of Wm. Wrigley Jr. Co. and Mars Inc.)
May 5, 2008... Byline: EMILY BRYSON YORK What could the candy titan resulting from the $23 billion merger of Wm. Wrigley Jr. Co. and Mars bring the world? Chocolate gum. That was one reporter's joking suggestion at a press conference announcing the...

Cameron and Ashton tie the knot in Vegas! Or so it seems. Planned viral video for new film co-opts tabloid tactics.(Madison & Vine)
May 5, 2008... Byline: Claude Brodesser-Akner The video is a little unsteady and clearly camcordered, not filmed. The blonde in the frame-is that Paris? Britney again?-appears inebriated, unsteady. We can make out that it's in a Las Vegas wedding chapel,...

Dr Pepper goes along for 'Indiana Jones' quest.(Madison & Vine)
May 5, 2008... Byline: CLAUDE BRODESSER-AKNER When "indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull'' opens worldwide May 22, so will a lot of Dr Pepper cans in the States. And while the promotional relationship is designed to be mutually beneficial,...

Yes, that's Microsoft welcoming regulation; Behemoth's backing of bills seems to fly in the face of its bid for Yahoo.(News)
May 5, 2008... Byline: ABBEY KLAASSEN Microsoft is pushing for regulation of the data that online companies collect for marketing purposes, leaving rivals angry and perplexed. Almost every other internet-ad company is squarely against government...

Media Guy's Pop Pick; Nick Cave and Flight of the Conchords.(Mediaworks)
May 5, 2008... Byline: s.d. Our columnist's current media obsession This week, an unlikely study in musical contrasts from way down under and thereabouts: the first (eponymous) album by Flight of the Conchords, the New Zealand folk-pop comedy duo...

Magazine awards, now with fewer deadly ingredients; As the afterglow from the recent Ellies fades, introducing a new way to recognize glossy goodness.(Mediaworks)(Column)
May 5, 2008... Byline: Simon Dumenco "Do magazine people really take the National Magazine Awards seriously? Do they actually mean anything?'' a newspaper editor asked me recently. Well, yes and no, to both questions. As a longtime (recovering)...

HOW 'MR. STARBUCKS' BECAME MR. TETHER; Stanley Hainsworth, the man behind most of the coffee chain's creative, on starting his own agency, brand building, Kentucky accents and his killer Rolodex.(News)(Stanley Hainsworth)
May 5, 2008... Byline: EMILY BRYSON YORK He put his stamp on nearly every piece of creative at Starbucks; he devised the "brand book'' that defines the Lego image; and he helped push Nike into entertainment. And, if nothing else, he should be famous for...

As if you didn't know by now, it's about the bottom line for CMOs; Survey says marketers are more accountable than ever for business results.(News)(chief marketing officer)(Survey)
May 5, 2008... Byline: JENNIFER ROONEY Forget fluffy measures like brand awareness. Today's successful chief marketing officer has to have an impact that can be measured in dollars and cents. That was the message behind the latest survey of more than...

PHOTO FINISH FOR MILEY CYRUS? Vanity Fair shot tarnishes star's image with parents, but she's popular as ever with kids.(News)(Walt Disney Co. Walt Disney Studios)(Survey)
May 5, 2008... Byline: CLAUDE BRODESSER-AKNER Last week, Miley Cyrus, aka Disney's billion-dollar girl, Hannah Montana, assumed yet another identity: pi[currency]ata. With a single, revealing photo taken by Annie Leibovitz for June's Vanity Fair...

Now that's ROI! Ford campaign proves its worth.(Adages)(Ford Motor Co.)
May 5, 2008... Byline: Ken Wheaton Perhaps you've seen those recent Ford spots in which young women swap out their Toyotas or Hondas or what have you for a week and drive around in a Ford? Maybe you thought, "Yeah, OK. Whatever'' when the young woman...

Economy, rivals no match for BK's marketing; Fast feeder notches sales gain of 5.4%, trouncing even ascendant McD's.(News)(Burger King Corp.)(Financial report)
May 5, 2008... Byline: EMILY BRYSON YORK Burger king is giving rivals a solid thrashing-and marketing is getting the credit. While other fast feeders fault the recession and housing crisis for tepid sales, Burger King posted a healthy...

More news from adage.com.(Briefs)(Brief article)
May 5, 2008... Interpublic Group of Cos. and its global agency network McCann Erickson Worldwide said they will pay $12 million to end a longtime accounting probe by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The settlement deal coincides with charges of...

The question: How long will newsprint continue to exist? 46% said newspapers still have at least another 20 years to go.(News)(Brief article)
May 5, 2008... Byline: william hupp Almost everyone agrees that newspapers are in decline. But just how quickly that decline is coming is up for debate (one that generated a huge voter turnout). Nearly half of you said newspapers aren't ready to die...

Sprint, Nissan make big branded-entertainment plays with soccer shows; Marketers' latest project is a first for Univision, which developed a reality program with Vidal Partnership.(Hispanic)
May 5, 2008... Byline: LAUREL WENTZ For aspiring sports stars-and marketers such as Sprint and Nissan-the reality show "El Juego Supremo'' ("The Supreme Game'') could become the "American Idol'' of soccer as branded entertainment grows in the U.S....

Study reveals habits of Hispanic internet users; What respondents said about video ads, ethnic traditions, technology.(Hispanic)(Survey)(Brief article)
May 5, 2008... Byline: LAUREL WENTZ A groundbreaking study of online U.S. Hispanics done by ComScore for Terra Networks USA in February looked at everything from ethnic pride to video advertising. The survey included 3,513 Hispanics ages 12 and older...

Ad Age awards: Jury selection.(Hispanic)(Juan Carlos Rodriguez chief creative officer of advertising industry selected for Hispanic Creative Advertising Awards)
May 5, 2008... Byline: laurel wentz Juan Carlos Rodriguez (left), chief creative officer of Puerto Rican agency Badillo Nazca Saatchi & Saatchi, will chair the jury for Advertising Age's 10th-annual Hispanic Creative Advertising Awards. The deadline...

Nets try to get fans to go where the money still is: TV; CW will use contests to lure viewers to couches instead of computers.(News)
May 5, 2008... Byline: BRIAN STEINBERG The cw, the fledging network stitched together from the remains of UPN and the WB, is testing some new methods aimed at getting younger viewers to think of the boob tube-not the computer screen-as the place to go to...

IS YOUR CONSUMER USING SOCIAL MEDIA?(News)
May 5, 2008... Byline: BETH SNYDER BULIK bbulik@adage.com Raise your hand if you believe social media is an important way to build a brand. Now raise your other hand if you're still not sure how to do that properly. Most people probably have two...

SEEING GREEN? MAYBE IT'S TIME TO GO BLUE; Put consumers and shoppers at the center of the sustainability dialogue to really save the world.(CMO Strategy)(Viewpoint essay)
May 5, 2008... Byline: ADAM WERBACH In a few short years, sustainability has gone from the fringes right to the heart of business purpose. Sustainability is affecting business strategy on every level and from many directions: increased competition, the...

Need a primer on social media? Read on; SmashLab white paper outlines suggestions and opportunities.(News)(Excerpt)
May 5, 2008... Interactive agency SmashLab has created a white paper on social media designed as a primer for those who want to learn more about it. Below are excerpts from two sections: opportunities in social media and suggestions on how to use social...

Revenue grows 8.6%, propelled by digital; Our Agency Report finds the business in surprisingly good health.(Agency Report 2008)
May 5, 2008... Byline: BRADLEY JOHNSON ***** Correction: The following corrections and clarifications are from Agency Report 2008 (AA, May 5):Estimated 2007 revenue for Interpublic Group's Reprise Media was $12 million (not $7.8 million).Estimated...

Sampling: The new mass medium; Tactic has won over likes of Starbucks, McD's and morphs into big 'event'.(News)(Coca-Cola Co. (Atlanta, Georgia))(Dunkin' Donuts Inc.)(Starbucks Corp.)
May 12, 2008... Byline: EMILY BRYSON YORK And NATALIE ZMUDA Sampling: It's the new medium. One of marketing's oldest and least glamorous practices-doling out free product-has come a long way from the gray-haired ladies in the supermarket aisle. No...

Super Bowl spots hit $3 million; NBC's push to sell early, sell high reveals tough times in TV market.(News)(Anheuser-Busch Companies Inc.)(National Broadcasting Company Inc.)(PepsiCo Inc.)
May 12, 2008... Byline: BRIAN STEINBERG Nbc is comfortable with its bold move to seek $3 million for a 30-second spot in Super Bowl XLIII, given it has research to suggest advertising in this TV-ratings bonanza comes with a guaranteed return on the...

Hiller speaks.(News)(Brief article)
May 12, 2008... On his paper's future "What the size of it is and how much user content vs. staff content-all those things we've got to work through. But I am convinced that there is a sustainable, right-size, excellent... business in being the Los...

Will new shake-ups stir Aegis? Buhlmann takes over as global CEO, but says it's still 'business as usual'.(News)(Company overview)
May 12, 2008... Byline: MEGAN MCILROY When aegis group executives arrive in Beijing this week for the company's global management conference, they'll see quite a different executive team than they would have a month ago. Mainardo de Nardis, global CEO...

CW surprises with Sunday prime-time plans; In attempt to reach larger audience, enlists help of independent company.(News)(Media Rights Capital)
May 12, 2008... Byline: BRIAN STEINBERG Just days before it presents next season's programming to marketers, the CW revealed it was turning Sunday nights over to an independent production company that will attempt to broaden the network's reach. The...

LEE'S CAHILL KEEPS THE CONVERSATION GOING; She's leading the traditional denim brand's foray into nontraditional media.(CMO Strategy)(Interview)
May 12, 2008... Byline: Jennifer Rooney Liz cahill assumed the post of VP-marketing of Lee Jeans, a division of VF Corp., in December 2006. From day one, she made it her goal to "bring back Lee,'' the iconic brand that had lost a bit of its "power,'' she...

How Howard will help agencies diversify; 4A's pledges money and manpower to new center at historically black school.(News)
May 12, 2008... Byline: MEGAN MCILROY Late last month, Nancy Hill, the new president-CEO of the American Association of Advertising Agencies, stood in a conference room in a hotel in Laguna Niguel, Calif., and made what could go down as an important...

Out of Site at Adage.com.(Brief article)(Column)
May 12, 2008... As seen on AdAge.com/ smallagency Olson: Harmony is overrated What makes for a successful partnership? As we think about enlarging the leadership team at Amazon Advertising, I realize that the answers are obvious mostly in hindsight....

Older DVR owners are more likely to skip all ads; on digital consumers.(Digital)(digital video recorder)(Survey)(Brief article)
May 12, 2008... Byline: Mike Vorhaus Since upfront season is upon us, let's take a look at people's attitudes toward ad skipping. Approximately 30% of online Americans, ages 12 to 64, own or subscribe to a TiVo or a DVR service from their cable or...

Why tracking marketing's now so tough; Plethora of data should offer clarity but instead creates a 'new opacity'.(News)
May 12, 2008... Byline: JACK NEFF Investors have never had more information about how marketers and media are performing in the marketplace. As a result, they've never been more confused. Call it the new opacity. Despite the best efforts of...

Celebrities, poop jokes and candy: Gets 'em every time.(Adages)(Tom Papa)
May 12, 2008... Byline: Ken Wheaton As Interpol has forbidden me to set foot in France, over the past few years I've made the One Show my big event of the advertising award season. After all, it is the self-described Oscars of the advertising...

news from adage.com's campaign trail.(Briefs)(Brief article)
May 12, 2008... Fenton, MoveOn Form Democratic `Tuesday Team' Nearly a quarter century after a Tuesday Team of Madison Avenue experts helped Ronald Reagan win the White House, Democratic progressives are forming their own version and tapping former McCann...

THE question: Do you agree with George Parker that marketing conferences have become irrelevant? 61% say there are too few marketing confabs that matter.(News)(Survey)(Brief article)
May 12, 2008... Byline: jonathan lemonnier Have marketing conferences become overexpensive irrelevancies, as "AdScam'' author George Parker contends? Some 61% of Ad Age readers believed the bombastic blogger was right on, and none expressed it more...

more from adage.com/madisonandvine.(Madison & Vine)(Crocs Inc.)(MTV Networks Inc.)(Warner Bros.)
May 12, 2008... Red robot puts crocs on a new path with travel site To pierce through the ad clutter and really engage your consumers, offer a service, not an ad. That, in a nutshell, is the logic behind Cities by Foot, a travel-guide website that rolled...

Retouching ruckus leaves Dove flailing; New Yorker revelation sparks flap over whether Real Beauty ads are 'real'.(News)
May 12, 2008... Byline: JACK NEFF It was a few lines in a 6,000-word article, but it threw Unilever and its advertising agency, Ogilvy & Mather, into a tizzy of denials, explanations and spin control. Whether or not the truth is finally known, the...

Creative is better than it used to be, and that's good business.(Columns)
May 12, 2008... Byline: Teressa Iezzi I had earnestly hoped to be spending this column on a recap of the second-annual Creativity Awards. Our magazine launched said awards last year to recognize great brand ideas outside the confines of media-based...

Coke, GE, J&J fire concurrent shots at critics; Experts: It's unlikely games sponsors planned joint response to activists.(News)(Coca-Cola Co.)(General Electric Co.)(Johnson and Johnson)
May 12, 2008... Byline: JEREMY MULLMAN And MICHAEL BUSH Olympic sponsors are finally speaking out-but not in the way activists initially planned. Groups that targeted sponsors over host country China's support of the ruling regime in Sudan now charge...

HOW IT'LL ALL SHAKE OUT.(The Upfront)(Brief article)
May 12, 2008... Byline: brian steinberg As consumers and marketers weigh their options in the face of a mortgage crisis, credit issues, inflation, and price hikes in gasoline and commodities, many industry observers expect the annual TV upfront market...

Media Morph: Mouseless Navigation.(Digital)(Publicis and Hal Riney Co.)(Brief article)
May 12, 2008... Byline: rupal parekh What it is: The name pretty much says it all-with the help of webcam technology, visitors have the option to navigate the site using just hand gestures. Who's using it: San Francisco ad agency Publicis & Hal Riney...

Wait, what are we selling again?(News)
May 12, 2008... Byline: emily bryson york Taco Bell might be the darling of the Yum Brands portfolio, but its counterparts are facing identity crises. Both Pizza Hut and KFC are undertaking menu expansions that stray from their core positioning. Pizza...

Pizza Hut pasta line gets cooking with practical joke.(News)(Brief article)
May 12, 2008... Byline: emily bryson york Pizza Hut introduced its line of pastas with hidden cameras, a hip restaurant and a number of unwitting New Yorkers. Its commercial gives the impression that big-city folk arrive at a fancy restaurant for a nice...

It's not just TV networks doing all the selling; Others infiltrate buying period to woo marketers emphasizing media mix.(The Upfront)(General Motors Corp.)(Interpublic Group of Companies Inc.)(Procter & Gamble Co.)
May 12, 2008... Byline: ANDREW HAMPP The broadcast nets won't be the only ones vying for upfront dollars during the next six weeks. An increasing number of web portals, out-of-home companies and cinema chains are starting to get in on TV's biggest buying...

Hyping Joker-without exploiting Heath's death; Warner will walk a fine line as it markets Batman flick 'The Dark Knight'.(News)
May 12, 2008... Byline: CLAUDE BRODESSER-AKNER `'You either die a hero or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain,'' declares Aaron Eckhart in the forthcoming Warner Bros. summer blockbuster "Batman: The Dark Knight.'' Unfortunately,...

Don't expect TV sellers to exceed last year's $9.1B; Credit crisis and focus on accountability likely downers for upfront.(The Upfront)
May 12, 2008... Byline: BRIAN STEINBERG The upfront will not be up this year. At least, that's the conclusion two Wall Street analysts have reached. Pointing to marketers worried about a sputtering economy, a credit crisis and a looming recession,...

Taco Bell tops Yum portfolio after tough year; 'Value-oriented' chain rises through recession as more seek cheap eats.(News)
May 12, 2008... Byline: EMILY BRYSON YORK It was only a year ago that Taco Bell's same-store sales fell sharply following an E. coli outbreak in the Northeast and a rat infestation in a New York City unit. But now, analysts are citing Taco Bell as the...

As carbonated drinks sag, tea spree persists; Lipton and Nestea ready marketing blitzes for ready-to-drink beverages.(News)
May 12, 2008... Byline: NATALIE ZMUDA Carbonated soft drinks may be flagging, but there's no stopping ready-to-drink teas. The market for teas, of which ready-to-drink varieties account for 75%, was valued at $7.4 billion at retail in 2007, according...

IF YOU WANT BETTER WORK, TRY TO BE A BETTER CLIENT; Marketers need to recognize their shortcomings and how their actions impede agencies' ability to deliver the best results.(CMO Strategy)(Column)
May 12, 2008... Byline: BEAU FRASER I love advertising. At its best, advertising provokes thought, differentiates commodity products and helps consumers make better-informed decisions. Done well, it can be inspiring, entertaining and rewarding. But most...

Sacrifice many for the sake of one brilliant idea; Hogshead on.(TalentWorks)(Sally Hogshead)
May 12, 2008... Byline: Sally Hogshead At one point in your life, many years ago-approximately nine months before you were born, in fact-you competed in your very first new-business pitch. You were competing against a few hundred million others, but...

It's up to Olympic sponsors to remind world what games are really all about.(News)
May 12, 2008... Byline: Michael Maslansky The olympic torch continues to flee through the streets of the world's major cities, hounded by chants of "Save Darfur'' and "Free Tibet.'' The Chinese government stumbles from one public-relations misstep to the...

LIGUORI LEADS SURGING FOX; Nonconformist network only one looking up.(News)(Peter Liguori)(Interview)
May 12, 2008... Byline: BRIAN STEINBERG Owing to a penchant for outre programming and crass reality-show concepts, at one time News Corp.'s Fox network was the butt of jokes-even on its own shows, such as "The Simpsons'' and "Married... With Children.''...

'BAD PUBLISHER' BUCKS YESTERDAY'S BUSINESS MODEL; Hiller: L.A. Times won't have margins it used to, but he's making sure brand is still attractive to advertisers.(News)(Los Angeles Times)(David Hiller)
May 12, 2008... Byline: NAT IVES Newspapers across the country have suffered repeated budget cuts like those last week at The Daily Camera in Colorado and The New York Times. But it's only at the Los Angeles Times, the country's biggest metro paper, that...

SILVERMAN ON THE BENEFITS OF BEING AHEAD OF SCHEDULE; And why you'll see an updated version of 'Knight Rider' but not 'B.J. and the Bear'.(The Upfront)(Interview)
May 12, 2008... Byline: BRIAN STEINBERG The hard sell of the upfront marketplace is typically the realm of the ad-sales executives, who guide the nitty-gritty of the negotiations behind the scenes after the entertainment presidents do the soft sell by...

A tale of water buffalo, lions, crocs and two lucky ducks.(MediaWorks)(Battle at Kruger)
May 12, 2008... Byline: ann marie kerwin This is a story about luck. Around the National Geographic offices, David Budzinski is considered one lucky bloke. After all, Nat Geo videographers spend weeks or even months out in the African bush, fighting off...