Advertising Age articles from November 2008

Advertising Age archives from November 2008

Consumers rate brands that give best bang for buck; Surprise! Discovery and History channels among highest-ranked in survey.(News)(Discovery Communications Inc. Discovery Channel)(Survey)
November 3, 2008... Byline: MICHAEL BUSH Which brand provides the best value for the dollar, Wal-Mart or the Discovery Channel? In a recent survey done by YouGovPolimetrix's BrandIndex, consumers rated the cable channel higher. It came in second only to...

The Idea Conference.(News)
November 3, 2008... Byline: matthew creamer, marissa miley, abbey klaassen The third-annual Advertising Age/Creativity Idea Conference took place Oct. 30 at New York City's Terminal Five. The customary eclectic mix of speakers was on hand. So were more ideas...

People on the Move.(TalentWorks)(Alan Ett Creative Group has appointed Peter Isacksen )(Datran Media has appointed Patrick Vogt )(Siegel & Gale appointed Lee Rafkin )
November 3, 2008... Peter Isacksen became president of the Alan Ett Creative Group, where he will head future marketing and development for Newdance, a new division of Alan Ett that focuses on developing creative concepts for strategic partnerships. Mr. Isacksen...

What credit crisis means for media mergers, acquisitions; Deals are certainly scarce these days, but economy will present opportunity.(News)
November 3, 2008... Byline: NAT IVES The credit markets may be basically frozen, but media mergers and acquisitions aren't going to stop completely. They're going to get more interesting. Potential sellers will resist, of course, giving up assets for...

Job swapping makes a comeback; Switching-lives program helps U.K. agency Iris recruit and retain talent.(News)
November 3, 2008... Byline: RUPAL PAREKH This past August, Luke Purser, a 25-year-old creative at the U.K. headquarters of ad-agency network Iris, packed up his belongings and headed to his employer's Big Apple outpost. At the same time, Julia Richards, a...

KINDLE OFFERS GLIMPSE OF ROI ON OPRAH.(News)
November 3, 2008... Byline: ABBEY KLAASSEN Since amazon launched the Kindle, its electronic reader, a year ago, it has created a swarm of dedicated customer advocates. But on Oct. 24 it snagged the most important evangelist in Oprah Winfrey, who said, "I'm...

Grocery rivals wise up with new standardized labeling.(News)
November 3, 2008... Byline: EMILY BRYSON YORK And NATALIE ZMUDA Some of grocery marketing's heaviest hitters-and normally strong rivals-are joining to create the industry's first cross-channel standard nutrition initiative, a "Smart Choices'' label that...

As ratings fall, nets take on ad-skipping; 18% Recall of an unskippable ad on network TV, per Magid. Recall of unskippable ads online: 50%.(News)
November 3, 2008... Byline: MICHAEL LEARMONTH With dvr penetration knocking on 30%, much of America now views the ability to skip ads on TV as something approaching a birthright. While they haven't had much choice in the matter, the broadcast networks say...

DIRECT SELLERS HAPPY TO TOE THE PARTY LINE; Tight economy creates ideal habitat for Avon, Tupperware at-home gatherings.(News)
November 3, 2008... Byline: BETH SNYDER BULIK Welcome to the Stay-at-Home Economy. The continuing financial crisis is causing people to go out to eat less, travel less, shop less and, yes, spend less. And study after study says they are doing more TV...

People & Players.(BBDO Worldwide Inc. has received award for its General Electric campaign)(Crystal Cruises Inc. has won the prize for Best Large-Ship Cruise Line)(Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network honors Anne Sweeney, Darren Star)(Brief article)
November 3, 2008... Los Angeles: Respect awards The Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network honors those working to fight sexual-orientation discrimination in schools. (From l.) Actor, singer and GLSEN award winner Lance Bass; Anne Sweeney, president,...

Mobile: Juanes fans sing for Sprint.(Hispanic)(Brief article)
November 3, 2008... Byline: laurel wentz About 30% of the video entries in a recent Sprint-sponsored contest inviting people to sing like Colombian megastar Juanes were filmed and sent using cellphones rather than laptops or camcorders. That illustrates the...

Radar says 'Fangs for the memories' before bowing out.(Adages)(Radar magzines' Halloween party)(prices of cheeseburger at McDonald's Corp.)(Cascadian Farm Inc. is changing its product packaging)
November 3, 2008... Byline: Ken Wheaton Days before Radar announced it was shuttering, the magazine sent out invites for its Vampires and Victims-themed Halloween party. Once it found out that it was going to be a victim itself (with its lifeblood sucked out...

THE question: If you were Jerry Bruckheimer, would you shelve "Shopaholic''? 71% of you said the film should be released as planned.(News)(Brief article)
November 3, 2008... Byline: max lakin Touchstone Pictures' Jerry Bruckheimer-backed adaptation of the wildly popular "Shopaholic'' book series is swimming in choppy waters. We asked Ad Age readers if, considering the current economic meltdown, it might be...

Sites vying for lad ad dollars start to take hits; Heavy, Break lay off staff as competitors targeting young men proliferate.(News)
November 3, 2008... Byline: MICHAEL LEARMONTH One could say that the once-dominant lad-magazine category, epitomized by Maxim, was felled by a swift kick to the groin. Gone are many of the glossies (Stuff, FHM) that once dominated the market, replaced by...

Budget beers get a boost as drinkers tighten belts.(News)(Brief article)
November 3, 2008... Byline: JEREMY MULLMAN As the economy continues to spiral downward, more and more beer drinkers are trading down to the High Life. Sales of the cheap brew ironically dubbed the "Champagne of Beers'' popped 6.5% during the four weeks...

The newest ad agencies: major media companies.(News)
November 3, 2008... Byline: JACK NEFF When procter & gamble co. brought hundreds of suppliers to Cincinnati earlier this month for its first "supplier summit,'' among them were 40 media companies. The message from Chairman-CEO A.G. Lafley, according to one...

The Heat Index; weekly rating (0-10) of sizzle and fizzle.(MediaWorks)
November 3, 2008... 9 TiVo Makes deal with Netflix to beam movies to TVs, thus cutting out the mailman. Instant gratification is solid customer-service thinking; now just keep it affordable. 7 MTV Gets the Beatles to agree to license songs for "Rock Band"...

Wal-Mart's media tack for tough times; National radio, targeted cable buys working for retailer's 'Live better' push.(News)(Wal-Mart Stores Inc.)
November 3, 2008... Byline: ANDREW HAMPP And JACK NEFF Wal-mart's "save money. Live better'' tagline seems to be translating to its media strategy, as recent buys on national radio and targeted cable networks such as CNBC have helped boost sales for some of...

Wired women an untapped goldmine for package goods; Study finds 'digital divas' spend more time online buying and talking about products than thought.(Digital)
November 3, 2008... Byline: JACK NEFF Long ago, back in the aftermath of the last online bubble, package-goods marketers largely concluded that women didn't want to spend much time talking about their low-involvement products or buying them online. How...

Work of the Week.(Work)(Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network's award to Anne Sweeney, Darren Star)(BBDO Worldwide Inc. has received award for its General Electric campaign)(Crystal Cruises Inc. has received the prize for Best Large-Ship Cruise Line )(Brief article)
November 3, 2008... Los Angeles: Respect awards The Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network honors those working to fight sexual-orientation discrimination in schools. (From l.) Actor, singer and GLSEN award winner Lance Bass; Anne Sweeney, president,...

Brits vie for bargain-bin bragging rights; Tight economy makes thriftiness chic-and shoppers love to talk it up.(News)
November 3, 2008... Byline: EMMA HALL [london] The credit crunch has inspired a new sport among the U.K. middle class: competitive thrift. Where once-spendthrift consumers couldn't wait to show off their latest designer purchases and home improvements,...

The printed newspaper is not facing extinction (yet).(Viewpoint)
November 3, 2008... Last week marked another death in the newspaper world. The Christian Science Monitor announced it would be laying to rest the print version of its daily paper, switching to a weekly print model and housing everything else on the web. But before...

Macy's cuts all magazine spending for first half of '09.(News)
November 3, 2008... Byline: nat ives and natalie zmuda Macy's is giving magazines the cold shoulder. The retailer has quietly cut its entire magazine spend for the first half of 2009, according to several publishers. "We were on a media plan for Macy's,...

Will print survive the next five years? -700 Time Inc. will lay off up to 700; CEO Ann Moore calls publishers on a five-year plan "delusional.".(News)
November 3, 2008... Byline: NAT IVES The print business was horrified enough last week when The Christian Science Monitor revealed plans to fold its 100-year-old daily print edition in favor of the web and a weekly print product. But by the end of one of the...

Is terrorist-socialist Barack Obama also a secret Scientologist? Take the special election-wrap-up edition of the Media Guy Media Studies Quiz and find out.(MediaWorks)
November 3, 2008... Byline: Simon Dumenco OK, class, it's time again for the Media Guy Media Studies Pop Quiz: Civics Edition! You know, to test just how much you've learned during the extraordinary election season we've all just endured. All books and papers...

AND NOW, CONAN O'BRIEN! ... AND YOUNGER VIEWERS; Expect NBC's "Tonight Show" to get a little coarser without Leno, but new host will still have to attract a broad audience.(News)(NBC Universal Inc.)
November 3, 2008... Byline: BRIAN STEINBERG For decades, NBC's "Tonight Show'' has been the perfect example of a big broadcast-network offering: It plays as much to the middle of the country as it does to the hip-erati on both coasts and brings in the big...

Kohl's bulks up as rivals trim; Retailer to blast value message across platforms to lure budget-conscious.(News)
November 3, 2008... Byline: NATALIE ZMUDA This season it's simply not possible for Kohl's to be too value-oriented, said Julie Gardner, chief marketing officer. And so, the retailer fired a warning shot by announcing an aggressive, well-funded holiday...

Subway's 'Holla' might have been dumb, but it wasn't racist.(Subway Inc.)(Column)
November 3, 2008... Byline: Ken Wheaton As part of its "$5-Foot-Long'' promotion, Subway recently unveiled a "Holla'' site featuring a blinged-out Abe Lincoln. The sandwich chain also recently yanked it down. Now, if certain blog reports are to be believed,...

As seen on AdAge.com.(Website overview)(Brief article)
November 3, 2008... As seen on AdAge.com/smallagency barker: an upside for small agencies As the Consumer Confidence Index hits an all time low of 38, will large advertisers finally look en masse to smaller agencies for innovation and value? Is this mess...

With trial coming up, economy is tip of the iceberg for Univision; Network faces approaching debt payment, drop in revenue and ongoing battle against Grupo Televisa.(Hispanic)(Univision Communications Inc. and Grupo Televisa S.A. de C.V.)
November 3, 2008... Byline: LAUREL WENTZ Spanish-language TV is suffering from the economic downturn along with the English-language networks, but the biggest player, Univision Communications, has other issues to deal with too. Univision was sold in March...

How Bravo cooks up top-shelf integration for 'Top Chef'.(News)
November 3, 2008... Byline: ANDREW HAMPP Like al dente pasta, integrated-marketing ideas for Bravo's "Top Chef'' are constantly being flung at the wall to see what sticks. Now entering its fifth season, "Top Chef'' has emerged as the reality series for...

Ax falls on new TV shows; Fox, CBS have some with legs.(MediaWorks)(CBS Broadcasting Inc.)
November 3, 2008... Byline: Brian Steinberg The fall TV schedule suddenly looks filled with holes and potential danger areas, as the four big broadcast networks each have taken one program off the grid. Last week, CBS decided to run a repeat of "NCIS,''...

It was a glorious season for the Phillies; DirecTV, not so much.(Garfield's AdReview)
November 3, 2008... Byline: Bob Garfield We never thought we would see this day. Even with the world so topsy-turvy, it just seemed so quixotic, so improbable, so unattainable. Knowing what we know going back to the earliest days of the Reagan...

STAY-AT-HOME TREND FEATHERS SAMSUNG NEST; Fewer families going out means more sales of HDTV, sound systems.(CMO Strategy)(Interview)
November 3, 2008... Byline: BETH SNYDER BULIK Steven cook came to Samsung Electronics America a little over a year ago, after 13 years at Coca-Cola and another 13 years before that at Procter & Gamble. While fizzy drinks and make-up (he ran marketing for...

Experiential media No. 1 way to influence customers; Word-of-mouth, TV much more effective than print, survey finds.(Hispanic)(Survey)(Brief article)
November 3, 2008... Byline: LAUREL WENTZ Experiential marketing is the medium most likely to persuade Hispanic consumers to buy a product, according to a recent survey commissioned by experiential-marketing company Jack Morton Latino, but respondents had...

Media dollars drop despite election year; -1.6% Media outlays slid 1.3% in the first nine months-and without political ads factored in, plunged 1.6%.(News)
November 3, 2008... Byline: NAT IVES This is shaping up to be the first even-numbered year to post a decline in broadcast TV spending since 1970-in fact, it's tracking to end up even lower. And that's before you strip out the big boost to media provided by...

A free ad? Now that's value.(News)(Wal-Mart Stores Inc.)(Brief article)
November 3, 2008... Byline: emily bryson york In their search to get a value message out-even as their prices climb-package-foods companies are finding an unlikely ally: Wal-Mart. As part of its campaign that focuses on how the retailer saves consumers...

J&J's green-packaging rebirth proves power of smart design.(Johnson and Johnson's Chris Hacker)(Column)
November 3, 2008... Byline: Teressa Iezzi Aiga, "the professional association for design,'' held a biennial conference at the end of October, once again bringing together an interesting range of voices from design, branding and culture. The conference...

Why news feed is growing while RSS has stalled: peers; on digital communications.(Digital)(Revenue Reconciliation System)
November 3, 2008... Byline: Steve Rubel Nothing is more humbling for a columnist than revisiting old writings and discovering how things change. Anticipating an uptake in really simple syndication-or RSS-adoption, in June 2006 I urged media companies to...

Microsoft taps domeniconi.(News)(appointment of Robin Domeniconi)(Brief article)
November 10, 2008... Byline: abbey klaassen To try to pull together all of its myriad digital media assets for clients, Microsoft has tapped former Time Inc. executive Robin Domeniconi. On Jan. 1, she will take the title VP-U.S. advertising sales for the...

THE HEAT INDEX; Weekly rating (0-10) of sizzle and fizzle.(MediaWorks)(Brief article)
November 10, 2008... 10 A Nation Weeps Election coverage featured more images of folks shedding tears of joy or disappointment than an entire run of "The Amazing Race." 8 IndEcision '08 Comedy Central's fake news Election Night special with Jon Stewart and...

Advertisers derail Google deal; Search-ad partnership with Yahoo mobilized Microsoft, WPP, ANA.(News)(Association of National Advertisers)
November 10, 2008... Byline: ABBEY KLAASSEN It was clear that Yahoo and Google expected some resistance when they announced their search-advertising arrangement June 12-they just underestimated how much pushback they'd get from advertisers. And that proved to...

Big Tent bloggers react to historic win.(Obama Victory)
November 10, 2008... Many of the writers for AdAge.com's Big Tent blog, which deals with diversity and multicultural issues in the ad industry, were ecstatic about the election of Barack Obama. On a personal level, many are still celebrating the historic moment. On...

Billboards to help Obama usher in era of peace, love, harmony.(Adages)(Barack Obama)
November 10, 2008... Byline: Ken Wheaton Just when you thought it was time to retire "Yes we can,'' the folks at Taxi, New York, would like to shove one more tagline into the political stratosphere. Paul Lavoie, the New York chairman and chief creative...

FREE JOE FOR YOU, FREE PUBLICITY FOR STARBUCKS; Between its food sales, media coverage and buzz rating, coffee chain reaps big returns on Election Day promotion.(News)
November 10, 2008... Byline: EMILY BRYSON YORK Only at starbucks could a single broadcast spot, an online ad buy and a product giveaway-all of which cost well under $1 million-pay off with a chunk of the Election Day news cycle. The java giant aired its...

Industry groups brace for fresh scrutiny under Dem Congress.(Obama Victory)(democratic)
November 10, 2008... Byline: IRA TEINOWITZ What does a Barack Obama victory mean for the advertising business? "Fasten your seat belts,'' said American Association of Advertising Agencies Exec VP Dick O'Brien. "It's going to be a bumpy ride.'' ...

One-way media lost the election as cable, interactive dominated.(News)
November 10, 2008... Byline: MICHAEL LEARMONTH mlearmonth@adage.com Barack obama's historic campaign for the presidency rode the wave of a sea change in the way that consumers access, personalize and share news and information. That transformation was...

Pepsi, others still pouring billions into Chinese market.(News)(PepsiCo Inc.)
November 10, 2008... Byline: NORMANDY MADDEN [shanghai] Growth might be slowing in China, but multinational marketers such as Nokia, Yum Brands and McDonald's are still pumping money into a market that's growing faster than those of their home countries. ...

Win won't loosen consumers' grip on their wallets; Exclusive survey: Anxiety over housing, job losses dampens hope for future.(Obama Victory)(Survey)
November 10, 2008... Byline: NATALIE ZMUDA The american public may have been dancing in the streets following the historic election of Barack Obama, but that doesn't mean the markets will be recovering anytime soon. A study commissioned by Advertising Age...

Peple on the Move.(TalentWorks)(briefs)
November 10, 2008... Dave Damman, famous for resurrecting Buddy Lee, is coming back to Fallon as group creative director. Mr. Damman worked for Fallon from 1999 to 2005, after which he co-founded his own agency, Damman Pearce. Mr. Damman began his career working...

Who will ape McCain brand suicide with embrace of Palin? Now that even Fox News is bashing her, Alaska gov's supposed future as a media star looks suddenly iffy.(MediaWorks)(John McCain)(Sarah Palin)
November 10, 2008... Byline: Simon Dumenco In the aftermath of John McCain's defeat, there has been, inevitably, plenty of talk about when, exactly, the wheels came off the bus (er, the Straight Talk Express)-what really did him in. Over at Slate, for...

Levi's review asks shops to reveal sensitive price data for other clients.(News)(Levi Strauss & Co.)
November 10, 2008... Byline: MICHAEL BUSH Agencies are used to bending over backward for new business, especially in these tight times. But Levi Strauss & Co.'s recent $50 million contest for media planning and buying on Levi's and Dockers asked them to bend...

What next for database of 3M Barack fans? President-elect likely to continue digital dialogue with American public.(Obama Victory)(Barack Obama)
November 10, 2008... Byline: MICHAEL BUSH The numbers border on unbelievable: Nearly three-quarters of a billion dollars in donations and some 3 million people who opted in to become agents of change. During his two-year election campaign, Barack Obama and...

As seen on AdAge.com.(Columns)
November 10, 2008... As seen on AdAge.com/gennext Koch: How to stalk on Facebook While there isn't a formal course on it, every college student nearing completion of her degree is aware of a certain supposed-to-be-secret trend. It's a group of people known...

To rebuild, GOP must tear down its brand and return to core values.(Obama Victory)(grand old party)
November 10, 2008... Byline: KEN WHEATON After the beating just received by the Republicans, the question on the minds of many is: What can the party possibly do to recover? Or, to put it in marketing speak, How does it rebrand? The answer might simply be:...

Run wasn't enough to help Chicago papers.(Obama Victory)(Chicago Tribune Co.)
November 10, 2008... Byline: JEREMY MULLMAN Barack obama's resounding victory led to a run on newspapers around the country, but especially in Chicago, where giddy readers scrambled to grab keepsake copies of Nov. 5 issues commemorating the election of a...

Barack Obama and audacity of marketing; Bold strategy challenging traditional assumptions offers up an object lesson.(News)
November 10, 2008... Byline: MATTHEW CREAMER Four years after delivering the speech called "The Audacity of Hope'' that would launch him towards the White House, Barack Obama has become a case study in audacious marketing, an object lesson on why you should...

People & Players.(Brief article)
November 10, 2008... special report: idea conference 2008 Advertising Age's third-annual Idea Conference brought together innovators and entrepreneurs from across the board at New York's Terminal Five to share-what else, their ideas for the future. Photos...

Auto industry takes it on chin; Ford, GM post losses; Toyota slashes forecast; Chrysler ad shop lays off.(News)
November 10, 2008... Byline: JEAN HALLIDAY It was a bad week to be in automotive marketing. Battered by the worst economic crisis in 70 years and the slowdown that started in the U.S. earlier this year and has spread to Europe and beyond, General Motors...

Coke, Benz avoid gritty 'Slumdog' roles; Demand footage of their brands be cut from poverty-stricken Mumbai scenes in Danny Boyle's film.(Madison & Vine)(Interview)
November 10, 2008... Byline: CLAUDE BRODESSER-AKNER Filmmakers often try to incorporate brands into their projects to lend plotlines a sense of authenticity. But in the case of director Danny Boyle's upcoming release, "Slumdog Millionaire,'' the footage might...

Animal Planet branches out with new series, ad deals; Pizza Hut, Honda and Mattel among those attracted by concepts.(Madison & Vine)(advertising)
November 10, 2008... Byline: ANDREW HAMPP There's the warm, cuddly Animal Planet of yore, then there's the Animal Planet with teeth. That's the aggressive label the network applied to its rebranded programming efforts earlier this year, as well as the ad-sales...

FINALLY FIND OUT WHO LINKEDIN USERS ARE; First study of member demographics shows site has moved beyond niche tool.(News)
November 10, 2008... Byline: BETH SNYDER BULIK Millions of people have been queried, invited and even cajoled into joining the business social network LinkedIn. And more than 30 million of them have accepted. But while we knew LinkedIn members used the site...

Newsprint still gold standard for personal, public history.(MediaWorks)(Times-Tribune v. The Times Leader)
November 10, 2008... Up in Scranton, Pa., fictional home of "The Office,'' a scenario is playing out that would surely invoke one of Jim Halpert's incredulous asides to the camera. In a lawsuit, The Times-Tribune has accused its rival to the south, Wilkes-Barre's...

An instant overhaul for tainted Brand America.(News)
November 10, 2008... Byline: LAUREL WENTZ In the hours following Barack Obama's resounding victory, Kenya declared a national holiday, and the residents of the Japanese town Obama did the hula in the streets. After years of suffering a reputation as a menacing...

Ordering Pizza Hut from your Facebook page? It's on the way; Fast-food chains experiment with takeout/delivery services via social networks and iPhone applications.(Digital)
November 10, 2008... Byline: EMILY BRYSON YORK A number of fast-food chains are reaching across the digital divide to get young consumers to order via Facebook or their iPhones. And they're building valuable databases of their customers in the process. ...

Media Morph: Conference coverage via Twitter.(Digital)(Brief article)
November 10, 2008... Byline: abbey klaassen Whether you're attending an event or want to follow one from afar, one of the most useful tools is Twitter, the 140-characters-or-fewer messaging service. Here's some advice from the pros on how to participate-or...

KRAFT TESTS RECIPE FOR SELLING IN A RECESSION; Key is finding value, solutions that appeal to strapped customers.(CMO Strategy)(Interview)
November 10, 2008... Byline: EMILY BRYSON YORK Kraft's chief marketer, Mary Beth West, maintains that you don't have to market differently during in a recession. You just have to understand your consumers better. It's become particularly critical for Kraft...

The team that brought you the new president; How Plouffe, Axelrod and the rest of the gang built a master campaign.(Obama Victory)(David Axelrod)(David Plouffe)
November 10, 2008... Byline: IRA TEINOWITZ During his acceptance speech, President-elect Barack Obama singled out "the unsung hero of this campaign, who built the best political campaign, I think, in the history of the United States of America.'' That...

You call it nontraditional advertising, but I call it art.(Column)
November 10, 2008... Byline: Lenore Skenazy At the graffiti-tagged subway entrance, the beggar sits forlorn, hungry, hopeless. Same way he's been sitting since the time of the Plague. In an absolutely stunning campaign for the German Foundation for...

Here's a transformational idea: Adapt web aggregation to print.(Column)
November 10, 2008... Byline: Rance Crain It's small comfort, I know, that the media industry is far from alone in encountering unprecedented disruption. We are indeed in transformational times (that sounds like the title of a new magazine), and industries as...

McCain's most vicious attack was on his own brand name.(Garfield's AdReview)
November 10, 2008... Byline: Bob Garfield Country second. Political expediency first. Strategic rigor about 18th. My friends, what a terrible campaign. John McCain lost the election for many reasons: Bush's failed presidency, the economy, the Wall Street...

READERS RESPOND: Attack ads must be monitored.(Viewpoint)
November 10, 2008... Your story on comparative advertising ("Brand vs. Brand: Attack Ads on the Rise,'' AA, Oct. 27) hinted at an important, but unexplored dimension in the rise of comparative advertising: Are the ads truthful? The National Advertising...

Your industry could be on receiving end of `change'.(Viewpoint)
November 10, 2008... We're not going very far out on a limb by saying that the election of Barack Obama as president of the U.S. last week was greeted with enthusiasm by the advertising, marketing and media industries. But as with all things political, his election...

Why BlackBerry chose Election Day for launch; Bold move may have raised anticipation, reached desirable base.(News)(AT&T Inc.)
November 10, 2008... Byline: RITA CHANG Was it brilliance or blunder to launch the much-anticipated BlackBerry Bold on Election Day? AT&T rolled the dice when it decided to launch its exclusive, much-hyped BlackBerry Bold mobile handset on Nov. 4, a day...

Work of the Week.(Work)
November 17, 2008... Creativity Top Five On this week's episode of Creativity's Top Five, Pedigree pens a "Dear Barack" note on behalf of potential first pups; Sprint plugs into online-info intensity; TBWA/MAP, Paris, draws a tear with animation to help stop...

Hilton Hotels; Adam Burke.(Marketing 50)(Brief article)
November 17, 2008... Byline: mya frazier The last thing a loyal customer deserves is an excuse. Amid the myriad loyalty programs in the hospitality industry, caveats are as common as consumer cynicism. That provided an opportunity for Hilton Hotels Corp. ...

Sabra; Rodrigo Troni.(Marketing 50)(Sabra Dipping Company, a Joint Venture Between Strauss Group and PepsiCo Inc.)(Brief article)
November 17, 2008... Byline: matt kinsey Chances are when shopping for hummus at your local grocer, you know those red lids belong to the Sabra family of Mediterranean spreads. In the process, you're one of more than 80 million consumer impressions the brand...

G2; Carla Hassan.(Marketing 50)(Gatorade's G2 low-calorie beer)(Brief article)
November 17, 2008... Byline: natalie zmuda The flashy introduction of G2 at this year's Super Bowl was the biggest launch in Gatorade's 40-year history. Not only did low-calorie G2 reshape the Gatorade platform, but it broke marketing ground for the brand,...

Vitaminwater; Rohan Oza.(Marketing 50)(Coca-Cola Company to Acquire Glaceau)(Brief article)
November 17, 2008... Byline: rupal parekh Glaceau and its Vitaminwater brand have come a long way from their roots in Queens. More than a decade after its founding in 1996, Glaceau continues to dominate the "enhanced-water'' niche it pioneered. So much so that...

HOW RECKITT ROUTED RIVALS; Thanks to contrarian strategy, it outperforms L'Oreal, Unilever, P&G.(News)(Procter & Gamble Co.)(Reckitt Benckiser PLC)
November 17, 2008... Byline: JACK NEFF The most successful major package-goods company of the past five years in sales and profit growth probably isn't the one you'd think-even if you thought very hard. Unheralded Reckitt Benckiser has been beating the likes...

Why Dentsu married McGarry; Japanese giant expands presence in the U.S., indie gets growth prospects.(News)(Dentsu Acquires McGarryBowen)
November 17, 2008... Byline: RUPAL PAREKH In early june, Tim Andree, the head of U.S. operations for Japanese ad giant Dentsu, picked up the phone and dialed John McGarry, ad veteran and CEO of Madison Avenue shop McGarryBowen. The two had never spoken...

Death of Detroit would wallop ad world; A failed bailout would pain media, agencies- some more than others.(News)(advertising expenditures)
November 17, 2008... Byline: BRADLEY JOHNSON And JEAN HALLIDAY If you think you're insulated from the death rattle of Detroit, think again. General Motors Corp., Ford Motor Co. and Chrysler together accounted for 3.3% of 2007 U.S. measured ad spending,...

Blu-ray; Chris Fawcett.(Marketing 50)(Brief article)
November 17, 2008... Byline: beth snyder bulik This has been the year of Blu-ray. Not just for the high-definition movie players but for the entire technical specification. Early in 2008, the high-def war that made consumers sit on the sidelines-and made...

TouchSmart; David Roman.(Marketing 50)(Hewlett-Packard Co. is marketing the large touchscreens)(Brief article)
November 17, 2008... Byline: beth snyder bulik Touchscreens in gadgets are nothing new-handheld video games, smartphones and even ATMs sport them these days. However, touchscreen computers had never really taken off until now. Hewlett-Packard Co.'s second...