Advertising Age articles from September 2004

Advertising Age archives from September 2004

Direct must earn consumer respect.(Viewpoint)(Brief Article)
September 6, 2004... Direct marketing has earned the respect of the marketer. Now, it has to earn the respect of the consumer. Practitioners of the discipline deserve the increasing interest and budgets that chief marketing officers are according them, and the...

DHL bets on flexibility as it moves on FedEx, UPS in U.S. Global leader plays up status as challenger.
September 6, 2004... Byline: MATTHEW CREAMER DHL is getting set to challenge its rivals' hold on the U.S. express delivery market, and basing its strategy on customer service despite its competitors' strength in that department. After completing a $150...

Dunkin' Donuts creates Spanish-language spot; More marketers shift from general-market translations to target growing audience.(Multicultural)
September 6, 2004... Byline: LAUREL WENTZ In Dunkin' Donuts' first original Spanish-language commercial, a very pregnant woman flings across the room the unappetizing breakfast tray her husband has brought and pretends the baby's forceful kick sent the tray...

The Buzz; What we're talking about.(Media Works)(Brief Article)
September 6, 2004... Byline: Jon Fine SPORTS ILLUSTRATED is readying the launch of "SI Players,'' which promises to be the venerated sports weekly's most lifestyle-heavy section yet. First hits: Sept. 20. Inside: what Executive Editor Charlie Leerhsen calls "a...

Work.(Multicultural)(Brief Article)
September 6, 2004... The fourth Latin Grammy Awards broadcast on CBS has become a popular slot to air Spanish-language commercials. Energizer broke a spot (top, r.) by Grupo Gallegos, Long Beach, Calif., for Energizer Max batteries featuring a young guy whose...

Worldgroup shakeup: The man for McCann; Dooner's return to helm brings discipline, rash of business wins.(News)
September 6, 2004... Byline: LISA SANDERS Ask John Dooner what makes the McCann machine tick and, like a politician hitting his marks, he cites fuzzy and familial attributes: "love,'' "honesty'' and "a sense of humor.'' But don't be fooled. The McCann...

Adages; How do you handle a hungry politician? With an iron skillet.(News)
September 6, 2004... Byline: Richard Linnett Breakfast at the CNN Diner was served straight out of the skillet. Fluffy eggs, sausages, home fries and toast swimming in an iron pan that weighed about five pounds and was dangerously hot. Not exactly a subtle...

Woot rolls out new online retail model; Sells one item a day; reminiscent of TV shopping networks.(News)
September 6, 2004... Byline: BETH SNYDER BULIK Woot sells just one consumer-electronics product every day. The items go on sale at midnight Central time and when they're gone, they're gone. But in just one month of existence, Woot has already become a...

Small agency wins big: Chase finds a friend in McGarry.(News)
September 6, 2004... Byline: MATTHEW CREAMER and LISA SANDERS Sometimes the right relationship is everything, and not just when it comes to cashing checks. The news that Chase Manhattan Bank, a division of JPMorgan Chase, passed over two large ad agencies...

Work 9.6.04.(News)(Brief Article)
September 6, 2004... Ford Motor Co. teamed up with Conde Nast for its annual breast-cancer awareness campaign. J. Walter Thompson, Detroit. Art Director: Matt Swanson. Copy-writer: Bill Boroska. Zubi Advertising, Miami, created the Spanish-language ad (right). Art...

Summer flicks chase 'gray dollar'.(Media Works)
September 6, 2004... Byline: T.L. STANLEY From the industry that brought us "White Chicks''-a cross-dressing, cross-ethnic-switcheroo comedy littered with thongs and pantyhose jokes-comes a string of thought-provoking, sophisticated summer fare aimed at people...

Late News; Kim departs Samsung for CMO role at Intel.
September 6, 2004... [Seoul] Eric Kim, exec VP-global marketing operations at Samsung, is leaving to become chief marketing officer at Intel Corp., according to executives close to the situation. Samsung is currently in the throes of a global agency review...

Innovation at premium: Marketers boost role of product-idea shops.(Innovation consultants)
September 6, 2004... Byline: JACK NEFF New-product invention and consulting, long a low-overhead business plied mainly by small and midsize independents, is getting growing props and profits from major marketers desperate for innovation. And, as marketers...

Honda does a Volvo, plays on safety; But analysts remain skeptical of strategy shift.
September 6, 2004... Byline: JEAN HALLIDAY Honda is trying to out-Volvo Volvo. American Honda Motor Co.'s Honda brand has a reputation for reliability, while its Acura is known for performance. Now the Japanese automaker is adopting a new positioning,...

Spotlight.(Advertising in Brazil)(Brief Article)
September 6, 2004... Byline: Laurel Wentz Marketer: Bombril Agency: W/Brasil, Sao Paulo How does a marketer replace an advertising icon when it retires after 26 years? Since 1978, ads for Brazil's leading household cleanser have all featured...

People.(Changes in employment)
September 6, 2004... Leslie Bielby to senior VP-director of brand planning in the strategy group, Interpublic Group of Cos.' Hill, Holliday, Connors, Cosmopulos, New York, from global planning director, WPP Group's J. Walter Thompson, New York. Laura Peck to...

Bashing was 'necessary': Bud declares cease fire in beer battles.(Beverage industry)
September 6, 2004... Byline: JAMES B. ARNDORFER The king of beers is leaving the battlefield, even as rival Miller Brewing Co. renews its attack. After six months of back-and-forth ad volleys, Anheuser-Busch plans to stop deriding its rival and get back to...

Ford targets men in natural habitat; Hawks Super Duty at rodeos, on Net.
September 6, 2004... Byline: JEAN HALLIDAY Ford Motor Co. is using monster-truck jams, rodeos and fake Web sites to reach pickup drivers where they live. Ford Division's 2005 Super Duty pickup truck will be backed by the brand's biggest digital launch...

Madison+Vine: Musicians seek new channels to peddle wares; Hallmark distributes James Taylor CD.(sales promotion)
September 6, 2004... Byline: T.L. STANLEY When grammy-winning singer-songwriter James Taylor puts out his first Christmas album this winter, he'll bypass every music and big-box retailer in the country. Instead, the record will be sold exclusively at 4,200...

Koenigsberg keeps options open, expands his Horizons.(Interview)
September 6, 2004... Byline: CLAIRE ATKINSON Sitting in his sparsely decorated office on New York's Third Avenue, Horizon Media's founder and president-CEO, Bill Koenigsberg, carefully mulls questions about whether he'll ever sell. It is clear he'd rather...

Brady's Bunch.(People & Players)
September 6, 2004... Byline: James Brady The New York Post reports Strawberry's found God again. Was laying on hands in church the other Sunday in West Palm. The next drug bust can be expected anytime now. Why Conde Nast Traveler is a must read. While the...

P&G's Goldstein foresaw 'shape of world' that came.(Viewpoint)
September 6, 2004... Byline: Rance Crain The client-agency relationship, especially with big clients and big agencies, is mired in a hopeless Catch-22 situation. Ever since agencies went public and were forced to run their businesses with an eagle-eye on...

Bush pledges to play nice, in ads.(News)
September 6, 2004... Byline: IRA TEINOWITZ As the presidential election enters the fall showdown, the candidates are finally turning their advertising toward the issues, but with divergent strategies: George Bush is accentuating the positive, John Kerry the...

Amazon jumps on Internet-film trend; Taps top talent to be part of holiday effort.(News)
September 6, 2004... Byline: JAMES B. ARNDORFER and T.L. STANLEY Amazon is going Hollywood again this holiday season with a series of five short films for its Web site that use big-name talent behind and in front of the camera. Details of the films...

'Pride' too saucy for Family Forum.(News)(animated television series)
September 6, 2004... Byline: CLAIRE ATKINSON The Family Friendly Programming Forum-a group of leading, often conservative advertisers-has pulled its support for "Father of the Pride,'' NBC and Dreamworks SKG's raunchy fall series gamble. The move...

Back-to-work cramming: Cliffs Notes for summer '04.(Viewpoint)
September 6, 2004... Byline: Scott Donaton Hey you. Yes, you, the one getting off the helicopter from the Hamptons, looking warily for any stray Republicans still skittering around New York: Don't you think it's time to get back to work? Summer's over. And,...

Vonage pours marketing money into Web; Net phone company preps for onslaught of ads from rivals.(Interactive)
September 6, 2004... Byline: ALICE Z. CUNEO Under assault from the biggest names in telephone and cable networks, Internet-phone-service pioneer Vonage Holdings Corp. is putting its marketing money where its business is: on the Web. And Vonage expects to...

The Week; Ogilvy's Wright moves over to Lowe.(Briefs)
September 6, 2004... Following weeks of negotiations, Lowe Worldwide announced Ogilvy & Mather executive Tony Wright will join as its new president-CEO. He takes over for Jerry Judge, who will continue as CEO of the Partnership division of Interpublic Group of Cos....

Cole in Mercury orbit.(News)(Brief Article)
September 6, 2004... Byline: Jean Halliday Ford Motor Co.'s Mercury is in discussions with Grammy Award winners Paula Cole and musician-producer Don Was to buy exclusive licensing and distribution rights to her next CD for a year. The main scenario under...

Gillette amps up sponsorships; Dedicated unit will seek opportunities in sports, entertainment.(News)
September 6, 2004... Byline: JACK NEFF Gillette Co. is hiring a manager to develop and head a "global center for excellence'' in sponsorship marketing, an acknowledgment that the marketer's stepped-up activity in the area is here to stay. The position is...

Street cred for prepay: Nextel's Boost dials up rappers to pump sales.(News)
September 6, 2004... Byline: ALICE Z. CUNEO and LISA SANDERS Boost Mobile, competing for share in the fast-growing prepaid wireless marketplace, is trying to get some of the street cred hip-hop has bestowed upon marketers of everything from cars to sneakers....

Buyers place bets on new season's winners.(News)(The Next Great Champ)(Column)
September 6, 2004... Byline: CLAIRE ATKINSON With Fox's boxing reality show, "The Next Great Champ'' out to knock out NBC's "The Contender,'' and Fox's "Trading Spouses'' trying to steal viewers from ABC's "Wife Swap,'' this TV season is shaping up as an...

Garfield's AdReview; Coke finally gets Real right; cool kids deliver the message.(News)
September 6, 2004... Byline: Bob Garfield It's taken nearly two years, but now we finally understand what reality Coca-Cola is getting at with its ''Real'' campaign. Not real ingredients, because, well, after all... Not real cola-ness vs. Pepsi,...

People.(The World: Ad Age Global News & Data)(Brief Article)
September 6, 2004... Andrea Martin to president-CEO of Reader's Digest Association (Canada), the Publisher of Reader's Digest, Selection du Reader's Digest and Our Canada magazines, from VP marketing. She succeeds Pierre Dion, who joins French-language media owner...

Work: Levi Strauss.(The World: Ad Age Global News & Data)(Brief Article)
September 6, 2004... In one of four flirtatious fall spots running on European TV and online at eu.levi.com by Bartle Bogle Hegarty, London, a man takes his jeans to an alterations store purely to show them off. The shop assistant thinks he's there to have his 501...

GM opens review for Europe media.(The World: Ad Age Global News & Data)(Brief Article)
September 6, 2004... Byline: Alexandra Jardine [London] General Motors Corp. is reviewing its estimated $700 million media planning and buying account across Europe, a threat to Universal McCann and Initiative Media, the Interpublic Group of Cos. media...

Coke tests Lactic in Hong Kong.(The World: Ad Age Global News & Data)(Brief Article)
September 6, 2004... Byline: Normandy Madden [Hong Kong] Coca-Cola Co. is testing a new flavor in Hong Kong with the introduction of Fanta Lactic, available in plain and white-grape versions. The citrus-like lactic flavoring, which Coke is using for the first...

`Sex' star takes tea in U.K. Tetley ad.(The World: Ad Age Global News & Data)(Brief Article)
September 6, 2004... Byline: Alexandra Jardine [London] "Sex and the City'' actress Kim Cattrall stars in a U.K. spot breaking today for best-selling tea brand Tetley Tea. The spot, promoting a new range of herbal and fruit teas, plays on Ms. Cattrall's...

ITV pins hopes on talent show.(The World: Ad Age Global News & Data)(Brief Article)
September 6, 2004... Byline: Alexandra Jardine [London] The U.K.'s largest commercial network, ITV, is hoping for a ratings boost this month from its latest TV talent search show "X Factor,'' starring Simon Cowell of "American Idol'' and "Osbournes'' star...

FYI . . .(The World: Ad Age Global News & Data)(Zig)(Brief Article)
September 6, 2004... MDC Partners bought a 49.9% stake in Canadian agency Zig, Toronto.... In Mercedes-Benz's Star Tour this week in Europe, 800 people will drive 400 Mercedes-Benz A-Class cars from nine European cities to Milan, Italy. The test drive follows a...

AdWatch.(News)(Brief Article)(Column)
September 6, 2004... Byline: Mercedes M. Cardona Turn Signals Fears of terrorism have risen to the top of the list of worries for business leaders tracking the recovery. While the "jobless recovery" had been the top worry early this year, the recent terror...

Ad Age/IAG's Top Spots; #1: Campbell's.(News)(Brief Article)
September 6, 2004... Campbell Soup Co. lands the No. 1 slot with its "Mama's Boys" campaign supporting Chunky Soup. A spot for Allstate, featuring weightlifter Shane Hamman, also ranks among the Top 10 best-remembered ads of the past two weeks. See the top spot at...

Voted & Quoted; 30% ...of AdAge.com voters think advertisers got their money's worth out of NBC's Olympics coverage. The remaining 70% of our over 400 respondents feel the visibility may not necessarily translate into attention to commercials or sales.(News)
September 6, 2004... "Marketers that weren't up to the creative challenge of a spot threw away the buy. The spots that were emotional or funny and relevant to the Olympics did hit home." -Steve Williams/brand manager/Qantum Radio/Myrtle Beach, S.C. "This...

Creative Awards.(Multicultural)(Association of Hispanic Advertising Agencies)(Brief Article)
September 6, 2004... The sixth annual Advertising Age Hispanic Creative Advertising Awards show will be held Oct. 1 in New York, in cooperation with the Association of Hispanic Advertising Agencies. The best ads in the U.S. Hispanic market will be awarded....

Heat Index; Weekly Rating (0-10) of Sizzle & Fizzle.(Media Works)
September 6, 2004... 10 PITY FOR SWING STATES: Soon to be flattened by trillions of political ads. Oh wait-they're already getting flattened by trillions of political ads. 5 FRIENDSTER: Remember it? Universal inks deal for oh-so-May-2003 comedy flick based on...

Cash-strapped: High schools, colleges now recruit marketers.(News)
September 13, 2004... Byline: RICH THOMASELLI High school and college sports are increasingly turning to sponsorships to fill funding gaps, and more marketers are embracing the idea. The University of Michigan athletic department recently signed the first...

Work 9.13.04; Images of the week.(News)(Brief Article)
September 13, 2004... TBWA Chiat Day, New York, drafted photographer Annie Leibovitz to shoot a star-studded campaign, featuring Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen (l.) and Brooke Shields, among others for A&E Networks' "Biography'' series. Art director: Meg Sewell....

Gloves come off early this election year; Camps roll out negative artillery.(News)
September 13, 2004... Byline: IRA TEINOWITZ The presidential campaign last week went from slinging mud to wallowing in it-a strategy fraught with peril, according to political pros. Normally, character attacks come during a campaign's closing weeks and the...

Cards play their luxury hand right; A bevy of perks holds sway as power users have high expectations.(Special Report: Luxury)
September 13, 2004... Byline: JAMES TENSER After consulting the periodic table of the elements, credit card marketers have yet to attempt to trade high-spending customers up to Uranium cards. But there's definitely an atomic weight beyond gold and platinum...

Madison+Vine: Dr. Martens targets teens with Web films; $10M effort to reconstruct a once-trendy brand.(News)
September 13, 2004... Byline: ALICE Z. CUNEO Dr. Martens is counting on a series of cinema-verite Internet films to rediscover its coastal cool. In an effort to reconnect with teen and 20-something influencers, Dr. Martens this month breaks its first...

Marketers learn luxury isn't simply for the very wealthy; Market to hit $1 trillion by end of the decade asmiddle class trades up.(Special Report: Luxury)
September 13, 2004... Byline: TIFFANY MEYERS Purveyors of luxury products increasingly have their sights set on Joe Average as well as Joe Millionaire, and that's changing the definition of "luxury.'' The democratization of luxury-variously labeled as the...

Tip to the thirties.(Special Report: Luxury)(Brief Article)
September 13, 2004... Byline: Tiffany Meyers Baby boomers dominate the luxury market, but Generation X is also an important part of the equation, with habits that can help marketers spot what's next. A good place to start is Fairchild Publications' Details,...

Shift into consumer arena? Kim may lead Intel inside the home.(News)(Intel Corp.)
September 13, 2004... Byline: BETH SNYDER BULIK Intel inspired much head-scratching with its hire of Samsung consumer electronics guru Eric B. Kim to head up its corporate marketing. The riddle: Why would a business-to-business company that dominates computer...

The Week; Ratings, boycott claw at NBC's `Pride'.(Briefs)
September 13, 2004... NBC's "Father of the Pride'' faces both declining ratings and a possible boycott of its sponsors. The Tupelo, Miss.-based American Family Association is organizing a protest and potential boycott against advertisers who have appeared in NBC's...

Share fight is no game for Nintendo marketing chief.(People & Players)
September 13, 2004... Byline: ALICE Z. CUNEO Nintendo of America marketing chief Reggie Fils-Aime's favorite video-game character is Link from The Legend of Zelda, a fair-haired boy with aggressive passion who, in one game, must learn some new tunes to travel...

Jewelry ads sparkle in context of fashion staple; Fastest-gaining segment at key magazines-withplenty of room to grow.(Special Report: Luxury)
September 13, 2004... Byline: KATE FITZGERALD Tiffany & Co., Cartier and Bulgari may be the top names in luxury jewels, but a new generation of high-end diamond and jewelry brands is seeking the spotlight. A major force for change is the world's leading...

Push to parents: Drug Partnership raises its profile.(News)
September 13, 2004... Byline: IRA TEINOWITZ Faced with the possibility of funding cutbacks in the White House anti-drug effort, The Partnership for a Drug-Free America is looking for a stronger identity and dialing up fund-raising efforts. The group plans...

Garfield's AdReview; Kerry serves up cacophony of indecision, missed shots.(News)
September 13, 2004... Byline: Bob Garfield The latest spot from the Democratic presidential nominee is called "Wrong Choices.'' Yeah, that's for sure. Sen. Dukakis, or whatever his name is, may or may not be a flip-flopper. He may or may not have...

Kobe kept on the marketing bench; Time needed for star to be deemed 'safe'.(News)(Kobe Byrant)
September 13, 2004... Byline: RICH THOMASELLI Kobe Bryant will have to make do with his newly signed seven-year, $136 million contract with the Los Angeles Lakers, at least for a while. Though criminal sexual-assault charges against Mr. Bryant were dropped,...

The Buzz; What we're talking about.(Media Works)(Brief Article)
September 13, 2004... Byline: Jon Fine SO MUCH for the thought that a little bit of TV pixie dust and a strong brand name can lift any magazine to lofty heights! That sound you heard was Hearst Magazines and Walt Disney Co. shuttering their co-venture Lifetime...

Nestl warns stores: Prove it or lose out; Food cos. demand ROI on $80 bil promo spend.(News)(Return On Investment)(Nestle S.A.)
September 13, 2004... Byline: STEPHANIE THOMPSON As profit-squeezed food companies look to gain higher returns on the nearly $80 billion they spend annually on trade promotions, the biggest among them are beginning to officially take retailers to task. Nestle...

Binn, the mayor of ultralux cool; Party circuit star holds trust of Manhattan, L.A., Hamptons, Aspen crowd.(Special Report: Luxury)(Jason Binn )(Biography)
September 13, 2004... Byline: GREG LINDSDAY A day in the life of Jason Binn begins shortly after midnight. Mr. Binn-the publisher of lux city magazines Gotham, Los Angeles Confidential and the new Aspen Peak-is still spending most of his waking hours obsessing...

Nielsen plumbs product placement.(Media Works)
September 13, 2004... Byline: CLAIRE ATKINSON Following the release of its first full-season TV product-placement tracking report, Nielsen Media Research plans to go deeper into the world of product placement. Nielsen plans to expand its initial...

Newer engines thwart marketers: Change the oil? Not yet, thanks.(News)
September 13, 2004... Byline: JEAN HALLIDAY The long-held rule on changing motor oil every 3,000 miles or three months is already out of date thanks to better car engines. So what's a motor-oil marketer to do, especially since three of the segment leaders are...

Family Forum must show might.(Viewpoint)(Brief Article)
September 13, 2004... Shame on the Family Friendly Programming Forum for its behavior regarding "Father of the Pride.'' Of course it acted rightly in disassociating itself from the raunchy Dreamworks offering so obviously unsuitable for children. But it acted quite...

'Signature' for 2: ESPN makes a Hollywood play.(News)(Entertainment and Sports Programming Network)
September 13, 2004... Byline: RICH THOMASELLI Walt Disney Co.'s ESPN, looking to differentiate its ESPN2 station from the main network, will turn to Hollywood to give the channel a new identity. Today, network executives will watch as a pilot episode of...

Adages; Sitting on the dock of the bay, Butler Shine sneak up on success.(News)
September 13, 2004... Byline: Ken Wheaton When surfer Mike Shine and his partner John Butler left Goodby, Silverstein & Partners to start their own shop, Rich Silverstein said he thought the pair had the best chance of success of any of the startups then...

People.(News)(Brief Article)
September 13, 2004... Mary Carpenter, 39, to exec VP-chief operating officer, GM Planworks, Detroit, a unit of Publicis Groupe's Starcom MediaVest Group, from senior VP-chief operating officer. Also: mason franklin to senior VP-strategic research director from...

American Media revs up lad mag for cars; 'MPH' takes lifestyle tack, targets younger consumers.(News)
September 13, 2004... Byline: JON FINE american media is readying its gassed-up take on a car magazine, MPH, which hits newsstands next month. But perhaps it's best to let Editor in Chief Eddie Alterman describe it. He and his staff of automotive-magazine...

Readying the hair spray: Marketers betting on big-hair bounce.(News)
September 13, 2004... Byline: JACK NEFF Big hair is back-and marketers are on the leading edge of the revival. The big styles of the 1980s were a boon to hair-product companies eager to cash in again. Not only did they entail more hair, but also lots of...

Tony travelers seek out quality; Top-tier destinations find `premium experience' valued over indulgence.(Special Report: Luxury)
September 13, 2004... Byline: JEFFERY D. ZBAR Marketing travel to the affluent set means knowing how the other half -or 1/20th , actually-lives. Rich but not flashy, adventurous but safety- and security-conscious, today's affluent aren't like those of just...

Brady's Bunch.(People & Players)
September 13, 2004... Byline: James Brady Not that many months ago Rob Gregory bailed on Jann Wenner (he had been publisher of Rolling Stone and earlier, Men's Journal) to join Stephen Colvin and the Brits at Maxim (his title is group publisher) and over lunch...

Media is job one for PR; Clients want results not slick sales pitches and conference calls.(Viewpoint)
September 13, 2004... Byline: TOM PATTERSON I got my first PR break when NBC's "Today Show'' called and asked me if I would come on and explain computer viruses, and why their viewers should care. That five-minute guest spot with Jane Pauley back in the '80s...

A calm, cool Emily could be answer to Dante's call centers.(Viewpoint)
September 13, 2004... Byline: Jonah Bloom In the first circle you are told to press the number of the next circle you wish to visit. In the second you receive the same instruction but none of the described circles sound quite like the one you want. In the third...

Targeting influencers: More marketers test blogs to build buzz.(News)
September 13, 2004... Byline: KRIS OSER In the wake of controversy over Nike placing a Web log on the site Gawker.com, marketers have been quietly investigating promoting all manner of products on blogs, from cleaning supplies to camera phones. The hackles...

Opportunity is knocking for shops that can tell a good story.(Viewpoint)
September 13, 2004... Byline: Teressa Iezzi In a story on BBDO's new creative regime in this month's Creativity magazine, new chief creative Dave Lubars and worldwide CEO Andrew Robertson talk turkey about embracing the next phase of the agency's creative life....

Spotlight.(The World: Ad Age Global News & Data)
September 13, 2004... Byline: Normandy Madden Marketer: Nokia Agency: Bates Advertising, Singapore Nokia brings in the clowns to promote cellphones as the ultimate entertainment device [Singapore] Nokia is playing up its emphasis on entertainment...

Making Coke iconic again.(News)
September 13, 2004... Byline: KATE MACARTHUR Coca-Cola Co., determined to retake the mountaintop, is scouring the world from South Africa to Singapore for an agency to bring it there. The soft-drink giant is yearning to return to the halcyon days when its...

Body Shop seeks Web rejuvenation; Arrives late to party, but hopes site will boost flagging sales.(News)
September 13, 2004... Byline: KRIS OSER it may be playing catch-up, but the Body Shop's new Web site is a bid to regain the ground it lost as the leading toiletries retailer. The skin- and hair-care retailer launched a revamped site in a bid to become a...

VW taps DDB for $40M launch.(The World: Ad Age Global News & Data)(Brief Article)
September 13, 2004... Byline: Dagmar Mussey [Wolfsburg, Germany] Volkswagen Group appointed its main agency, Omnicom Group's DDB Berlin, to handle the estimated $40 million European launch next year of the budget-priced Fox minicar. VW is introducing the...

Magazines fighting for fair share; Sponsored events, other media home in on hittingbuyers' `passion points'.(Special Report: Luxury)
September 13, 2004... Byline: LARRY DOBROW To hear publishers tell it, the benefits of magazine advertising for luxury marketers haven't shifted much in recent years. Magazines are both tangible and portable. The lush, glossy pages play out a tapestry for...

Jag, Land Rover in bid to boost images; Ford brands unveil ad campaigns to improve sales standings in U.S.(News)(Jaguar)
September 13, 2004... Byline: JEAN HALLIDAY Ford Motor Co.'s troubled British marques, Land Rover and Jaguar, hope to improve their fortunes with new models and ad campaigns breaking today on national cable and spot broadcast network TV. The two brands aren't...

From catwalk to sidewalk; Designers try to cash in on low end while maintaining status.(News)
September 13, 2004... Byline: STEPHANIE THOMPSON Fashion designer Michael Kors took his catwalk to the streets last week, shuttling his new collection from the velvet-roped tents of New York's Olympus Fashion Week to Macy's Herald Square. A similar trek is...

Vodafone taps Bartle Bogle, yokes it to Wieden and JWT; Two shops and network to team for global push.(News)
September 13, 2004... Byline: ALEXANDRA JARDINE The world's largest mobile-phone network, looking to establish a global advertising message but execute it locally to consumers, is pairing two creative agencies with an international network for distribution. ...