Advertising Age articles from September 2008

Advertising Age archives from September 2008

The Heat Index; Weekly rating (0-10) of sizzle and fizzle.(MediaWorks)(Brief article)
September 8, 2008... 10 '90210' The CW, by premiering '90210' when all the other networks were still in summer mode, scores the highest ratings of its short history for a scripted show. 8 Letterman on Leno Letterman tells Rolling Stone he can't believe how NBC...

People & Players.(briefs)(Brief article)
September 8, 2008... nashville, tenn.: third time's a charm HGTV celebrates the third season of its "Design Star" competition. (From l.) Cynthia Madson, account executive, HGTV; Vern Yip, "Design Star" judge; and Laurie Hamilton, marketing manager, Tractor...

Work of the Week.(Work)
September 8, 2008... Creativity Top Five In this week's episode of Creativity's Top Five, Ogilvy, New York uses artist Joshua Harris' balloon street art to make a point; Droga 5, Sydney, Australia, shows us the crafty way to quit for the Young Guns Awards;...

Chris Schembri; VP-media services, AT&T.(Media Mavens)(AT&T Inc.)
September 8, 2008... Byline: kate fitzgerald Chris Schembri loves change. The exec leaped from media planning for wild-animal programs at Discovery Networks to the top media-planning job at AT&T, the No. 2 advertiser in the U.S. That sits well with AT&T,...

Adding up the media talking points.(Media Mavens)(Omnicom Group Inc.)(Brief article)
September 8, 2008... What a great year it's been for Alan Cohen. In April, he was named U.S. CEO of Omnicom Group's OMD. Now he's hit the top five in Advertising Age's annual MediaTalk survey. Mr. Cohen can decide which is the bigger honor. MediaTalk,...

Jackie Woodward; VP-marketing services, MillerCoors.(Media Mavens)(Occupation overview)
September 8, 2008... Byline: jeremy mullman When Miller and Coors joined forces in the U.S. this summer, they created a brewing behemoth with a nearly 30% share of the market and the media-spending muscle to compete more effectively with Anheuser-Busch. As...

Randy Peterson; Digital innovation manager, Procter & Gamble Co.(Media Mavens)(Occupation overview)
September 8, 2008... Byline: jack neff Procter & Gamble Co. has long thrived by flexing its muscle as the world's biggest-spending advertiser, but search advertising seemed to lack the economy of scale and branding power the company enjoyed elsewhere. With no...

Lee Doyle; CEO-North America, Mediaedge:cia.(Media Mavens)(Occupation overview)
September 8, 2008... Byline: claire atkinson 2007 was a year to remember for Lee Doyle. In April, he stepped up to become North American CEO of Mediaedge:cia from managing partner-director of client services. Then in October, he spearheaded one of the...

Sean Gleason; Senior VP-Brand Action Team, Dr Pepper Snapple Group.(Media Mavens)
September 8, 2008... Byline: natalie zmuda At Dr Pepper Snapple Group, Sean Gleason is affectionately referred to as BAT-man. The boisterous 43-year-old is senior VP of the Brand Action Team. The moniker, instituted after Mr. Gleason arrived in 2005 from...

Richard Beaven; Chairman-CEO, Initiative.(Media Mavens)(Occupation overview)
September 8, 2008... Byline: claire atkinson Richard Beaven is one of a cadre of executives remaking U.S. media agencies. After joining Initiative as CEO-North America in 2006, he rose rapidly on the back of major account wins and a go-ahead business style...

Antony Young; President, Optimedia U.S.(Media Mavens)
September 8, 2008... Byline: claire atkinson New Zealander Antony Young is one of those ad-industry executives who voraciously consumes media. When he's not watching three hours of TV a night-his favorite shows include "American Idol,'' "Dancing With the...

Patty DeWees; Director-media strategy, brand advertising, Capital One Services.(Media Mavens)(Occupation overview)
September 8, 2008... Byline: claire atkinson Most financial companies pride themselves on interpretation of data, but at Capital One Services, it's a way of life. Translating that philosophy in the marketing department is Patty DeWees, director-media strategy,...

George Wishart; Global managing director, Nielsen In-Store.(Media Mavens)(Occupation overview)
September 8, 2008... Byline: jack neff As global managing director of Nielsen In-Store for the past two years, George Wishart has led efforts to develop a system to measure in-store programs, helping turn one of marketing's oldest platforms-the checkout...

Nick Brien; CEO, Mediabrands, Interpublic Group of Cos.(Media Mavens)(Occupation overview)
September 8, 2008... Byline: claire atkinson If Nick Brien were still living in his native Britain, he'd probably be on TV hosting one of the country's popular shows about how to turn around a struggling business. Instead, he's been toiling since July in the...

Joseph Abruzzo; Exec VP-director of research, MPG North America.(Media Mavens)(Occupation overview)
September 8, 2008... Byline: michael bush The thing that's changed most about Joseph Abruzzo's job in the two years he's been at MPG North America has been his focus. "We're becoming a lot more focused on how consumers are getting their information,'' says...

Perianne Grignon; VP-media services, Sears Holdings Corp.(Media Mavens)(Occupation overview)
September 8, 2008... Byline: natalie zmuda The media business is a family affair for Perianne Grignon. The VP-media services at Sears Holdings Corp., which includes Sears, Roebuck & Co. and Kmart, grew up around the media business and became enamored with...

Rob Master; Director-North American media, Unilever.(Media Mavens)
September 8, 2008... Byline: jack neff Unilever has gotten plenty of honors for creativity and marketing innovation, which could leave the impression it's lost touch with good old package-goods number crunching. Rob Master, who became director of North...

CONSUMERS BECOME KINDLE AMBASSADORS; Amazon enlists volunteer army of enthusiasts to demonstrate device.(News)
September 8, 2008... Byline: ABBEY KLAASSEN On a recent sunny New York afternoon, Stephen Beck, a retired lawyer and voracious reader, spent an hour at a Chelsea Starbucks showing off his Amazon Kindle reader. He patiently demonstrated how to wake the device,...

Palin pick causes controversy at Us Weekly, 'Oprah'.(The Conventions)(Brief article)
September 8, 2008... Byline: andrew hampp Less than a week after being selected as John McCain's vice-presidential nominee, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin electrified one magazine's subscriber base and forced Oprah Winfrey to clarify her opinion of the candidate. ...

Beware, CMO: A temp might steal your post; Economy stokes trend toward short-term hires in marketing suite.(News)
September 8, 2008... Byline: JACK NEFF The hard times facing the marketing industry may be only temporary, but so, it turns out, are a lot of the jobs. With an increasing number of companies looking to reduce the full-time head counts in their marketing...

VTech targets tots with a wee Wii; Emulates Nintendo's smash with console that gets kids off couch.(News)
September 8, 2008... Byline: BETH SNYDER BULIK The average youngster first wields a video-game controller at age 6, but one kiddie electronics marketer keeps working to make that even younger. Educational-toy company VTech has just launched V-Motion, a...

Carat mishap offers lessons in HR, PR and accountability.(Columns)(Carat Business)
September 8, 2008... Byline: Jonah Bloom These are tough times for all of us in the marketing and media businesses and they're likely to get tougher, which is why I hope you read our report on the Carat management team's slipshod approach to communicating...

CMOs up digital, cut traditional; Survey: Marketers' need to target better benefits budgets for interactive.(News)(Survey)
September 8, 2008... Byline: MICHAEL BUSH Data analytics and customer-relationship management aren't the only disciplines that have benefited in the past year from the slashing and burning of general advertising budgets as marketers try to better focus their...

China's Olympic-year ad growth: 22; Forecasters don't expect spending to subside even now that event is over.(News)
September 8, 2008... Byline: NORMANDY MADDEN [beijing] China will avoid the curse that often afflicts hosts of the Olympic Games-an economic slowdown after the games leave town. For China, there is "no real sign of a significant hangover for the remainder...

A Bond drink that's best not shaken.(News)(Coca-Cola Great Britain)(Sony Entertainment Corp.)(Brief article)
September 8, 2008... Coca-Cola Great Britain has teamed up with Sony Entertainment to promote the new James Bond film, "Quantum of Solace,'' by transforming Coke Zero into Coca-Cola Zero Zero 7, with specially crafted bottles featuring the 007 logo. The promotion,...

Are the Army's new marketing tactics a little too kid-friendly?(News)(Sears, Roebuck and Co.)
September 8, 2008... Byline: NATALIE ZMUDA The u.s. Army is turning up in a lot of youthful places lately. It has opened the Army Experience Center, including Humvee and helicopter simulators, near Dave & Buster's and an indoor skate park in Philadelphia's...

As seen on adage.com.(Columns)(Brief article)
September 8, 2008... As seen on AdAge.com/ bigtent foster: rules for black agencies The debate about the role of black-owned agencies has raged since Vince Cullers Advertising-widely reported to be the first black agency-opened its doors back in 1956. My...

Unusual sponsors sit front row at Fashion Week; Broader audience attracts brands such as Google, OfficeMax, BlackBerry.(News)
September 8, 2008... Byline: NATALIE ZMUDA As fashionistas flock to New York Fashion Week in the coming days, they might be slightly surprised to see the likes of OfficeMax, BlackBerry, Google and the Seoul Metropolitan Government front and center in the...

Talk about Bizarro World: Bill clowns around with Jerry.(Garfield's AdReview)(Microsoft Corp.)(Crispin Porter + Bogusky)
September 8, 2008... Byline: Bob Garfield WTF? Have you seen the new Microsoft spot from Crispin Porter & Bogusky, the one with Jerry Seinfeld and Bill Gates? It's got its funny moments, in a goofy Seinfeldian way, but otherwise constitutes one of the...

LPGA: Non-English speakers are allowed to play after all; League amends policy amid tongue-lashing from sponsors, others.(News)(Ladies Professional Golf Association)
September 8, 2008... Byline: MICHAEL BUSH As pressure mounted from sports commentators, community groups, sponsors and even this publication, the Ladies Professional Golf Association decided to amend its controversial move requiring its players to be...

Carat blunder spurs vitriol, sympathy; Readers weigh in on the misdirected missive and what it said about shop.(News)(Carat Business)
September 8, 2008... Byline: MICHAEL BUSH When carat's top U.S. HR executive accidentally e-mailed a document containing the "messaging'' to be used as it laid off employees to the agency's entire staff, news of the blunder spread rapidly through the industry....

Sears Army apparel not necessarily made in U.S.(News)(Sears, Roebuck and Co.)
September 8, 2008... Byline: natalie zmuda Sears' new Army-approved clothing collection isn't all made in the U.S.A. The U.S. Army is licensing the use of its marks and insignias to a company called All American Army Brand, which in turn is selling a...

Wall Street Journal shows its passion for fashion (ads).(MediaWorks)(advertising)
September 8, 2008... Byline: Ann Marie Kerwin It appears that when one dives into the fashion game, one quickly learns the art of throwing the catty remark. The Wall Street Journal held a breakfast last week at the tony Morgan Library and Museum in New York to...

Games gains.(News)(Brief article)
September 8, 2008... Byline: max lakin How much bang did Olympic sponsors get for the 72 million bucks they paid to be able to call themselves official? With the help of YouGovPolimetrix, Ad Age tracked how they did in terms of mind share before and after the...

Young CW still striving for popularity; Draws desirable crowd, but affiliate provides for possible cancellation.(News)(The CW Television Network)
September 8, 2008... Byline: BRIAN STEINBERG Spotted: a young, sexy TV network desperately strutting its stuff. That not-so-blind item is, of course, referencing the CW, which hopes it is about to see a turnaround in its fortunes. It's promoting the heck...

Now that summer's over, it's time for a homework assignment.(Columns)
September 8, 2008... Byline: Teressa Iezzi Early september just can't help but feel like early January. What it lacks in despair and salt stains it makes up for in back-to-it gravitas. It means stock taking, which can be a bit daunting. So, along with buying...

Stats geeks, get ready for fall's crop of data books; on digital communications.(Digital)
September 8, 2008... Byline: Steve Rubel A dirty little secret in the blogosphere is that bloggers get free books-and lots of them. Often they show up without anyone asking. Most of the ones on Web 2.0 or the internet just aren't that good or are woefully...

Hold or fold 'em? Odds for new Msoft ad chief.(News)(Steve Ballmer of Microsoft Corp.)
September 8, 2008... Byline: ABBEY KLAASSEN Steve ballmer wants Microsoft to have 30% share of the search market and earn 25% of its revenue from advertising in the next three to nine years. Both are tall orders-and that's why the job of whoever helms the ad...

Here's what Google wants in an ad shop; Adaptability, good price, independence a plus-nondisclosure is a must.(News)
September 8, 2008... Byline: RUPAL PAREKH and ABBEY KLAASSEN When google launched an in-house agency a year ago, poaching former Ogilvy & Mather bigwig Andy Berndt to lead it, some in the ad business saw it as an affront-a sign of Google's "do-it-ourselves''...

Kellogg says ROI on digital trounces TV by 'factor of 2'; Food giant plans to cut commercial filming up to 20% in the next year.(News)
September 8, 2008... Byline: EMILY BRYSON YORK After taking a long look at where it's getting the best return on its marketing investment, Kellogg Co. has decided to move more money online and spend less on TV. Kellogg Chief Marketing Officer Mark Baynes...

THE question: Which presidential candidate is better for the marketing industry? 62% of you said Obama would be more marketer-friendly.(News)(Brief article)
September 8, 2008... Byline: sherry mazzocchi Close to two-thirds of respondents said marketing would flourish under an Obama administration. Barack Obama's backers seemed to think marketers were more likely to find a friend in a candidate who has...

UNILEVER'S NEW LEADER: YOU CAN EXPECT CHANGE; Polman seeks broader adoption of 'alternative communication vehicles'.(News)
September 8, 2008... Byline: JACK NEFF The world's two biggest ad spenders, Procter & Gamble Co. and Unilever, have also long been part of one of marketing's most classic rivalries. Now the latter has hired as its CEO Paul Polman, a 26-year veteran of its...

Understand this, LPGA: Sponsors deserve better.(Viewpoint)(Ladies Professional Golf Association)
September 8, 2008... The LPGA dug itself into a hole it can't-and shouldn't-easily get out of. Forcing its players to either become proficient in English or face expulsion is bad enough. But neglecting to consult its sponsors about a decision so potentially...

RNC welcomes media with class; DNC takes 'em for a ride.(Adages)
September 8, 2008... Byline: Ken Wheaton Though the approach of Hurricane Gustav initially cast a pall over the Republican National Convention in Minnesota, that didn't stop the welcoming committee from rolling out the red carpet for the media. It's not like...

GOP gets its red sports car; Tale of two conventions: DNC offers steak, while RNC serves up the sizzle.(The Conventions)
September 8, 2008... Byline: IRA TEINOWITZ And KEN WHEATON One convention featured ecstatic crowds swooning over an unlikely nominee, at least one record-breaking night of TV ratings, and a focus on personality and character rather than issues. The other...

Why sarah palin is mccain's camaro.(The Conventions)
September 8, 2008... Byline: michael bush, ira teinowitz, ken wheaton Donny deutsch told CNBC's "Squawk on the Street'' that "women want to be her and men want to mate with her,'' while Harvard's John Quelch said she's the red Chevy Camaro to John McCain's...

Media Morph: Chrome.(Digital)(Brief article)
September 8, 2008... Byline: abbey klaassen Chrome, the browser introduced last week by Google, isn't even a week old but has already been through the full Silicon Valley spin cycle. First it was going to kill Internet Explorer. Then once people were...

GM shifts gears with consolidated global search plan; With Google as main partner, is working toward consistent metrics, more efficient digital marketing.(Digital)
September 8, 2008... Byline: JEAN HALLIDAY General motors corp. started to centralize its global search strategy late last year, and the auto giant expects to roll it out in 42 countries by the end of 2008. GM's main partner is Google, although buys are...

How the music business spent the summer killing itself; They say you better listen to the voice of reason, but they don't give you any choice 'cause they think that it's treason.(MediaWorks)
September 8, 2008... Byline: Simon Dumenco A few weeks back, as I was having dinner with a media-industry colleague at a trendy restaurant in a trendy New York neighborhood, I realized that the music coming over the sound system was transporting me to another...

EV1 was ahead of its time; GM directs Chevy into green scene; Hybrids only part of solution as carmaker throws wide net around alternative-power sources.(General Motors)(General Motors Corp.)
September 15, 2008... Byline: Jim Henry Chevrolet is taking the point as General Motors Corp. struggles to buff up its green image-dull compared with rivals such as Toyota Motor Corp., and tarnished from the earlier, abruptly ended EV1 electric car. The...

When it came to an event, GM sure threw some crowd pleasers; World's fairs, Disney, charity events-wherever car buyers congregate, count on a car display.(General Motors)
September 15, 2008... Byline: Mary Connelly Selling the steak has a lot to do with the sizzle, and no automaker has practiced the art of the extravaganza more assiduously than General Motors. Whether it's a -rama (Motorama, Futurama, Powerama), a traveling tent...

Under relentless pressure, shops learn to adapt to demanding client; Millions of dollars in media spending and careers hinge on getting the response right the first time.(General Motors)
September 15, 2008... Byline: Lillie Guyer When the going gets tough, the tough get going... to new ad agencies. Chevrolet and Campbell-Ewald have ridden hand in hand through the peaks and valleys of the auto industry since 1922. But other General Motors...

Marketer knows how to play game, from racing to teeing it up for Tiger; Chevy eyes baseball, Buick hits golf, Pontiac looks to NCAA and Cadillac goes for Super Bowl.(General Motors)
September 15, 2008... Byline: Nick Lico The link between General Motors Corp. and sports is almost as old as the company itself. GM founder Billy Durant, ousted from his company in 1910, turned around and co-founded Chevrolet Motor Co. with race-car driver...

Dannielle Colliver Hudler; pioneer for women.(General Motors Corp.)(Brief article)
September 15, 2008... Byline: Jean Halliday Dannielle Colliver Hudler broke through the glass ceiling in advertising at General Motors Corp., joining the automaker in 1979 as director-advertising and sales promotion on AC Delco after 11 years at MacManus, John...

Buick's tough act sandwiched between Chevrolet and Cadillac; Onetime `doctor's car' makes case for younger drivers via Tiger as pitchman.(General Motors Corp., General Motors Corp. Buick Div.)(Company overview)
September 15, 2008... Byline: Lillie Guyer For Buick, once known as the "doctor's car,'' the challenge now is to convince younger consumers that it's Tiger's car and should be theirs. In the early days of General Motors Corp., Buick Motor Co. was its...

From wild DeLorean days to Zarrella, Middlebrook had a front-row seat; A time when the Firebird's color was made to match Nancy Sinatra's lipstick.(General Motors Corp.)(Interview)
September 15, 2008... Byline: Jean Halliday John Middlebrook's career at General Motors Corp. spanned almost the entire second half of the auto giant's first century. Mr. Middlebrook, 67, retired this summer as GM's first VP-global sales, service and marketing...

Ad innovator, potent media powerhouse; GM challenges misconceptions.(General Motors Corp.)(Company overview)
September 15, 2008... Byline: Jean Halliday Through most of its history General Motors Corp. has been one of the nation's biggest ad spenders. While some have pigeonholed the giant automaker as a Rust Belt, old-economy marketer, the reality is that over the...

Hopp stretches from `Chevy of '80s' to social media and analytic tools; With 40 years at GM unit's lead agency, CEO stays on top of communication changes.(General Motors)(Tony Hopp)(Interview)
September 15, 2008... Byline: Jean Halliday Tony Hopp, chairman-CEO of Campbell-Ewald since 1997, celebrated his 40th year at the agency in June. He started at the Warren, Mich.-based shop in 1968 as an assistant account exec in the multiproducts group on...

Long entrenched overseas, GM leans heavily on emerging markets; Marketer develops ad message to reach drivers in 130 nations, sees record growth in Europe.(General Motors)
September 15, 2008... Byline: Lillie Guyer A car for every purse and purpose,'' CEO Alfred Sloan proclaimed in the 1920s. As far as General Motors Corp. was concerned, even as far back as the '20s, that credo could be expanded to "every growing region of the...

America's 100-year love affair with the car often put to music; Spotlighted in songs, movies and TV, GM vehicles have become part of pop culture.(General Motors Corp.)(Company overview)
September 15, 2008... Byline: David Kushma Even before there was a General Motors, the cars and trucks that would come to define the company exerted a big influence on American popular culture. A century later, that hasn't changed. Apart from the company's...

Led by Buick, carmaker learning fine points of regional China tastes; Chevrolet making progress, but Cadillac is still looking for answers in a critical market.(General Motors)
September 15, 2008... Byline: Normandy Madden Among global marketing giants, General Motors Corp. is no stranger to China. GM China was founded in Shanghai in 1929. Today, China is GM's third-largest market globally after the U.S. and Brazil, and one of its...

Always quick to cut, Guarascio ushered in era of the megadeal; Cross-promotion, branded credit cards, bundled media buying all part of major changeover.(General Motors Corp.)(Interview)
September 15, 2008... Byline: Jean Halliday Phil Guarascio, who retired at 58 from General Motors Corp. as VP-corporate advertising and marketing in 2000, was unquestionably among GM's most flamboyant executives. The Brooklyn native was controversial after...

Pontiac's ride in the fast lane takes a turn to pump frugality; `Wide Track,' `Excitement' gave life to earlier models; brand now courts younger drivers via web.(General Motors)
September 15, 2008... Byline: Lillie Guyer It's a brand whose image has been shaped by the likes of Bunkie Knudsen, John DeLorean, Davy Jones, David Hasselhoff... and Oprah Winfrey. Pontiac has worn its "muscle car'' mantle proudly over the decades,...

High-performance helped define generation of speed-loving drivers; Cheap gas meshed with plenty of horsepower and made muscle cars a marketer's dream.(General Motors)
September 15, 2008... Byline: Nick Lico Performance aficionados will tell you the muscle-car era got rolling when Pontiac introduced the 1964 GTO. A marketing execution linked to the tiger-with an ad showing an attractive model in front of Pontiacs and copy...

How Saturn went from unique to just another one of the crowd; Import-fighter created a fan club with reunions in Spring Hill; now it's time to `rethink'.(General Motors)
September 15, 2008... Byline: Jim Henry The task facing Saturn marketers today is a tough one: raise awareness and consideration while virtually starting over with a repositioned brand, price point and entirely different products. And hope that your parent...

Leadership role often made Cadillac a very visible target; Fashion comes and goes, but strong imagery, luxury media buys consistently sell brand.(General Motors)
September 15, 2008... Byline: Nick Lico The prestige-and peril-of forward-looking design and engineering have always propelled Cadillac's advertising, whether via sexy Kate Walsh revealing her expectations for the sleek CTS in 2007 or the ruminations on "The...

Lessons learned, GM extends multicultural-marketing reach; Hispanic websites benefit in shift that aligns agencies with retail channels.(General Motors)
September 15, 2008... Byline: Laura Mart nez As Latino VIPs arrived at the red carpet of this year's "Premio lo Nuestro,'' the highest-rated music awards show on Spanish-language TV, they did so in a fleet of Chevrolet Tahoes, Suburbans and a Corvette. ...

When Tiger winces, Buick feels his pain.(General Motors)(signed a contract to advertise for General Motors)(Brief article)
September 15, 2008... Byline: Nick Lico Shortly after winning his 14th major championship and his third U.S. Open on June 16, Tiger Woods announced via his website that he would undergo reconstructive knee surgery and miss the rest of the 2008 season. For...

Heavy lifting has new meaning; GMC's high-profit workhorses look out of place in a world of $4 gas.(General Motors)
September 15, 2008... Byline: Lillie Guyer It's not like there was no warning. But now that gasoline prices are dancing around $4 a gallon, motorists are thinking smaller. That leaves GMC, the venerable truck-building arm of General Motors Corp., in a tough...

They didn't run company, but execs left their mark.(General Motors)(Alfred Sloans and Bunkie Knudsens and Phil Guarascios)
September 15, 2008... Byline: Dan Lippe Behind the Alfred Sloans and Bunkie Knudsens and Phil Guarascios are legions of other, perhaps less-heralded individuals whose talents, creativity and foresight helped make General Motors the marketing powerhouse that it...

LaNeve attacks mpg perception issue, homes in on brand message; `Marketing is a sport,' CEO argues as he tackles a combative, fragmented marketplace.(General Motors)(Occupation overview)
September 15, 2008... Byline: Jean Halliday Mark LaNeve is among a small number of General Motors Corp. marketers who've risen to a key executive position at the automaker. Mr. LaNeve, who joined GM in 1981 as a senior consumer service adviser at Cadillac, has...

Hal Riney; adman as partner.(General Motors)
September 15, 2008... Byline: Dan Lippe Rethink''-Saturn's current ad slogan-would be an apt mantra for the creative visionary who shepherded the General Motors Corp. unit's first advertising. Deutsch, Los Angeles, created the "Rethink'' campaign last...

GTO puts its best foot forward; Clever marketing, retail tie-ins got car out in front of youthful drivers.(General Motors)
September 15, 2008... Byline: Jean Halliday In the early 1960s, Pontiac was popular with middle-aged Americans who wanted a midprice car, recalled Jim Wangers, longtime account exec on Pontiac at MacManus, John & Adams. The introduction of Pontiac's muscle...

A Midwestern directness keeps Campbell-Ewald in sync with Chevy; Family relationship since 1922 produces such fare as `Like a Rock,' `Heartbeat of America'.(General Motors Corp.)(Campbell-Ewald Co.)
September 15, 2008... Byline: Lillie Guyer Since 1922 when it became Chevrolet's agency of record, Campbell-Ewald has been linked with the General Motors Corp. division through good times and bad, much like a marriage. As GM enters its second century, these...

Quick to experiment, GM seeks to make new-media dialogue pay; With big bet online, execs overhaul how marketing dollars invested, how models launched.(General Motors)
September 15, 2008... Byline: Nick Lico This is not your father's ad medium. Apologies to General Motors Corp. for riffing off that famous Oldsmobile ad slogan from Leo Burnett USA, but Olds is history and so are the days of GM being satisfied with pushing...

Hummer, Saab play up differences, then find themselves out on a limb; Can a shift of beaten-down brands into Cadillac orbit ease their pain? A tough road ahead.(General Motors)
September 15, 2008... Byline: Jim Henry They're two auto brands with military heritages, but that kind of toughness may not be enough to survive under General Motors Corp. It has been almost 20 years since GM acquired half of Saab Automobile AB in 1990. It...

The end of consumer surveys? P&G, Unilever join ARF in effort to move beyond question-and-answer.(News)(Procter & Gamble Co.)(Unilever Group)(Advertising Research Foundation)
September 15, 2008... Byline: JACK NEFF After issuing dire warnings about the future of consumer surveys, the two biggest advertisers and buyers of market research in the world-Procter & Gamble and Unilever-are linking with the Advertising Research Foundation...

People & Players.
September 15, 2008... BEIJING: 'Lost ring' makes its last stop The creators of McDonald's "Lost Ring" alternate-reality game say goodbye to Beijing, where the game's finale took place. (From l.) Edwin Veelo, creative director, AKQA; Julie Channing, group...

THE HEAT INDEX; Weekly rating (0-10) of sizzle and fizzle.(MediaWorks)
September 15, 2008... 9 'Fringe' J.J. Abrams and Fox's experiment in remote-free TV turned in impressive ratings for its debut. Now here's hoping viewers don't get lost next week. 7 iTunes NBC gets iTunes to rejigger its pricing, thus allowing new episodes of...

PAINTING A PICTURE OF PURPLE VOTERS; Those who'll determine which way key states will swing aren't as middle-of-the-road as you might think.(News)
September 15, 2008... Byline: NATALIE ZMUDA THOSE WHO'LL DETERMINE WHICH WAY KEY STATES WILL SWING AREN'T AS MIDDLE-OF-THE-ROAD AS YOU MIGHT THINK In the coming weeks, ever-elusive swing-state voters will be endlessly discussed by pundits, news anchors and...

Esquire shows readers the future and upholds the best of the past.(News)(Column)
September 15, 2008... Byline: Larry Dobrow My checklist of things I want from a thick, thumpy "special collector's edition'' of a magazine includes the following: a sober-minded appreciation of the publication's heritage; an art/photo exclusive of some sort,...

Work of the Week.(Work)(Brief article)
September 15, 2008... Creativity Top Five In this week's episode of Creativity's Top Five, Aardman Animation's Wallace and Gromit get dolled up for Harvey Nichols; Britain's COI makes new languages look cool; director Joachim Trier and Norwegian agency Try are...

Chevy takes value, volume message, and wraps it in flag; Affordable leader was early adopter of TV advertising, now directs the green push.(General Motors Corp. Chevrolet Motor Div.)
September 15, 2008... Byline: Nick Lico Value wrapped in an American flag has been a cornerstone of marketing for General Motors Corp.'s volume leader. "The thing that makes Chevrolet advertising great throughout the years has been the recurring message of...

Path to growth is paved with courage, consistency and risk.(Columns)
September 15, 2008... Byline: Rance Crain Lost your sales momentum? Chances are you've also lost your nerve to make decisions that can get your company going again. That's the premise of a book to be published next March, "When Growth Stalls,'' by Steve...