Advertising Age - Latest News

Bloomberg Seeks Agency for Global Branding

nives@adage.com(Nat Ives) — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:18:48 -0500

NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- As it gets ready to officially take ownership of BusinessWeek magazine, Bloomberg is looking for help with global branding and advertising across its portfolio of media properties.

8 Lessons From the Creativity and Technology Conference

kpatel@adage.com(Kunur Patel) — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:00:00 -0500

LONDON (AdAge.com) -- Some 300 attendees gathered at the Saatchi Gallery last week for Ad Age sibling Creativity's technology conference, Creativity and Technology, were treated to musings on bleeding-edge digital communication from Europe's top talent in advertising, technology and design. Here are a eight takeaways from the CaT technology conference if you missed it.

Oprah: Queen of Daytime Proves Content Is King

jrash@cmithun.com(John Rash) — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:38:22 -0500

MINNEAPOLIS (AdAge.com) -- Network TV has mostly missed out on the Oprah effect, as it didn't develop Oprah Winfrey, or any other talker who has dominated daytime in recent years. This was a great historical miss by broadcasters, who to this day are struggling in daytime with soap operas that often have their roots in radio, not the web. The nets haven't solved their daytime dilemma, but do seem to recognize content's royal status, especially as they chase royalties in prime time. Thursday night's ratings race.

Will Oprah's Move to Cable Dampen the 'Oprah Effect'?

bsteinberg@adage.com(Brian Steinberg) — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:13:47 -0500

NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- Oprah Winfrey's decision to end her long-running syndicated program is a bet on the future of TV -- that niche cable channels, with their dual revenue streams from advertising and subscriptions, will be a more stable media base, and that technology will allow any content provider to reach its core audience in a more direct fashion. But the move may end up diminishing her power as a mover of products.

Vampires Attack Oprah and Sarah Palin! Run For Your Lives!

sdumenco@adage.com(Simon Dumenco) — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:28:35 -0500

What a surreal, epic week in mass media. On Monday, Sarah Palin appeared on "Oprah," then on Thursday Oprah announced she's quitting her talk show. But for all the media buzz about Sarah Palin (and her new book) this week, she's nothing compared to the latest installment of the "Twilight" franchise, "New Moon" (which opened today).

In Latin America, DDB Goes Bernbach One Better and Installs Creative Trios

valentinavescovi@gmail.com(Valentina Vescovi) — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:25:14 -0500

Bill Bernbach might have introduced the creative duo, but the Latin American arm of the DDB network has evolved that idea for the future by rolling out a new creative cell to all of its agencies.

Farfar Co-founder Nicke Bergstrom Joins Mother, New York

adiaz@creativity-online.com(Ann-Christine Diaz) — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 11:48:04 -0500

NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- And another Swede enters the building. Nicke Bergstrom, one of the co-founders and creative director of the much decorated Swedish digital agency Farfar, has found a new home at Mother, New York.

CBS Wins Night With 'Old Christine,' 'Gary Unmarried'

jrash@cmithun.com(John Rash) — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:58:41 -0500

NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- It was a pretty good night for an average night of prime-time programming. Wednesday, after all, is a hump day for TV as well as workers. In-between Thursday's drama (ABC's "Grey's Anatomy"), reality (CBS's "Survivor") and comedy (NBC's "The Office" and "30 Rock") cornucopia, and the kick the NFL gives ratings on Sunday and Monday as well as the new blood of new dramas on CBS' Tuesday night schedule, Wednesday is usually lower rated.

How Technological Illiteracy Will Cost Creatives Their Jobs

ehall@adage.com(Emma Hall) — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:33:41 -0500

Creativity and Technology debuted across the Atlantic on Thursday at London's Saatchi Gallery. The event brought together designers, creatives and technologists from agencies like Organic and Crispin Porter & Bogusky to discuss work ranging from Fiat Eco: Drive to Poke London's Baker Tweet, as well as technology's increasing importance in creative departments.

Ogilvy Taps Carla Hendra to Head New Global-Strategy Arm

rparekh@adage.com(Rupal Parekh) — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:12:08 -0500

NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- More changes are afoot at Ogilvy & Mather as Carla Hendra will relinquish her day-to-day responsibilities as chairman of Ogilvy & Mather, New York, and CEO of Ogilvy North America. The move, effective early next year, puts Ogilvy's U.S. and New York operations under the charge of a single leader -- Ogilvy veteran John Seifert -- for the first time in years.

Unilever, Lufthansa, Vente Privee Honored With European CMO Awards

ehall@adage.com(Emma Hall) — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 15:59:12 -0500

LONDON (AdAge.com) -- Unilever, Lufthansa and online shopping club Vente Privee are the winners of this year's European CMO awards, presented in Frankfurt by international strategy consultants Booz & Co.

MillerCoors, TiVo Team Up to Tackle NFL Time-Shifting

jmullman@adage.com(Jeremy Mullman) — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 14:35:44 -0500

CHICAGO (AdAge.com) -- In watching the chaos that time-shifted, ad-skipping viewing has rained down on primetime TV advertisers in recent years, many beer-marketing executives have expressed relief, roughly paraphrased, in something like these terms: "Thank goodness most of our budgets are tied up in sports, where we don't have to worry about all that."

Can You Predict Successful Innovation? You Bet You Can

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 14:09:14 -0500

Popular opinion suggests that great innovation results from a mysterious combination of forces that make it appear to fall from the sky. However, based on a 30-year analysis of 300 product categories covering 225 countries, it becomes clear this perception is false: Tomorrow's winning innovation can actually be predicted.

What Landing Cadbury Would Mean for Kraft, Ferrero, Hershey

eyork@adage.com(Emily Bryson York) — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 13:55:15 -0500

CHICAGO (AdAge.com) -- Cadbury is the chess piece that could determine who leads the world's confectionery market, depending on whose hands the company ends up in. If it lands in the portfolio of Kraft, that marketer would topple Mars from its perch as the globe's leading confectioner. But now, Ferrero has confirmed an interest in acquiring Cadbury, and The Wall Street Journal reported that it is considering a linkup with Hershey to do the job.

AOL to Cut 2,500 Employees Through Buyouts, Layoffs

mlearmonth@adage.com(Michael Learmonth) — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 12:15:39 -0500

NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- AOL will cut 2,500 employees, or about a third of its work force, as it looks to slim down costs on the eve of its spinoff from Time Warner. Initially, the cuts won't be targeted and will come from volunteer buyouts across the company, including sales, communications, maps, technology and the ad network.

AT&T Strikes Back at Verizon With Its Own Comparison Campaign

rchang@adage.com(Rita Chang) — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 12:09:05 -0500

SAN FRANCISCO (AdAge.com) -- AT&T launched a new ad campaign that hits back at Verizon Wireless, aiming to put some polish back in the reputation of its network coverage.

Somebody's Watching You

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 10:36:46 -0500

To ensure that the best new German film-making talent came to its annual Shocking Shorts film festival, crime and thriller channel 13th Street went to extreme lengths, stalking the film directors that the festival was hoping would come. For a more in-depth look at this Idea of the Week and other case studies, visit Ad Age and CMDglobal's Inspiration site.

AT&T's Verizon Lawsuit Gives 'Map for That' Ad New Life

aklaassen@adage.com(Abbey Klaassen) — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 08:00:00 -0500

NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- Marketing experts warned it would happen -- and it did. Suing Verizon over its "Map for That" ad only called attention to the ad and AT&T's weakness.

Marketers as Media Companies: A Disruptive Trend Revisited

hlevins@adage.com(Hoag Levins) — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 07:13:57 -0500

NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- A growing number of big marketers have circumvented the middleman and launched their own mainstream media and entertainment properties. The revolutionary development has moved them into direct competition for audiences with traditional media companies. But are these projects just novel anomalies, as some suggest, or a powerful trend that will ultimately reshape the media business? Ad Age editor Jonah Bloom addresses the issue in his talk at the ANA annual conference in Phoenix.

Verizon Wins Round 1 in Legal Spat With AT&T

rchang@adage.com(Rita Chang) — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 18:55:18 -0500

SAN FRANCISCO (AdAge.com) -- Verizon Wireless has won round one in the widely publicized legal tussle with rival AT&T, which recently sued the leading carrier over an ad campaign that AT&T claims misleads consumers about its network coverage. An Atlanta federal judge Wednesday denied a request by AT&T to force Verizon to halt its commercials, saying he found no evidence that the ads were inaccurate.

Tobaccowala, Mainwaring Host Executives in Residence Program at University of Oregon

jrooney@adage.com(Jennifer Rooney) — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 17:54:14 -0500

Rishad Tobaccowala and Simon Mainwaring are featured guests of this year's Executives in Residence program at the University of Oregon School of Journalism and Communication, Nov. 18-20.

Starbucks Rings in the Holidays With Big Social-Media Push

eyork@adage.com(Emily Bryson York) — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 17:41:23 -0500

CHICAGO (AdAge.com) -- Get ready for Starbucks Holiday 2.0. The brand is going big in social media this year, having learned that its consumers want to participate in a variety of ways. So Starbucks is pulling back from its Thanksgiving TV buys of the past two years to focus on where its customers already spend time online and drive them into stores.

Cadillac Narrows Contenders List to Three

jhalliday@adage.com(Jean Halliday) — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 17:27:44 -0500

DETROIT (AdAge.com) -- General Motors Co.'s Cadillac has cut the list of semi-finalists vying for the brand's national creative account in half. The shops moving to the next round are two Publicis Groupe shops: Bartle Bogle Hegarty, New York, and Publicis, New York; along with Interpublic Group of Cos.' Martin Agency, Richmond, Va.

Lowe-Deutsch Conflict Spurs Zicam Agency Review

rparekh@adage.com(Rupal Parekh) — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 17:10:08 -0500

NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- The maker of cold remedy Zicam, Matrixx Initiatives, has begun the second review of its $30 million ad account in the span of a year, due to an account conflict spurred by the merger of Zicam's current agency, Lowe, New York, with sibling Deutsch.

Football Wins On Sunday Night, Not on Monday Night

jrash@cmithun.com(John Rash) — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 17:08:55 -0500

MINNEAPOLIS (AdAge.com) -- Nielsen data delays have made today's Rash Report a Rash Roundup. Here's how the first part of this week shook out.

Saatchi Wins U.S. Duties for Enfamil Brand, Expands Role on Roster

rparekh@adage.com(Rupal Parekh) — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 16:46:33 -0500

NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- Publicis Groupe's Saatchi & Saatchi has added U.S. ad duties for Enfamil baby formula, expanding its relationship on parent Mead Johnson Nutrition's nearly $300 million global account after a lengthy pitch.

LinkedIn May Be Different From MySpace, but Not Its Ad Strategy

aklaassen@adage.com(Abbey Klaassen) — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 16:00:31 -0500

NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- While LinkedIn is trying to differentiate its audience from other social networks, its ad strategy looks awfully familiar. The site on Wednesday announced it's launching Custom Groups in the hopes advertisers will create more robust presences on the site -- and then buy media to help drive people to the groups.

Inside the Upfront for China's Only National TV Network

normandym@netvigator.com(Normandy Madden) — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:11:50 -0500

BEIJING (AdAge.com) -- Four of China's top media buyers -- senior execs at Aegis Media, GroupM, OMD and Zenith Media -- filed first-person accounts from today's CCTV auction. Here's what they thought of the premier event in China's media industry.

Agencies: 15 Risks You Can't Afford Not to Take

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 13:37:24 -0500

Economists are always talking about types of risks you can afford and the kinds you can't afford to take. For those of us in the agency business, the latter bucket of risks is mostly about failing to adapt to the dramatic changes affecting the agency business model. Here are 15 things agencies can't afford to risk.

Argentine Ad Agency Santo Hands out Coveted Award

patricio.cavalli@gmail.com(Patricio Cavalli) — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 13:34:01 -0500

It was the night of nights for the Argentine ad business. Everyone who's anyone was there. Not only to dive into the ocean of mojitos, vodka tonics, champagne and salted shrimp, but to receive what is now one of Argentine advertising's most coveted and least-expected awards.