AdBuzz. Week of Dec 10

Agency News: Agency Movements

1. Kirshenbaum Bond Senecal & Partners names former Razorfish top creative Marc Lucas as its new chief creative officer, being the first time in history anyone other than Mr. Kirshenbaum serving as chief creative for agency owned by MDC Partners.
2. Chrysler is poised to hand its media-planning and –buying account to Interpublic Group of Cos.’Universal McCann.
3. Pizza Hut has tapped Interpublic Group of Cos.’ Martin Agency as its new lead creative agency, replacing Omnicom Group’s BBDO.
4. Chrysler has hired Publicis Groupe’s Fallon to handle creative work for Chrysler brand, handled for years by Omnicom Group’s BBDO.
5. Procter & Gamble Co. has shifted North American communications planning duties for its Gillette men’s grooming business to Aegis Group’s Carat from Publicis Groupe’s Starcom Mediavest Group.

Media Works: NBC’s Zucker: ‘We Haven’t Done a Good Enough Job’

NBC executive Jeff Zucker admits that NBC Universal “has not done a great job at programming its NBC network”. However, he does mention that they could revive its fortune with the new ownership of the Comcast Corporation. They have slumped in recent years to build a prime time entertainment lineup; as a result changes have been made. A new management team has been invested at NBC entertainment, and some executives say that NBC could operate as a cable network, rather than just a broadcast one.
Global News: Mexican Agency Gaining Popularity

Grupo W, located just outside Mexico City does not have much business in Mexico’s small advertising business but it is a familiar face in the U.S. Many large American agencies are seeing it as the low cost option, especially for digital. However, the agency is gaining attention for its creative work including winning a silver lion at the Cannes in 2008. Grupo W has partnered in the past with Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, and most recently with Wieden & Kennedy where they did the “Choose Your Weapon” campaign for Nike. Some of their other major clients include Coke, Unilever and Danone.

Digital: Location Matters: How Ad Environments Affect Performance

When creating advertisements for the Internet, size and shape does not determine the success of the ad as much its placement. Different types of web pages can determine the success of certain types of ads. Home pages are viewed very quickly according to researchers and should have ads that can catch someone’s attention fast. On the other hand, destination pages should have ads that are not as striking but engaging or rewarding like IKEA’s Set the Table, which allows users to interact with the ad by setting a table with different types of tableware. Advertisements in e-mails are not likely to get much attention because the page is constantly being refreshed and therefore needs engaging advertisements as well, such as a game or quiz.

I like advertising, but I’m not a Creative. What else can I do?

Do you know that not everyone in an advertising industry is a Creative who create ads/ commercials? There are actually a lot of different talents who work in the industry.

Broadcast Production

Digital/interactive is one of the fastest growing areas of the advertising agency business today. This department is responsible for a wide range of activities that may include the development of online marketing campaigns, presentation design, post-production, audio-visual services, CD-ROM services, and much more. The staff in this department is proficient in computer programs and languages such as Flash, HTML and CCS, and keeps on
top of daily changes in digital technology and its capabilities.

AdBuzz. Week of Nov 30

Agency News: Agency Movements

1. Veteran creatives Geoff Edwards and Mauro Alencar and operations brain Jeremy Brown have opened the doors to Dojo, a San Franciscobased agency backed by Brazil’s ABC Group.

2. WPP-owned Oglivy & Mather is conducting another round of cuts, this time shedding 4% of staff across its North American operation.

3. Bill Ludwig will become Warren, Mich.-based Campbell-Ewald’s chairman-CEO on Jan.1.

4. JetBlue Airways and its creative agency, WPP-owned JWT, are splitting up, despite the four-year cooperation.

5. Reckitt Benckiser has consolidated its $1.3 billion global traditional and digital media account for its 17 Powerbrands with Havas’ and Publicis’ media groups.

Media Works: Holiday (and Weekly) Tradition: NFL Rules Ratings Race

This past Holiday weekend was verybusy for television watchers, as this is the time of year when networks reach their highest ratings. NFL Football was the leader in ratings over the Thanksgiving weekend, with NBC leading the pack, followed by ABC, CBS, and, FOX respectively. Football wasn’t the only programs being watched however, Fox’s Animation Domination rose overall, while ABC shows like ExtremeMakeover: Home Edition, Brothers and Sisters, and Desperate Housewives all hit season lows.

Global News: DDB, Toronto, Creates Subaru Ad With Help From Snuggie Infomercial

The top 100 global advertisers spent over 62% of their media budget outside the United States. 11 of the 44 U.S. agencies alone spent over half of their ad sales budget in international markets. China is a growing competitor in ad sales and accounts for over 27% of the Global 100’s media spending. Overall, ad spending in the top global 100 advertising agencies rose 3.1%; however, for U.S. agencies alone ad spending dropped 3.7% in the past year.

Digital: Sports Illustrated Readies Digital Version for Tablets

To be a part of the anticipated new digital computer called the tablet, Sports Illustrated developed a digital version of the magazine with special features and additions. The SI tablet is intended for readers to be able to sort through the articles, post comments, play games and order upcoming issues. SI said they created a version for the tablet because they expect it to be the next popular technology and have been anticipating its arrival for a long time. The tablet is said to be available in the later half of 2010, and Apple’s version is expected to cost around $1,200.

I like advertising, but I’m not a Creative. What else can I do?

Do you know that not everyone in an advertising industry is a Creative who create ads/ commercials? Thereare actually a lot of different talents who work in the industry. In the next few AdBuzz issues, we will introduce to you the different positions in the industry. Broadcast Production Responsible for making the TV or radio spots created by the agency’s creative team. Producers hire the right talent, director, location, editor, etc., for each ad. They also coordinate budgets, arrange network and legal clearances, and handle any last minute problems that may arise. Candidates should be attentive to detail and have good organizational skills and effective negotiating abilities.

Creative Pick

Using CGI and real footage, RDA Integrated made the Beatles look as if they were grooving down the street with a crowd of fans.

Rock Band released an ad campaign for their new Beatles version of the videogame. Using CGI and real footage, RDA Integrated, in cooperation with Smoke and Mirrors NY, was able to make the Beatles look as if they are grooving down the street with a crowd of fans.

AdBuzz. Week of Nov 9

Agency News: Account Movements
1. General Motors is moving its U.S. digital production duties to MRM from the Digitas’ Prodigious Unit, as part of a cost-savings effort by the carmaker. 2. PepsiCo is making major changes to its digital-advertising roster in order to refresh consumer communities, and its traditional agency partners are conspicuously absent. 3. IBM is shifting global digital duties from Digitas to Euro RSCG, representing an expansion of Euro’s relationshop with IBM. 4. The end of Chrysler’s relationship with BBDO is near. BBDO’s Detroit office, the one served as a major engine of its North American operations, will be closed in January. 5. New broader insurance programs help agencies control Ad-production costs.

Media: Health Site Sharecare Recruits Dove, Dr. OZ for 2010 Launch
The creator of WebMD, Jeff Arnold, is launching a new health media site sharecare.com. Arnold hopes to generate more traffic to this site by using a celebrity doctor, Dr. Memhet Oz, and using corporate partners. Dove is the sites exclusive launch partner and will be answering consumer’s questions about skin care. Sharecare also plans to partner with leaders on medicine such as: Johns Hopkins Medicine, Cleveland Clinic, and New York Presbyterian Hospitals. Companies like Sony Pictures Television, Harpo, and major medical institutions are also backing Sharecare.

I like advertising, but I’m not a
Creative. What else can I do?
Do you know that not everyone in an advertising industry is a Creative who create ads/ commercials? There are actually a lot of different talents who work in the industry. In the next few AdBuzz issues, we will introduce to you the different positions in the industry.
Print Production: responsible for the final output of a print ad. The print production manager is an expert in printing techniques and negotiating costs. He or she works within a budget to get the look an art director has in mind. The production department addresses issues such as mailing a brochure of an unusual size, the expense of printing in color, and selecting special printing techniques to achieve a desired effect. Candidates should be attentive to detail and have good organizational skills and effective negotiating abilities.

Creative Pick:
Client: U.S. Cellular Agency: Publicis & Hal Riney
Giant shadow puppets of two rabbits that are separated across town finally reunited, promoting that U.S. Cellular brings those who
are close to you even closer.

Digital: GM, Kellogg, Nestle Beat to the Tweet as Squatters Take Over Twitter Names
Companies are starting to worry as many trademark names are being used in Twitter accounts. The Home Depot, Volkswagon, Ford and  other Twitter accounts have been created and are leaving the real owners without the right to use their own names on Twitter.  An account named Pfizer is even updating information about the company even though Pfizer did not create it, but the company does not plan to file a law suit because the updates are accurate. Twitter has been hinting that a new “Twitter Pro” will be coming out soon for businesses and corporations so that the companies will be able to have accounts in their trade marked names.

Global News: Montreal Firms Pitching Themselves As The Perfect Place For Test Marketing
A group of Montreal agencies are banning together to become the ideal spot for experimenting with new ideas and products from U.S. agencies and companies.  They are trying to pitch Montreal as a “living and breathing laboratory” to cities across the U.S.  These Montreal shops believe they are the perfect place to keep the media from seeping in due to their language barrier and cultural isolation.  MasterCard has been one of the first to jump into this in 2006 and was very successful in doing so.  They claimed “It turned out to be a perfect test market for us.” The Montreal shops as well as Montreal’s mayor are planning to come to Chicago later this month to attract brands like McDonalds, Motorola, Wrigley and Kraft.

AdBuzz Week of 19/Oct/09

Agency News: Account Movements
1. $110M Quaker acct. from Goodby Silversteir & Partners, San Francisco to Juniper Park, Toronto
2. Deutsch, Los Angeles won $204M Volkswagen of America aact.
3. MediaVest takes media buying/ planning for THQ Gaming
4. Mini USA’s TV/ Radio buying moves to Universal McCann
5. Hava’s MPG got Danone Group’s $100 M North America acct.
Digital: Google, Microsoft’s Bing to Include Twitter in Search
Google and Bing search engines will begin to intertwine Twitter and Facebook updates in their search results. It is unknown how much revenue Twitter will gain (currently their is no advertising on twitter.com), but there are hopes it will attract non-Twitter users to the site, which is slowly declining in growth.
Media: Honda’s 2 Million Facebook Friends
The “Everybody Knows Somebody Who Loves a Honda” themed Facebook page Honda launched in August has reached 2 million friends, connecting Honda owners, friends, family members and owners around the world. “Visitors can upload photos of their cars or link to owners of their favorite old Honda”. “It
wasn’t a big media buy, but it got a lot of attention,” said Tom Peyton, senior manager- national advertising.
Honda added a website love.honda.com for the campaign this week. The site links to the Facebook page and has the TV spots. “So Honda is connecting a community, but will the campaign, due to run until late in the year, sell cars? ‘That’s what I’m going to try to figure out,’ Mr. Peyton said. ‘At the end of the day, I am putting some pennies back into my brand piggy bank’.”
Global News: No. 5 Consumer Market- China
At $890 billion, China has become the 5th- largest market for consumer spending, following the U.S., Japan, the U.K. and Germany. By 2020, consumer spending in China is expected to top $2.5 trillion and China will become the 3rd- largest consumer market after the U.S. and Japan.

I like advertising, but I’m not a Creative. What else can I do?

Do you know that not everyone in an advertising industry is a Creative who create ads/ commercials? There are actually a lot of different talents who work in the industry. In the next few AdBuzz issues, we will introduce to you the different positions in the industry.

1. Account Management: oversees the advertising business that has been assigned to the agency and is ultimately responsible for the quality of service the client receives. An effective account management team develops a thorough knowledge of the client’s business, acts as a liaison between the client and the agency staff, and ensures the final product is profitable and effective. Candidates should have strong general‐business, communications, leadership and organizational skills.

2. Public Relations: creates and promotes a positive image for the company and its clients. Public relations specialists may arrange and direct speaking engagements, press conferences, meetings and conventions, films or videos, and fundraising campaigns. These workers usually have to prepare a number of materials for these events, such as speeches and press releases, magazine articles, scripts, fact sheets, pamphlets, and newsletters. They may also need to conduct interviews and speak on the telephone frequently. On a large PR staff, a worker’s duties may be directed in only one area. In smaller companies or organizations, a worker may be involved in all aspects of the job. Candidates should have strong verbal and written communications skills.

Creative Pick:
Microsoft:
Windows 7 Desktop
Client: Microsoft
Agency: 72andSunndy
“Created a series of wallpapers with which 7 users could customize their desktops”
assigned to the agency and is ultimately responsible for the quality of service the client receives. An effective account management team develops a thorough knowledge of the client’s business, acts as a liaison between the client and the agency staff, and ensures the final product is profitable and effective. Candidates should have strong general‐business, communications, leadership and organizational skills.

Brown Bag Lecture
Nov 4 (Wed) Noon – 1pm Public Relations: Extreme Makeover- Home Edition Speaker: Professor Katrina Olson

AdBuzz Week of 12/Oct/09

Agency News:

Deutsch & Lowe Worldwide Merged

Interpublic Group of Cos. combined

the U.S. operations of Deutsch and

Lowe Worldwide on Oct 15th, 09.

“Deutsch New York will absorb Lowe’s

New York operations” and Deutsch will

be renamed Deutsch Inc., a Lowe &

Partners Co. Linda Sawyer, Deutsch

CEO, will be incharge of the merged

North American entity. Deutsch’s L.A.

oustpost probably will not be affected

too much. This is the fourth merge in

about fifteen years for Lowe.

Digital:

Female iPhone Users More Likely to Tune Out Mobile Ads

Brand in Hand, a mobile-marketing

shop, discovered that female iPhone

users engage less with mobile web ads

in the trials and 60+ mobile campaigns

it ran in the past 2 years. John Hadl, co-

founder and managing partner of Brand

in Hand said that one reason may be

that “female iPhone users, especially so-

called super-moms, are task-oriented

and tend to use their smartphones to

help them get things done, leaving them

little time for brand interaction. They’re

also likely to be using an app; the “vast

majority” of iPhone traffic occurs within

applications rather than on the mobile

web, according to ad network AdMob.”

Global News:

Twitter Goes to India & Japan

Approx. 457 million subscribers in

India were not able to receive Twitter

update up till the week of Oct 15th, 09.

India’s largest mobile provider Bharti

Airtel has made a deal with Twitter that

“allow subscribers to send Tweets at

usual text rates and receive them for

free”.

Twitter is implementing a new

Japanese-language mobile platform co-

developed by Digital Garage in Japan,

This is the first time this technology has

been developed in a language other

than English and will be compatible with

Japan’s telecom. With more celebrities

using Twitter, Twitter is gaining more

popularity among the public.

Column:

Ad is Alive and Well in Chicago — and at U of Illinois

by Rance Crain

“The University of Illinois

advertising department celebrated its

50th anniversary last month by hosting

a daylong symposium on both the

challenges and opportunities facing ad

students at the school.”

“The Illinois ad department, started

by Charles Sandage in 1959, is the

oldest in the country, and it’s about to

become the only named department of

advertising in the nation. The university’s

chancellor, Richard Herman, is

proposing it be renamed the Charles H.

Sandage Department of Advertising.”

“At two sessions [of the

symposium], one on behavioral

targeting, the other on consumer-

generated content, students had

differing views from the professionals.

Wally Snyder, president emeritus of the

American Advertising Federation took

the position that consumers wanted to

receive information on products they

were interested in based on their prior

buying patterns, provided that their

personal privacy would never be

violated. But Nora Riton, professor at

Michigan State University, said

consumers don’t understand what

marketers are doing because “it’s so

complex.”“On the other hand, one

student told me that the reason

consumer-generated ads are successful

is because ‘the public doesn’t feel like

some professional is trying to get in their

head or manipulate their decisions.’ She

said agencies can create their own

made-to-look-like consumer-generated

ads appealing to younger

demographics that ‘don’t respond well

to ‘the man’ or being told what to do.’”

ADBUZZ: Week of October 5, 2009

Agency News by Yinting Wang

- The Creativity Report. The Most-Awarded Agency 2009: Goodby, Silverstein & Partners. BBDO continues to be the Most-Awarded Ad Network.

- Gap Inc. handed over all ad work from Laird & Partners, New York to Crispin Porter & Bogusky. “Gap is now in the midst of 16-month same-store sales decline”, Kim Terry, a spokesperson for Gap said that they wanted to take their “advertising in a different direction.

Digital by Emilia Luty

- Can Twitter Rake in the Ads to Justify $1 Billion Valuation? Twitter CEO Evan Williams

stated this past week that Twitter’s funding is at $100 million, meaning it will have to make over $1 billion in revenue. The best way to gain revenue for Twitter is to create an ad business, although co-founder Biz Stone says that there is no plan to create any such business yet. Some believe it is inevitable that Twitter will have to start competing with Facebook in the ad market to reach the $1 billion plus expectation.

- How Pizza Hut, Gap and Co. Wound Up in Apple App Ads. Pizza Hut, The Gap Co., and

others are enjoying free advertising from the Apple’s iPhone commercials, which advertise apps that can be downloaded onto the iPhone. Apple picks various apps depending on how they use  iPhone technology like sound, GPS, and vibrations. The commercials bring in thousands of extra downloads for the companies.

Madison + Vine by Yinting Wang

- “SyFy, Hershey strikes integration deals”. The Hershey Co.will be featured as a monthlong sponsor of Syfy’s “31 Days of Halloween” programming stunt in October. “Halloween is a huge season for us, so this was a perfect sponsorship opportunity and a way for our brands to cut through the clutter,” Creighton Talbott, group director-national TV investment at OMD, Hershey’s media buying agency, said.

Creative by Eileen Matthews

- Skittles Pinata

Client: Skittles  Agency: TBWA/Chiat/Day, New York
This commercial is introducing a new type of skittles to consumers. Instead of the fruity variety that is well known, in this commercial we have a chocolate variety.

ADBUZZ: Week of September 21, 2009

by Yinting Wang

Agency News

Spirits giant Diageo handed duties of Tequila brand Don Julio to WPP’s Grey, New York, and pulled the Jose Cuervo account from JWT. “JWT remains on Diageo’s roster, working on the Bailey’s and Smirnoff brands”.

“Monster.com has selected Omnicom Group’s Porter Novelli as its U.S. PR agency dealing with Business-to-Business and Business-to-Consumer fronts. The account is said to be worth $1 million“. (Porter Novelli won the Walmart account in June)

Digital

Facebook data for advertisers show the number identifying themselves as being in high school dropped 17% & college enrollees dropped 22%. Possible explanations: users are hiding their identity from family members, potential employers and other authority figures; “teens may increasingly fulfill their urge to share sensitive personal stories at websites such as Fmylife.com“

Media Works

“ABC’s decision to reduce ad time in the debut episodes of the network’s new fall programs. Fox tried a similar strategy last season when it sold single sponsors into new shows “Fringe” and “Dollhouse.” “ABC execs said the ad-reduction will get viewers hooked on new shows when they have a dizzying array of entertainment choices”.

Creative

IKEA: Crossword (Print Ad, Agency: Marketforce, Perth)

ADBUZZ: Advertising Age April 27, 2009

by Lisa Masuoka

World’s Top Agency Networks: 1. DDB (tie) 1. McCann (tie) 3. Dentsu 4. Y&R 5. BBDO

Top U.S. Agencies: Digital: 1. Digitas 2. Razorfish 3. Sapient 4. OgilvyInteractive 5. IBM Interactive

Top U.S. Agencies: Media: 1. OMD 2. Starcom 3. Mindshare 4. Mediaedge:cia 5. MediaVest

Top U.S. Agencies: Branding: 1.Interbrand 2. Landor 3. Rapp 4. FutureBrand 5.Siegel & Gale

Agency Report 2009 (by Bradley Johnson)

* Big 4 (WPP, Omnicom Group, Interpublic Group of Cos. and Publicis Groupe) accounted for just less than half (49.2%) of U.S. agency revenue, according to Ad Age DataCenter’s Analysis.
* For the first time since 2002, U.S. agency revenue likely will show a decrease in 2009, mirroring declines in the economy and media spending.
* U.S. ad agencies cut 6,100 jobs in 2008 and another 9,000 jobs in just the first two months of 2009.
* In February 2009, only 172,700 ad agency jobs exist.
* This week: General Motors Corp. will announce the closing of their Pontiac brand, Saturn seems to be following in Pontiac’s footsteps with 62% decrease in sales in response to their latest campaign, “We’re still here.”
* GOOD NEWS: U.S. Revenue at DIGITAL specialty agencies jumped 14.8% in 2008, up from 12.3% in 2007.
* “Recession doesn’t dent total value of top 100 BRANDS. Consumers are blaming companies and leaders for the current troubles not the brands. Brands are emotional bonds created with consumers, and overall, brands have sustained value.”
* Top 10 Brands: 1. Google 2. Microsoft 3. Coca-Cola 4. IBM 5. McDonalds 6. Apple 7.ChinaMobile 8.GE 9. Vodafone 10. Marlboro

by Yinting Wang

Holding Companies revenue drop
Publicis Reports First-Quarter Revenue Down 4.4%
North America Performs Less Badly Than Other Troubled Regions for Agency Holding Company
Omnicom First-Quarter Net Income Falls 21%
Recession Has Depressed Spending Across Holding Company’s Marketing Disciplines
WPP First-Quarter Revenue Down 5.8%
U.S. Worst Performer, as Other Regions See Double-Digit Growth
Interpublic Loss Widens as Revenue Drops 11%
Holding Company Hurt by Troubled Auto, Financial-Services Clients
–>Check AdAge Agency News section for more information

How Personality Can Predict Media Usage
Findings “reinforce common notions such as younger people consume more new media, like the internet; older generations prefer print; high earners are most likely to read a newspaper daily; and women read magazines more than men”.

If you: You are more likely to use…..as your medium:

- Drive a hybrid car – Internet

- Eat organic cereal – Newspaper

- Have a large music collection – Magazine

- Watch movies – TV

- Click from show to show – Radio

Wieden & Kennedy defeated BBDO for Delta’s Creative Duties
“Delta became the world’s largest airline last October after … its $3 billion acquisition of Northwest Airlines”. “Delta Air Lines spent $61 million on U.S. measured media between January and November last year, while spending for Northwest Airlines was only $10 million during the same time frame…”

ADBUZZ from Advertising Age’s April 20, 2009 Issue

ADBUZZ by Lisa Masuoka and Yinting Wang

This week Ad Age looked closely at AD NETWORKS. There are differing opinions about advertising networks yet their impact has been huge. Take a look at these numbers.
$24.5B Total online advertising revenue projected for 2009 by eMarketer.
65% Amount of online ad spending that will pass through ad networks in 2009, per Jupiter/Forrester projection.
35% Number of brand marketers interested in using in-page display ads on networks, according to 202 marketing execs polled by Jupiter in June 2008.
57% Share of the $23.4 billion in 2008 online ad revenue that was sold on a performance basis, according to the Interactive Advertising Bureau and PricewaterhouseCoopers.
72% The share of fourth-quarter 2008 online ad revenue concentrated among the 10 largest online-ad sellers, according to the IAB and PwC.
13% Percentage of online advertisers who believe the quality of network inventory has improved, per Forrester Research.

* Google is facing its toughest test. Consumers are still in love with the brand yet, its culture is highly data-driven and it is hurting Google. “Search ad-spending, is taking a hit, and the first quarter of 2009 was the first time Google’s revenue fell from the prior quarter.”

* Following Twitter: “Land Rover last week became the first national brand to execute a national Twitter campaign in a bid to promote its newest models’ debuts at the New York Auto Show.”

* Green-marketing revolution defies economic downturn. “Datamonitor shows 458 launches so far in 2009 of package-goods products that claim to be sustainable, environmentally friendly.” If it holds this pace for the rest of the year it will triple the number of green launches last year. “SPINS tracking service showed sales at natural-food stores up 10.9% to $4.2 billion last year.” There is a “Green Light for Green Products” this year.

*How to Get the Most Out of Social Networks and Not Annoy Users
Nearly a third of social networkers say they are fed up with the constant requests to join groups and try new applications, according to research by the Internet Advertising Bureau in the U.K. To be popular, brands need to have a personality and be someone that people want to be friends with. The guiding principle is to offer things that are not available elsewhere, things that give social kudos or bragging rights. Brands are part of the fabric of people’s lives and ultimately most are happy to be identified as friends of a brand.

http://adage.com/digital/article?article_id=136233

*Teens, Too, Are Tightening Budgets
Teens generally have about $5,000 a year burning a hole in their pockets, but they are spending about 14% less this spring than in spring ’08. Teens are now asking themselves, “Do I need that?” and “Can I wait to have that?” Those are questions that historically have been of little concern to an age group that spent money as fast as they made it. Teens have also been trimming expenditures on eating out, spending some 20% less compared with fall 2007. One of the most interesting findings of the survey is the increasing importance of value to the group. Chipotle and McDonald’s are gaining market share, though Starbucks remains the teen favorite.

http://adage.com/article?article_id=136253

*Creative
Adidas: ‘Jersey Swap’
Agency: TBWA/Whybin
Website: http://www.adidas.com/campaigns/campaigns_nz/content/index.asp

AdBuzz from Advertising Age: April 18, 2009

* Nationwide Revives Classic Tagline in Bid to Show its Comforting Side. Nationwide is trading in its humorous “Life comes at you fast” for the tried-and-true tagline $176 mil documentary-style campaign “I’m on your side.” Campaign features its insurance agents discussing how they help clients. Mr. Schriebman said the company is doing whatever it can to facilitate the new campaign “going viral”. The agents themselves may also serve as vehicles for the campaign. Some of the 20 featured in the upcoming spots have presences on Facebook and Twitter. They’ll be allowed to post videos and act as brand ambassadors to the extent they want to.

* Bloggers be warned: FTC may monitor what you say. If FTC passed through the plan, they can regulate viral marketing and blogs. FTC proposed that word-of-mouth marketers and bloggers, and people on social media sites can be held liable for any false statements they make about a product they are promoting.

* Ad Recession Takes Bite Out of Google Revenue. “The recession has hit Google, handing the company its first quarter-over-quarter decline in ad revenue, as marketers cut their search-advertising budgets after the holiday season. “Google is absolutely feeling the impact,” CEO Eric Schmidt said today. “Users are still searching, but they’re buying less. That means ads are converting less. There’s more window and comparison shopping, and they’re purchasing lower-priced goods. In other words, consumers are doing the right thing” (Klaassen).

* Twitter on Fire: Traffic More Than Doubles in March. And Its Users Seem to Be News Junkies “Twitter’s growth chart continues to look incredible. The messaging/microblogging service attracted 9.3 million U.S. unique visitors to its site in March, up 131% from February, according to ComScore. That’s more than 5 million more visitors than the site had in February” (Frommer).

* DDB Caught in Clash of Major Clients Emerson and Anheuser-Busch Slug It Out in St. Louis Street Fight. “DDB, Chicago, finds itself in exactly that awkward position today following a report in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that Emerson, an engineering conglomerate, has instructed its divisions to boycott Anheuser-Busch products in response to A-B’s new insistence on making vendors — including Emerson — wait 120 days for payments. Emerson also included among its reasons what it described as A-B’s cutbacks in funding to local nonprofits, including the United Way and the Girl Scouts” (Mullman).
* The Death of Consumer Segmentation? Rethinking a Traditional Marketing Tool. “One of the most important paradigms governing today’s marketing world is the constant drive to better segment a brand’s customer and prospect base. Conventional wisdom says that the better we segment consumers, the better we can market to them. Consumer segmentation is viewed as a “best-in-class” practice across the marketing world”(Fassnacht).