• Adidas Sues Tennis Biggies Over Logo Restrictions
    When German sporting goods marketer Adidas sponsors an athlete at a professional tennis event, the company wants to make sure everyone knows about its involvement. That's why the jocks wear clothes with the Adidas logo plastered all over it. As the camera follows the player around and across the court, that logo is seen by millions, and it's all free--at least in terms of airtime. But now the powers that be who govern Grand Slam tennis events say Adidas is abusing their rights and that their logo can be no bigger than four square inches. Not surprisingly, Adidas disagreed, and …
  • Bud Yields On World Cup Exclusivity
    It looks like Budweiser won't be the exclusive beer supplier at the World Cup soccer tournament after all. Although Anheuser-Busch had cut a deal to be the only beer vendor at the games and related events in host country Germany, locals complained loudly about the deal because the brew is just too weak for their hearty tastes. So Bud relented and will now allow one of Germany's most popular beers, Bitburger, to be sold in unmarked glasses--in return for a deal to use the Bud name in Germany for the first time. Bitburger is known as Bit, a name ruled …
  • XM Radio's Marketing Under FTC Spotlight
    XM Satellite Radio's reliance on free trial periods, rebates, and telemarketing have fallen under the scrutiny of the federal government, which is investigating whether the company complied with laws such as a federal antispam law that regulates e-mail marketing. The probe is being conducted by the Federal Trade Commission and will reportedly focus on XM's rebate program, a tool it has used aggressively to build its subscriber base in recent years. XM typically offers rebates of around $30 on many of its radios, whose full prices range from $80 to $400. But the deals don't always go smoothly and have …
  • IPG Considers FCB-Draft Merger
    The X In a move that has untold but potentially wide-ranging implications for its clients--many of whom are some of the largest marketers in the nation--the Interpublic Group of Companies is considering combining two of its largest ad agency units. The plan calls for merging Draft, which specializes in direct marketing, and Foote Cone & Belding, a traditional, full-service ad agency with a large interactive division, FCBi. Executives at both agencies acknowledged in internal memories that talks were underway to explore synergies and said the ultimate goal was to develop a plan that would provide clients with a broader range …
  • Chanel Drops Moss; The Saga Continues
    It's almost as if Kate Moss were the Brad and Angelina of the marketing world. You just can't help paying attention to her exploits. Now there's another chapter in the ongoing saga of the bad-girl celebrity endorser. Despite picking up new endorsement deals from Nikon and Calvin Klein following a cocaine-abuse scandal, the supermodel is now apparently back on the downswing. Chanel's Coco Mademoiselle fragrance announced Wednesday it was dropping the waif-like Moss in favor of Keira Knightley, star of last year's "Pride and Prejudice." The 21-year-old Knightley will appear in print and TV ads for the brand beginning next …
  • Miller To Jump on A-B's Recipe Change In New Ads
    Now that giant beer marketer Anheuser-Busch has acknowledged that it has changed the recipe of its Budweiser and Bud Light brands, archrival SAB Miller is anxious to position the admission as a sign of weakness. Miller and its new ad agency, Crispin Porter + Bogusky, are busy preparing new ads that could appear as early as this weekend trumpeting its competitor's admission. The strategy falls neatly into place since Miller ran ads in November 2005 saying it detected a "changed" Bud Light, citing increases in bitterness and carbonation. That attack followed a 2004 campaign by Miller claiming its beers had …
  • McDonald's Restructures Marketing Team
    McDonald's Corp. is instituting sweeping changes throughout the ranks of its marketing executives to better reflect how consumers are using new and emerging media platforms. The restructuring is being led by Mary Dillon, the fast-food marketer's global chief marketing officer, following a worldwide fact-finding mission. Dillon's travels took her to Brazil, Europe and Asia where she interviewed staff and customers to evaluate media-mix usage and return on investment. She is now reshaping the team to put more focus on areas including brand development, global alliances, technology, families and consumer insights. The plan includes the appointment of Peter Beresford, McDonald's U.K. …
  • Bayer Cuts Ties To Speed-Eaters
    A top international pharmaceutical marketer is taking steps to distance itself from a potentially embarrassing alliance that had been arranged by its U.S. unit in which the company acted as a sponsor for speed-eating contests. The company, Bayer AG, announced it has severed all ties with the International Federation of Competitive Eating Inc., which organizes eating contests around the world. The organization views speed-eating as a sport, but Bayer had been criticized for allowing its Alka-Seltzer heartburn remedy to serve as one of it sponsors. "It is obvious to all that excessive eating is a danger to health," said Hubert …
  • McDonald's Fashions New Image with Style Mavens
    McDonald's as fashion icon? Who would have thought such a thing possible? The marketing brains at the fast-food marketer, that's who.  Believe it or not, one of the hottest fashion items this spring has nothing to do with Prada or Dior or Donna Karan.  Instead, it's a line of vintage T-shorts emblazoned with a McDonald's logo.  But unlike some hard-to-fathom fads that somehow capture the imagination of tastemakers by coincidence or accident, this one has savvy marketing strategy written all over it. It started last year with a word-of-mouth marketing campaign that was developed to boost the burger chain's image …
  • Microsoft To Buy Gaming Ad Company?
    In a move that vividly illustrates the growing popularity and marketing potential of video games as advertising vehicles, Microsoft is reportedly about to acquire a company that facilitates such deals. The company, Massive Incorporated, makes technology that inserts ads into games. It also serves as a kind of advertising agency for leading clients, placing ads, virtual billboards, logos and other promotions in video games for companies like Coca-Cola, 20th Century Fox and Panasonic. The deal is indicative of overall momentum behind the idea of advertising in video games. On one side, game publishers have begun experimenting with inserted advertising as …
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