• As Ad Spend Grows 'Tepid,' Agencies Grow Neutral, Less Dependent On Traditional Media by Joe Mandese

    Describing traditional media as being "under siege," a top Wall Street firm issued a report Wednesday suggesting that major ad agencies have finally reached the point of "neutrality" - meaning they are no longer depending on traditional media like television for their profits and cash flow. The big change, wrote Merrill Lynch analyst Lauren Rich Fine, has been the shift from media commissions to fee-based compensation by major marketers, as well as the rapid acceleration of new media and marketing services. ...Read the whole story

  • HBO Attracts Marketing 'Entourage,' Allows 300 Brands Past Its Red Velvet Rope by David Kaplan

    You might not think high-end brands like Mercedes and Absolut would need help getting into the hottest spots, but along with 300 other marketers they're being allowed through the red velvet ropes of pay TV network HBO. The branded entertainment initiative, developed by the LIME public relations and promotions unit of kirshenbaum bond + partners, is built around scripted series "Entourage." ...Read the whole story

  • Agency Offers In-Store Insight: End-Aisles, Print Surpass TV by David Kaplan

    Grocery aisles need to think "youth" when it comes to attracting buyers to their shelves, as it's the young kids who influence purchasing decisions--and as they pass through high school and college, become harder to reach, a new study from Mediaedge:cia posits. ...Read the whole story

  • Turner Network-Wide Tie-In: Here's The Scoop, Plenty Of Them by Wayne Friedman

    Turner Broadcasting System has paired its "Very Funny" network-wide marketing campaign with ice cream retailer Baskin-Robbins, setting the stage for its next big effort--bringing TNT's "We Know Drama" campaign together with a major marketer. ...Read the whole story

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