A new ad campaign from Volkswagen's new ad agency returns the carmaker to its German roots with the introduction of German-style catchphrases and a leggy blond named Helga. The effort is the first from ad agency Crispin Porter & Bogusky, a Miami-based creative hotshop that won the $350 million account in September. The campaign supports Volkswagen's GTI Mk V hatchback and made its debut on telecasts of the Winter Olympics last week. "We're going to celebrate our Germanness," said Kerri Martin, the director of brand innovation for Volkswagen of America in Auburn Hills, Mich. The effort is quirky, and additional …

Dean Harris, the former CMO for Internet phone service provider Vonnage, is taking over the same post for comparison-shopping travel Web site Kayak.com. In his new role, Harris will attempt to raise the site's profile armed with a multimillion-dollar marketing budget. In naming Harris to the post, Kayak.com CEO and co-founder Steve Hafner noted that under Harris's tenure, Vonnage was named "Marketer of the Year" by Brandweek magazine. While at Vonnage, Harris' efforts grew the company from 3,000 customers to more than one million in less than 34 months, achieving 300-plus percent growth from 2004-2005 with marketing and branding initiatives.

Noted marketing guru Sergio Zyman thinks that when it comes to launching new products, too many marketers are confusing innovation with mere renovation. For example, he cites products such as the iPod, GPS navigational systems for cars, and teeth whiteners as truly innovative products. But most new product launches don't even approach that level of invention. "For every innovation success I can count 10 disasters," Zyman writes in this article. "The reason I call them disasters is because they didn't innovate anything! They either extended an existing line (and stole base-brand share in the process), or were third or fourth …

Cereal marketer Kellogg's has agreed to alter an advertising campaign for Apple Jacks cereal after being reprimanded by the ad industry's self-regulatory unit. The ads in question featured a cartoon character called "CinnaMon" and his antagonist "Bad Apple." The Children's Advertising Review Unit issued a ruling that said Kellogg's should stop calling apples "bad" and Kellogg agreed to do so. CARU's actions came after the Center for Science in the Public Interest and Produce for Better Health Foundation charged that the ads presented real fruit poorly. However, neither group ever issued a formal complaint, and CARU said it reviewed several …

Major food marketers are working overtime to create new products that appeal to diet-conscious consumers who want to eat less but still feel satisfied. The lineup of companies jumping into the fray includes Nestle, Unilever, and Kraft Foods, all of whom are experimenting with special starches, new types of fiber and other processes to develop foods that will appeal to dieters. The reason is that while sales in the overall food industry are relatively flat, the diet food category is growing quickly. In the case of Unilever, the company's goal is to trick the body through science. The marketer's technology …

Auto marketers are finally discovering the power of the Internet. Even though the auto industry is the single largest advertiser in the nation, spending more than $11 billion in 2005, online advertising among the top 10 manufacturers accounted for just 2.5 percent of their total ad budget. That's despite statistics that show almost 70 percent of consumers use the Internet at some point in researching an automotive purchase. The situation is changing, according to eMarketer, whose new survey projects that automotive advertisers will spend close to $2.7 billion on Internet advertising in 2007. "The industry's foot is definitely coming off …

There's big money in little toys. A new study says the infant toy market is on the verge of explosive growth and that by 2010 toy sales will surpass the $5.1 billion mark. The report, from market research publisher Packaged Facts, says that toy sales in the infant, toddler, and preschool category jumped by 7.7 percent in 2004 to reach $4.4 billion, followed by further growth in 2005 when sales surpassed the $4.5 billion mark. Those results followed a sluggish 2003 when sales dropped 4 percent. The study comes at a time when licensed products like "SpongeBob SquarePants" and "Blue's …

General Motors Corp. is naming a new CMO for North America to shake things up for the struggling automaker. Mike Jackson, 49, general manager of GM's western region in Los Angeles, will succeed Brent Dewar as vice president-marketing in North America, effective March 1. GM Chairman-CEO Rick Wagoner said Jackson's team helped GM gain market share in California. "He's built strong relationships with dealers and employees in creating marketing initiatives, all of which should prove especially useful as we focus on additional key markets where we need to improve GM's performance." In other moves announced by GM today, Susan Docherty, …

The Daytona 500 stock car race kicks off this weekend, and marketers ranging from Gillette and Coca-Cola to Sprint Nextel and UPS are lining up to introduce new ad campaigns during the televised event. The race represents the official start of the new NASCAR season, and the collection of national advertisers that participate is indicative of how big--and mainstream--stock car racing has become. "It would be a big miss for us if we weren't there," says Bea Perez, vice president of media, sports and entertainment for Coca-Cola North America. Nielsen Media Research says the sport's TV audience has grown nearly …

Subaru of America is shifting gears in its marketing strategy. Not only will the company's message now focus on performance and safety rather than weather-related, four-wheel-drive stamina, but the media mix the ads will appear in is also changing. A new campaign highlights safety awards the automaker has won from third parties in much the same way that rival Volvo has done for years. The ads will be backed by the song "Every Day Is a Winding Road," by Sheryl Crow, who cut a deal with the carmaker to use the song in all TV and radio spots. The new …