The head of the Association of National Advertisers is urging all marketers to take a media-neutral approach to their advertising plans and says the development of new media should also make them think twice about whether traditional advertising is the right strategy for their brands. ANA President-CEO Bob Liodice makes his comments in an entry on his ANA blog about integrated marketing, which he says will allow marketers to target consumers as never before but poses particularly difficult challenges. New media and the need for integrated marketing solutions require a new, reinvented marketing model, he says, which must embrace two …

Retail chain Target has apparently been successful in getting its logo splashed all over the site of the Winter Olympics without paying the hefty price tag associated with being an official Olympic sponsor. In a classic case of ambush marketing, the chain's bull's-eye logo can be seen on the exterior of trains carrying spectators through the mountains to view sports like skiing and bobsledding. Target teamed up with Trenitalia, the Italian train system, in a deal that allowed the company to somehow avoid laws that make it a crime to affiliate a non-sponsor with the Olympics. Ever since 1984, the …

The Association of National Advertisers is gearing up for a fight against several states where legislation requiring e-mail registry programs and so-called "do-not-e-mail" lists for kids has been proposed. Writing in his ANA blog, the association's Washington representative Dan Jaffe characterized the registry programs as unconstitutional on both First Amendment and commerce clause grounds. States including Connecticut, Iowa, Georgia, and Hawaii are currently considering such proposals, and Michigan and Utah have already implemented registry programs. The legislation would create e-mail registries where parents can register "contact points" to which children have access. Jaffe said that, if enacted, "marketers of age-restricted …

Nike, long dedicated to trawling territory occupied by the likes of Michael Jordan and other high-flying male basketball stars, is trying to find its feminine side. The company is launching a new line of shoes and sexy sportswear targeted primarily to female fans of aerobic activities such as fitness dance, a high energy workout steeped in hip-hop and upbeat dance music. The new product line includes tank tops, low-rise baggy pants and flirty short skirts that Nike says look good in the gym and at the nightclub. Pants and tops can be tucked up or left long, and many of …

In what appears to be a new trend, marketers are beginning to run their TV commercials in clusters in an attempt to make more of an impression no viewers. Even the TV networks think the technique is a bit odd, but say it's indicative of marketers' desire to be more targeted in their TV advertising. An example of the practice came in December when American Express ran three spots back-to-back in the middle of commercial breaks during episodes of "60 Minutes" on CBS, "Lost" on ABC and "Law & Order" on NBC. The ads featured celebrities such as Robert DeNiro …

Corona, the Mexican beer known for being served with a little green slice of lime, is getting greener. In honor of upcoming St. Patrick's Day celebration, the brewer is introducing a new ad campaign that plays its trademark by including a shamrock-shaped lime being inserted into the top of a bottle of Corona. The image is shown in national TV spots being introduced in March that will run in 40 markets and in retail outlets. Radio spots will also support the brand. The TV spot was created by independent agency Cramer-Krasselt in Chicago. The radio effort is from The Richards …

The era of product placement as a replacement for traditional advertising has come of age. Last year, the number of times a product made an appearance in television programming jumped 30 percent to 108, 261, according to Nielsen Media Research, which has been tracking the tactic for the last three years. NBC ranked highest with 7,470 instances of a product being shown on its reality show "The Contender" alone and an additional 3,009 placement shots on "The Apprentice." "We're living in a crazy new world," said Gary Newman, president of 20th Century Fox Television, which produces "24." "The old formulas …

Forget about traditional advertising, product placement, or branded entertainment. In the U.K., car maker Audi is rewriting all the rules with its very own television channel. The 24-hour channel features programming such as quiz shows, celebrity interviews, and travelogues, all with a common thread that reliably leads back to the automakers brands. For example, one show features a Champagne tour of the French countryside, where the open road leads to a black-tie dinner at the Mumm cellars, near Reims. Guess what kind of cars the glamorously dressed guests arrive in and park outside the dining room? The show was created …

Anheuser-Busch is using the Winter Olympic as a vehicle to introduce new advertising for its Budweiser Select brand targeted to an adult audience. The brewer, which just saturated the Super Bowl with ads for Bud Light and flagship Budweiser, bought 103 spots on the Olympics' telecast, which runs from Feb. 10 through 26. The ads will include new creative for Budweiser Select showing images like elegant home dining, casual sports, artwork, time with friends and preparing for a night out. "We are looking for new ways to connect with our contemporary adult beer drinkers, and these ads take consumers to …

We've heard of singing for your supper, but how about dressing for your dessert? In an offbeat but timely Valentine's Day promotion, ice cream marketer Baskin-Robbins is offering a free scoop of its Love Potion No. 31 ice cream to any customer who dresses like Cupid. The deal calls for a free, 2.5 ounce scoop to be handed out to anyone who comes into a B-R store wearing a bow, arrow, hearts, the color pink, wings, and a wig with proper clothing. The ice cream is a seasonal flavor of white chocolate and raspberry ice cream swirled with raspberry ribbon …