• J&J Signs On For Multi-platform CNN Sponsorship Deal
    Johnson & Johnson has agreed to be the exclusive sponsor of a new programming initiative on CNN that will run as a regular interstitial feature as well as an hour-long quarterly special in prime time. The feature is called "Welcome to the Future," and it will be a showcase examining how technology is changing all aspects of American life. The initiative is part of CNN's ongoing effort to create additional programming environments for its advertisers. The package also includes online and wireless elements. It premieres this week, hosted by "American Morning" anchor Miles O'Brien. It will run across all dayparts …
  • Tyson Scores Big With Mobile Marketing Promo
    Text messaging is one of the latest methods marketers are using to reach out to consumers, and in the case of Tyson Foods the strategy appears to be working. Earlier this month Tyson sponsored an international gymnastics competition where it ran an on-site promo inviting spectators to text a message to World Champion gymnast Chellsie Memmel for a chance to win seats on the floor during the competition. Halfway through the event, one winner got a call from Memmel to meet her on the floor and watch the rest of the program together. The other participants got a follow-up message …
  • Marketing Skills, Not Ethnicity, Key To Hispanic Campaigns
    Marketers agree that the U.S. Hispanic market is a potentially lucrative one that cannot and should not be ignored. They know the Hispanic market is bigger, younger and increasing its buying power faster than any other minority group in the country. The problem, though, is they don't know how to target the group successfully, and their efforts to date have been paltry compared to what they do for other market segments. For example, a consulting firm reports that more than 100 of the top 250 television and print advertisers spend less than 1 percent of their budget targeting the Hispanic …
  • Boxed Wine Gains Respectability
    Wine that comes in boxes, not bottles, is beginning to take off, and a brand called Black Box is at the red-hot center of the new trend. Black Box is marketed by Constellation Brands and doubled its sales last year without any measured media support. This year the marketer plans to back the brand with sampling stations at wine events and may also include some radio spots. "We're starting to put more money behind it," said Black Box associate brand manager Mandy Roth. That can only mean increased sales, since the brand (and the category) is already pretty hot. Black …
  • Celebs Do Voiceovers For Big Bucks
    Marketers are spending big bucks to use famous movie stars in their ads, but more often than not consumers don't even know it. That's because only the stars' voices are being heard--their faces are never seen. In this new trend, stars like George Clooney, Julia Roberts, Kevin Spacey, Kelsey Grammer and Kiefer Sutherland act as voiceovers in commercials for products ranging from pizzas and cars to computers and beer. But the question is whether marketers are getting their money's worth, since consumers don't always recognize the voices. "Honestly, sometimes I'm mystified," says Maureen Kelly, a casting director who has worked …
  • Mobile Marketing Takes Off
    Marketers are discovering the benefits of mobile marketing--in which commercials are sent via text message to a consumer's cell phone--and experts say spending is expected to surge in the next few years. U.S. spending on marketing and advertising over wireless networks may surge to $602.3 million in 2009, from $104.4 million last year, according to one consultant. And that's one of the more conservative estimates. RBC Capital figures the market will reach $1.5 billion by 2010. "While [mobile marketing] used to be part of companies' online budget, now it's become a separate budget line," said Nihal Mehta, CEO of mobile …
  • Hasbro Promotes Games for Easter
    Easter is coming up, and that means baskets for kids filled with... board games? If toy marketer Hasbro has its way, kids will find classic games like Candyland and Life tucked in next to the jelly beans and chocolate eggs. Sales figures show that game sales at Easter are the second-highest after Christmas, and Hasbro wants to take advantage of the trend. To do so, the marketer plans a campaign that includes free-standing inserts offering discounts on board games and a TV campaign breaking April 2 that suggests parents "Think outside the basket" when it comes to Easter gifts. "We're …
  • Judge Rules In Favor of California Billboard Owner
    As the result of a legal skirmish over the contents of a California outdoor board, a federal court has ruled that the state's Outdoor Advertising Act is unconstitutional. The reason is that the law favors commercial speech over non-commercial speech, according to the ruling. However, a precise definition of what constitutes non-commercial speech remains hazy. The legal tussle was sparked when state authorities told the owner of a billboard on Highway 101 that he could only lease the sign to commercial businesses operating in his building. The man's attorney said the state challenged his client in court even when the …
  • Dodge Targets Boomers' Kids for New Caliber
    Dodge doesn't want baby boomers to buy its new Caliber car. It wants baby boomers' kids to buy it. That's why the automaker is launching an ad campaign targeting the 25- to 35-year-old market, employing mostly emerging media outlets to find the hard-to-reach group. The campaign includes advertising on youth-oriented Web sites like myspace.com, theonion.com and officepirates.com, while a print campaign will run in publications like Maxim, Spin and Mad magazines, all geared toward young males. "The children of the baby-boomer market is a bigger [group] than the baby-boomer market," said George Murphy, senior vice president-global marketing for Chrysler …
  • Reebok Recalls Bracelets After Child's Death
    Reebok is conducting a global recall on promotional bracelets that were distributed from May 2004 through March 2006 following the lead poisoning death of a child who swallowed a portion of the bracelet. The U.S. is recalling 300,000 metal bracelets containing a heart-shaped charm with "Reebok" engraved on it. The bracelets were included with the purchase of a variety of children's shoes. 172,000 bracelets were sent to the European Union and 2,000 were sent to China, but the company is still assessing just how many bracelets were sent elsewhere.
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