Athletic apparel marketer Reebok has a new marketing boss. He is Uli Becker, currently head of global brand marketing at Reebok parent company Adidas, where he also serves as managing director of Adidas corporate in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. On Wednesday, Becker was named Reebok's new director of global marketing for its core namesake brand. The position is new for Reebok and requires Becker to oversee global product, sports and brand marketing, as well as public relations. He will report to Paul Harrington, Reebok brand president and CEO. Becker succeeds Dennis Baldwin, who is leaving Reebok. Since October 2005, Becker and …

When it cones to return on advertising investment, the major automotive marketers are among the least efficient in the nation. New research shows that the automotive industry spent $192 to reach a single shopper in 2005--a dollar more than the prior year--yet didn't generate any more potential purchasers than it had in 2004. The study was conducted by industry consultant Compete. The study revealed that the top 37 auto brands each spent an average of $353 million last year in measured media, including online, or roughly $1 million daily per brand. Compete measures unique, in-market shoppers across 30 independent online …

Food marketers doing business in Europe are facing a raft of new laws regarding health claims in product labeling. The changes are the result of new laws passed this week by the European Parliament that are designed to protect consumers from allegedly false claims made by marketers. The new laws are expected to be phased in over the next three years and include requirements that all foods that make a new health claim must be checked before they go on sale. Labels such as "low fat" will have to meet a standardized definition agreed by the EU, and foods that …

There is some sobering news for marketers who target the youthful 12- to 34-year-old age groups for their products and services. New research shows that members of that demographic group don't really like watching TV all that much and, in fact, only 25 percent of them can even identify all four major broadcast networks. The survey was an online poll conducted by Bolt Media, a 10-year-old Web site that six weeks ago relaunched itself as a place for users to upload videos and photos. About 400 members responded to the questions, including one that asked how respondents spent their free …

If you’re new to search marketing and you find the concept a bit daunting and confusing, there's a new book that can help.  It’s called Google Advertising Tools, and while the title clearly indicates its message is related to a single search engine, the advice it offers is universal.  In fact, the first section, "Making Money with your Web Site," has little to do with Google or even search marketing, but rather takes a mostly higher-level view of the necessary ingredients required for online success, explaining the basics of creating a profitable Web site and the various options for …

In marketing circles, the old cliché that everything old is new again is not without merit. Take green marketing. Once a hot buzzword (back in the early 1990s) it faded into obscurity as marketers began to concern themselves with other topics, like digital communications. But now the trend is making something of a comeback as a wide range of advertisers are including environmental messages in their advertising. The list includes Sun Microsystems, Owens-Corning, German appliance marketer Bosch, Mohawk Paper, and General Electric, and General Motors. "When there's a proliferation like this, you have to try to understand what the motivation …

The group that was primarily responsible for changing the rules governing tobacco advertising and an enormous, multibillion-dollar lawsuit settlement against tobacco marketers is now turning its attention to alcohol advertising. This week 20 states attorneys general asked the Federal Trade Commission to limit alcohol ads to media in which only 15 percent of the audience is aged 12 to 20. The current code limits ads to media in which no more than 30 percent of the audience is under 21, but the group says that doesn't do the job. "Right now it's just an industry standard," said Maine Attorney General …

Nestle's PowerBar Pria is promoting its redesigned Web site with a new sweepstakes offering $10,000 worth of jewelry, a $1,000 gift certificate for a personal trainer, and one-year gym memberships. The goal is to raise awareness for the Web site, which has been repositioned as a lifestyle resource for women's health and nutrition issues. The online sweepstakes, dubbed "Sparkle and Shine," offers secondary prizes including a $1, 000 gift certificate for a personal trainer and one-year gym memberships. There will also be an e-newsletter called "Weekly Spark" that will cover women-specific diet, wellness and nutrition tips. The promotion will be …

Beer marketer Guinness is offering consumers a chance to have their very own, $20,000 bar in their home. All they have to do is provide the Irish company with a design for their own "Ultimate Guinness Home Bar" via a new interactive feature at the Guinness Web site. Entrants also need to include an explanation of why he or she should be the grand-prize winner. Submissions will be taken through July 31, and the winner will be picked by pro basketball Hall of Famer Bill Walton. The bar the winner will receive is not the one he or she designs. …

It's no wonder that American kids are suffering from an obesity problem, when you consider that some of the educational materials they are given are actually product placements for junk food. That's what Catherine Price, a former teacher turned writer, says in this provocative article. She points out that the following sentences appear on the first page of "The Oreo Cookie Counting Book," published by an imprint of Simon & Schuster: ""Ten little Oreos, all in a line. Dunk one in a glass of milk, and now there are nine." On the back cover it goes on to say, "Children …