The advertising industry's biggest accolades are being handed out this week at the annual awards festival in Cannes, France, on the Riviera, and much of the talk among the executives attending the festivities centers on one of the industry's hottest buzzwords: engagement. The term is loosely defined as getting consumers to spend more time with brand messages than simply viewing a TV spot or reading a print ad. And the best way to achieve that elusive goal is through the Internet, which allows for considerably more consumer interactivity than traditional media. Online advertising has become so big, in fact, that …

Comic books have become the latest repository for product placement by marketers who have grown desperate to capture the attention of distracted consumers. One of the most recent examples is a six-issue series of comic books called "Rush City" that DC Comics developed for General Motors' Pontiac division. The series features an action hero who zips around town saving lives and doing good deeds in a specially equipped Pontiac Solstice GXP. "We think it's a great story and a great way for Pontiac to reach guys in their 20s and 30s," said "Rush City" editor Ron Perazza of DC Comics, …

The chances of a chief marketing officer attaining long-term job security are about as good as those of the U.S. soccer team winning the World Cup--it's possible, but highly unlikely. At least that seems to be the message from a new study by a leading executive recruiter which showed that the alarmingly brief average tenure of a CMO has shrunk to only 23.2 months. What's even worse is that the figure is shrinking: it's down from 23.5 months last year and 23.6 months in 2004. It's hard to say exactly why the position is so tenuous, but there is no …

Placing ads in video games is commonplace, but a growing number of marketers are creating their own, product-oriented, interactive video games and placing them on their Web sites as a way to engage consumers with their brands for as much as seven to ten minutes at a time. "It's a huge audience," says Dave Williams, general manager of Shockwave.com, which has developed 50 video game advertisements. "Businesses are asking, 'How can I get people interacting with my brand?' and there's probably no better way to do that than with a game." Examples include games where players try to keep a …

Fast-food marketers are serving up a wider selection of beverages than ever before in a burst of competition designed to satisfy consumers' insatiable desire for variety. Traditionally, such outlets offer only a handful of the same fountain drinks. But that's changing rapidly as McDonald's, for one, began testing coolers full of Coke products like Vault, Full Throttle, and Powerade in Texas. "Consumers are becoming more and more discerning about not only what they want to drink, but how they want it," said Pepsi rep Nicole Bradley. Subway added Coke coolers at 95 percent of its U.S. units late last year. …

American Honda Motor and House of Blues Entertainment are joining forces in a new promotion designed to publicize Honda's new Fit model wile raising money for charity at the same time. The initiative involves a an auction, a sweepstakes and in-club events at House of Blues music clubs that allows consumers to bid on a custom-painted Fit that has been dubbed "The Art Car." It was painted by folk artist Jack Poppitz, who has created paintings and murals for HOB locations around the country. Proceeds from the auction will benefit International House of Blues Foundation (IHOBF), a non-profit charitable organization …

Procter & Gamble Co. is breaking with its conservative image to launch a new mobile marketing campaign targeting young people who go clubbing at night. The promotional effort, believed to be the first ever for the Cincinnati-based mega-marketer, is for Crest Whitening Plus Scope Extreme Toothpaste. It offers club-goers an "Irresistibility IQ" quiz, and is the first of an expected handful of mobile campaigns to break through the end of the year. "P&G has identified mobile as a major new channel to incorporate into the marketing mix," said Carsten Boers, president of Flytxt, the wireless-marketing-services company working on the Crest …

Coca-Cola Co. and the National Basketball Association, marketing partners since 1986, have renewed and expanded their relationship in a deal that will result in several new initiatives designed to publicize basketball and Coke to the youth market worldwide. In a joint announcement, the two organizations said they will create marketing programs with specific themes that will be delivered via digital programming. Some of the projects will revolve around the partners' recent projects, including Destination Dunk, an interactive site on NBA.com; The Finals Real Time, which funnels photos and text updates to ball fans' wireless phones; and iCoke China, which promises …

Citigroup, the world's largest financial institution, is rethinking its branding efforts with an eye toward a whole new marketing plan. Anything short of a name change is open territory for the company, and that includes the possible elimination of the famous red umbrella, long a symbol of security emanating from the Travelers Group, which merged with Citicorp in 1998 to become the current banking behemoth. The branding review is the latest example of how Charles O. Prince III, Citigroup's chairman and chief executive, is trying to put his own stamp on the company. But whether to keep the red umbrella …

Volkswagen has a new marketing director, and he comes from a sister company with products that are decidedly more upscale than a Beetle. He is David Goggins, a former marketing executive for Bentley Motors, who will be Volkswagen's director, product and marketing strategy effective July 1. In his new role, Goggins "will ensure that Volkswagen's positioning, pricing, product attributes and launch activities meet the needs of the market and the company," the company said. Goggins joined Volkswagen-owned Bentley in 1999 as director, global marketing and product strategy, and was part of the team putting together the launch of the Continental …