Mike Linton, the former CMO at eBay and Best Buy, argues that companies should look at the CMO function the way that successful sports teams look at their leadership positions. "Changing managers every two years is rarely the path to a sports championship," he writes, "and it's not the way to great marketing either." It's no secret that CMOs have the shortest life span among C-level execs (although the average length of tenure has gone up four months, to 28, since Spencer Stuart started keeping the stat in 2004). The reason, according to Linton, is the "Marketer's Dilemma." You've …

American Apparel will pay Woody Allen $5 million for using an image of the writer/director/actor dressed as a Hasidic Jew. Allen had sued for $10 in damages for unauthorized use of the image in an ad campaign. The settlement was announced in U.S. District Court in Manhattan, where Allen filed suit last year. It generated publicity for the trendy Los Angeles-based clothing company, Nicholas Casey points out, which has cultivated a rep for provocative advertising. Allen said he hoped the large settlement would discourage other advertisers from "doing this type of thing to myself and others"; the unrepentant …

Mars is introducing its first new chocolate bar in more than 20 years and it's in "super girly packaging - it's shiny and it's pink and the chocolate even sparkles a little bit." What's more, the Fling is "sexual, uninhibited [and] only 85 calories." Lisa Johnson, the co-author of Don't Think Pink: What Really Makes Women Buy - and How to Increase Your Share of This Crucial Market, hasn't tasted the product yet, which is in test markets in California. But she does takes a good bite out of the marketing, which she calls a "full-frontal attack," …

Nearly three-quarters of the 129 marketers surveyed last month by the Association of National Advertisers say they are poised to hike their media budgets before the recession ends -- 43% three months before and 30% six months before, Jack Neff reports. Even Unilever CEO Paul Polman, who counts himself a pessimist on the recession ending anytime soon, says Unilever will hike spending globally starting this quarter after four consecutive quarters of reductions. "At times of uncertainty, companies need to reassure the market that they are stable, reliable and have a long-term vision," says SAP Global CMO Marty Homlish. …

Procter & Gamble is targeting men who fall somewhere between "metrosexual and Neanderthal," as its market strategy external relations manager Glenn Williams puts it, and it's not alone. Dial and Unilever, among others, are also targeting the "everyday guy" who equates good grooming with success and confidence, Elaine Wong reports. Several years ago, P&G researchers discovered that men used their significant other's shower products, but secretly longed for their own. Old Spice body wash was born. And earlier this month, P&G introduced Old Spice Ever Clear, an antiperspirant that bills itself as allowing guys' "self-confidence to rise faster than …

MillerCoors CMO Andrew England aims to pull Miller Lite out of its tailspin with some of the tricks he used to make Coors Light such a success. Shoring up Miller Lite without significantly cannibalizing Coors Light will be a tall order but a top priority, reports, Mike Hughlett. Shipments of Coors Light climbed 6% from 2006 through 2008, far higher than the industry's overall growth rate, while its U.S. market share rose to 8.1% from 7.8%, according to Beer Marketer's Insights. Not coincidently, the "Rocky Mountain Cold Refreshment" theme blossomed during those years. It may have seemed like …

Coal baron James C. Justice II reached an agreement with Marriott International Friday for control of the historic Greenbrier hotel, avoiding a battle in federal bankruptcy court in Richmond, Va. The resort's new owner is enormous and boisterous, stands 6-foot-7 and weighs enough that he calls himself a "fat hog," reports Michael S. Rosenwald. "These people haven't seen anything quite like me," he said the other day over a sandwich and fries at the resort. But why did he bother outmaneuvering Marriott to acquire a business he knows nothing about -- taking on more than $100 million in bills? …