Dell global CMO Paul-Henri Ferrand tells Belinda Parmar that he listens to a customer call every day. It's an unfortunate anomaly, she feels. "Most marketing directors I meet speak of their customers as an abstract quantity, or perhaps an undiscovered exotic species," Parmar writes. "This probably explains why most heads of marketing are have a disproportionate reckoning of the importance of their brand in their customer's life." Paul-Henri is not only "French and charismatic," Parmar says, he's also very convincing about the "new Dell," which will put customers at the heart of …

Melissa Harris writes that event promoter Henry Cardenas is one of those men that mass marketers should know but often don't. His Cardenas Marketing Network specializes in getting clients' products, such as Wrigley and Budweiser, in front of a growing Hispanic population, as it did during a soccer match at Chicago's Soldier Field on Monday night. More than 60,000 Mexican soccer fans watched commercials for Wrigley's Extra gum on the venue's Jumbotron, observed field barriers wrapped in Extra banners, and displayed 20,000 log-bearing tchotchkes -- from bandanas to ear-splitting horns called vuvuzelas -- that were given away. Even …

Chrysler is working with a new agency, Interpublic Group of Cos.' Gotham, on a series of image ads that are aimed at bringing consumers back to its vehicles. They reportedly feature company employees and are expected to break in the next couple of weeks, Rupal Parekh reports. Chrysler and Gotham executives didn't respond to requests for comment. Chrysler's entire ad account was handled by Omnicom Group agencies until last year, but shops throughout the industry have handled assignments since Fiat's takeover. The hiring of Gotham is a sign that Chrysler is open to keeping shops on their toes …

Verizon Wireless and Google are collaborating on a tablet computer that would compete with Apple's iPad, Verizon Wireless CEO Lowell McAdam tells Niraj Sheth. "We're looking at all the things Google has in its archives that we could put on a tablet to make it a great experience," he says. Google declined to comment, but a spokesman points out that anyone can use the company's Android software to create mobile devices. McAdam admits that Verizon has been handicapped by its CDMA network technology, but says it will have devices ready early next year when its new …

Following a six-week undercover investigation, the Los Angeles city attorney has filed dozens of criminal charges against Ralphs supermarkets and its parent company, Kroger. The misdemeanor charges include overcharging customers, false advertising and false labeling. Potential fines and penalties are in the six-figure range. Many of the complaints were for stores charging for the weight of an item's packaging or for including the ice glaze on frozen products, Andrea Chang reports. "Ralphs is taking money out of their customers' pockets," says deputy city attorney Don Cocek. "It might just be 95 cents," but if you add it all up, …

Greg and Laurie Robbins are in their early 40s, have two kids, make $130,000 a year between them, live in a $363,000 house, are on Facebook and shop at Target, Starbucks, Apple, J.Crew and Whole Foods. They're also fictional, but they represent the target that General Motors is shooting for, Chrissie Thompson reports. "Buick is a conquest brand," says Craig Bierley, Buick-GMC director of advertising and sales promotion. "The loyalists will find their way back." There are an unusually high number of comments to the short piece, ranging from readers younger than the target who find the new Buicks …

The two-day conference of the International Advertising Association kicks off in Moscow this evening with some of the world's top advertising and marketing chiefs comparing notes on the limping economy and structural changes in the business, Georgina Prodhan reports. The conference is attracting CEOs of agencies including WPP and Publicis as well as marketing chiefs from the likes of Procter & Gamble and Hewlett-Packard. Global advertising spending is expected to rise 2.2% this year, driven by online paid search ads, according to ZenithOptimedia. Although first-quarter results have shown improving trends, there is "turbulence in the euro zone," Prodhan …