There are two big changes to Louisiana's advertising contracts for the next three years: Peter A. Mayer Advertising Inc. has been replaced and "multicultural tourism" had been eliminated. The Louisiana Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism, which awards new contracts every three years, has replaced Peter A. Mayer with Trumpet Group and eliminated the GMc+Company contract. The other contracts were renewed. Lt. Gov. Jay Dardenne, who oversees the department, said the state chose Trumpet Group in part because Trumpet's pitch included a partnership with a "very seasoned media buyer" that was attractive because the state wants to begin advertising …

Market research firm StellaService mystery shopped several major online retailers to see how they stacked up. Costco came out in front with an average shipping time of 1.5 days. Walmart, QVC and Belk brought up the rear with 5.5 days.

The term "entry" has probably been anathema at Cadillac since the brand's ill-fated attempt at the lower-end with the Catera (it zigs) back in 1998 when Ron Zarrella ran the company. Well, okay, there was a worse Cadillac, the Cimarron, but we won't go there. Cadillac is unrecognizable from those days, so the forthcoming ATS (which is the code name) is going to be a focused performance car meant to go directly at vehicles like Audi's A4, Bimmer's 3-Series, and Mercedes' C-Class lineup, a critical place now that luxury has to have a smaller sports sedan to bring in …

Social channels deliver deeper consumer interactions and provide marketers with better ROI than traditional media channels, according to a "Brand Influence" study conducted by marketing research firm Crowdtap and marketing consultant Joanna Seddon. "Social channels outperform when we look to apply qualitative metrics to media by looking at the actual effect on consumers and lift, said Brandon Evans, CEO and founder of Crowdtap. Evans said social interactions provide lift for such key performance indicators (KPIs) as brand equity, favorability, familiarity, brand advocacy and purchase intent. The study also found that online banner, TV and magazine advertisements …

New research reports 93% of marketers would increase mobile ad spending if they realized a higher ROI. And of those who are not increasing mobile ad spending, 43% of them cite low ROI as the primary reason. The survey, via The Relevancy Group and commissioned by mobile and online signup ad platform Pontiflex, also found that just over half of Fortune 500 marketers are dissatisfied with or don't use click-based mobile advertising. "On mobile, click-based ad units aren't valid options for mobile marketers focused on increasing ROI," said David Daniels, CEO and co-founder of The Relevancy …

Among changes in the works in Burger King's global marketing echelon are plans to hire Brazilian marketer Flavia Faugeres, formerly of InBev and Unilever, as new global CMO per sources. She replaces Natalia Franco, who left the company in February. Faugeres is currently working as a consultant for the company, but a source said a final decision has not been made about her taking on the global CMO role.

Seattle-based department chain Nordstrom is looking for a permanent spot in Manhattan. But in the coming weeks the chain will open a two-story concept store on West Broadway in SoHo, with profits going to charity. The store, called Treasure & Bond, will be a small, independent store with no visible Nordstrom branding.

Richmond Va.-based AMF Bowling Centers, which has over 290 bowling centers nationwide, has been focusing on digital marketing efforts and couponing. The company has been trying to buck the traditionally slow summer season with the AMF Bowling Summer Unplugged campaign, launched on Memorial Day, which offers free bowling for kids 16 or under with a registration. The company is touting the program and others via some 37 million emails, each with a discrete, trackable online coupon code. AMF is using redemption data to start segmenting the customer base and building and timing offers based on those insights. "With …

The company will be divided into one that sells candy and snacks like Cadbury and Oreos, while the other half will hold Kraft's North American grocery brands like Oscar Mayer, Jell-O and Philadelphia cream cheese.

Sears Holding Corp. has named Monica Woo VP and CMO. Woo replaces Don Hamblen, who left the company early last year. Woo will be responsible for all marketing, brand and advertising programs for Sears, according to a company memo. She starts Aug. 15 and will report directly to David Friedman, SVP and president of marketing at Sears.