• MTVN Passes On Elaborate Upfront Show
    MTV Networks is taking a pass on an elaborate upfront presentation this year, but will still--on May 8--give buyers and clients a look at upcoming programming across its portfolio. Once one of cable's most lavish upfront events, Hank Close, president of U.S. ad sales for the Viacom unit, says this year's version will last but an hour and will deliver a concise message. "We're no longer locked into having to do a long presentation," he says. "I've listened to [the] marketplace, and while we've done great shows in the past--ones that were greeted with a lot of enthusiasm--this is more …
  • BA Yanks Ads After Terminal Embarrassment
    In a major embarrassment for British Airways, the carrier has pulled a multimillion-dollar ad campaign for its new Terminal 5 at London's Heathrow Airport as highly publicized lost luggage and long delays have marked the new facility's opening. BA had planned a TV, print and online effort touting the speed and efficiency of Terminal 5, but it now says that won't be on until "later in the year." Bartle Bogle Hegarty, the airline's agency, was actually still filming the TV spot when the company decided to delay it. Some predict the public's high opinion of BA may limit the long-term …
  • Ovation Goes One-On-One For Upfront
    For its upfront, arts network Ovation is meeting one-on-one with advertisers and buyers to pitch them on new partnership possibilities that may make up for its relatively small reach. The relaunched channel--in 28 million homes--is touting its deals with about 50 museums and cultural institutions to offer advertisers a chance to target consumers at those venues. For instance, Ovation already brokered a deal between the Museum of Natural History in New York and Geico around the museum's "Human Origins" exhibit, with the insurance company getting on-site placement for its logo while Ovation got a cut of the package. With advertisers …
  • Newspaper Ads Down A Record 9.4%
    Newspaper print advertising revenue fell a record 9.4% last year, although growth from online ads held the overall newspaper revenue slip to 7.9%, according to a study by the Newspaper Association of America. The drop is the largest since the trade group started keeping track in 1950, topping the previous 9% decline in 2001. The NAA also saw a 16.5% drop in print classifieds, as slowing consumer spending and the real estate crash have taken their toll. Internet advertising revenue at newspapers was up almost 19% in 2007, the report adds, but even that has cooled off from its year-ago …
  • Gore Launches Massive Anti-Global Warming Ad Effort
  • NBC Also Going With MMA
  • Saatchi: European Biz Good But U.S. A Challenge
    British advertising firm M&C Saatchi says that while it had a good 2007, it expects a more challenging 2008 as U.S. clients pull back on spending. The group posted a 53% bounce in 2007 profit on the back of organic growth and acquisitions. But Chief Executive David Kershaw says that while there are no signs of an economic slowdown in many top markets, the U.S. is looking tougher. "Overall, we remain happy; the outlook remains in line with current expectations," he says. "But America is the area where (we) have seen the consumer pulling back more dramatically and so clients …
  • Plug Pulled on 'Las Vegas Life' Mag
    Greenspun Media Group will cease publication of its monthly mag Las Vegas Life, but keep the brand alive online and print an annual "Best of" edition. According to Greenspun Media Group President Michael Carr, the move is aimed to "improve efficiencies and remove some redundancies" among the company's nine newspapers and magazines in southern Nevada. The lifestyle, food and culture coverage currently in Las Vegas Life will head for Las Vegas Weekly, VEGAS Magazine and Las Vegas Home and Design. Carr adds that this is not being done as a result of the economic downturn in the economy, but is …
  • FX To Buy Big Universal Pictures Package
    Cable net FX has made a deal for basic cable television rights to more than a dozen movies released by Universal Pictures this year. With an estimated tab of $100 million, the pact will include 15 movies--although that could change, depending on how each film does at the box office. The negotiated package includes already-released movies like "Jarhead" and "Definitely, Maybe," along with upcoming movies like the next installment of "The Mummy" and "Forgetting Sarah Marshall." Universal is a unit of General Electric Co., and notes this is the first time its studio has sold this large a bundle of …
  • Maidenform Readies New National Ads
    Maidenform is set to roll out a new national ad campaign tagged "This Feels Right" that will spread across print, digital and out-of-home. The first executions are themed: "Out with the old. In with the new," and feature the company's new backless bra. But the overall campaign pulls in other new Maidenform launches through this year. Print ads will run in magazines including Cosmopolitan, Glamour, People en Español and InStyle, while digital is set for MySpace, along with women's lifestyle, celebrity, entertainment and fashion sites. "We are excited about our new campaign initiative that will reinforce Maidenform's ongoing commitment to …
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