AT&T CMO Marc LeFar Resigns

Move Comes Weeks Before Apple iPhone Launch

By Alice Z. Cuneo

Published: April 20, 2007

SAN FRANCISCO (AdAge.com) — Marc LeFar, who shepherded the $1 billion-plus marketing budget of the former Cingular Wireless for the past four years, has resigned from AT&T, the wireless provider’s new parent.

An AT&T spokesman said Mr. LeFar “wanted to do something else” and declined further comment. David Christopher, formerly VP-product management, has taken over as chief marketing officer for the brand, the spokesman said.

Mr. LeFar declined comment and referred calls to AT&T public relations. Read the whole article

Analyst Expectations Too High for Yahoo to Meet

Revenue Up 7%, Profit Drops 11% and Stock Declines 12%

By Abbey Klaassen

Published: April 18, 2007

NEW YORK (AdAge.com) — Yahoo’s stock fell almost 12% today, after the company reported first-quarter earnings late yesterday. The company’s first-quarter profit dropped 11%, thanks to higher operating costs and the growth rate for branded advertising, or display, revenue decelerated to 20%.

Analysts had high expectations for Yahoo, given the positive feedback around its new search platform, Panama. Panama is widely viewed as a much-needed improvement to Yahoo’s previous platform, because it takes ad quality and relevance as well as bidding price into account when it serves up search ads, thus garnering more clicks and revenue. Read the whole article

Nike Builds Ad Campaign Out of Imus Controversy

Indirectly Thanks Commentator for ‘Moving Women’s Sport Forward’

By Rich Thomaselli

Published: April 17, 2007

NEW YORK (AdAge.com) — Now Nike has entered the Don Imus fray, hoping a new ad will spark continued conversation about race in America. The sports-apparel giant took out a full-page ad in the Sunday, April 15 edition of The New York Times, followed by banner ads on several websites that indirectly thank Mr. Imus for bringing the issues of race relations and sexism to the forefront.Read the whole article

Kraft Puts Five Food Brands Into Review

Billings Total $120 Million; JWT Is Incumbent

By Stephanie Thompson

Published: April 16, 2007

NEW YORK (AdAge.com) — Under extreme pressure as a newly independent public entity, struggling Kraft Foods has put five U.S. brands worth $120 million in billings into review.

JWT to keep international biz
The brands, Oscar Mayer, Kraft Singles, Ritz, Triscuit and Grey Poupon, all formerly were handled by WPP Group’s JWT, which retains all its international business for Kraft. JWT will also hold on to Philadelphia Cream Cheese and Wheat Thins in the U.S., brands whose media outlay together totaled $46.5 million, according to TNS Media Intelligence.

Lunchables, which until recently was handled by JWT, was today awarded to Interpublic Group of Cos.’ Draft FCB. Kraft spent $40 million in media on Lunchables last year, according to TNS. Miracle Whip also was recently reassigned to Omnicom Group’s DDB from JWT.Read the whole article

Luxury Brands Need VIP Treatment Online

Viewpoint: Interactive Strategy Must Mirror Exclusive Feel of Offline Presence

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By Michael Koziol

Published: April 10, 2007

There is nothing luxurious or glamorous about a banner ad — no matter how rich or interactive it is.

Banner ads work well for many brands, but as more and more luxury marketers, such as Louis Vuitton, Dior and Lancome, add direct-to-consumer e-commerce to their online strategies, they need to expand their advertising mixes to include a greater proportion of interactive advertising.Read whole article

Match Human and Product Brands for Greater Impact

Identity Marketing: Connect With Consumers by Understanding How They Define Themselves

By Robert Maxwell

Published: April 02, 2007

Personal identities define who we are to ourselves and one another. Comprising race, gender, physical traits, occupation, social groupings and even the person we think we are, they can be real or aspirational. We have multiple identities, and, of course, each one represents different choices in product consumption. Consumers use different brands because they help them express who they are or who they want to be to themselves and to others.Read the whole article

Apple Leads Charge Into DRM-Free Tunes

Deal With EMI May Fortell Video’s Future

By Beth Snyder Bulik

Published: April 02, 2007

NEW YORK (AdAge.com) — Apple has once again rocked the music industry, this time with its EMI deal to offer music without digital-rights management — that is, without copying restrictions. Not only is that groundbreaking, it’s difficult for the rest of the industry to ignore.Read the Whole Artilce

Ford Hopes DJ Signing Cranks Up Cred, Sales

Names Expedition After Funkmaster Flex, Eyes Caddy’s Path to Success

By Jean Halliday

Published: April 01, 2007

DETROIT (AdAge.com) — Ford’s got Escalade envy. The automaker has been watching the sales escalation of GM’s Escalade, which has become the ride of chooice

for big-name rappers, professionalathletes and hip-hop trendsetters. It wants those influencers driving its SUVs too — and it’s starting with Funkmaster Flex.

Young Children See up to 50 Hours of Food Ads a Year

Published: March 29, 2007 WASHINGTON (AdAge.com) — Children see from 29 hours to nearly 52 hours of food ads on TV every year, according to a study by the Kaiser Family Foundation that could turn up the heat in Washington for marketers to change their marketing.
Just more than a third of the TV ads children under 12 see are for candy and snacks, 28% are for cereal and 10% for fast-food, according to the study, which, predictably, kicked off new calls for marketers and media companies to rein in their advertising to help lower childhood obesity rates.

Children aged 2-7 watch, on average, 748 hours of TV a year; those 8-12 watch almost 1,250 hours a year.

Read the whole article

Cox Exits Discovery Communications Ownership

ublished: March 29, 2007 NEW YORK (AdAge.com) — The Travel Channel is packing its bags and moving out on Discovery Communications to become part of Cox Communications.

The move is part of an agreement struck today for Cox to end its shareholder ownership of Discovery in a $1.275 billion cash payout. Under the transaction, Cox acquires all the assets and business of the Discovery Travel Media Group, including Travel Channel, Travelchannel.com and Antenna Audio.
Read the whole article