from NT Times: Kiwi, a line of shoe care products that dates to 1906, is sold in almost 180 countries by the Sara Lee Corporation, the packaged-goods giant that also markets brands like Ball Park, Champion, Jimmy Dean and Hanes. After several years of little or no marketing support for Kiwi, Sara Lee is running print advertisements in a variety of national magazines. The ads, created by the Richards Group in Dallas, …
Maybe They Didn’t Want To Share Hotel Rooms To Help Keep Costs Down
BENTONVILLE, Ark. -- Wal-Mart Stores Inc. confirmed Wednesday that it fired several executives but would not detail the reason. "Three company officers were terminated for failing to follow internal company rules," spokeswoman Mona Williams said. Four other workers who were not at the executive level were also terminated for failing to follow Wal-Mart rules, she said. The terminations occurred over the past several …
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You Can Drive The Mercedes Now, C.J.
from Adweek: C.J. Fraleigh is leaving General Motors, effective immediately, to become svp of sales and marketing at Sara Lee. Fraleigh, 40, GM's former executive director of advertising and corporate marketing in February was shifted to the post of general manager of GM's Buick and Pontiac-GMC division. Fraleigh made his mark with Cadillac's "Break Through" campaign. Sara Lee spends approximately $220 million …
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C-K Pours Money Into Empty Tank
from Lewis Lazare: After spending what some sources said was upwards of a whopping $700,000 on an elaborate pitch, Cramer-Krasselt/Chicago has failed to land the whopper piece of new business. On Tuesday the agency was notified it had lost out in its bid for the $240 million Kia Motors America account. C-K was one of four finalists for the business after Kia executives earlier this year launched an agency review …
The Saga Of Marc And Tom Brought To A Little Screen Near You
Two out-of-work advertising creatives--an art director and a copywriter--have teamed to create an excellent web site, complete with public service announcement declaring, "They can't do anything else." In the spot, Tom Millar and Marc Guttesman are shown trying on other jobs for size. Jobs where their true talents shine, but to no good affect. For instance, Tom, ever the art director, attempts to teach pre-school, …
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Coppola Brings Sparkling Wine Down To Size
from MSNBC: Niebaum-Coppola Winery, owned by film director Francis Ford Coppola, is selling its Sofia blanc de blancs sparkling wine -- named for daughter and fellow director Sofia -- in a 187 ml serving, just big enough for one drinker's thirst and a neat way to enjoy sparkling wine without opening a full-size bottle. …
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The Rosy-Fingered Dawn Of Citizen Media
Avid AdPulp user, Clyde Hogg, points us to a piece on the state of the newspaper business from Fred On Everything. Here are some excerpts: "The greatest weakness of the American press is moral. Our media are relentlessly, grindingly, hermetically controlled or, as we say, politically correct. Everyone with the brains of an aspirin tablet is aware of it. Newspaper do not so much report the news as avoid it. The taboos …
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The MFA Is The New MBA
Evelyn Rodriguez writes about writing in her latest blog entry. She quotes Dan Pink, author of Free Agent Nation, as saying "The MFA is the new MBA." I find this particularly interesting in light of the new home page copy I recently developed for DavidBurn dot com. Storytellers needed. Every product or service has a story to tell. How well that story is created and then recreated in each new marketing campaign has …
Integrated Marketing Is Bassackwards
Steve Yastrow writing on TomPeters dot com: "Marketers have always looked at integrated marketing as something they do. Start with a foundation of advertising, then add a pinch of PR, a dash of direct marketing and a spoonful of sales promotion and voila!, you've got effective marketing. I think that's backwards. Marketers don't do integrated marketing, customers do. Customer integrate all experiences with a company …
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Zipatoni Fights To Stay In The Game
from Adweek: Miller Brewing this week will hear presentations from five shops competing to handle promotions for its Miller Genuine Draft and Miller Lite brands, sources said. The two incumbents, Interpublic Group's Zipatoni in St. Louis and Omnicom Group's Promotion Network in Dallas, are competing against WPP Group's Wunderman, Publicis Groupe's Frankel and independent Upshot, sources said. The nonroster shops are …
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