| News for the advertising, media, and marcom industries |  |
- Ad Council teams with "Today" hosts for PSAs
Hosts of NBC's "Today" show take up themes such as "Emergency Preparedness" and "Hunger Prevention" in an Ad Council public service announcement series launched this week. The "Today Takes Action" series includes a spot from Campbell Ewald that features Matt Lauer promoting fatherhood involvement. Lauer is seen improvising various hiding spots in a house, with a reveal at the ad's end that he's playing hide-and-seek with his daughter. Broadcasting & Cable
(2/8), Adweek/AdFreak blog
(2/11)      
 | 10 Content Marketing Strategies to Help Brands Reach Moms
The challenge of reaching moms grows everyday as the social and digital landscapes become more crowded. Punchbowl just released a free white paper to help brands use content marketing to push through the noise. Learn about the content moms seek online, how to allocate resources, and tips for including content in your media plan. Get the whitepaper now – FREE! |
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| Agency News |  |  |
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- Draftfcb's search for a new chief is seen as increasingly difficult
The new CEO at Draftfcb will face a tough challenge after the loss of several key clients. "Some believe it's the hardest search in advertising right now," Noreen O'Leary writes. Paul Gumbinner, a recruiter uninvolved in the search, says Interpublic needs to look outside its network for fresh leadership. "They need to bring in someone who is totally objective and comes in with an iron glove to make the changes that need to be done," Gumbinner said. Adweek
(2/12)
- Omnicom's U.S. revenue outweighs weaker eurozone results
Omnicom cited a stabilizing macroeconomic environment for its fourth-quarter revenue growth in the U.S., up 5% year-over-year to $2.03 billion. International revenue slipped slightly on weakness in the eurozone. "Our large European markets like Russia continued to perform largely well while the U.K., France and Germany remained weak and in aggregate the eurozone markets were down 3.7%," said Randall Weisenburger, executive vice president and chief financial officer. Reuters
(2/12)
| Creative | | |
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- Under Armour promises innovation in "I will" campaign
The latest commercial from Under Armour boasts that it is building the next great innovation for athletes, showing high-tech and futuristic training devices and introducing the tagline "I will." Basketball player Kemba Walker and baseball's Bryce Harper are among the athletes featured. The brand launches a global campaign with the spot this weekend, part of what will likely be a 20% increase in the brand's spending, according to Under Armour's Steve Battista. Advertising Age (tiered subscription model)
(2/12)
| Media | | |
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- Comcast, in $16.7 billion deal, will control all of NBCU
Comcast is acquiring General Electric's remaining 49% stake in NBCUniversal for $16.7 billion. In a separate transaction, Comcast will pay about $1.4 billion to purchase the NBC studios and offices at 30 Rockefeller Center and the CNBC facility in Englewood Cliffs, N.J. The move by the cable giant, which bought a controlling interest in NBCU two years ago, "is driven by our sense of optimism for the future prospects" of the unit, Comcast CEO Brian Roberts said. The timing of the deal was motivated by the need to have control of content and delivery mechanisms to compete against a changing array of TV rivals, Roberts added. Bloomberg Businessweek
(2/12), The New York Times (tiered subscription model)/Media Decoder blog
(2/12), The Wall Street Journal
(2/13), USA Today
(2/13), Reuters
(2/13)
| Trends & Research | | |
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- Will consumers care if their flowers are organic?
Purveyors of organic flowers, such as The Grower's Box and Organic Bouquet, are starting to gain some traction, writes Robert Klara. "We're definitely seeing interest with more mainstream consumers. Just as consumers want to know their chocolate is fair-trade, flowers should also have a scale," says EcoTulips co-owner Keriann Koeman. But floral marketing consultant Tom Prince says, "The organic concept has more hype than reality." Adweek
(2/12)
| Marketer News | | |
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- For Virgin Mobile, at least, today is "National Break Up Day"
Virgin Mobile wants to brand the day before Valentine's Day as "National Break Up Day." The carrier is seeking to associate ending bad relationships with liberation from cellphone contracts and saving money. Nearly 6 in 10 of people responding to its survey said that if they were considering a breakup around now, they'd want to do it before Valentine's Day to avoid the cost of the holiday. The company is backing the effort with a social media offer of $100 off a Samsung Galaxy SII with a no-contract plan. MediaPost Communications/Marketing Daily
(2/12)
| Technology | | |
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- Microsoft reveals 4 "impressive" in-app ads for Windows 8 tablets
Microsoft is hoping to set its Windows 8 platform apart with the unveiling of four new in-application ad campaigns for tablets -- a Delta ad within NBC News' app, a Jeep campaign within AccuWeather, Ford within the Chicago Tribune app and Paramount's "Jack Reacher" within the BBC Top Gear app. The strategy "is part of an overall shift away from selling pre-packaged media to buyers," writes Mike Shields. "The results are impressive. ... Microsoft seems to have unleashed the creative potential of tablet ads," he writes. Adweek
(2/12)
| Association News | | |
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Speakers from Twitter and Adobe at Transformation: The Idea Effect
 The 4A's is pleased to announce that this year's Transformation conference will feature key speakers in the fast-moving world of social media and technology, including thought-leaders Adam Bain, president of global revenue at Twitter; Ann Lewnes, CMO at Adobe; Brian Colbert, head of mobile at Pandora; and Betsy Webb, general manager of media and agency management at Microsoft.
Panel events include thought-provoking topics on mobile technology, social media and corporate social responsibility.
Advertising and media executives won't want to miss the first major conference of 2013 for the entire industry. Transformation: The Idea Effect will start in New Orleans on March 10 with the Management Practitioner's Forum, formerly the SAMS Workshop. The full conference runs March 10 to 13.
Don't delay, register today.
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Open for Registration: 4A's Executive Leadership Program
Back by popular demand, the 4A's Executive Leadership Program returns April 2 to 4 at the 4A's headquarters in New York City. The program is specifically designed to provide current and potential leaders from agencies of all sizes and specialties with a set of leadership survival and success tools. Over the course of 3 days, you will answer 300 questions directly related to the future success of an agency. This is the perfect program for new office CEOs, COOs, client service directors, major account directors, creative directors and high-potential department heads.
The event can only accommodate 20 people, so save your spot early and capitalize on our early registration rate. Sign up now.
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