DraftFCB, Two Years After the Merger

This Marriage Was Supposed to Create a Powerhouse Agency. So Where Are the Big Wins?

NEW YORK (AdAge.com) — At DraftFCB, there have been layoffs, the loss of the Verizon account to McCann Erickson and internal cultural problems — and that’s just in the New York office. But the agency has also won 250 pieces of business and it continues to grow in revenue. So why doesn’t the industry have a lot of good things to say about the merger, a move to create a one-stop shop offering both direct accountability and solid creative?

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In Shift, Wal-Mart Puts Focus Back on Private-Label Growth Retail Giant Seeks Exec to Oversee Product Development, Downplays Sustainability

BATAVIA, Ohio (AdAge.com) — After de-emphasizing private label for more than a year, Wal-Mart Stores is looking to ramp up its program by adding package-goods marketing talent, and the move could present a substantial new challenge to marketers who rely on the world’s biggest retailer as the economy worsens.

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How Dripping Candles Inspired Product Innovation

And Other Reasons to Say ‘Happy Jewish New Year’

The Big Tent

Product development should be mining cultural insights, be they Latino, Asian-American, African American or other. Not only do food products benefit from the incorporation of tastes and ingredients with a culturally specific root, but there are a number of other categories of opportunity including fashion, gift items, educational items, toys and games, and the list goes on.

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Value-Minded Clients Can Be Good for Your Agency Let Them Sweat Small Stuff and Pay You for Big Ideas

Small Agency Diary

It’s budget time. And chances are you’re sitting in the same meetings I am with a client asking you to do more with less. Over the last 60 days, I’ve probably sat in half a dozen of these meetings. You might think that would get moderately depressing, but actually it has been inspiring.

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AIG Pulls Flight of National Corporate Ads

Campaign’s Theme Was ‘Strength to Be There’

YORK, Pa. (AdAge.com) — In the midst of a government bailout, American International Group is pulling all of its corporate advertising through the end of the year — all of which is themed, ironically, “The Strength to Be There.”

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Attorneys General Set Out to Stop Sparks Product Launch Blast MillerCoors for Higher-Alcohol Version of Energy Drink

CHICAGO (AdAge.com) — A group of 25 attorneys general Wednesday asked MillerCoors not to introduce a higher-alcohol version of its controversial Sparks energy drink, setting the stage for a potential legal showdown that could have broad ramifications for the future of the category.

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Nike Hires Don King to Trumpet Tennis Showdown

New Campaign Portrays Nadal and Federer as Boxing Rivals

NEW YORK (AdAge.com) — Tennis has always had its share of loudmouths, some of the more memorable being Ilie Nastase, Jimmy Connors and, of course, John McEnroe. But for its most “significant” tennis campaign in years, Nike is bringing out the most loquacious and vociferous loudmouth of them all — Don King. Tennis will never be the same.

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P&G Taps Bloggers, Moms for Unconventional Product Launch Word-of-Mouth, Buzz Push for Crest Weekly

BATAVIA, Ohio (AdAge.com) — Procter & Gamble Co. is trying something decidedly new with toothpaste: launching a product designed to be used once a week. And Crest, long one of P&G’s biggest-spending media brands, is also taking a different tack in its marketing approach for the brand.

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Coke Eyes Marketing as Area for Cost Cutting

Ad Spending to Change as Beverage Giant Hopes to Save up to $500M a Year by 2011 NEW YORK (AdAge.com) — Coca-Cola is looking to save between $400 million and $500 million a year by the end of 2011. And it’s looking to find some of those savings in marketing. FULL ARTICLE

Entertainment Will Be ‘First Through the Gate’ in Digital Economy Google’s Schmidt Praises Seth MacFarlane, Chides Resistance to New Technology From the Madison & Vine Conference BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (AdAge.com) — Entertainment will survive a changeover to a digital economy; newspapers and “Old Hollywood” may not. So said Google CEO Eric Schmidt at Advertising Age’s Madison & Vine entertainment conference Wednesday, and, to prove his point, he broke the news that Google had just concluded a new advertising-driven deal with Lionsgate Films FULL ARTICLE

Arianna Huffington Imagines How to Beat Obama A 3 Minute Ad Age Video Report Video From M&V Conference NEW YORK (AdAge.com) — It was as strange a sight as one could imagine: Liberal internet publisher Arianna Huffington from the stage of the Beverly Hills Hotel described the marketing tactics John McCain should use in his quest to defeat Barack Obama. The surreal performance was part of a larger session at this week’s Madison & Vine conference that explored the campaign advertising strategies of the presidential candidates. FULL ARTICLE

‘Wall-E’ Gives Glimpse of Product Placement’s Future Movie’s ‘Homage’ to Apple Is Subtle, Considering Disney Pixar’s Ties to Brand YORK, Pa. (AdAge.com) — In Disney Pixar’s new movie, “Wall-E,” the female heroine is a shiny all-white robot with no seams or overt buttons showing. Remind you of anything? FULL ARTICLE

Most Say Ads a ‘Reasonable’ Cost of Free Online Video Survey: Viewers Most Amenable to Ads in TV Shows, Movies but Not Amateur Video NEW YORK (AdAge.com) — Good news for the growing number of ad-supported video services popping up online: The majority of digital video consumers will find the inclusion of advertising a “reasonable” expectation for accessing free online video content. FULL ARTICLE

Nike’s ‘Just Do It’ Slogan Turns 20 Epic ‘Courage’ Campaign Aims to Recharge Inspirational Message NEW YORK (AdAge.com) — Nike’s “Just Do It” theme is 20 years old, and the marketer is planning a push of Olympian proportions to commemorate its anniversary. FULL ARTICLE

Fast-Feeders Look to Allay Fears of Food-Borne Illness Chains Break ‘Quality’ Messages Highlighting Freshness CHICAGO (AdAge.com) — With widespread salmonella infections and growing concerns about how meat is raised and harvested, fast-food chains fear a hit where it hurts — the pocketbook — so they’re ratcheting up marketing messages about “quality.” FULL ARTICLE

How Will You Respond to Pricing Pressure? Not All Profit Is Created Equally Small Agency Diary We all want to make a profit. It’s the lifeblood of a business. It supports our growth. It pays for our raises and our bonuses. It funds new positions. The trick is that not all profit is created equally. FULL ARTICLE