Hot Spots
By Staff -- Broadcasting & Cable, 12/29/2002 7:00:00 PM
Celebrity Endorsements
Despite ongoing concerns that brand identity and advertising messages can be overpowered by celebrity messages, there seems to be no slowdown in the use of star presenters.
One reason for that, perhaps, is that celebrity-fronted ads frequently pop up among the most liked and recalled in TV viewer surveys, according to Intermedia Advertising Group, which does such surveys.
Among the latest big-time celeb signings: Beyonce Knowles of Destiny's Child was signed by Pepsi-Cola as it gears up for a new marketing battle with Coke, which is also working on a new campaign with actresses such as Penelope Cruz and Courtney Cox Arquette. Radio Shack just signed Shaquille O'Neal to join its list of celebrity endorsers. Chrysler recently signed Celine Dion, and Rebok has added Shakira to its roster.
Accounts
Capital One, the credit-card marketer known for its three-year-old "What's in your wallet?" campaign, has put its business up for review. Incumbent D'Arcy Masius Benton & Bowles is making a pitch, as are a number of non-Publicis-owned agencies. The company spent $170 million on ads last year. …
Nikon has pruned the list of contenders for its estimated $17 million-plus account to six agencies. The finalists: Havas' Arnold and Euro RSCG MVBMS; Omnicom's BBDO Worldwide and DDB Worldwide; and Interpublic's Bozell and McCann-Erickson. Arnold is based in Boston. The rest are based in New York. Publicis Groupe's Fallon Worldwide, the Minneapolis-based incumbent, is not included in the review. …
Coca-Cola has picked Foote Cone & Belding, New York, to handle its $10 million-plus Diet Coke account. FC&B replaces incumbent Lowe & Partners, which had also been a finalist to renew the account. Both shops operate within the Interpublic Group of Companies, whose McCann-Erickson Worldwide has long handled the flagship Coca-Cola advertising.
Campaigns
Pepsi-Cola and co-owned Lay's Potato Chips will launch a joint network-TV advertising campaign starting tonight (Dec. 30) on Monday Night Football. The spots feature fans snacking on both brands. BBDO handles both accounts and created the campaign. Pepsi did a similar joint campaign last year with another co-owed brand, Doritos tortilla chips. …
Comcast has tapped four-time Tour de France winner and Sports Illustrated's 2002 Sportsman of the Year Lance Armstrong to be the front man for its re-branding of AT&T Broadband cable systems into the Comcast fold. Armstrong will appear in on-air spots beginning in February. …
Gillette is extending its campaign for its Mach3Turbo razor (introduced earlier this year) through 2003 in prime time. BBDO, which handles the account, has just produced two new spots for the campaign (entitled, "Gravity Free at Home" and "Beamed up") that premiered in late December. The spots will be seen on a variety of network prime time shows and will be used to support the brand throughout the coming year.
Forecasts
Ad agency Initiative Media is predicting a strong year for TV advertising in the 2003-04 season. Tim Spengler, executive vice president, Initiative Media North America, describes 2002 as a "comeback" year for network television that also benefited cable and syndication. And 2003 will get off to "very healthy" start, he said, noting double-digit scatter prices and "record low level" of advertisers opting out of commitments for ad time in the first quarter. Next year's upfront market should be "very strong" as clients seek ways to stand out in the "increasingly cluttered media universe."
ANA Conference
The Association of National Advertisers annual conference is set for March 13 in New York and will address a number of hot button issues currently the subject of intense debate. One session will attempt to answer the question, "Is commercial TV (as we know it) dead?" Another session will tackle the upfront market with panelists addressing these questions: "Is there a better process?" and "Do we even need it?"
Executive Shift
Michael Bungey is leaving Cordiant Communications Group as CEO at year's end (that would be tomorrow, Dec. 31), three months earlier than expected. David Hearn, chairman and CEO of Cordiant's Bates Group, has been named to replace Bungey.
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