Into the World of Carbon-Neutral Advertising

NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- The notion that marketers should address and offset the carbon footprint of their print advertising has become credible enough to support a major panel discussion at Smith Barney. Among other things, the Manhattan gathering, which drew a standing-room-only crowd of executives from ad agencies, media companies and financial investment firms, featured a presentation by upscale jewelry merchant John Hardy. He is now planting bamboo across an entire island off the coast of Bali to offset the greenhouse gases generated by his print advertising in some of America's most chi-chi fashion magazines.

CANNES (AdAge.com) -- Seventeen years ago, Bob Isherwood, the worldwide creative director of Saatchi & Saatchi, started a small project at the Cannes Lions Ad Festival to spotlight the work of rising young directors from around the world. That program -- The New Directors Showcase -- has since grown to monstrous proportions and become a defining event of the annual gathering. The Showcase has also changed dramatically in recent years -- the work it honors, which traditionally was 80% TV commercials and 20% other media, has flipped to become 80% comprised of short films designed for the internet, animations and other non-television oriented creative concepts. In this interview, Mr. Isherwood discusses the event that drew more than 6,000 people to Cannes' two largest theater complexes last Thursday.

NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- Upfront negotiations are moving at a glacial pace as advertisers grapple with the complexities of planning a year’s worth of multiplatform buys, and the networks wrestle with the wild card of commercial ratings and the collapse of a single standard for pricing TV time. As the first week of June rolls out, no major upfront deals have yet been announced. In this interview, Ad Age media reporter Brian Steinberg provides an update on a process that clearly has become too unwieldy to fit the needs of all its participants or the constraints of its traditional timeframe.

NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- In 2002 after being deposed as editor-in-chief of Conde Nast's "Glamour," Bonnie Fuller joined Wenner Media as the new editor of "Us Weekly" and, with a formula of celebrity sex, gossip and scandal, dramatically remade that publication at the same time she lit the fire of a new magazine genre -- the celebrity weeklies. For the last five years, "Us Weekly," "In Touch," "OK" and "Star" -- the American Media magazine she now edits -- have constituted the fastest growing segment of the U.S. magazine industry. But now, as reporter Nat Ives details in this interview, Bonnie's Star is fading and the golden age of boundless growth for the celebrity slick sheet category she launched appears to be ending.

NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- Clutter, the rising blizzard of commercial messages sweeping through TV shows and other traditional and nontraditional communications channels, has become a blinding, deafening force heavily cutting into the overall effectiveness of advertising. Yet, little is being done to quantify the massive financial drain of clutter on marketing campaigns or organize a practical solution to the problem. In this interview, Advertising Age editor-at-large Matthew Creamer paints a bleak picture of an industry apparently determined to ignore what may be its largest single money-waster.

NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- Exactly what IS a "carbon neutral" advertiser or how can "carbon intensity" impact the fiscal stability or brand value of a publicly traded advertising agency holding company? These were just two of the issues addressed by Donald Carli of the Institute for Sustainable Communication at an Advertising Production Club of New York breakfast last week. There, he provided new insights into how agencies, marketers and media companies may soon run afoul of their own carbon footprints.

NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- For the past several years, Procter & Gamble Chairman-CEO A.G. Lafley and Global Chief Marketing Officer Jim Stengel have been appearing on podiums across the country as new-age marketing gurus urging other advertisers to move away from traditional marketing practices. But has P&G itself followed the advice it so enthusiastically offers others? Ad Age package-goods reporter Jack Neff takes a closer look at a trailblazing marketing giant that actually may not be.

NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- Is the whole business of satellite radio sinking into a lower, lesser orbit in the new media universe? Media reporter Andrew Hampp takes a look beyond the Sirius/XM merger debate at the problems that are hobbling the radio-from-outer-space industry.

NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- JetBlue's debacle last week of passenger strandings, flight cancellations and general administrative chaos has led to a prolonged PR nightmare that has shredded the image of what was previously the innovative darling of the travel industry. But can the battered brand ever fully recover from such a storm of consumer anger and negative publicity? "Ad Age" travel reporter Rich Thomaselli assesses the airline's short-term damage control efforts and long-term prospects.

NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- In his review of one of the year's most eagerly awaited branded entertainment launches, Advertising Age editor at large Matt Creamer found Bud.tv to be hobbled by two major problems. The first is a draconian security barrier that blocks easy access and the second is Anheuser-Busch's online strategy of content non-shareability. Incredibly, the beer company that aspires to become a major online media presence has built a site that is doggedly non-viral in its architecture.

NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- Five years ago, when he began researching the convergence of advertising and entertainment and collecting the information that became the book "Madison & Vine," Scott Donaton didn't anticipate some of the surprising ways the new field would evolve. In this interview on the eve of the fifth annual Ad Age Madison & Vine conference in Hollywood, he surveys the past as well as the likely future of a movement that continues to alter the fundamental realities of content production and distribution.

NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- In a steady drumbeat of unnerving news over the last thirteen months, Time Inc., the nation's largest magazine publisher, has announced the elimination of more than 800 jobs at the same time it has put 18 of its magazine titles up for sale. Chairman-CEO Ann Moore has explained these cost-cutting measures as part of a reorganization designed to greatly expand the company's digital operations. But Ad Age reporter Nat Ives tells a different story about the publishing giant's layoffs, sell-offs and lost ad revenue.

NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- A buzzword as well as a headache pressing ever more painfully on broadcast and cable TV networks, consumer-created content is rapidly rising as potentially as sweeping and transformative a force as the initial emergence of the internet itself. As this podcast indicates, the issues surrounding consumer-created video were high on the minds of attendees and speakers at last week's National Association of Television Programming Executives (NATPE) conference in Las Vegas.

NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- In its six years as one the smash TV entertainment hits of all time, "American Idol" has also become "the biggest integrated advertising platform on the planet," according to Ad Age media reporter Claire Atkinson. In this interview Ms. Atkinson provides insights and an overview of the business side of the incredible "Idol" franchise.

NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- Why will ad agencies be forced to further trim their staffs or media companies of all kinds be required to prove their real worth as never before during the coming year? In this unusually frank 10-minute year-end interview, Advertising Age editor Jonah Bloom surveys the last year of dramatic industry change and predicts the most likely disruptions awaiting marketers, ad agencies and media companies in the coming year. Leaving no stone unturned, he even explains what scares him the most as the editor of a national publication grappling with the often-unnevering realities of the ongoing digital communications revolution.

NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- The not-yet-fully explained ouster of Julie Roehm and Sean Womack from Wal-Mart and the cancellation of DraftFCB's $580 million Wal-Mart ad-account win have ignited an explosion of rumors and speculation throughout the advertising industry. In this audio interview, Advertising Age editor Jonah Bloom helps listeners separate fact from fiction. Mr. Bloom discusses the Friday evening phone interviews he conducted with both Ms. Roehm and her husband about rumors alleging she had an "improper relationship" with Mr. Womack, an executive who reported to her.

NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- After years of ever higher TV ratings and ever larger track crowds, Nascar, the country's second richest sports advertising venue, is suffering a decline in both audiences. Ad Age sports advertising reporter Rich Thomaselli takes closer look at what is happening and what it all means.

NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- It's no small feat that Special K has become the best-selling brand of Kellogg, a company that markets more than 180 products and does nearly $10 billion in annual sales. Ad Age reporter Stephanie Thompson explores how Special K has evolved from a simple breakfast cereal to a megabrand dieting program that competes with Weight Watchers and Jenny Craig.

NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- As U.S. zoos battle the loss of government funding and U.S. marketers battle audience fragmentation, both have found new mutual interests in the form of in-zoo advertising. More than 143 million people visit zoos each year, and in this interview, Ad Age reporter Andrew Hampp explains why they have become such a coveted target.

NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- Why was More named Magazine of the Year, Ann Wintour of Vogue named Magazine Editor of the Year, and Susan Lyne of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia named Publishing Executive of the Year? Ad Age reporter Nat Ives takes listeners inside the A-List process to explain why each of the big winners was singled out for the annual honors.

NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- So many U.S. residents refuse to participate in marketing-research surveys that it has become increasingly difficult to get reasonably reliable consumer data -- a problem of potentially catastropic implications for the big marketers who spend tens or even hundreds of millions of dollars for such research each year. "This is a problem of stunning scope," explains reporter Jack Neff.

NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- Last week's Hispanic Creative Advertising Awards competition clearly indicates that U.S. Hispanic advertising agencies continue to grow in strength, size and capabilities, according to Ad Age International and Multicultural editor Laurel Wentz.

NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- In a 2005 article about Saatchi & Saatchi CEO Kevin Roberts that echoed widespread sentiment, "Advertising Age" suggested the flamboyant executive was promoting his new book "Lovemarks" instead of focusing on the real business of his agency. But now, that same book has just played a pivotal role in Saatchi's win of the $430 million JC Penney ad account. In this audio interview about the behind-the-scenes intrigue of that account move, "Ad Age" editor Jonah Bloom concedes that Mr. Roberts may have showed us all a thing or two.

NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- The domestic auto industry is collapsing because Detroit executives have too many brands and not enough personal courage to change their companies' ineffective marketing practices, according to a new book by Charles Hughes, former CEO of Mazda North America, and William Jeanes, former editor of Car and Driver magazine. Mr. Jeanes, who is also a former senior VP on the Ford account at JWT in Detroit, provides highlights from the book, "Branding Iron."

NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- As they adjust to the wrenching change of having part of their "paid" circulations shifted to the lesser-valued "verified" category, magazine publishers' greatest enemy may be their own previous hype. "Ad Age" media reporter Nat Ives discusses how publishers and media buyers are butting heads over a sticky issue.

NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- The impact of accelerating immigration on California has become so great that 42% of that state's residents speak a language other than English at home, according to the latest Census Bureau study. American Demographics Editor Bradley Johnson explains some of the latest findings from the Bureau's annual American Community Survey.

NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- The practice of basing advertising-campaign decisions on gut instinct rather than scientific research is responsible for the massive waste of marketers' money, according to Greg Stuart. In this 10-minute interview, the CEO of the Interactive Advertising Bureau reviews the findings of the five-year research project detailed in "What Sticks," the new book he co-authored with market researcher Rex Briggs.

NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- The demise of Elle Girl and Teen People underscores dramatic changes sweeping the teen girl print magazine category but does not necessarily mean that publishing sector is doomed, says Ad Age media reporter Nat Ives.

NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- Aside from adding new fuel to the controversy over advertising and childhood obesity, the report issued by the Kaiser Family Foundation last week also provided new levels of insight into the logistics of top food marketers use of the web to reach children. The study found that 82 of the country's largest food marketers were operating more than 500 youth-oriented online advergames. Hear more of the details about why advergame marketing strategies are so effective.

NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- Despite a raging national controversy over the obesity epidemic, the fast food industry continues to expand its offerings of gigantic new kinds of cheeseburgers. Ad Age food industry reporter Kate MacArthur notes that while nutritionists are appalled by the new trend, sales in this so-called 'brawny burger' product category are increasing much faster than sales of normal-sized burger fare.

NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- Cleveland Cavaliers basketball star and emerging marketing endorsement heavy LeBron James convened an unusual 'marketing summit' for himself in Akron, Ohio, last week. Attending along with reps from Coca-Cola, Nike, Microsoft, Bubblicious and other interested corporations was Ad Age sports marketing reporter Rich Thomaselli. Listen to Thomaselli's inside description of the two-day event at which James unveiled a strategy to transform himself into a global marketing icon in time for the 2008 Olympics in China.

NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- The TV industry's decision to shift away from the program-ratings system that has served as its business backbone for more than six decades has implications for every entity involved in the creation, placement, buying and selling of broadcast and cable network ads. Reporter Abbey Klaassen discusses a change that may ultimately prove as traumatic as it is historic.

NEW YORK (AdAage.com) -- The 2006 TV Upfront, which is coming to a close, is likely to be remembered as a landmark in the history of the annual institution. Hear Ad Age MediaWorks editor Ann Marie Kerwin explain why the third year in a row of revenue declines is changing the world of big broadcaster ad sales.

NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- Ad Age reporter Lisa Sanders provides an overview and update of the New York Human Rights Commission's investigation of Madison Avenue diversity hiring practices. Both the Commission and the City Council's Civil Rights Committee are planning to hold public hearings on the issue. In the latest move, the Commission has issued subpoenas for 16 of New York's top agency executives.

NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- Moving into its second year under new owners and groaning under a record number of submissions from around the world, the Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival prepares for its busiest event ever starting June 18. Ad Age International Editor Laurel Wentz provides an update on the logistics and changes in the ad industry's largest and most important annual gathering.

NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- Ad Age media reporter Claire Atkinson provides an eyewitness account of what has become one of the most infamous debacles in TV upfront history: Fox's badly botched presentation at the New York Armory. She also details ABC Entertainment President Steve McPherson's stunning triumph as a ballroom dancer at that network's upfront presentation at Lincoln Center.

NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- The $2.4 billion-a-year deodorant market is one of the country's most competitive package goods arenas. Ad Age reporter Jack Neff offers listeners an insider's view on the methods used by Unilever's Axe product line to bulldoze its way to the head of the male deodorant category in just four years.

NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- In an interview with Ad Age reporter Abbey Klaassen, actress and comedian Whoopi Goldberg talks about her decision to sign on as a Clear Channel radio host. The effort comes as the terrestrial radio giant faces escalating celebrity-driven competition from Sirius and XM satellite radio.

NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- In his first interview since being named the new editor of Advertising Age, Jonah Bloom takes "Why It Matters" listeners inside his newsroom to detail the touchpoints of his news coverage strategies at the same time he explains why the TV upfront is well on its way to becoming a year-round activity rather than a single springtime event.

The print publishing industry continues its decline as the explosive growth of digital media alters the balance of power and buying practices throughout the advertising and media business. Ad Age executive editor Jonah Bloom provides an insider's overview of the dramatic changes.

Continuing media fragmentation along with weaknesses in current TV audience measurement systems pose unpredented challenges to traditional TV networks in this year's TV upfront. Reporter Claire Atkinson provides an overview of the new realities.

Even though media sellers and ad agencies are buzzing about it, surprisingly few people are able to explain "engagement" audience measurement metrics or detail how they should be calculated. Worse yet, the experimentation that is going on with the concept is tightly shrouded in secrecy.

Last week's report that U.S. soft-drink volume sales had declined for the first time in 20 years is just the beginning of a trend that will continue in a world were the beverage market is fragmenting nearly as fast and dramatically as the media market.

Ad Age media reporter Nat Ives discusses his latest story about how the TV reality show 'The Biggest Loser,' which was originally given little chance of succeeding, has become a sprawling money-making franchise as well as a poster child for cross-platform promotional savvy.

Getting accurate information about the total audience for events such as the Super Bowl or Olympics has never been more difficult as growing webs of alternate mediums compete with TV. MediaWorks editor Ann Marie Kerwin discusses the latest developments.

NBC's audience ratings for the first week of the Olympics have barely managed to meet the guarantees made to advertisers. Meanwhile, media buyers are grousing over the low "buzz factor" of the Winter Games as top U.S. athletes do poorly or drop out altogether. Ad Age TV reporter Claire Atkinson takes a hard look at the situation.

Speaking at the Madison & Vine Conference in Beverly Hills, Verizon Wireless CMO John Stratton criticized the increasing ineffectiveness of traditional advertising venues such as broadcast and cable TV while warning Hollywood producers about "exporting a dying content model" to the new third-screen medium. He predicted mobile phone networks would "in a few short years" control up to 30% of the $100 billion U.S. market for brand advertising.

Shortly after he stepped off the podium as emcee of Ad Age's annual Marketing 50 luncheon, Ad Age executive editor Jonah Bloom sat down to discuss some of the tactics that made the year's top marketers successful.

The latest data suggests that many marketers are focusing on too narrow an age demographic, according to American Demographics editor Bradley Johnson. He also details other important consumer trends, including population shifts that will dramatically impact the Northeast.

More than just another audience measurement system, the Apollo project launched by a coalition of the country's largest marketers and Arbitron/ACNielsen is revolutionary. If it works, it has the potential to dramatically affect ad agency revenue and creative practices. Find out why.

Three years after it opened the Super Bowl and its sponsorship program to erectile dysfunction drug advertisers, the National Football League has announced it will no longer accept such ads or sponsorships. Rich Thomaselli dicusses the long- and short-term implications of the dramatic move.