1. Washington Block El, 2. Spiral Fish Pond, 3. Rookery, 4. Flavin yellowizer, 5. Captains of Industry, 6. Top of the World, 7. Before the Rain blues, 8. Stinky Panties,
9. propaganda, 10. curbs, 11. Bike, 12. Haymarket, 13. Fire Hydrant, 14. Flashless wonder, 15. Venetian3, 16. Venetian6,
17. Venetian5, 18. Venetian4, 19. Lake Street El to somewhere else
Wednesday, August 30, 2006
Sunday, July 30, 2006
Monday, July 10, 2006
Friday, February 24, 2006
FCB healthcare
"FCB's full-contact approach to new business and their commitment to complete engagement with consumer and client is immensely appealing to me, and one of the biggest reasons I joined the company," said Rutstein.
FCB's consumer healthcare business includes Roche, Merck, Abbott, Medimmune, Eli Lilly, Alcon and Reliant
Foote Cone & Belding said it has hired Mike Rutstein to run its consumer healthcare practice here, effective immediately.
Rutstein, 36, replaces Rob Peterson, who left the agency in September, as evp, account management for consumer healthcare at FCB in New York. Rutstein reports to Steve Centrillo, president and CEO of the office.
FCB's consumer healthcare business includes Roche, Merck, Abbott, Medimmune, Eli Lilly, Alcon and Reliant
Foote Cone & Belding said it has hired Mike Rutstein to run its consumer healthcare practice here, effective immediately.
Rutstein, 36, replaces Rob Peterson, who left the agency in September, as evp, account management for consumer healthcare at FCB in New York. Rutstein reports to Steve Centrillo, president and CEO of the office.
Thursday, February 02, 2006
6 affairs
The 1st Affair
A married man was having an affair with his secretary.
One day they went to her place and made love all afternoon.
Exhausted, they fell asleep and woke up at 8 PM.
The man hurriedly dressed and told his lover to take his shoes outside and rub them in the grass and dirt.
He put on his shoes and drove home.
"Where have you been?" his wife demanded.
"I can't lie to you," he replied, "I'm having an affair with my secretary. We had sex all afternoon."
She looked down at his shoes and said: "You lying bastard! You've been playing golf!"
The 2nd Affair
A middle-aged couple had two beautiful daughters but always talked about having a son.
They decided to try one last time for the son they always wanted.
The wife got pregnant and delivered a healthy baby boy.
The joyful father rushed to the nursery to see his new son.
He was horrified at the ugliest child he had ever seen.
He told his wife: "There's no way I can be the father of this baby. Look at the two beautiful daughters I fathered!
Have you been fooling around behind my back?"
The wife smiled sweetly and replied: "Not this time!"
The 3rd Affair
A mortician was working late one night.
He examined the body of Mr. Schwartz, about to be cremated, and made a startling discovery.
Schwartz had the largest private part he had ever seen!
"I'm sorry Mr. Schwartz," the mortician commented, "I can't allow you to be cremated
with such an impressive private part. It must be saved for posterity."
So, he removed it, stuffed it into his briefcase, and took it home.
"I have something to show you won't believe," he said to his wife, opening his briefcase.
"My God!" the wife exclaimed, "Schwartz is dead!"
The 4th Affair
A woman was in bed with her lover when she heard her husband opening the front door.
"Hurry," she said, "stand in the corner."
She rubbed baby oil all over him, then dusted him with talcum powder.
"Don't move until I tell you," she said, " pretend you're a statue."
"What's this?" the husband inquired as he entered the room.
"Oh it's a statue," she replied, "the Smiths bought one and I liked it so I got one for us, too."
No more was said, not even when they went to bed.
Around 2 AM the husband got up, went to the kitchen and returned with a sandwich and a beer.
"Here," he said to the statue, have this.
I stood like that for two days at the Smiths and nobody offered me a damned thing."
The 5th Affair
A man walked into a cafe, went to the bar and ordered a beer.
"Certainly, Sir , that'll be one cent."
"One Cent?" the man exclaimed.
He glanced at the menu and asked: "How much for a nice juicy steak and a bottle of wine?"
"A nickel," the barman replied.
"A nickel?" exclaimed the man.
"Where's the guy who owns this place?"
The bartender replied: "Upstairs, with my wife."
The man asked: "What's he doing upstairs with your wife?"
The bartender replied: "The same thing I'm doing to his business down here."
The 6th Affair
Jake was dying. His wife sat at the bedside.
He looked up and said weakly: "I have something I must confess."
"There's no need to, " his wife replied.
"No," he insisted, "I want to die in peace. I slept with your sister, your best friend,
her best friend, and your mother!"
"I know," she replied, " now just rest and let the poison work."
A married man was having an affair with his secretary.
One day they went to her place and made love all afternoon.
Exhausted, they fell asleep and woke up at 8 PM.
The man hurriedly dressed and told his lover to take his shoes outside and rub them in the grass and dirt.
He put on his shoes and drove home.
"Where have you been?" his wife demanded.
"I can't lie to you," he replied, "I'm having an affair with my secretary. We had sex all afternoon."
She looked down at his shoes and said: "You lying bastard! You've been playing golf!"
The 2nd Affair
A middle-aged couple had two beautiful daughters but always talked about having a son.
They decided to try one last time for the son they always wanted.
The wife got pregnant and delivered a healthy baby boy.
The joyful father rushed to the nursery to see his new son.
He was horrified at the ugliest child he had ever seen.
He told his wife: "There's no way I can be the father of this baby. Look at the two beautiful daughters I fathered!
Have you been fooling around behind my back?"
The wife smiled sweetly and replied: "Not this time!"
The 3rd Affair
A mortician was working late one night.
He examined the body of Mr. Schwartz, about to be cremated, and made a startling discovery.
Schwartz had the largest private part he had ever seen!
"I'm sorry Mr. Schwartz," the mortician commented, "I can't allow you to be cremated
with such an impressive private part. It must be saved for posterity."
So, he removed it, stuffed it into his briefcase, and took it home.
"I have something to show you won't believe," he said to his wife, opening his briefcase.
"My God!" the wife exclaimed, "Schwartz is dead!"
The 4th Affair
A woman was in bed with her lover when she heard her husband opening the front door.
"Hurry," she said, "stand in the corner."
She rubbed baby oil all over him, then dusted him with talcum powder.
"Don't move until I tell you," she said, " pretend you're a statue."
"What's this?" the husband inquired as he entered the room.
"Oh it's a statue," she replied, "the Smiths bought one and I liked it so I got one for us, too."
No more was said, not even when they went to bed.
Around 2 AM the husband got up, went to the kitchen and returned with a sandwich and a beer.
"Here," he said to the statue, have this.
I stood like that for two days at the Smiths and nobody offered me a damned thing."
The 5th Affair
A man walked into a cafe, went to the bar and ordered a beer.
"Certainly, Sir , that'll be one cent."
"One Cent?" the man exclaimed.
He glanced at the menu and asked: "How much for a nice juicy steak and a bottle of wine?"
"A nickel," the barman replied.
"A nickel?" exclaimed the man.
"Where's the guy who owns this place?"
The bartender replied: "Upstairs, with my wife."
The man asked: "What's he doing upstairs with your wife?"
The bartender replied: "The same thing I'm doing to his business down here."
The 6th Affair
Jake was dying. His wife sat at the bedside.
He looked up and said weakly: "I have something I must confess."
"There's no need to, " his wife replied.
"No," he insisted, "I want to die in peace. I slept with your sister, your best friend,
her best friend, and your mother!"
"I know," she replied, " now just rest and let the poison work."
Tuesday, January 31, 2006
Politics
Doesn't really make sense, if you think about it too much, but moderately funny nonetheless:
A little boy goes to his dad and asks, "What is Politics?"
Dad says, "Well son, let me try to explain it this way:
I am the head of the family, so call me The President.
Your mother is the administrator of the money, so we call her the
Government.
We are here to take care of your needs, so we will call you the
People.
The nanny, we will consider her the Working Class.
And your baby brother, we will call him the Future.
Now think about that and see if it makes sense."
So the little boy goes off to bed thinking about what Dad has said
Later that night, he hears his baby brother crying, so he gets up to check on him. He finds that the baby has severely soiled his diaper.
So the little boy goes to his parent's room and finds his mother sound asleep. Not wanting to wake her, he goes to the nanny's room. Finding the door locked, he peeks in the keyhole and sees his father in bed with the nanny. He gives up and goes back to bed.
The next morning, the little boy says to his father, "Dad, I think I understand the concept of politics now." The father says, "Good, son, tell me in your own words what you think politics is all about."
The little boy replies, "The President is screwing the Working Class while the Government is sound asleep. The People are being ignored and the
Future is in deep shit."
A little boy goes to his dad and asks, "What is Politics?"
Dad says, "Well son, let me try to explain it this way:
I am the head of the family, so call me The President.
Your mother is the administrator of the money, so we call her the
Government.
We are here to take care of your needs, so we will call you the
People.
The nanny, we will consider her the Working Class.
And your baby brother, we will call him the Future.
Now think about that and see if it makes sense."
So the little boy goes off to bed thinking about what Dad has said
Later that night, he hears his baby brother crying, so he gets up to check on him. He finds that the baby has severely soiled his diaper.
So the little boy goes to his parent's room and finds his mother sound asleep. Not wanting to wake her, he goes to the nanny's room. Finding the door locked, he peeks in the keyhole and sees his father in bed with the nanny. He gives up and goes back to bed.
The next morning, the little boy says to his father, "Dad, I think I understand the concept of politics now." The father says, "Good, son, tell me in your own words what you think politics is all about."
The little boy replies, "The President is screwing the Working Class while the Government is sound asleep. The People are being ignored and the
Future is in deep shit."
Monday, January 30, 2006
Amgen
Amgen has switched its $47 million consumer advertising account from
Euro RSCG to Abelson-Taylor in Chicago, according to a rep for
Abelson.
The Chicago agency already handled medical professional duties on the
brand. Along with the Neulasta, Abelson also picked up Amgen's
Aranesp brand, another cancer drug that has minimal consumer ad
spending.
<http://brandweek.com/bw/news/pharmaceutical/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1001883967&imw=Y&imw=Y>
Euro RSCG to Abelson-Taylor in Chicago, according to a rep for
Abelson.
The Chicago agency already handled medical professional duties on the
brand. Along with the Neulasta, Abelson also picked up Amgen's
Aranesp brand, another cancer drug that has minimal consumer ad
spending.
<http://brandweek.com/bw/news/pharmaceutical/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1001883967&imw=Y&imw=Y>
News Corp., an increasingly dominant force in in-store advertising, is selling some marketers total control of advertising and promotion on the shelves of 35,000 U.S. stores for as long as two years at a time, according to internal company documents obtained by Advertising Age.
News Corp.'s News America, which has contracts to sell shelf ads, floor ads and instant-coupon machines at about 35,000 food, drug and mass merchandisers nationwide, had sales of about $1.1 billion last year.
Eight-figure deals
The deals, offered by News Corp.’s News America unit, run as high as eight figures and have been bought by top package-goods marketers, including Procter & Gamble Co., Kimberly-Clark Corp., Johnson & Johnson, Unilever and General Mills. Some of the so-called category buyouts can effectively lock out competitors from in-store advertising for their duration—even if the marketer is not advertising at that time—and confer an edge in crucial retail territory described by marketers as the “moment of truth.”
The category-buyout system was developed under Paul V. Carlucci, the hard-charging CEO of News America who last year was tapped by Rupert Murdoch to also replace his son Lachlan as publisher of The New York Post.
How it works
Mr. Carlucci has become famous in part for allegedly trying to rally his News America sales force by showing a clip from a film “The Untouchables” in which Al Capone beats a man to death with a baseball bat. That anecdote is recounted in the introduction to a $4.5 billion antitrust lawsuit filed Jan. 18 against News America by Valassis.
So how do the deals work? Though retailers own the shelf and floor space, News America has contracts to sell shelf ads, floor ads and instant-coupon machines at about 35,000 food, drug and mass merchandisers nationwide. News America had sales of about $1.1 billion last year as part of Rupert Murdoch’s $24 billion News Corp. While News Corp. doesn’t break out the in-store business from the newspaper coupon inserts, the in-store business likely accounts for at least $300 million annually. Industry executives and financial reports indicate News America holds a roughly 90% market share of its in-store media categories.
Under the terms of the deals it has been selling, marketers pay News America for media and a minimum production expense for in-store ads across multiple four-week cycles whether or not they use the space or services, according to the documents. In weeks they choose not to use the space, competitors can be blocked from using it.
Essential details of documents, which include copies of signed retailer contracts, spreadsheets and several issues of an internal employee newsletter called the “News America Marketing Communications Bulletin” were confirmed by at least three marketers who had signed up with the program, and one who had been shut out by it.
Blocked by rival
One package-goods marketer competing with Unilever said he was told when he inquired about buying a shelf-sample dispenser program that the category had been sold out to his rival for a year for $1.8 million. But the marketer said he hadn’t been asked to bid on the category-exclusive deal beforehand and wasn’t informed of the full scope of Unilever’s buyouts across multiple categories.
According to the employee newsletters from News America for November and December, category-exclusive deals with Unilever covering all or most weeks of 2006 in hair care, deodorant and hand-and-body lotion total $14.6 million as part of an overall in-store relationship of $19 million for the year. The hand-and-body deal alone was worth $9 million, according to the documents.
Unilever declined to comment on the deals.
Not all marketers use the category buyouts to block rivals. P&G has full or partial buyout deals in several categories, including diapers, facial cleansers/moisturizers, dish soap and laundry detergent, according to a News America spreadsheet. But a P&G spokeswoman noted that the company has only opted for one-year deals vs. the two-year deals some others have used and that it notifies News America and allows it to resell ads during four-week cycles its brands don’t intend to use. A J&J spokesman said that to his knowledge, the company uses all the cycles it buys.
Koch Industries’ Georgia-Pacific Corp. has News America’s “shelf talker” ads and coupon machines locked up through the end of 2008 for paper towels. “We find in-store marketing is a valuable tool for us, because it really speaks to our consumers,” said a spokeswoman. She declined to comment, however, on whether G-P makes the space it controls available to rivals when it’s not being used.
It appears G-P’s exclusive helped News America recently sell a rival less-prime inventory. A Jan. 13 News America newsletter congratulates sales reps who landed a $430,000 shopping-cart ad program for Kimberly-Clark Corp.’s Viva paper towels, noting: “This is a breakthrough sale because Viva is locked out of the shelf by a competitive buyout so we convinced the brand to try [shopping cart ads].” A K-C spokesman declined to comment.
A spokesman for General Mills, which according to the documents has shelf ads and coupons locked up through early to mid 2007 for cereal, yogurt and salty snacks, also declined to comment.
Antitrust issues?
Whether News America or package-goods companies could face antitrust problems over the buyouts is dubious, said one lawyer, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because his firm represents one or more of the marketers. “You could make an antitrust case,” he said, “but it would be a very weak case.”
Shelf coupons would be a key area of focus in such a case, because the exclusive deals could potentially restrict the frequency and amount of price-reduction deals for consumers at the shelf, he said. But a litigant would have to prove that shelf coupons are so unique they can’t be easily duplicated by other distribution methods—something he believes would be difficult at best.
“News America’s business practices work to benefit consumers and do not inhibit competition,” said Christopher Mixson, president, News America Marketing. “News America fairly competes by providing superior products at lower prices. This competition benefits our clients, retailers and consumers. We are gratified that our clients have sought to make larger buys in the face of numerous alternatives for their marketing dollars. We are proud so many companies find our products to be valuable and we are committed to providing them with the best possible service.”
-AdAge
News Corp.'s News America, which has contracts to sell shelf ads, floor ads and instant-coupon machines at about 35,000 food, drug and mass merchandisers nationwide, had sales of about $1.1 billion last year.
Eight-figure deals
The deals, offered by News Corp.’s News America unit, run as high as eight figures and have been bought by top package-goods marketers, including Procter & Gamble Co., Kimberly-Clark Corp., Johnson & Johnson, Unilever and General Mills. Some of the so-called category buyouts can effectively lock out competitors from in-store advertising for their duration—even if the marketer is not advertising at that time—and confer an edge in crucial retail territory described by marketers as the “moment of truth.”
The category-buyout system was developed under Paul V. Carlucci, the hard-charging CEO of News America who last year was tapped by Rupert Murdoch to also replace his son Lachlan as publisher of The New York Post.
How it works
Mr. Carlucci has become famous in part for allegedly trying to rally his News America sales force by showing a clip from a film “The Untouchables” in which Al Capone beats a man to death with a baseball bat. That anecdote is recounted in the introduction to a $4.5 billion antitrust lawsuit filed Jan. 18 against News America by Valassis.
So how do the deals work? Though retailers own the shelf and floor space, News America has contracts to sell shelf ads, floor ads and instant-coupon machines at about 35,000 food, drug and mass merchandisers nationwide. News America had sales of about $1.1 billion last year as part of Rupert Murdoch’s $24 billion News Corp. While News Corp. doesn’t break out the in-store business from the newspaper coupon inserts, the in-store business likely accounts for at least $300 million annually. Industry executives and financial reports indicate News America holds a roughly 90% market share of its in-store media categories.
Under the terms of the deals it has been selling, marketers pay News America for media and a minimum production expense for in-store ads across multiple four-week cycles whether or not they use the space or services, according to the documents. In weeks they choose not to use the space, competitors can be blocked from using it.
Essential details of documents, which include copies of signed retailer contracts, spreadsheets and several issues of an internal employee newsletter called the “News America Marketing Communications Bulletin” were confirmed by at least three marketers who had signed up with the program, and one who had been shut out by it.
Blocked by rival
One package-goods marketer competing with Unilever said he was told when he inquired about buying a shelf-sample dispenser program that the category had been sold out to his rival for a year for $1.8 million. But the marketer said he hadn’t been asked to bid on the category-exclusive deal beforehand and wasn’t informed of the full scope of Unilever’s buyouts across multiple categories.
According to the employee newsletters from News America for November and December, category-exclusive deals with Unilever covering all or most weeks of 2006 in hair care, deodorant and hand-and-body lotion total $14.6 million as part of an overall in-store relationship of $19 million for the year. The hand-and-body deal alone was worth $9 million, according to the documents.
Unilever declined to comment on the deals.
Not all marketers use the category buyouts to block rivals. P&G has full or partial buyout deals in several categories, including diapers, facial cleansers/moisturizers, dish soap and laundry detergent, according to a News America spreadsheet. But a P&G spokeswoman noted that the company has only opted for one-year deals vs. the two-year deals some others have used and that it notifies News America and allows it to resell ads during four-week cycles its brands don’t intend to use. A J&J spokesman said that to his knowledge, the company uses all the cycles it buys.
Koch Industries’ Georgia-Pacific Corp. has News America’s “shelf talker” ads and coupon machines locked up through the end of 2008 for paper towels. “We find in-store marketing is a valuable tool for us, because it really speaks to our consumers,” said a spokeswoman. She declined to comment, however, on whether G-P makes the space it controls available to rivals when it’s not being used.
It appears G-P’s exclusive helped News America recently sell a rival less-prime inventory. A Jan. 13 News America newsletter congratulates sales reps who landed a $430,000 shopping-cart ad program for Kimberly-Clark Corp.’s Viva paper towels, noting: “This is a breakthrough sale because Viva is locked out of the shelf by a competitive buyout so we convinced the brand to try [shopping cart ads].” A K-C spokesman declined to comment.
A spokesman for General Mills, which according to the documents has shelf ads and coupons locked up through early to mid 2007 for cereal, yogurt and salty snacks, also declined to comment.
Antitrust issues?
Whether News America or package-goods companies could face antitrust problems over the buyouts is dubious, said one lawyer, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because his firm represents one or more of the marketers. “You could make an antitrust case,” he said, “but it would be a very weak case.”
Shelf coupons would be a key area of focus in such a case, because the exclusive deals could potentially restrict the frequency and amount of price-reduction deals for consumers at the shelf, he said. But a litigant would have to prove that shelf coupons are so unique they can’t be easily duplicated by other distribution methods—something he believes would be difficult at best.
“News America’s business practices work to benefit consumers and do not inhibit competition,” said Christopher Mixson, president, News America Marketing. “News America fairly competes by providing superior products at lower prices. This competition benefits our clients, retailers and consumers. We are gratified that our clients have sought to make larger buys in the face of numerous alternatives for their marketing dollars. We are proud so many companies find our products to be valuable and we are committed to providing them with the best possible service.”
-AdAge
Wrigley
Wm. Wrigley Jr. Co. is consolidating its $150 million U.S. media planning and buying business with WPP Group’s MindShare, according to executives familiar with the matter.
Wrigley Senior Marketing Director Paul Chibe said MindShare will help 'build our business through creative and efficient media solutions.'
Roster shops
The move follows a review involving roster shops Omnicom Group’s OMD and WPP’s Mediacom, these executives said. The consolidation comes after Wrigley’s acquisition of Kraft Foods brands Life Savers, Creme Savers and Altoids.
The agencies couldn’t be reached for comment. Wrigley Senior Marketing Director Paul Chibe said MindShare will help "build our business through creative and efficient media solutions."
Wrigley acquisitions
Wrigley -- under the more risk-taking leadership of CEO William Wrigley, Jr. -- last year closed on the purchase of Life Savers and Altoids from Kraft Foods for $1.48 billion.
In late September, Wrigley tapped roster shop, Omnicom’s BBDO, Chicago, to handle the $8 million Life Savers and Creme Savers account, previously handled by Interpublic Group of Cos.' Foote Cone & Belding, choosing the agency over Publicis Groupe's Leo Burnett USA, which still handles Altoids.
Analysts unconvinced
The expensive acquisition has been questioned by analysts and observers as Altoids especially has been hard hit by the successes Hershey Co. has enjoyed with its Ice Breakers and Breathsavers mints in recent months.
According to TNS Media Intelligence/CMR, Wrigley spent $124 million in measured media on its gum and mint brands in 2004, while Kraft put $8 million against Life Savers and $13 million against Altoids during the same period.
Wrigley Senior Marketing Director Paul Chibe said MindShare will help 'build our business through creative and efficient media solutions.'
Roster shops
The move follows a review involving roster shops Omnicom Group’s OMD and WPP’s Mediacom, these executives said. The consolidation comes after Wrigley’s acquisition of Kraft Foods brands Life Savers, Creme Savers and Altoids.
The agencies couldn’t be reached for comment. Wrigley Senior Marketing Director Paul Chibe said MindShare will help "build our business through creative and efficient media solutions."
Wrigley acquisitions
Wrigley -- under the more risk-taking leadership of CEO William Wrigley, Jr. -- last year closed on the purchase of Life Savers and Altoids from Kraft Foods for $1.48 billion.
In late September, Wrigley tapped roster shop, Omnicom’s BBDO, Chicago, to handle the $8 million Life Savers and Creme Savers account, previously handled by Interpublic Group of Cos.' Foote Cone & Belding, choosing the agency over Publicis Groupe's Leo Burnett USA, which still handles Altoids.
Analysts unconvinced
The expensive acquisition has been questioned by analysts and observers as Altoids especially has been hard hit by the successes Hershey Co. has enjoyed with its Ice Breakers and Breathsavers mints in recent months.
According to TNS Media Intelligence/CMR, Wrigley spent $124 million in measured media on its gum and mint brands in 2004, while Kraft put $8 million against Life Savers and $13 million against Altoids during the same period.
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