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Volkswagen Promo Gives Away Guitars That Plug Into Vehicles NEW YORK Volkswagen tomorrow launches a new promotion that will put VW-adorned guitars in the hands of consumers who buy or lease designated 2007 vehicles and select 2006 models before year's end. The electric guitars, made by First Act Garage Master, can be plugged directly into each car's sound system. The customized instruments sport VW's logo, a "V Dub" inlay, pick guards that match the color of the car and a strap made of safety belts. VW will tout the promotion via a TV, print and radio campaign from MDC's Crispin Porter + Bogusky that stars guitarists John Mayer and Slash and actor Christopher Guest. The promotion shows that VW has "innovative ideas and an unparalleled ability to create unique and appealing connections with consumers," said Kerri Martin, VW's director of brand innovation.$100 Mil. Audi Creative Review Should Be Wrapped Before '07CHICAGO Audi of America expects to have a winner in its search to handle creative duties on its $100 million account by the end of the year, according to a company rep. The Auburn Hills, Mich., company has asked four agencies—13-year incumbent Havas' McKinney in Durham, N.C., Publicis-backed Bartle Bogle Hegarty in New York, Publicis' Fallon in Minneapolis and independent Venables, Bell & Partners in San Francisco—to compete for the account, the representative said. The search comes only four months after former Mercedes executive Scott Keogh joined Audi as chief marketing officer. Media duties, handled by WPP 's MediaCom, are not in play.Havas Income During First Half Falls 18% to $80 Mil. NEW YORK Havas last week reported an 18 percent drop in first-half operating income to $80 million on a 3 percent revenue gain to $915 million, compared to the first six months of 2005. Havas also reported a 40 percent drop in net profit for the period to $27 million. The Paris-based holding company cited spending to hire new talent as the main reason for the decline. On the plus side, Havas reported net new business of $1.1 billion for the first half of 2006, almost as much as it generated in all of 2005, a year punctuated by the losses of key clients Volkswagen and Intel.Pizza Hut Set to Hear Ideas From at Least 3 AgenciesNEW YORK Yum! Brands' Pizza Hut is scheduled to hear presentations from WPP's Ogilvy & Mather and Publicis' The Kaplan Thaler Group here this month, sources said, and at least one other shop. Omnicom's BBDO in New York has handled the $250 million account since 1987. IPG's DraftFCB Group in Chicago, which handles Taco Bell and KFC for Yum!, was also said to be in discussions with the client, but an agency rep said, "We are not pitching or presenting to Pizza Hut." Sources said the account could be a conflict with the agency's Kraft's DiGiorno frozen pizza account. A Kraft executive did not return calls. Yum! declined comment. Agencies either declined comment or referred calls to the client. GM Shifts Agency Assignments To Deutsch/LA and AegisNEW YORK General Motors made two major agency changes last week, shifting lead agency chores on its corporate advertising account to Deutsch/LA and moving approximately $750 million in European media chores to Aegis Group. London-based Aegis confirmed that its media operations added buying and planning for brands including Chevrolet, Saab and Vauxhaul/Opel. The incumbents were IPG's Universal McCann and Initiative. Separately, Deutsch added lead duties on GM's corporate image business from McCann Erickson. Both shops are owned by IPG. McCann in Troy, Mich., continues to handle GM's Buick and Chevrolet accounts overseas as well as its Buick, Pontiac and GMC dealer group advertising. Billings on the assignment were undisclosed, but through the first six months of this year, GM spent more than $100 million on its corporate branding initiatives, per Nielsen Monitor-Plus. NEW YORK Heineken USA could cut to four finalists this week [Oct. 2] in the review of its combined $80 million Heineken Lager and Heineken Premium Light brands. Last week [Sept. 28], two more semifinalists emerged, bringing the total to eight. The Richards Group in Dallas and Wieden + Kennedy, pitching from its New York and Portland, Ore., offices, are among the semifinalists, which include incumbents, WPP Group's Berlin Cameron United (Premium Light) and Publicis Groupe's Publicis (Heineken Lager); Havas' Arnold in Boston; IPG's The Martin Agency in Richmond, Va.; WPP's Ogilvy & Mather and independent M&C Saatchi, according to sources. The agencies referred calls to the White Plains, N.Y., client which declined comment. Pile and Co. in Boston is handling the process, which is expected to conclude in December. Walt Disney will shutter its Mobile ESPN operations later this year in favor of a business model that will see the sports network license its content to third-party wireless carriers. Launched in February during Super Bowl XL, Mobile ESPN attracted a mere 30,000 subscribers. It spent $40 million on domestic ads through the first half of 2006, per Nielsen Monitor-Plus. Havas' Arnold in Boston handled the account._In August, Disney president and COO Bob Iger said the company's investment in the mobile service was $150 million._

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