Hotlines

Zenith Nabs North American Portion of Fox Films' MediaNEW YORK Publicis' Zenith Optimedia has won the North American portion of Fox Filmed Entertainment's estimated $1.1 billion media account following a review, the client has confirmed. Aegis' Vizeum and WPP's MindShare also competed. About $750 million of Fox's overall annual ad outlay has been spent in U.S. media, according to Nielsen Monitor-Plus. During the pitch, Fox (which last year released the movie Borat, pictured) added its eponymous TV network, Hispanic and syndication buys to the review, elevating ad spending on the North American portion of the business close to $1 billion. Fox is still evaluating overseas markets, where ZenithOptimedia and Vizeum are still in contention.JWT's Quish Takes Second Role At Specialized CommunicationsNEW YORK JWT North American region president Rob Quish has taken on the additional role of CEO of JWT Specialized Communications. At Specialized, Quish, 44, succeeds Tim Gibbon, 63, who is retiring. Specialized, with estimated revenue of $30-40 million, develops marketing and communications programs that drive employer recruitment efforts, grow enrollment at colleges and universities, and target baby boomers. The New York-based Quish will keep his duties as region president, overseeing JWT offices in Chicago, Atlanta, San Francisco and Toronto. To assume his new post, Quish shed his duties as chief talent officer at the WPP agency. JWT Worldwide CEO Bob Jeffrey is looking outside the agency to fill the position. 'NYT' Adds TV, Web Site To 'These Times' CampaignNEW YORK The New York Times, in its third wave of ads in its "These times demand the Times" brand image campaign, adds a TV spot and a dedicated Web site to the marketing mix. A 60-second commercial that breaks today depicts the making of a newspaper edition in reverse, beginning with a man reading a story on his office computer at the end of the day and concluding with a close-up of a reporter and her notebook. The dedicated site, www.thesetimesdemandthetimes.com, features a link to the spot and profiles of Times' reporters and columnists. The newspaper, which typically spends around $20 million in major measured media annually, did not disclose a budget for the latest effort, which was created in-house. Separately, the Times has split with New York independent Anomaly after roughly 18 months as its strategic and creative agency. The paper will continue to lead its brand image ad efforts internally, CMO Alyse Myers said. NBA 'Globe Trotters' Team Up With FedExNEW YORK FedEx said it signed five National Basketball Association players who are foreign nationals to promote its overseas shipping capabilities with a marketing campaign, "Go around the world with FedEx." Andrei Kirilenko (Utah Jazz/Russia), Manu Ginobili (San Antonio Spurs/Argentina), Steve Nash (Phoenix Suns/Canada), Tony Parker (San Antonio/France) and Peja Stojakovic (New Orleans Hornets/Serbia) will all appear in communications about the service with an on-site promotion during the February NBA All-Star game. FedEx's lead agency is Omnicom's BBDO, New York, but the campaign is being produced in-house by the NBA.Alchemy CEO Relinquishes Duties Amid Health IssueNEW YORK Richard Pounder, president and CEO of Alchemy, a Johnson & Johnson roster shop and subsidiary of IPG's Lowe, has shifted to a part-time advisory role so he can deal with a heart condition that surfaced more than a year ago. Succeeding Pounder as CEO is Amy Sacks, the New York shop's CCO. Client services chief Kieran Walsh has assumed the president's title. The personnel moves took effect this month. "We're very confident, with Richard's continued involvement, that the Alchemy team will lead the business effectively," said Lowe worldwide CEO Stephen Gatfield. Alchemy's J&J business includes brands such as Motrin, Imodium, Pepcid, Mylanta, Cortaid and Splenda. Pounder, 60, will advise the agency for at least a year. NicoDerm Makes Quitters Beautiful in Arnold AdsNEW YORK GlaxoSmithKline's NicoDerm CQ, a nicotine patch, is continuing its anti-smoking efforts with new work from Havas' Arnold that features "The beauty of quitting" as a tagline. The ads come on the heels of Arnold's earlier work this year for GSK's Commit lozenge, which focused on real smokers attempting to quit. "Our strategic department was doing interviews with women who were quitting and they were noticing women saying, 'As I've been smoking a long time, my skin is gray and I've been losing that glow,'" said Ken Ferris, creative director at Arnold in New York. "It was a terrific insight and we said, 'Let's take it and turn it into a program.'" The print aspect features models, visible from the shoulders up, with parts of their skin circled and marked in white. Smoker's lines, extra wrinkles and gray skin are all pointed out.Butler, Shine, Stern Bows First Priceline CommercialsCHICAGO William Shatner continues his role as pitchman for Priceline.com in Butler, Shine, Stern & Partners' first campaign since winning creative duties on the $50 million account last year. TV spots from the shop, done like a campy 1960s spy show, star Shatner as "The Negotiator" helping customers find the best travel prices and packages. "No one deals like we do" is the tagline.FCC Chairman Nixes Sirius-XM Satellite MergerNEW YORK Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin Martin signaled last week that the FCC would not support a Sirius-XM Satellite Radio merger, making it clear that regulations created when the service was conceived more than a decade ago clearly state that "two satellite radio operators [must] remain in place." While no merger plan has been filed with the agency, Martin said the FCC would "look at anything that comes before us." He noted there is "a prohibition on one entity owning both of those licenses" and recalled that the commission rejected the proposed merger between two satellite TV companies in 2004. (A pro-consolidation-oriented panel of commissioners rejected that proposal in less than 60 days.)Consumer Electronics Maker Awards Global Task to Y&RNEW YORK Young & Rubicam last week landed international creative duties for the launch of LG Electronics' new 1080p high-definition, flat-screen televisions. WPP's Y&R, an LG roster shop, won the new assignment after a pitch against Havas' Euro RSCG, another LG agency. Y&R's New York headquarters will take the lead on the assignment. Billings were not disclosed. Y&R's first work on the business—a television, print, interactive and outdoor effort—is expected to break in the spring. Y&R already handles creative duties on LG Electronics products in Korea, Turkey, South Africa, Mexico, Canada and the United Arab Emirates. Also, in the U.S., sister shop BrandBuzz handles creative duties on electronics, appliances and mobile phones. "LG has been a fantastic client partner and we are thrilled they've chosen us to lead their global advertising efforts for such an important product line," said Y&R worldwide CEO Hamish McLennan, in a statement.

Brand Marketing

Hotlines

Adweek Staff

About

Subscriptions

Events

Publications

WORK SMARTER - LEARN, GROW AND BE INSPIRED.

Subscribe today!

Adweek Staff