Path: bloom-picayune.mit.edu!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!news.media.mit.edu!americast.com!usa-post Newsgroups: usa-today.ads From: usa-post@AmeriCast.Com Organization: American Cybercasting Approved: usa-post@AmeriCast.com Subject: ads Tue, Mar 3 1992 Date: Tue, 3 Mar 92 06:00:08 EST Message-ID: 03-03 0000 DECISIONLINE: Advertising USA TODAY Update March 3, 1992 Source: USA TODAY:Gannett National Information Network KIDS SEE TOY ADS MOST: The Children's Advertising Review Unit of the Council of Better Business Bureaus reports that, of the products advertised during children's programming, toys account for 34% of the products promoted, followed by breakfast foods at 23% and snacks and drinks at 18%. A conference on advertising directed to children opens Tuesday in New York. COURT TO HEAR AIRLINE AD CASE: The Supreme Court will hear a case Tuesday to determine the power of states to enforce their own consumer protection laws against airlines for deceptive advertising. "State attorneys general got thousands of complaints that the ads amounted to `bait and switch,' " says Cornelius Hitchcock of the Aviation Consumer Action Project. CASE COULD HAMPER AIRLINES: If the Supreme Court grants states enforcement power, airline competition will be hampered if ads have to be screened for compliance with the law of all 50 states, says James Casey of the Air Transport Association. He also says some fares could be eliminated if, for example, a certain state required that a minimum number of seats at the advertised price be made available for sale. MERCEDES CHANGES AGENCIES: As part of a two-year corporate overhaul, Mercedes-Benz of North America has fired its ad agency of 13 years, McCaffrey & McCall, and hired Scali, McCabe, Sloves. "We think it's prudent, once a decade, to ask the question, `Do we have the right ad agency for the decade coming up?"' says Michael Jackson, Mercedes' executive vice president of sales and marketing. (For more, see special Mercedes package below.) TV CONTINUES NOSTALGIA TREND: Tuesday's "Happy Days Reunion" on ABC (9:30 EST:PST), continues network television's fascination with its past. The long-running series was inspired by the movie "American Graffiti," which also starred Happy Days' star Ron Howard. Tuesday's look back at the show's 255 episodes includes an appearance by Marion Ross, who is currently starring in CBS's "Brooklyn Bridge." MARKETING TREND BECOMING CLEAR: From toilet-bowl cleansers to underarm deodorants, packaged-goods companies are reformulating old products and developing new ones without dyes or color additives. Experts say companies want to develop and promote products that consumers will perceive as environmentally friendly or healthier for them - even though there may be no real benefits. `GURU' TO PROMOTE L.A. RECYCLING: Los Angeles residents can learn the benefits of recycling through a television ad campaign starring "The Guru." Portrayed by a popular comedian, "The Guru" is a wisecracking sage who dispenses advice on curbside recycling and other waste reduction methods. The celebrity's identity is to be revealed when he appears at a news conference at the Los Angeles Coliseum at 9 a.m. Friday. MIDWEST MAGAZINE IS HOT: Midwest Living, a magazine that devotes itself to country inns, rural folk festivals and fall foliage excursions, has become one of the hottest magazines in America. The five-year-old publication was recently declared the "hottest circulation magazine of the year" by Capell's Circulation Report, an industry newsletter in New Jersey. PC:Computing finished second and Vanity Fair was third. LANG OFFERS CROSS-MEDIA DEALS: Lang Communications' foray into TV with its "Working Woman" show is giving the magazine company a chance to offer cross-media deals. Some national advertisers, such as Stouffer's, Neutrogena, Calgon and P&G have already signed on. The "Working Woman" show, which debuted in Washington in February 1991 has picked up 20 markets, including Chicago, Minneapolis and Los Angeles. SPECIAL PACKAGE ON MERCEDES: MERCEDES ACCOUNT REDEEMS SCALI: For ad agency Scali, McCabe, Sloves, winning the Mercedes-Benz business last week was sweet redemption. Last year, New York-based Scali resigned its Volvo account after an ad in which a monster truck rolls over a Volvo was found to be faked. Volvo and the agency each paid a $150,000 fine to the Federal Trade Commission but did not admit wrongdoing. ADS DIDN'T HURT SCALI'S CHANCES: Scali, McCabe, Sloves' Volvo advertising scandal shocked the industry and severely damaged Scali's reputation, but it did not affect Scali's chances when it sought Mercedes' ad business. The faked ad had received so much publicity, "obviously, they knew about it," Scali Chairman Marvin Sloves says. "The Peruvians knew about it." MERCEDES SHARED WITH SISTER SHOP: Scali will share the Mercedes account with its sister shop, the Martin Agency, with Scali creating a national campaign and Martin handling regional ads. Mercedes will boost ad spending from an estimated $90 million annually to $120 million to increase regional emphasis. The ads will still talk about safety and value, says John Adams, Martin chairman. But they will also play up intangibles. (End of package.) Advertising Editor: Mickey McLean. (1-919-855-3491) Making copies of USA TODAY Update (Copyright, 1992) for further distribution violates federal law. This article is copyright 1992 Gannett News Service. Redistribution to other sites is not permitted except by arrangement with American Cybercasting Corporation. For more information, send-email to usa@AmeriCast.COM