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 Fri, Mar 20 1992 Date: Fri, 20 Mar 92 05:44:41 EST Message-ID: 03-20 0000 DECISIONLINE: Advertising USA TODAY Update March 20-22, 1992 Source: USA TODAY:Gannett National Information Network PEPSICO FACES SUIT: Arthur Takeall, 45, is suing PepsiCo for more than $130 million, claiming it stole his slogan. Takeall says he's been saying "You got the right one, uh-huh" since he began doing a ventriloquist act with his dummy, Scooter, in 1983. In Diet Pepsi ads, Ray Charles sings, "You've got the right one, baby, uh-huh." Takeall says he sent Diet Pepsi a jingle with the phrase in 1989. PEPSICO REFUSED OFFERS: Arthur Takeall says PepsiCo refused settlement offers when he negotiated with the firm in 1989 over them using the phrase "You got the right one, uh-huh." He says he created the phrase. PepsiCo says Takeall did contact the company but says it wouldn't describe discussions with him as settlement talks. Collin Dobbin, a lawyer for PepsiCo, says the company's ad agency developed the slogan. FIRMS UPDATING OLD PRODUCTS: Instead of going into the expensive and risky waters of starting new brands, many firms are updating and promoting older, well-known products. Among them: Barbasol shaving cream, Brylcreem hair dressing and the Pillsbury Doughboy. "A brand name has built-in equity, with millions of dollars invested in it over time," says John Lister of ListerButler, a brand identity consultant. (For more, see special Brands package below.) CHEERS TO HAVE ANOTHER ROUND: NBC renewed "Cheers" Thursday, but it will have new executive producers next season. Cheri Eichen, Bill Steinkellner and Phoef Sutton are leaving to work on "Bob," a new CBS sitcom planned for fall starring Bob Newhart. New "Cheers" producers are expected to be selected from the ranks. In "Bob," Newhart plays a comic book artist. ELLE TO HAVE TEEN VERSION: Annabelle is one possible title of a teen version of Elle magazine that Hachette Magazines is considering for publication in the fall of 1992, MEDIAWEEK reports. It will be initially published as a special issue which will increase in frequency at a later date. MAZDA TO USE TEASER CAMPAIGN: Mazda plans to spend $35 million on a campaign promoting the redesigned RX-7 sports car, ADWEEK reports. As many as six television spots will tease viewers with images of the days when a sports car was a sports car. The RX-7 will not appear in the teasers. Instead, the commercials will feature archival footage of sports car races and fans from the 1950s and 1960s. ABC TO STOP RUNNING CABLE ADS: ABC says it will no longer accept advertising from basic advertising-supported cable networks such as ESPN, Lifetime and Arts & Entertainment. "It does not benefit ABC to promote competing programming services," a ABC spokeswomen is quoted as saying in Broadcast magazine. The Changes are part of the network's tougher advertising guidelines. MTV MAKES RETURN: Cable subscribers in three states who raised a ruckus when they lost their MTV last January will be getting it back on basic cable. Sammons Communications and MTV said Thursday they've reached an agreement that will allow the music video channel to return to cable systems in Vineland, N.J.; Bensalem, Pa.; Johnson City, Tenn.; and Bristol, Tenn.:Va. TIMES MIRROR AD REVENUES DOWN: Advertising revenues for Times Mirror's Newspaper Publishing group for Febuary decreased 2.2% to $113 million from $115.5 million in camparison to the same month in 1991. For the nine weeks Jan. 1 through March 1, total advertising revenues fell 3.7%. The cumulative results for 1992 contained one less day compared with the comparable period of 1991. SPECIAL PACKAGE ON BRANDS: MANY SAVING MONEY: Many companies are saving money buy retooling old products rather than introducing new ones. For Pillsbury, that has meant building a new campaign around its 27-year-old Doughboy. Pillsbury's ads portray him as a contemporary every man. "He's part of Americana and consumers are fond of him, and we think he's added momentum to our products." says ad director Greg Lincoln. MANY NEW BRANDS ARE SPINOFFS: Many new brands aren't really new, says Gorman's New Product News editor Martin Friedman. Most are new versions or extensions of existing products. This year, RJR Nabisco plans to roll out Mini Oreo, the sixth brand extension of the 80-year-old Oreo cookie. Campbell Soup's V8 brand gets juiced up with spicier Light 'n Tangy V8. Hot dog maker Vienna Sausage will introduce Deli-Lite. RITZ SPINOFFS SUCCESSFUL: RJR Nabisco has had fantastic success extending the success of its 58-year-old Ritz cracker by adding five other Ritz products. The group accounted for 40% of Ritz' overall $500 million revenue last year. "We're committed to new products, but new products are a lot more dicey," says Sharon Fordham, who has managed new and existing Nabisco brands. (End of package.) Advertising Editor: Ed Kelleher. (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