Path: bloom-picayune.mit.edu!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!tamsun.tamu.edu!mtecv2!americast.com!americast.com!usa-post From: usa-post@AmeriCast.Com Newsgroups: usa-today.ads,americast.usa-today.ads Subject: ads Fri, Aug 28 1992 Message-ID: Date: 28 Aug 92 08:57:03 GMT Organization: American Cybercasting Lines: 124 Approved: usa-post@AmeriCast.com 08-28 0000 DECISIONLINE: Advertising USA TODAY Update Aug. 28-30, 1992 Source: USA TODAY:Gannett National Information Network ANTI-GANG AD UNDER FIRE: A television commercial intended to keep young black men from joining street gangs in the Chicago suburb of Evanston is under fire from community groups. The 30-second black-and-white ad by the Evanston Human Relations Commission depicts a neo-Nazi skinhead, a Ku Klux Klansman and a black male street gang member. The number of slayings of blacks attributed to each group appears on the screen. (For more, see special Gang package below.) TWO MAGAZINES ARE SPONSORED: Infomercials have spread to print. Readers should beware of two new "sponsored" magazines: Jenny Craig's Your Body, Your Health and the Mary Kay-sponsored Beauty. The ads are prominently displayed and the advertisers are mentioned in the articles. An article profiles Jenny Craig weight-loss success stories; a piece in Beauty heralds the opportunities offered by Mary Kay Cosmetics. MEDIA CAMPAIGN TARGETS BLACKS: Major-league baseball has launched a two-pronged effort to woo African-Americans, using targeted media and grass-roots approaches. Included in the campaign is a series of six print ads that began in the May issue of Ebony and the April 20 issue of Jet, and radio spots on the American Urban Radio Network. They're also buying time on Black Entertainment Television. MLB FOLLOWS OTHER MARKETERS: John Cordova, director of marketing for the Milwaukee Brewers says that "in the '50s and '60s, there was a large black following for the (then Milwaukee) Braves," and getting those fans back is now a matter of applying principles of target marketing. "Every major consumer products marketer in the country does it, and there is no reason why we shouldn't," he says. NEGATIVE ADS BACKFIRE: Democratic senatorial candidates Jim Moody and Joe Checota in Washington, who have traded harsh attacks on each other in recent days, said Thursday they would withdraw their negative political ads. The verbal ceasefire came as a Republican pollster reported Sen. Bob Kasten's re-election campaign had gained ground as the two Democratic candidates waged a negative television air war. NISSAN WINS COURT CASE: Nissan Motor says a federal court ruled in its favor in a trademark case over the name of its new sedan, the Altima. Nissan says the court denied a request by computer maker Altima Systems for a temporary restraining order over the use of the Altima name. The Altima sedan will be launched Tuesday. 3,800 ADS RAN DURING OLYMPICS: NBC aired more than 3,800 TV ads during the Barcelona Olympics. An Olympic TV viewer survey by Southfield, Mich.-based Creative Marketing Consultants says 87% of viewers indicated appreciation for sponsors. Coca-Cola had the most Olympic TV ads - 146 - and led in consumer recall. NFL NOT SELLING WELL: National Football League preseason ratings are down 10%, to 6.1, from a year ago, according to the Nielsen Ratings. There's even more bad news: With the regular season just nine days away, NBC and CBS still have 35% to 40% of unsold NFL commercial time. BEST WESTERN MOVES ACCOUNT: Best Western International of Phoenix, Ariz., has named Lord, Dentsu & Partners of Los Angeles to handle creative and media planning on its estimated $15 million North American account, at least through the end of the year. Karsh & Hagan of Englewood, Colo., formerly handled the account. TYCO CONSOLIDATES ACCOUNT: Tyco Toys of Mount Laurel, N.J., has named Bozell of London to handle its estimated $30 million European account, Advertising Age reports. The account had previously been held by various local agencies. There was no formal review. Bozell's New York office handles Tyco's U.S. account, estimated to be $55 million. SPECIAL PACKAGE ON GANG: AD CALLS MEMBERS `TRAITORS': An anit-gang ad running in the Chicago suburb of Evanston is causing a controversy. "If they were giving medals for killing black people," the announcer says, the neo-Nazi would win a bronze medal, the KKK member a silver and the street gang member the gold. ... If you're in a gang, you're not a brother. You're a traitor." COMMISSION STANDS BEHIND AD: The Evanston Human Relations Commission Director Owen Thomas says the ad, which has yet to run on a major TV station, will make young blacks think twice. "It's a damn good commercial," he says. But many disagree. Some disrupted a public screening two weeks ago, calling it racist. GROUP SAYS PROBLEM IS MISSTATED: The Consolidated Committee of Concerned Black Men said the ad supports stereotypes that all "black males are either gang members, criminals or at least suspects." The ad "misstates the problem," says Operation PUSH Executive Director Janette Wilson. "How will this commercial reduce violence and increase the value of life? Or make behavior more positive?" AD GETS SUPPORT: The Evanston chapter of Mothers Against Gangs supports the video. "Something is better than nothing," spokeswoman Anna Wright says. But she sees how it could offend. "Hate group murders and street gang murders happen for entirely different reasons. I don't think it's fair to link them," Wilson says. (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