Path: bloom-picayune.mit.edu!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!news.media.mit.edu!americast.com!americast.com!usa-post Newsgroups: usa-today.ads,americast.usa-today.ads From: usa-post@AmeriCast.Com Organization: American Cybercasting Approved: usa-post@AmeriCast.com Subject: ads Wed, Oct 14 1992 Date: Wed, 14 Oct 92 04:48:25 EDT Message-ID: 10-14 0000 DECISIONLINE: Advertising USA TODAY Update Oct. 14, 1992 Source: USA TODAY:Gannett National Information Network ADVERTISERS MAY SPEND LESS: Like consumers they sell to, the nation's top advertisers are cautious about how much money they're going to spend. Advertising executives were in Hot Springs, Va., this week for a meeting of the Association of National Advertisers. Companies are delaying plans for ad spending in 1993 until after the Presidential election and until they know how strong fourth-quarter revenue will be. (For more, see special Spending package below.) TIME SUES BUSH:QUAYLE '92: TIME Magazine is filing suit against the Bush:Quayle '92 campaign for infringement of copyright, trademark and other laws, charging that the campaign is making unauthorized use of TIME's April 20, 1992 cover "Why Voters Don't Trust Clinton" in a television commercial. The magazine protests "the implicit suggestion ... that TIME endorses" the commercial's contents. PEROT ADS RECEIVE HIGH RATINGS: Ross Perot failed to crack primetime's Top 20 last week - but it wasn't for a lack of trying. The independent presidential candidate placed 30-minute ads on CBS and ABC, but because they are paid ads and not programs, they are not included in the weekly rankings. If they were included, Perot's 12.2 rating:20 share on CBS Tuesday would have finished in 32nd place. ABC WINS RATINGS WEEK: ABC, which won the ratings week with a 3% increase in viewership, scored big with its post-presidential debate analysis. Its half-hour special finished 12th for the week. The debate itself was commercial free, and is not included in the rankings. ABC of course got its biggest victory assist from "Roseanne," which finished at No. 1. NEW BALANCE KEEPS LOW PROFILE: New Balance - best known for its well-crafted, expensive running shoes - is a fairly low profile, independent and successful company. "We're not a marketing company, we're really a product-oriented company," CEO Jim Davis told USA TODAY Tuesday. "We don't have Michael Jordan, pay him five or six million bucks a year, then add it on to the price of the shoe." COMPANY WAVES THE FLAG: Athletic shoe company New Balance wouldn't launch $25 million media blitzes, a la Reebok's Dan and Dave network TV debacle. CEO Jim Davis says he wouldn't spend that kind of money for advertising even if he had it. However, Davis never misses an opportunity to promote the fact New Balance makes 75% of its shoes in the USA. NEWSPAPER PUSHES AUCTION: The Press & Sun-Bulletin, Binghamton, N.Y., recently published an eight-page tabloid section announcing the "Great Autumn Auction." To generate interest in the town's annual auction, merchants purchased ads in the section. The paper then supplied posters and pamphlets to those who placed ads, for use in their stores. Merchants report they are very pleased with the promotion. BENETTON PULLS AD: The New Yorker magazine's new editor, Tina Brown, asked Benetton to pull an ad from the Oct. 12 issue because it appeared to depict racism among Zulu tribeswomen in the same issue as a story on racism and Malcolm X. Benetton complied and will run a different ad next month. STUDY SHOWS SHOPPING PATTERNS: As the melting pot image of America takes on the appearance of a mosaic, one-size-fits-all marketing will need to be shelved, says marketing consultant Wendy Liebmann of WSL Marketing. For instance, Black consumers were found to be motivated to shop at a particular supermarket or store was driven by special sales or promotions. Blacks were less likely to shop in stores with everyday low prices. SPECIAL PACKAGE ON SPENDING: SALES MAY GO UP IN 1994: Most ad executives say 1993 will be a slow year for ad spending. "Ad spending is likely to hold flat over the next year," says Ross Love, advertising vice president for Procter & Gamble, the nation's largest advertiser. Love says by 1994, ad spending should be back up. But some plan increases this year, especially those marketing new products. That's a rule for hot technology products. REEBOK PLANS SHAQ ATTACK: Reebok plans an ad campaign early next year with basketball star Shaquille O'Neal. Seven-Up will boost spending 5% above inflation, says marketing chief Russ Klein. And Visa's Jan Soderstrom predicts a "healthy increase." Advertising has been hit hard by the recession. In 1991, spending by the 100 biggest advertisers dropped 3.9% to $33.7 billion, according to Advertising Age. BIG MONEY JUMPS ARE GONE: Annual increases of at least 5% may not return for several years, says Harry Davis, Du Pont communications director. Many marketers say spending may shift to brand advertising and away from special promotions like coupons and rebates. P&G stunned the industry this year when it cut promotions to retailers and began offering everyday-low-prices, like Wal-Mart. (End of package.) Advertising Editor: Martin Baucom. (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