Agency

Mars, Incorporated announced a plan to reorganize the assignments of its current four agency partners to further enhance the Company global brand strategy. The shift will ensure that, across major markets, Mars’ core global brands will be aligned under a single creative agency. This is expected to advance global strategy development and increase efficiency in application of strategy and creative across markets. Under the plan, Mars will refine distribution of brand assignments between existing partners, BBDO, DDB, SapientNitro and TBWA between now and the end of 2011.

The National Association for Multi-ethnicity In Communications (NAMIC)announced the winners of its 2009 Excellence in Multi-cultural Marketing Awards (EMMA) competition. Showcasing top Marketing Tactics and Case Studies/Campaigns targeted to multi-cultural audiences, the awards will be presented at the 23rd Annual NAMIC Conference. Scheduled for October 26-28, 2009, the 23rd Annual NAMIC Conference will be held at the Grand Hyatt in Denver, Colorado.

Facing a variety of national problems — crime, drugs, corruption, a troubled economy — Mexicans overwhelmingly are dissatisfied with the direction of their country. With drug-related violence affecting much of Mexico, large majorities describe crime (81%) and illegal drugs (73%) as very big problems, and Mexicans overwhelmingly endorse President Felipe Calderón’s tough stance against drug traffickers.

The U.S. Census Bureau released the latest American Community Survey (ACS) data, providing a statistical portrait of the characteristics of the nation’s population in 2008.

US ad spending expected to recover slowly in 2011 and 2012

All it takes is a quick look at the business world to realize that textbook organizational structures, even when implemented perfectly, are increasingly coming into conflict with conditions in the real world. Market conditions have changed, and will continue to do so in the years ahead. The current economic situation will reinforce this trend and ultimately make its effects permanent. The question is: how will these developments influence brands?

Procter & Gamble’s Pepto-Bismol TV campaign “Love and Hate” by Lapiz won Best of Show/Campaign with two TV spots showing food behaving badly with the message “Don’t let the food you love hurt you.” Lapiz also won a gold and a silver award for the individual spots “Empanada” and “Cheesecake.”