Top Story

• PepsiCo crowdsources Dew review
  PepsiCo is giving consumers the power to decide who will do marketing for three product launches. In a contest starting this month, any agency, independent film company or individual can submit 12-second clips outlining their ideas for marketing Mtn Dew line extensions Distortion, Whiteout and Typhoon. Advertising Age (11/2) , Adweek (11/2)

Agency News

• Closing time at Cliff Freeman
  Cliff Freeman & Partners, the New York ad shop that created memorable campaigns for Little Caesars and Outpost.com, has closed its doors. Some observers suggested that the ad shop's focus on TV over digital could be among the possible reasons for its demise. Founder Cliff Freeman did not comment for this article. Advertising Age (11/2)

Creative

• Small banks band together to win business from bigger rivals
  Smaller, local banks and credit unions around the country are banding together to pitch their services to potential customers as being a reliable alternative to major banks. "It's a land grab right now and credit unions and small banks are in a great position to grab market share, and they're using marketing messages to their advantage," said Jacob Jegher, a senior analyst at consulting firm Celent. The New York Times (11/1)

Media

• Report: Comcast-NBCU deal nearing the finish line
  Comcast and General Electric are closing in on a deal that would give the cable provider a 51% stake in NBCU. Under the deal, Comcast would bundle its own portfolio of networks with NBCU. G.E. would retain a 49% stake in the company. One wildcard is the 20% of NBCU that is owned by Vivendi, which G.E. is looking to buy back from the French media company. The New York Times (11/1) , Reuters (11/2)

• Detroit paper gets an editorial assist from advertisers
  An advertising strategy by the Gannett-owned Free Press in Detroit pushes the traditional boundaries between newsrooms and ad departments, by allowing marketers to have some influence over story ideas as well as a say on when stories are run. Free Press editor and publisher Paul Anger said, "One of the things I think newsrooms have to realize, is we're here to cover the news in an unvarnished way, but we're also here to facilitate commerce." The Wall Street Journal (11/2)

• Watch out for phony ad buyers
  Blog publisher Gawker Media recently fell victim to a scam in which online advertising is bought by a con artist impersonating a legitimate advertising executive. The ad campaign is then used to distribute malicious software or to gather information about the identities of clickers to be used in subsequent scams. Advertising Age (11/2)

Trends & Research

• Many advertising holding companies are looking to emerging markets for growth in 2010. Which market do you think will show the greatest gains next year?
  Look out for the AAAA SmartBrief Year-End Report on Dec. 8 and 15. The results of this poll will appear in Part 2 on Dec. 15.

	Brazil
	Russia
	China
	India
	Don't know

• Pharma ads no longer cure for what ails print?
  Print publications enjoy a lucrative business in direct-to-consumer pharma ads, but they are facing challenges on two fronts: competition from online rivals and the possibility of new government-imposed ad regulation. Brandweek (11/1)

• Census expected to reveal new marketing insights about Hispanics
  Ad agencies and media firms anticipate the results of the 2010 Census could lead to major changes in the way their clients approach the fast-growing Hispanic market "It will be a huge eye-opener when we see the growing affluence of the Hispanic marketplace, not just in buying power but also in household wealth," said Cynthia McFarlane, chair of Hispanic shop Conill, a unit of Publicis Groupe. Adweek (11/2)

Featured Content

Marketer News

• Wisk helps naughty networkers clean up their acts
  Wisk-It, sponsored by detergent Wisk, lets users clean up their Facebook image by identifying photos they'd like their friends to remove. The Wisk brand is getting a marketing update, and the application was created by agency TracyLocke. The New York Times (free registration) (11/1)

Technology

• Learning to love the DVR
  The TV industry initially recoiled at the development of TiVo and other digital video recorders, concerned that the technology would lead to viewers ignoring advertising during DVR playback. However, research shows that DVRs are boosting audiences for certain shows, and that 46% of viewers in the 18-to-49 demo are staying put for TV spots during playback, according to Nielsen. NBC president of research Alan Wurtzel said, "Nobody knew the commercial ratings would be as robust as they are." The New York Times (11/1)

• Virtual worlds add new dimension to estate law
  Ownership rights to virtual goods and the ability for heirs to look at e-mail and social-networking accounts are emerging -- and unresolved -- areas of estate law. "Access and control are the two big levers," said Deven R. Desai, a visiting fellow at the Center for Information Technology Policy at Princeton University. "Assuming it's yours, can you access it, and how easy is it to move it around?" The New York Times (11/1)

Association News

• Agency 2.5: How Agencies Are Transforming for the Future
  The agency business model has been under assault for the past decade, and today's economic crisis only underscores the critical changes that agencies must make in terms of their business model, the way that they provide services, and -- most importantly -- the way that they make money.

  The highly successful and in-demand 4A's workshop "Agency 2.5: How Agencies Are Transforming for the Future," coming up on Nov. 11, 2009, in Minneapolis and Nov. 19, 2009, in Cincinnati, looks at the traditional agency model and discusses what to relinquish, what to rework and what to reinvent.

  Workshop leader Tim Williams, Ignition Group, will explore the emerging functions that are reframing the agency skill set, including social media, analytics, experience design and reputation management, and demonstrate with concrete, real-world examples just what model agencies should utilize to "transform" and roll out in the 21st Century.

  This seminar is designed for agency professionals of all levels and in all disciplines -- including account management, account planning, creative, media, digital, public relations and other client-facing agency disciplines. Visit the 4A's Web site to learn more about reserving your spot at this popular 4A's workshop.

Hot Topics

Top five news stories selected by AAAA SmartBrief readers in the past week.

• Some agencies raise concerns about tightfisted clients (Advertising Age)

• Agency openings, expansions signs of hope for ad industry (The New York Times)

• Campbell Soup billboard stars extra-long noodle (Advertising Age)

• Publicis chief forecasts revenue growth by mid-2010 (The Wall Street Journal)

• Advertisers head back to the mall (Mediaweek)

• Results based on number of times each story was clicked by readers.

SmartQuote

Accept the challenges so that you may feel the exhilaration of victory." --George S. Patton Jr., World War II general