Chief Marketer Staff

• Agencies

  Trademark Office Rejects Hormel’s Claim Against Spam Arrest

  In a stinging loss, meat company Hormel

• Agencies

  FTC Investigating Classmates Corp. Over Renewals

  The Federal Trade Commission is investigating online social network direct marketing firm Classmates Media Corporation over its subscription renewal practices, according to documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

• Nautilus Urges Shareholders to Reject Board Takeover Bid

  Nautilus Inc. has sent a message to its shareholders, urging them to reject a takeover bid of its board of directors.

• Vertis Communications Adds Two Executives

  Vertis Communications has hired Jon Singer to serve as senior vice president of sales and marketing for the company’s direct marketing division, and Oscar Padilla as director of interactive services.

• Agencies

  Talbots Takes A Third-Quarter Loss

  The Talbots, Inc., reported a third-quarter net loss of $9.4 million, compared with net income of $8.1 million a year earlier.

• Agencies

  Regal Entertainment Group Loyalty Club Hits 10 Million Members

  Regal Entertainment has signed up 10 million members to its loyalty program.

  The customer loyalty program, called the Regal Crown Club, offers frequent moviegoers the chance to accumulate credits toward free movies and concession treats. Members receive one credit per dollar spent on ticket purchases. Additional credits are earned for concession transactions.

• Agencies

  Gift Cards Rival Cash as Employee Incentives: Study

  Gift cards are outpacing cash as the gift of choice when it comes to employee recognition, according to a recent survey.

• Agencies

  ‘American Idol’ Takes Over Gift Cards

  IdeaEdge Inc. has launched the American Idol gift card, which lets recipients buy “American Idol” merchandise, including show apparel, accessories, karaoke CDs and a Playstation 2 video game.

• Agencies

  Modell’s Uses Sweeps to Build Database

  Modell’s Sporting Goods is running a sweepstakes for a spring training trip with a novel teammate spin to build its customer database.

• Agencies

  Canadians More Loyal Than U.S. Consumers: Study

  Canadian consumers play the loyalty card much more often than their U.S. counterparts, according to a recent study.