Chief Marketer Staff

• Meredith Acquires Directive Corp.

  Meredith Corp. has acquired Directive Corp., a database marketing services firm, for an undisclosed sum.

• Agencies

  Veronis Suhler Acquires Tranzact for $185 Million

  Veronis Suhler Stevenson has acquired Tranzact, a direct marketing services firm, for $185 million from Halyard Capital.

• Compact Information Acquires World Marketing’s List Operation

  Compact Information Systems has acquired World Marketing Inc.’s list services division.

• Agencies

  Yahoo, EBay and PayPal Debut Anti-Phishing Effort

  Yahoo, EBay and PayPal have joined forces to better protect consumers against fraudulent e-mails and phishing attacks.

• Agencies

  Coldwater Creek Ups Griesemer to CEO

  Coldwater Creek has promoted Daniel Griesemer from president/chief operating officer to chief executive officer and has named him to its board of directors.

• Nationwide Bumps Anheuser-Bush in $25 Million NASCAR Deal

  Nationwide Insurance has bumped Anheuser-Busch as title sponsor of the NASCAR Nationwide Series in a seven-year deal reportedly valued at $12 million a year.

• Simply Asia Foods Breaks Largest Campaign

  Simply Asia Foods is launching its largest marketing effort this fall with an integrated effort to let people know that cooking Asian food at home is really quite easy.

• Agencies

  Honda Puts its Battle of the Bands on DVD

  Honda is putting a different spin on its annual collegiate battle of the bands, issuing a DVD of last year’s competition leading up to last January’s finale at the Georgia Dome.

• For Trusted Advice, Consumers Turn to Word of Mouth: Nielsen

  When it comes to trustworthy sources of information about products and services, consumers overwhelmingly put their trust in…other consumers, according to a new survey from Nielsen Research.

• News Brief

  JCPENNEY CO. INC.: is marking the opening of its latest stores in Riverdale, TX, and Little Rock, AK, with an in-store sweepstakes for a chance to win a $1,000 gift card.