Chief Marketer Staff

• Burger King Franchisees Sue McDonald’s Over Promotions

  An association representing Burger King franchisees last week filed a lawsuit against rival McDonald’s Corp. seeking damages upwards of $500 million for unfair competition from McDonald’s Monopoly games and other promotions. The lawsuit, filed Aug. 18 …

• Kraft Offers Summer Recipes for iPod Users

  Need a recipe for Pesto Crostini, Parmesan Corn or Peach Shortcake? Go no further than your Apple iPod. In a partnership between Kraft Foods and Apple, the “Greatest Hits of Summer” now come in the form of 100 Kraft-inspired recipes that can be …

• Miller Brewing Drops Test of Fruity Malt Beverage

  Miller Brewing Co. has decided to drop a test for a fruit-flavored malt beverage. The beverage, Brutal Fruit, had been testing in Richmond, VA, Tampa, FL, and Seattle, WA, during the spring and summer, Miller Brewing spokesman Peter Marino said …

• Home Depot CMO Resigns

  John Costello, the executive VP-merchandising and marketing for The Home Depot, has left the company to pursue other business opportunities. Costello, 58, joined The Home Depot in November 2002. His last day was Friday. “Under his leadership, we entered …

• Christie Brinkley Returns as Face of CoverGirl

  After a 10-year separation, Christie Brinkley is back as the face of CoverGirl cosmetics. Brinkley, even at 51, is all-American beauty and a natural choice to pitch CoverGirl’s new anti-aging Advanced Radiance Compact Foundation, the company said. The …

• Agencies

  Wal-Mart Stores Host Inuyasha The Movie 3 Theater Tour

  In a new spin on DVD marketing, select Wal-Mart stores are getting a big boost to promote the upcoming direct-to-video release of Inuyasha The Movie 3: Swords of An Honorable Ruler. Revolution Marketing, a New York City-based event marketing …

• Agencies

  HSBC Using Game Show Theme to Draw Business

  In a bid to engage current customers and gain new ones, HSBC Bank is bringing a game show-esque street promotion to New York state branches and offering consumers a chance to win a HSBC-branded Cadillac STS. Outside some HSBC offices in New York City, …

• Agencies

  E! Entertainment Gets New Look, New Programming

  E! Entertainment has taken on a new brand identity, rolling out a refreshed look and programming to match its on-air personality and goal of attracting a younger audience. The new look, which launched this spring, reflects a lighter, more playful side …

• News Briefs

  MTV: Music Television is building buzz around the MTV Video Music Awards launching the official celebrity and party headquarters for the awards by transforming Doubletree Surfcomber in Miami, FL, into “Hotel MTV.” Starting Wednesday, fans can take …

• Letters to the Editor

  : There is something very fishy about this 100 million figure. I realize the FTC counts individuals, not households, and the number made some degree of sense when it was recently 65 million, about 50% of the total households in America.