Chief Marketer Staff

• M&Ms Go Mega with $10 Million Campaign

  Masterfoods USA is rolling out Mega M&Ms with a reported $10 million in marketing support, courting adults with bigger candies in different colors. Mega M&Ms are 55% bigger than flagship M&Ms and come in teal, beige, maroon, gold, brown and blue-gray in …

• Prilosec, Country Music Association Launches ‘Heart Burning’ Contest

  Bring on the chili or the barbecued spareribs. Whatever the source of uncomfortable heartburn, Procter & Gamble’s Prilosec OTC wants consumers to remember the feeling and write “heartburning” lyrics for a contest that lets the top winner perform his …

• Pepsi Brings Lounge to Area Malls

  Teens now have a place to call their very own, thanks to a partnership between PepsiCo and General Growth Properties. PepsiCo has teamed up with Chicago-based GGP to feature the Pepsi Zone, a lounge-like environment for teens, at three malls— Lakes Mall …

• Sesame Workshop Promotes Westin, Regan

  Sesame Workshop, the non-profit, educational organization of Sesame Street, has promoted Sherrie Rollins Westin to executive VP/CMO and Maura Regan to VP and general manager of global licensing. The promotions went into effect on July 1. In her newly …

• Lands’ End President Mindy Meads Fired

  Mindy Meads, president and CEO of apparel marketer Lands’ End, has been released from her contract less than two years after taking the post. David McCreight, executive vice president of merchandising for Lands’ End, has been named interim president of …

• P&G Expands Home Café

  Procter & Gamble is adding new beverages and appliances to its Home Café beverage brewing system. P&G adds Folgers Cappuccino and Skinny Vanilla Latte; Folgers Hazelnut and Millstone Hazelnut Cream Decaf; and four varieties of Lipton tea to its line of …

• News Briefs

  SONY PICTURES ENTERTAINMENT: has been ordered to pay $1.5 million to settle a class-action lawsuit that accused the studio of citing a false Connecticut-based movie critic in ads for some of its films, according to news reports. As part of the …

• P&G Takes Bite Out of Gillette Whitener Portfolio

  Procter & Gamble Co. has started the auction process for its battery-powered toothbrush business as well as for teeth-whitening products owned by acquisition target Gillette Co., according to a report released last Thursday. Since the announcement this …

• Quality vs. Quantity Among TV Viewers

  When looking to reach upscale TV viewers, what’s more important: quality or quantity? A study by the Magna Global USA ad agency asks, but doesn’t necessarily answer, the question.

• The Promise of IPTV

  Want to sell a hair straightener to African Americans in Yonkers, NY, without wasting money reaching white consumers in the neighboring enclave of Bronxville? No longer will television advertising be out of the question for you. Internet Protocol Over TV (IPTV) promises to enable marketers to pinpoint commercials to niche groups of potential customers in the same way that they can via the Internet