Chief Marketer Staff

• Spider-Man 2 Takes Top Licensing Award

  Spider-Man Merchandising LP (Marvel Enterprises & Sony Pictures Consumer Products) won top honors last night as Spider-Man 2 was named the 2004 Overall Best License of the Year at the Annual LIMA Gala and Awards Ceremony for the International Licensing …

• Live From the Licensing Show: Pepsi Refreshes Brand With Vintage Appeal

  Drawing from the love of all things classic, the Pepsi-Cola brand is taking a step back in time through a new line of licensed apparel and accessories. The Joester Loria Group unveiled its new vintage line for the carbonated beverage during the …

• Snapple 20-Ton Ice Pop Melts in NYC; $126 Million Deal Upheld

  Snapple’s idea to create a 20-ton ice pop and display it in New York City withered Tuesday as temperatures in the Big Apple climbed and the pop began to melt. The promotion was an attempt at a new Guinness world record to create a two-and-a-half-story …

• Toys ‘R’ Us Top Execs Resign

  Toys ‘R’ Us CEO John Eyler and Chief Operating Officer Christopher Kay will leave the company after finishing its $6.6 billion sale to a private investment group. Babies ‘R’ Us CEO Richard Markee will serve as interim CEO, per news reports. Eyler, who …

• Ford Looks to Cut 1,700 Jobs, Spin Off Hertz

  Diminished sales have forced Ford Motor Co. to make plans to reduce its white-collar work force by 1,700 by October. The firm also said it has taken the first step in a possible spin off its Hertz car rental unit. The 1,700 positions represent about 5% …

• Scholastic To Pay $710,000 To Settle Negative Option Violations

  Scholastic, Inc. and two subsidiaries, Scholastic-at-Home and Grolier, Inc., have agreed this week to settle Federal Trade Commission allegations they violated laws when marketing negative option book clubs. The FTC alleged that the companies’ direct …

• Agencies

  Pontiac Launches Summer Music Series

  Pontiac has struck a deal with ABCs late-night talk show Jimmy Kimmel Live to present a series of televised outdoor concerts in Hollywood. Jimmy Kimmel Live’s Pontiac Garage West begins today starring Billy Idol. Two of his songs will air live on the …

• Live From the Licensing Show: Ebony Markets Licensed Products

  Ebony isn’t just about magazines anymore. Johnson Publishing Co., the Chicago-based publisher of Ebony magazine, plans to license products bearing the Ebony name. The venture, unveiled Tuesday at the Licensing Show at the Jacob K. Javits Center in New …

• News Briefs

  DIET COKE: and Jazz at Lincoln Center will hold a jazz festival at Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola in Lincoln Center. The nightly events, featuring influential women in jazz, begin Sept. 6. PROCTER & GAMBLE CO. AND GILLETTE CO.: plan to divest some of their …

• Agencies

  OfficeMax Rides Chicago Baseball Rivalry

  OfficeMax is using an instant-win game to activate its sponsorship of this weekend’s Crosstown Classic series between Chicago’s Cubs and White Sox. The What’s Your Team? Sweeps will award a grand-prize “ultimate fan experience” with the winner’s …