Chief Marketer Staff

• Visa, MasterCard Ready $3 Billion Payment to Retailers

  Nearly 5 million retailers should begin getting payments this fall in the $3.05 billion settlement of a suit that the National Retail Federation filed against Visa and MasterCard in 2003. The suit, which was settled in June 2003 but continues to run …

• News Briefs

  WHEATIES: has honored St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols by putting his image on a limited edition cereal box. The new 12-ounce Pujols Wheaties box will is available nationwide and marks the first activation of Wheaties’ recently-signed …

• Agencies

  L.A. Times to Spend $8 Million on DM

  The Los Angeles Times, a unit of Tribune Publishing Co., expects to spend $8 million this year for a database and direct marketing program to increase newspaper circulation in Southern California.

• Digitas Joins WebTrends Insight Network

  Digitas the digital direct marketing agency has joined WebTrends Insight Network, an Internet analytics network, operated as a business unit of NetIQ Corp., based in San Jose, CA.

• Video Game Advertising Network Runs Tests

  New York-based Massive Inc. is preparing to launch a video game advertising network that it projects will reach several million game players by the end of this year. Massive recently successfully completed beta tests of the network.

• Jos. A. Bank Execs Set to Open Nasdaq

  Robert N. Wildrick, president and CEO of Jos. A. Bank Clothiers Inc. and other members of senior management and board of directors were scheduled to open the Nasdaq stock market for trading this morning.

• NT Media to Enter DR Marketplace

  NT Media Corp. plans to test its first direct response products, an adult-themed DVD series entitled Strippers Untamed, in conjunction with SU Productions; both based in Los Angeles.

• People in the News

  John Minnec has been promoted from executive vice president of the Draft Chicago to managing director of Draft London.

• Short Cuts

  The Chicago Interactive Marketing Association will present new data and predictions about the future of online advertising and marketing at a dinner meeting on April 19.

• List and Database News

  ALC Data Management now handles International Masters Publishers’ continuity club lists. IMP offers more than 20 files, including a master file with 857,958 records. Other lists in this portfolio include IMP computers, cooking, crafts, health and home repair. Names of Spanish-speaking buyers, families, new movers and seniors are also offered.