Chief Marketer Staff

• Live from Motorsports Marketing Forum: Year One a Success for Nextel

  When Nextel Communications took over as title sponsor of NASCAR’s top auto racing series, it just wanted to become a part of the community, build brand awareness and sell its service at tracks across the country. It learned that fans didn’t want to buy …

• Live From Motorsports Marketing Forum: NASCAR Beefs Up Licensing

  Would you buy a mounted bass if it was painted in your favorite NASCAR team’s colors? How about a turkey caller painted like Mark Martin’s Viagara #6 car? Don’t laugh. These are just a few of the prototype promo items that have made their way across …

• Smucker Reorganizes to Strengthen Flagship Brand

  J.M. Smucker Co. is selling off non-branded business and reorganizing its distribution system to improve its branded business. Smucker will focus on its portfolio of jams, peanut butter and ice cream toppings; its strategy is “to own and market leading …

• Agencies

  Best Western Uses E-Contest to Tout High-Speed Internet Access

  Best Western is out to see how smart its customers and prospects really are with a rapid-fire trivia contest aimed at touting the chain’s free high-speed Internet access. The hotel chain began yesterday its High Speed IQ Challenge, where contestants log …

• Agencies

  Shell Patrols for Holidays

  Shell Oil Products U.S. is testing a good-deeds campaign for the holidays to boost consumer loyalty. Its five-city Shell Holiday Patrol effort sends teams to Shell stations and malls to help customers at the pump, host local events and distribute a …

• Starz Names Clasen CEO

  Cable company Starz Entertainment has promoted Robert B. Clasen to CEO. Clasen, 60, had been president and chief operating officer since June. He replaces John Sie, who retired in June and Mark Bauman, who had been the interim chief. Clasen joined Starz …

• 20th Century Fox Hires VP-Wireless Licensing

  20th Century Fox Licensing & Merchandising has named Leighton Webb as VP-Wireless Licensing. Webb will be responsible for overseeing and executing Fox’s wireless licensing and developing a worldwide presence for Fox Wireless by creating partnerships and …

• Rapp Collins Taps McKinnis

  Jim McKinnis Rapp Collins Worldwide, Dallas, has hired Jim McKinnis as chief creative officer for the 50-office direct-marketing agency. McKinnis had been chief creative officer at TracyLocke, Dallas. He replaces Martin MacDonald, who left Rapp …

• Kellogg Names Jenness to Succeed Gutierrez

  Kellogg Co. has named board member James Jenness to replace Carlos Gutierrez as CEO if Gutierrez is confirmed as U.S. Commerce Secretary.   Jenness            Gutierrez            Mackay   Jenness has been on Kellogg’s board of directors since 2000; …

• Concepts Direct to Sell Four Catalogs

  Concepts Direct Inc., Longmont, CO, will sell its Linda Anderson, The Music Stand, Garfield Stuff, Characters and New Bargains catalog brands to Direct Retailing Inc.