Chief Marketer Staff

• Simpsons Takeover of 7-Eleven Wins Top Pro Award

  The results are in! Agency Freshworks won the Best Overall Pro Award for its campaign, “Simpsons Movie Kwik-E-Mart Experience,” for its client 7-Eleven.

• Agencies

  McDonald’s Pitches ‘Madagascar 2’; Replaces ‘I’m Lovin’ it’ Packaging

  McDonald’s plans to launch a major campaign around the upcoming premiere of the DreamWorks animated movie “Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa.”

• Agencies

  Nissan Z Hits Road in EA Video Game

  Video game speed freaks can test-drive the 2009 Nissan 370Z in a video game before the car appears in dealerships later this year.

• Spending on Endurance Sports Rising: Report

  Sponsorship spending on endurance sports such as marathons, will grow to $84 million among North American companies this year, according to the IEG Sponsorship Report.

• Mobile

  Caribou Coffee Hires Cellfire to Offer Mobile Coupons

  Caribou Coffee Co. has joined the list of companies using Cellfire Inc. to accept mobile coupons in its 443 U.S. retail locations.

• News Brief

  EURO RSCG DISCOVERY: the customer loyalty marketing and global data analytics division of Euro RSCG Worldwide, has named Richard Hren has strategy director, effective immediately.

• Email

  FreshAddress Acquires Return Path’s ECOA Unit

  E-mail appending firm FreshAddress is expected to announce today it has signed an agreement to purchase deliverability concern Return Path

• Agencies

  PRC Chairman Predicts 5% Rate Hike for 2009

  Although the 2006 Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act restored a semblance of normalcy to annual postal rate increases, many catalogers are wondering what they can expect in terms of a rate hike in May 2009.

• Agencies

  Office Depot Reports $7 Million Loss

  Office Depot Inc. posted a net loss of $7 million in the third quarter, compared to earnings of $117 million in the prior year.

• Philippines Enacts E-Consumer Protection Law

  The Philippine government has taken steps to safeguard online transactions with the passage of consumer protection rules and regulations under the E-Commerce Act, according to news reports.