Kraft Foods has decided to sign on with Omnicom Group's DDB in Chicago, which will now handle the creative account for its Miracle Whip condiment. The account has been with WPP Group's JWT for many years. JWT will still handle the food giant's other brands, including Philadelphia (the cream cheese brand) and Kraft Singles. For DDB, acquiring the account is a big win, as the agency has seen clients such as JCPenney, Dell Computer, and Home Depot leave in the past year.
Nokia ventures into mobile advertising
Cellular-phone company and top handset maker Nokia is venturing into the mobile advertising industry by introducing two new mobile advertising services: Nokia Ad Service and Nokia Advertising Connector. The former will enable advertisers to run mobile ads such as interactive banner ads, ads in mobile videos, and applications. Nokia Ad Service will carry out planning and execution and will also provide reports on campaigns. The Nokia Advertising Connector will provide services to parties that are interested in extending to mobile advertising and will channel ads tailored to users into their devices. This service is expected to be available by the end of 2007.
Columbus Zoo and Aquarium replaces ad agency and hopes to reach out to more visitors
Columbus Zoo and Aquarium has enlisted the help of a new ad agency, Ron Foth Advertising, with the aim of reaching out to a bigger audience. The zoo and aquarium now plans to attract visitors within a 100-mile radius and is looking at positioning itself as a center for entertainment. Ron Foth Advertising replaces Burkholder Flint, the agency Columbus Zoo and Aquarium has worked with for nearly 15 years. The new campaign includes plans to showcase animals from Asia, a new water park, and a golf course.
Adidas considers new campaign focusing on sports figures
Omnicom Group's 180 in Amsterdam has developed a campaign for Adidas that features sports figures discussing how they dealt with adversity in their lives. The campaign builds upon the tagline "Impossible is nothing," which was first used in 2004. The ads will feature drawings created by the athletes themselves conveying their emotions about the difficult times they have faced. These drawings will also appear as posters and on clothing. 30 athletes, including David Beckham, Jeremy Wariner, and Gilbert Arenas, would be featured in 21 commercials filmed in Brazil, Spain, and Shanghai, among other locations, and nearly 15 documentaries.
AOL teams up with PointRoll
AOL, a unit of Time Warner, Inc., will team up with PointRoll, a unit of Gannett Co. (NYSE:GCI), to create advertising that is more interactive. Gannett Co. is a publisher of newspapers in the U.S. with whom AOL has an established relationship. The deal will help AOL make ads that viewers are not forced to watch; instead, they will be able to decide how and when to watch them. The deal will enable AOL to form a two-year alliance and become the portal of choice for PointRoll. The move comes at a time when AOL is facing a drop in the popularity of its Internet dial-up service and is trying to boost revenues from online advertising.
