PROMO Xtra

Excerpts from our e-newsletter

5/17

Interactive work by Starcom MediaVest's operating group GM Planworks helped the agency win General Motors' $3.2 billion ad-buying contract. Interpublic Group's GM Mediaworks and its 200 employees had handled the work for the last 10 years.

Ben & Jerry's Homemade will bring at least one environmental activist along when it goes on the road with the Dave Matthews Band this summer.

Stephen H. Davis, senior VP-marketing for Heineken USA, plans to resign as of early July. A search has begun for a replacement.

Pepsi will discontinue its mid-calorie cola, Pepsi Edge by the end of the year due to sluggish sales. The beverage was introduced last summer.

5/12

Nestlé USA and Hershey Corp. are readying new candies for summer — some with familiar brand names, and some that are new.

Grocer A&P is restructuring following an ongoing slide in sales. The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Co. will sell Michigan chain Farmer Jack, and Food Basics stores in Ohio; may put A&P Canada on the block.

Pepperidge Farm launches a new cookie brand next month, while General Mills readies its own brand of microwaveable treats.

5/11

An overwhelming response from NASCAR fans has prompted Nextel Communications, Inc. to extend fan voting for the NASCAR Nextel All-Star Challenge, which will send an eligible driver to the circuit's All-Star race.

Beaulieu Vineyards is taking its wine and grapes on the road in June for a tour through 25 U.S. states. The tour includes grape stomping and concerts by band Collective Soul, with a grand finale stop in Las Vegas.

Hasbro, Inc. is tapping star power from singer Jesse McCartney, with plans to incorporate his music and image on the Twister Moves game, the dance version of the classic Twister game.

5/10

French's Foods has introduced its Cattlemen's barbecue sauces, a long-time staple in food service and big-box stores, in an 18-ounce size designed for supermarkets. The $10 million launch includes p.r., a sweeps and events.

Midori tours nine cities to find the ‘It’ girl and guy to represent the brand at its Web site with a $2 million-plus budget in hand. Midori has added a new spin this year aimed at including one of the brands' most important customer segments, gay men.

H.J. Heinz Co. consolidated advertising for its U.S. Consumer Products division at Cramer-Krasselt, Chicago., which won Heinz's frozen foods business in August.

To subscribe to Xtra, visit promomag-azine.com