| NEWS 10.28.09 12:34 PM |
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In the News: Waterford Recommits to New Year's Bash, Magazine Events Thrive and Falter
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Waterford Targets More Marketing Mileage With New Year's Ball: Since bringing its signature bling to the New Year's ball drop in New York in 1999, Waterford has been an active partner in the globally watched event. But now the Irish crystal company wants more recognition for that contribution. An upgraded six-ton ball—made of 2,268 Waterford crystals and backlit by 32,256 Philips LEDs—will debut this December after a $2.5 million print advertising campaign. Waterford also committed to an upgraded sponsorship deal, in hopes that some of the one billion people who catch the ball drop this year will also notice who made it. [BrandFreak]
Events Boost Essence Image: Not all magazines are downplaying events, and Essence is even earning praise for them. The title was chosen as one of Advertising Age's top 10 for the year, and the trade credits the Essence Music Festival for being such an appealing brand to marketers. The New Orleans concert series, held over Independence Day weekend, saw 428,000 attendees—up significantly from the already impressive 270,000 it hosted the year before. [AdAge]
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RELATED TOPICS
Waterford, New Year's Eve, Lucky, Condé Nast, Essence Magazine, Thrillist, JetBlue, The New York Times, Junkets, Marvel |
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| NEWS 09.23.09 2:14 PM |
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In the News: Guerrilla Stunt Opens Dialogue With the Law, Emmys Bounce Back
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Burlington Covers Tracks for Stunt: Marketers still haven't recovered from the failure of Cartoon Network's 2007 Boston stunt, which infamously prompted the city to brace for a terrorist attack and included such fallout as network exec's resignation and a $1 million fine. In hopes of avoiding a similar stir when planting 500 unattended messenger bags around New York City last week, Burlington Coat Factory coordinated the stunt with local police to make sure nobody was caught off guard. They also made a concerted effort to keep all of the bags—each containing a gift card to the retailer's new "store in a store," the Factory—on pre-approved private property and monitored by event staff. Planners reportedly interviewed bloggers who covered the Boston incident to find out how to stay on the right track. [NYP]
Most-Watched Emmys Since 2006: Producer Don Mischer and host Neil Patrick Harris received most of the credit this week for a positively reviewed Emmy presentation and a highly watched telecast. Ratings were up to 13.3 million viewers for Sunday's show, a 1 million gain from last year's highly criticized outing. The 2009 show marks the biggest audience the Emmys have drawn since 2006, and many think the quicker pace of grouped awards—by comedy, reality, long-form, variety, and drama—made for a more accessible broadcast. [Variety]
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RELATED TOPICS
Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, CBS, Emmys, Neil Patrick Harris, Burlington Coat Factory, Cartoon Network, Paranormal Activity, Paramount |
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| NEWS 01.28.09 1:06 PM |
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In the News: Somber Times Kill Davos Party, Guerrilla Marketers Help Inauguration-Goers Make Friends
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Here's are a few stories grabbing our attention this week:
Financial Forecast Calls for Subdued Davos: The World Economic Forum's annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, is taking an unsurprisingly somber tone this year. C.E.O.s of corporations like Citigroup and Sony have opted not to attend; the celebrity contingent is all but nonexistent; and the opulent parties of the past seem to be long gone. Goldman Sachs is among the biggest names ditching their perennially hot ticket parties, and although Brit bank Barclays is said to be going ahead with theirs, company president Bob Diamond just canceled his trip yesterday. [FT]
HuffPo and Meetup Help Obama Fans Network: By using street teams to hand out branded name tags in Washington, the Huffington Post and community organizing Web site Meetup attempted to introduce half a million strangers to each other at last week's inauguration. Creative agency Interference Inc. enlisted about 180 people to pass out the tags, and trucks had to deliver the 500,000 stickers two days in advance because of closed street traffic. [BrandFreak]
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RELATED TOPICS
Inauguration 2009, Davos, Huffington Post, Meetup, Condé Nast, Goldman Sachs, Barclays Capital, Citigroup |
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| NEWS 12.09.08 3:06 PM |
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Media Outlets See Obstacles to Hosting Inauguration Events
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With six weeks to go before President-elect Barack Obama takes the oath of office, many media outlets are still tentative about hosting inaugural events. Faced with a flock of challenges—a poor economy, competition for venues, guests, and attention—some potential hosts who once considered throwing their brands into the mix have either opted out or are still unsure, though MTV, CNN, and the Huffington Post continue to move forward with party plans.
"There are two factors making corporations leery to do a big name-in-lights program, one being the economy," said Elizabeth Baker Keffer, vice president of The Atlantic and president of events division Atlantic Live. "Even if you have the money to host a big event, the optics of doing something lavish are not good. The second factor is the many congressional guidelines to hosting events in town. Non-Washington companies need to make sure they are compliant with the congressional guidelines."
During the past couple weeks, event and PR staffers at several publications reported ongoing discussions about whether or not to host something. Some are still mulling: "We're undecided," Vanity Fair public relations director Beth Kseniak said yesterday. Meanwhile, at Condé Nast sibling The New Yorker, special events director Melissa Meyer said the business side is currently discussing plans to entertain clients in some way. As of now, the editorial side of the magazine is not planning anything.
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RELATED TOPICS
Inauguration 2009, Vanity Fair, The New Yorker, Condé Nast, CNN, MTV, Huffington Post, Niche Media, The Atlantic, OK Magazine |
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| NEWS 11.13.08 1:00 PM |
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Condé Nast Confirms Canceled Holiday Luncheon
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FROM NEW YORK
First reported by Gawker late last night, and confirmed by The New York Post this morning, Condé Nast has canceled its annual holiday luncheon for publishers and top editors.
Marred by a recent round of layoffs and rumors of financial distress at titles like The New Yorker and Domino, the company's announcement comes as little surprise. Spokeswoman Maurie Perl didn't refer directly to the economy but told The Post the decision is in "keeping with the times."
Since the annual Christmas party ended in 1998, media enthusiasts and junior Condé staffers have looked to the intimate Four Seasons Restaurant luncheon to gauge the temperament of chairman S.I. Newhouse Jr. The event's seating chart has long served as an unofficial barometer of who is in and out of his favor, though Condé Nast has maintained this is just hearsay. —Michael O'Connell
RELATED TOPICS
Condé Nast, Condé Nast Media Group |
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| NEWS 10.31.08 2:35 PM |
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Condé Nast Cancels 2009 "Fashion Rocks"
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FROM NEW YORK
Condé Nast Media Group joined a growing number of downsizing magazine publishers this week when it announced mandatory 5 percent budget and staff cuts at every title. In addition to frequency reductions for young titles Men's Vogue and Portfolio, one of the first ramifications is the cancellation of the 2009 installment of "Fashion Rocks."
Advertising Age reported Thursday that the ebb of luxury and fashion advertisers motivated Condé Nast to nix plans for next year's iteration of the program, which traditionally features a supplemental magazine carried in most of the publisher's titles, a televised concert, and several high-profile parties. "Due to the toughness in the ad market, we have decided to put both 'Fashion Rocks' and 'Movies Rock' on hiatus for 2009," Richard Beckman, president of the Condé Nast Media Group, said in a statement through his spokesperson.
A spokesperson could not comment on a possible 2010 return for the program. —Lauren Matison
RELATED TOPICS
Fashion Rocks, Movies Rock, Condé Nast, Condé Nast Media Group |
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| NEWS 09.30.08 3:41 PM |
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Domino to Host Bazaar-Style Shopping Event in Culver City Furniture Mart
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After the dust surrounding Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week settles at nearby Smashbox Studios, consumers will have a chance to scoop up some style for their homes at the H.D. Buttercup furniture showroom in Culver City. Inspired by California living of the past and present, Domino magazine will host "The Domino Bazaar," a weekend of shopping and design in the sprawling space.
Open to the public from October 17 through 19, the sale will feature more than 20,000 square feet of furnishings and accessories, all selected by Domino magazine and styled in room vignettes. The event will also offer free consultations with design experts, plus classes on topics like flower arranging, wine selecting, and children's crafts. A portion of the sales from tickets—which are $20 and include a subscription to the decorating mag—will benefit the AIDS Community Research Initiative of America.
The Conde Nast magazine staged the shopping event in New York the past two years, but will not do so this year. —Alesandra Dubin
RELATED TOPICS
Domino Magazine, AIDS Community Research Initiative of America, Condé Nast |
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| NEWS 09.24.08 4:24 PM |
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"Movies Rock" Falls Off Condé Nast's 2008 To-Do List
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FROM NEW YORK
Condé Nast is not convinced that movies rock as much as fashion. The company, which first jumped into thematic concerts in 2004 with the first “Fashion Rocks,” has taken its fledgling Hollywood counterpart, “Movies Rock,” off of the 2008 schedule.
“Movies Rock,” like “Fashion Rocks,” attempted to tie an ad-heavy supplemental magazine (distributed to the subscribers of 14 Condé Nast titles) to televised performances and several private parties. Last year’s inaugural event brought the likes of Beyoncé and Carrie Underwood to the Kodak Theater in Los Angeles for a concert of celebrated movie tunes—broadcast a week later on CBS. And though Condé Nast Media Group president Richard Beckman insists it was never intended to be an annual event (despite being included in the 2008 budget), he told The New York Post that it’s not officially canceled, merely postponed.
No official plans for when “Movies Rock” might be rescheduled have been announced. —Michael O'Connell
RELATED TOPICS
Condé Nast, Condé Nast Media Group, Fashion Rocks, Movies Rock |
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| NEWS 07.23.08 12:18 PM |
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Condé Nast Confirms New Producer and Lineup for Fashion Rocks
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FROM NEW YORK
Condé Nast Media Group announced plans to celebrate—and capitalize on—Fashion Week again this year with the fifth installment of the Fashion Rocks concert series. The September 5 event at Radio City Music Hall will showcase a lineup of performers including Mariah Carrey, Rihanna, Justin Timberlake, Chris Brown, Black Eyed Peas, and Beyoncé.
Also on board is new producer Don Mischer. Previous projects of his company, Don Mischer Productions, include the Kennedy Center Honors, Emmy Awards, opening ceremonies at the Salt Lake City Olympic Winter Games, and Super Bowl halftime shows. Mischer has also previously collaborated with Condé Nast on Movies Rock.
CBS is scheduled to air an edited broadcast of the concert on September 9. —Michael O'Connell
RELATED TOPICS
Fashion Week, Fashion Rocks, Condé Nast |
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