Flashes 01.09.12 by Rick Griffin
The newspaper formerly known as the San Diego Union-Tribune is now called U-T San Diego. The paper’s website, signonsandiego.com, has become utsandiego.com. The announcement to readers (http://www.utsandiego.com/
In a memo to employees Kris Viesselman, vice president, product development and chief creative officer, said the change “will help us unify our print and digital products under a singular brand identity with a clear and consistent expectation of quality. This change also preserves the strong heritage of the Union-Tribune brand while marking a new era in our company’s history.”
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NYCA has been hired by The Honest Kitchen, award-winning producers of dehydrated, human-grade all natural whole foods for dogs and cats. Initial projects include redevelopment of The Honest Kitchen's flagship website.
"We are delighted to be working with The Honest Kitchen," said Michelle Edelman, NYCA's president. "Their commitment to the well-being of pets is something our agency is passionately aligned with, as a dog-friendly workplace. We hope to build The Honest Kitchen's business alongside them by helping customers find and purchase The Honest Kitchen's products more often and more easily, both online and at their local stores."
"NYCA was the clear choice for us," said Lucy Postins, The Honest Kitchen's CEO. "Their understanding of our marketing challenges, plus their creative solutions and digital development capabilities are the right combination of talents to grow our business."
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Don’t bother recommending a buy on NBC network on this year’s Super Bowl telecast. NBC says it has sold all the commercial airtime for this year's big game, taking place on Feb. 5 in Indianapolis — and it even has a waiting list of advertisers. The average cost for a 30-second spot this year was $3.5 million, with some time slots costing as much as $4 million. Slots are still available during NBC's pre-game show, and those on the waiting list for the Super Bowl will have an opportunity to advertise if other companies give up their slot. "There are the usual companies that have supported it in the past," said Seth Winter, senior vice president of NBC Sports group sales & marketing. "Automotive will be very healthy. Beverages will be very healthy. The movie and snack category continue to be healthy. There will be a few new players and some who have been there, who won't be there." Winter had said in a recent interview that the last time slot was sold just after Thanksgiving. A year ago, Fox Sports said it sold the last of its advertising spots before the end of October. Winter declined to identify which companies bought ads or dropped out, fearing it could tip off competitors. Anheuser-Busch InBev, Coca-Cola and Godaddy.com are among the recent regulars.
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SDSU’s College of Extended Studies will kick off the spring semester courses for its Professional Certificate in Marketing & Media program by offering “Defining and Positioning a Brand” from 6 to 9 p.m. on Wednesdays, from Jan. 25 to Feb. 15. In this fast-paced course, you will learn how to identify and understand your target market(s) and create and position a brand identity. You will also discover how to differentiate your company from the competition, how to position a brand in the marketplace by creating a cohesiveness of internal efforts and focus, and how consumer perceptions are formed from brand execution, advertising and marketing communications. The San Diego Ad Club and SDSU's College of Extended Studies have come together to offer this Professional Certificate in Marketing & Media program. It's designed for early- to mid-career marketing, advertising, public relations, media, and sales professionals, as well as anyone who wants to enter these exciting careers. Fee for each course is $279 for the general public and $249 for San Diego Ad Club members. This is a SDSU Research Foundation program. For information, visit www.neverstoplearning.net/
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