Chief Marketer Staff

• Where the Millionaires Are: Online

  It is no secret that wealthy consumers, with their outsize potential for discretionary spending, represent a highly desirable demographic group for firms of all stripes. The challenge for marketers, however, is figuring out what works when trying to cater to this coveted crowd—especially online.

• Agencies

  Starbucks Challenges Consumers with Puzzle Contest

  Starbucks Coffee Co. is testing consumers’ love of puzzles and knowledge of the company with an on-going crossword contest that promises coffee for life.

• Agencies

  Chevy Drives Apprentice Gig to Online Contest

  Chevrolet has created an online promotion that challenges armchair apprentices to become an “Apprentice Project Manager” and create their own commercial for one of its new vehicles.

• Del Monte Buys Milk-Bone from Kraft

  Del Monte Corp. will buy the Milk-Bone brand from Kraft Foods for $580 million, pumping its pet-food portfolio on the heels of its $705 million purchase of Meow Mix.

• Agencies

  Federated Settles with NY Attorney General Over Sales Promotions

  Federated Department Stores this week settled a claim by the New York attorney general over misleading sales promotions and ads.

• Valassis Settles with FTC Over FSI Competition

  Marketing giant Valassis Communications, Inc., has settled with the Federal Trade Commission over charges that it tried to collude with its only FSI rival, News America Marketing, to eliminate competition between the two.

• News Brief

  FORD OF BRITAIN: completes its 2006 senior management line-up with two

• Email

  Image Blocking Drops E-mail Open Rates: ExactTarget

  E-mail open rates declined 16.5% in 2005 while click-through rates, or number of times someone clicked on a link in the e-mail, remained steady, according to e-mail service provider ExactTarget.

• Agencies

  MSC Industrial Direct to Acquire J & L Industrial Supply

  MSC Industrial Direct, a catalog and retail marketer of maintenance, repair and operations suppliers, will acquire J & L Industrial Supply fro $349.5 million. The acquisition is expected to close during the second quarter, and will use both on-hand cash as well as borrowed money.

• Agencies

  Merkle, Direct Group Jointly Offer Services

  Database marketing firm Merkle has inked an agreement with Direct Group, a direct mail service provider. Under the terms of the arrangement, the two companies will jointly offer their products and services to the direct mail and marketing community.