Chief Marketer Staff

• Agencies

  Starz! Offers ‘Movie Star Sweepstakes’

  The STARZ! channel is giving consumers a chance to experience life as a celebrity as part of a new sweepstakes that offers a coast-to-coast trip with stops for spa treatments, shopping and a Broadway show in an effort to boost its subscription base. …

• Showtime Hires Penny Reiss as VP-Product Integration

  Penny Reiss Showtime Networks has hired Penny Reiss to serve in the newly created position as VP-product integration for the network. In her new role, Reiss is in charge of coordinating day-to-day responsibilities associated with product integration, …

• Miller to Send Sweeps Winner to SI Swimsuit Photo Shoot

  Miller offers a chance to attend the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue photo shoot Miller Brewing Co. and Sports Illustrated have teamed to send six sweepstakes winners on a five-star trip to attend the SI swimsuit issue photo shoot this fall. The …

• Scholastic Book Clubs Creates New VP-Promotion Post

  Scholastic Book Clubs, a division of Scholastic, has appointed Hally Bayer as the company’s new VP-promotion. The appointment went into effect on Feb. 7. Hally Bayer In the newly created position, Bayer oversees the development and implementation of …

• CMA Seeks Sponsors in New York City

  New York City is going country. The Country Music Association with Shadow Branding and NYC Marketing is seeking corporate sponsors for a number of categories for the CMA Awards on Nov. 15. The venture marks the first time the CMA Awards will take place …

• News Briefs

  WASTE MANAGEMENT, INC.: an environmental services company based in Houston, TX, has expanded its NASCAR sponsorship to support driver Jesus Hernandez in the circuit’s Drive for Diversity program, a minority driver and crew member development program. …

• Bean Plans Employee Bonus Following $1.4 Billion in Sales

  L.L. Bean Inc. plans to give 4,700 employees performance bonuses totaling 12.5% of annual pay following a record $1.4 billion in sales for the company’s 2004 fiscal year that ended Feb. 27. Nearly 5,600 seasonal employees will receive a $150 bonus.

• Digital Impact Calls InfoUSA’s Purchase Bid “Inadequate”

  Digital Impact Inc., the digital marketing technology and services corporation targeted for acquisition by infoUSA, has officially rejected the takeover offer. In a statement, board members said that the proffered purchase price of $2 per share was “inadequate, opportunistic and fails to reflect the underlying value of the company.”

• Credit Card Usage Expected to Increase

  Consumers are expected to pay for more purchases with credit cards and delay mailing checks in response to new electronic check processing system being implemented in the financial services industry, according to a survey findings released by ESP Consulting, a division of Phoenix Marketing International, based in Salisbury, MD.

• SkyMed Plans Multi-Media Infomercial Campaign

  SkyMed International Inc., a Scottsdale, AZ-based emergency evacuation services firm, plans to begin tests the end of March for an infomercial campaign targeting travelers that it plans to run four years on TV, radio and the Internet.