Chief Marketer Staff

• Search Engine Firm Offers Incentives to Advertisers’ Employees

  Empower Search LLC, based in Clearwater, FL, said in a prepared press statement that it will give each employee of companies that advertise on its search engine a $1,000 gift certificate.

• Short Cuts

  Technology Investment Capital Corp. of Greenwich, CT, plans to invest $15 million in eXact Advertising LLC, an Internet advertising agency, based in New York.

• List and Database News

  Rubin Response Management Services Inc. assumes management of four Cygnus Business Media lists on Dec. 1. These controlled circulation subscriber files identify distributors of maintenance and janitorial supplies, off-highway mobile product manufacturers, vending machine service professionals and natural health product retailers.

• Hershey Buys Mauna Loa Macadamia Nut

  Hershey Foods Corp. has agreed to acquire Mauna Loa Macadamia Nut Corp. Mauna Loa is a processor and marketer of macadamia snacks—including nut-based confections and cookies—with annual sales of about $80 million and a 40% share in macadamia nuts, …

• SpongeBob Stolen In Six States

  If a giant inflatable SpongeBob SquarePants is stolen from a rooftop, is it a theft or a spongenapping? That’s what police in at least six states need to decide. SpongeBob SquarePants figures have been swiped from Burger King roofs in New York, …

• Holiday Shopping Nears $23 Billion Over Weekend

  Holiday shopping over Thanksgiving weekend hit $22.8 billion, about 10% of the expected $220 billion for holiday sales this year. The National Retail Federation reports that 133 million shoppers hit the stores over the weekend. About half (49%) bought …

• MCI Sponsors National Christmas Tree Lighting

  MCI, Inc. will sponsor the 81st Lighting of the National Christmas Tree Ceremony on Thursday. MCI will be recognized at a dinner the evening before the tree lighting and will video the ceremony and replay highlights on a large screen for visitors to …

• WPP, Grey Deal Delayed

  WPP has pushed back its purchase of Grey Global Group following a request last week from the European Commission for more information about the $1.5 billion deal. It’s unclear what kind of information the Commission—the European Union’s version of the …

• Reality Stars Pump VH1 in NYC

  This Thursday, Reality TV stars will be roaming the streets of New York City to promote a VH1 awards show. The show, VH1 Big in ’04, looks at the year’s key moments involving celebrities, trends, events and entertainment. The show airs Dec. 5 at 9 p.m. …

• Beavis Leaves Mitsubishi Motors NA

  Ian Beavis, the senior VP-marketing, product and public relations at Mitsubishi Motors, resigned last week for personal reasons. Beavis’s resignation came shortly after the automaker hired Bob Martin to the new post of director-brand marketing, …