Chief Marketer Staff

• Agencies

  Movie Mania: Blockbuster Rolls Out Occasion GiftCards

  Blockbuster Inc. has a new line of occasion-themed giftcards for companies to reward employees and customers. The cards can be customized with three messages: Congratulations!, Thank You and Happy Birthday, available in reloadable denominations of $5, …

• Loose Cannon: Ya Picks Yer Moguls and Ya Pays Yer Money

  Strike up the ballyhoo and roll out the red carpet: New York real estate mogul Donald J. Trump is back. His

• Harris Interactive Buys Wirthlin for $20 million and Stock

  Harris Interactive the market research firm based in Rochester, NY has acquired Wirthlin Worldwide, an opinion research and consulting firm based in Reston, VA.

• Keynote Systems to Pay $20 Million to Acquire Vividence Corp.

  Keynote Systems Inc. an Internet performance monitoring company, will acquire Vividence Corp., a consumer research firm for approximately $20 million. The acquisition is expected to close within 30 days. Both firms are located in San Mateo, CA.

• Missouri Slaps Firm with $15,000 Telemarketing Fine

  Jack Price Sports, an Irvine, CA-based company that markets point-spread betting tips, has been fined $15,000 for making outbound telemarketing calls to consumers on Missouri’s no-call list.

• New Zealand Firm Plans DRTV Campaign in U.S.

  Jackson & Jackson Ltd., a New Zealand based manufacturer and marketer of dietary supplements has formed a co-operative marketing venture with Orangeburg, NY-based WBUY TV, a direct response television and Internet marketing production company.

• Paper Mail to E-mail Conversion Service Introduced

  Data Dimensions, a Janesville, WI-based data management company and MailSurity Systems Inc., a software firm in New York have formed a strategic alliance and launched a new service for converting postal mail to e-mail.

• List and Database News

  Millard Group Inc. has assumed management of the DeSantis Collection catalog file. A total of 14,0444 buyers from the last 12 months are available.

• Publicis Forms New Media Management Board

  Ad agency network Publicis Groupe has formed a new management board to oversee its media operations

• American Airlines Flies New Web Site

  “We know why you fly” is the tagline of American Airlines first new brand positioning campaign in over a decade.