Reader’s Digest Launches Digital Subscription-based Issue

Reader’s Digest plans to launch a monthly digital subscription version of its publication through a partnership with Zinio Systems. The digital edition will be available on Zinio.com and through RD.com beginning December 8. The digital version will mirror the print version of the magazine and will be available immediately after a customer downloads the Zinio Reader application. The full year subscription price is $13.98 or $2.99 for a single issue.

McCann Wins Army Account

The U.S. Army has awarded its advertising account to Interpublic Group’s McCann Erickson, deciding against incumbent Publicis Leo Burnett, AdAge reports.

The two-year contract, that can be renewed for three subsequent one-year periods, or up to five years total, could be worth up to $1.35 billion over five years, making it the governments largest ad account.

Agencies involved include creative agency McCann, media agency Universal McCann, MRM for digital and interactive, Momentum for event marketing, and public relations agency Weber Shandwick.

Google the Source of 10.8 Percent of Visits to E-tailers

According to just-released numbers from Hitwise, search remains a major source of visits to retail websites during the holiday season, with search engines and directories contributing 17.9 percent of all visits to the Shopping & Classifieds category for the week ended December 3, MarketingVOX reports. Google led in search engine referrals, having provided 10.8 percent of all visits to online retailers. Yahoo Search and MSN Search accounted for 4.1 percent and 0.8 percent, respectively.

However, the greatest source of visits to the Shopping & Classifieds sites was shopping sites themselves, at 49.5 percent, as a result of online users’ directly visiting several retailers within an internet session.

AvTech Direct Fined for Anti-Spam Violations

In Washington’s first lawsuit under the federal anti-spam act, AvTech Direct was ordered yesterday to pay $3 million in civil penalties and $375,000 restitution to the Seattle School District for sending 1,500 junk e-mails, The Seattle Times reports. The company was sued for sending unsolicited e-mails to employees of schools, hospitals and other nonprofit organizations. Each e-mail constituted a violation of the state Consumer Protection Act.

NBC Shows to Be Distributed via iTunes

In the latest manifestation of the TV content digitization trend, Apple announced yesterday the addition to its iTunes store of 11 TV shows - from “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” and “Law & Order” to “Dragnet” and “Knight Rider” - all of them from GE’s NBC Universal unit, writes Forbes.com (via MarketingVOX). The shows are priced at $1.99 per download and are taken from NBC, the USA Network and the Sci-Fi Channel, reports Reuters. First-run prime-time programs will be available early the next morning after they run on the West Coast, said Apple and NBC.

Top Radio Companies form HD Digital Alliance

Seven of the top U.S. radio companies have announced a strategic alliance, the HD Digital Radio Alliance, to accelerate the rollout of HD Digital Radio. The companies will work together to coordinate the rollout of HD and HD2, lower receiver price, and jointly market HD digital.

Member companies will devote more than $200 million in ad time on their own stations in 2006 to promote digital channels. The group expects to announce its first market-specific HD2 programming line-up early in the new year, including launch dates, specifics on specialized multicast signals, and a nationwide consumer marketing campaign.

European Business & CNBC Europe Relaunch Business Pub

CNBC Europe and Ink Publishing will relaunch European Business magazine as a monthly, co-branded publication named CNBC European Business, BtoB reports. The renamed publication will have an initial circulation of 108,000.

Beauty & the Geek Returns in January

The WB will air eight episodes of Beauty and the Geek beginning Thursday, Jan. 12, at 9 p.m., Mediaweek reports. During the summer, the show aired in the 8 p.m. Wednesday time period and ranked first among adults 18-34, persons 12-34, females 12-34, teens, and female teens.

Glamour Airs Short Fiilms Online

Glamour is launching a series of short films that will debut on Glamour.com, Mediaweek reports. Embedded in the five films, which are based on stories submitted by readers, are series sponsors, including Mercury, Elizabeth Arden, Nokia and Bebe. The five to 15 minute movies will be available for one month.

Study Blasts Food Marketing Practices

Food and beverage marketing targeted to children ages 12 and under leads them to request and consume high-calorie, low-nutrient products, according to a new report from the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies.

The committee found strong evidence that television advertising influences the food and beverage preferences and purchase requests of children ages 2 through 11 years old and affects their consumption habits, at least over the short term.

The committee called on the government to enhance nutritional standards, incentives, and public policies to promote the marketing of healthier foods and beverages. If voluntary efforts by industry fail, the reports states, Congress should enact legislation to mandate this change on both broadcast and cable television.

AdAge reports that the study could become a watershed on the scale of the 1964 Surgeon General’s report on tobacco.

Marketing and food industry executives contend the report fails to take into account recent changes in food marketing; is based on no new research; and doesn’t explain how food marketing can be a culprit in childhood obesity even as food ads aimed at children are declining while obesity rates among children continues to rise.