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Return Path: AOL-Goodmail Deal Harmful to Reputable Marketers

AOL’s announcement that it will begin implementing Goodmail’s CertifiedEmail program - and phasing out its own enhanced whitelist - is nothing more than an attempt to get money out of non-spamming marketers, believes Matt Blumberg, chief executive of Return Path. Reputable companies have worked hard to get the permission of their consumers to send them email, Blumberg is quoted as saying in Direct Magazine. “Now they’re being told, ‘if you don’t pay, that mail might or might not get there; it might or might not work when it does, and it’s not going to have a little mark next to it that says it’s AOL certified.’”

AOL Phases Out Whitelist, Implements Goodmail CertifiedEmail

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How it works

America Online is implementing Goodmail’s CertifiedEmail program (and phasing out its IP-based Enhanced Whitelist) to defend against fraud and phishing, reports ClickZ (via MarketingVox). AOL has regularly blocked images and hyperlinks in mass-mailed messages, unless senders are on the AOL Ehanced Whitelist; it will now also allow images and hyperlinks from Goodmail-accredited senders, which pay to be accredited, and will add a “trust symbol” to their messages.

Pfizer Dresses in Red for Women

Pfizer and Macy’s are the National Sponsors of the American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women campaign to recognize the problem of heart disease in women and ways men can help women avoid it. To help gain visibility, Lika Healthcare Marketing is placing Pfizer male employees holding signs that say “Ask me what I’m doing for the women I love,” “Check out my red dress,” and “Women, we love your heart” outside the broadcast morning shows on February 3, hoping for camera scans and mike time. Pfizer is also dressing its NY headquarters with red banners and signs and is getting its logo on the packaging for “Red Dress” pins and red bracelets that are being given out nationwide. Pfizer will also be recognized at a VIP event for celebrities at the NY Public Library on February 7.

Most Internet Users Share Content Via Email

Eighty-nine percent of internet users share content via email, according to Sharpe Partners’ new study on viral marketing, and they do it often, with 63 percent of respondents saying that they share content at least once a week, and 25 percent sharing almost daily.

‘Cooking Light’ Puts Healthy Living Footprint on Concept House

Cooking Light announced today it will build its fifth annual FitHouse at Serenbe, a community located in Chattahoochee Hill Country, 32 miles southwest of Atlanta, to reinforce the notion that healthy living goes well beyond food and exercise. The 4,300 square-foot estate home will house four bedrooms, a family room, greenhouse, exercise room, artist’s studio, 1,800 square feet of outdoor deck and porch space on the front and back of house, and a sleeping porch.

Spanish Station Top Biller in Major Market

Spanish Broadcasting System, Inc. today announced that Spanish-language radio station WXDJ-FM has been ranked number one in billing among all South Florida radio stations with total 2005 revenues of over $23.3 million, according to the national CPA radio revenue monitoring firm of Miller, Kaplan, Arase and Company. WXDJ’s revenue total was over $2.5 million more than the next highest billing station in the market, 42.7 percent over its own prior year total, and the highest annual revenue ever achieved by any South Florida radio outlet.

FTC Settles Charges with Direct Marketer of Dietary Supplements

The FTC has settled charges with Chase Revel, a creator of advertising for Gero Vita International’s dietary supplements that is alleged to be false and misleading, DM News reports. Revel is the final defendant to settle charges in a complaint that alleged that seven corporations, A. Glenn Braswell, Revel, and three others used direct mail ads to deceptively market their dietary supplements.

Radio One, Reach Media Develop African American Radio Programming

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A joint venture between Radio One and Reach Media has been developed in order to put together African American targeted programming, Radio Ink reports. The new slate of syndicated news/talk show programs includes Rev. Al Sharpton, author Michael Eric Dyson, and Atlanta’s Doug & Ryan Stewart.

WPP Investigating Italian Arm

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WPP is investigating its media buying businesses in Italy amid allegations that former executive Marco Benatti - fired by WPP on Jan. 9 - manipulated financial results to boost performance payments for himself and other fraudulent acts, the New York Post writes. Benatti was reportedly fired after clashing with WPP chief executive Martin Sorrell; complicating the situation is a report in the Sunday Times that Sorrell was engaged in a “personal relationship” with Benatti’s second in command.

Dave Barry: ‘Newspapers Are Dead’

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Dave Barry, whose column ran in the Miami Herald for more than 20 years, told reporter C.W. Nevius of the San Francisco Chronicle that newspapers are dead. “The era of the writer in the newspaper was in the ’70s and ’80s,” Barry said, “when newspapers were making money no matter what. They’d send somebody off to Fiji for a story. If you knew you had somebody good, you’d just send them. You knew they’d come up with something.”

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Chrysler Shifts Jobs to Clarify Brand, Marketing Functions

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The Chrysler Group announced a series of personnel changes geared toward clarifying roles between brand and product marketing functions, according to Brandweek. Changes took place in Product Planning and Marketing and in Marketing & Global Communications.

Fox Hardest Hit by CW

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Between now and September, when the new network CW fills out its affiliations beyond the 16 WB stations owned by Tribune and the 12 UPN stations owned by CBS, television stations in nearly every market will be left in the cold, without a network affiliation and with a huge programming void to fill, Mediaweek writes. Even Tribune and CBS themselves each wound up with three independent stations each in top markets.

Woodruff Injured in Iraq, Format Questions Arise for ABC

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ABC’s World News Tonight’s co-anchor Bob Woodruff and ABC News cameraman Doug Vogt were seriously injured Sunday in Iraq when the army vehicle from which they were reporting detonated a bomb, Mediaweek reports. Both are said to be in serious but stable condition.

AOL, Burnett to Produce Online Treasure Hunt Show

America Online and Mark Burnett Productions have announced their plans to produce Gold Rush, an online, reality treasure chase show, Mediapost writes. The show will track the progress of contestants as they search for buried treasure. Clues will be in television, print, radio, and out of home, but “all roads lead back to AOL.com,” said Kevin Conroy, senior vp and chief operating officer of AOL for Broadband. Clues across the AOL network will be placed on sites such as AOL.com, AIM.com, Moviefone.com and MapQuest.com, BusinessWeek writes.

European Beverage Makers: No More Marketing to Kids

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Members of the Union of European Beverages Associations (Unesda) - including Cadbury Schweppes, Coca-Cola, and PepsiCo - have agreed to stop targeting children under the age of 12 in ad campaigns and to stop direct commercial activity in primary schools, according to The Guardian. Unesda recognizes public concerns about rising levels of obesity related to poor diets and lack of physical activity, it said in a statement to the European Union.

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