‘Millennials’ Consume 20 Hours of Media in 7 Actual Hours

The Millennials, that generation of consumers currently 9 to 28 years old, will have a profound impact on the media business over the next 10 years, according to researcher Brent Magid of Frank M. Magid Associates, Mediaweek writes.

Scion Campaign Lets Users Choose Ads They See

Toyota’s Scion is promoting all three of its models via a single rich media unit - HTML-based ads that use Interpolls technology - to promote the model best suited to users based on their interaction with the ad, ClickZ reports (via MarketingVOX). One ad asks users to select their personality type - then reloads with info about the corresponding Scion model. Also, a “results panel” appears with additional relevant content, including an RSS feed with Scion news.

Wal-Mart Searching Far and Wide for Agencies

Wal-Mart’s search for an agency to take over its $578 million account is more like several searches in one, writes AdAge, first because the retailer isn’t insisting that its general market account remain within one holding company and second because it is conducting three separate reviews for its African American/urban, Asian and Hispanic accounts. The search was announced in May. The retailer’s search consultant, Catherine Bension of Select Resources International, says this potential unbundling of agencies gives the company an opportunity to create a “dream team” of shops.

Atlas Joins with VOD Partner

Advertisers who use video on demand now have a new tool that will help them plan, buy, executive, optimize and measure their campaigns, according to Atlas On Demand. Atlas, an operating unit of aQuantive Inc., has announced a partnership with Tandberg Television to integrate and market their respective on-demand advertising campaign management services.

Majority of B2B Marketers Lack Customer Knowledge

Eighty-seven percent of b-to-b marketers have little confidence in their customer data, according to an on-site survey of attendees at DMA’s DM Days by Extraprise.

NRDC to Acquire Lord & Taylor

NRDC Equity Partners is acquiring the 48-store Lord & Taylor retail chain from Federated Department Stores for $1.2 billion in cash. The transaction is anticipated to close in the third quarter of 2006.

Google Slaps Sponsorship Ads on Premium Videos

By adding advertising on its video site, Google has started offering, for free, videos that viewers would otherwise have to pay to view, reports The New York Times (via MarketingVOX). Google is testing the approach on premium videos from only a few video providers, with some five participating advertisers, according to industry analyst Greg Sterling. Advertisers include Netflix, Pepsi and LowerMyBills.com. Sterling muses: “This starts to turn Google into something like an on-demand TV network with traditional, TV-style ads. How will Google navigate these waters with traditional TV content producers?”

USA Weekend Bows Weekday Health Magazine

USA Weekend has introduced a sister publication USA Weekend HealthSmart this week in 76 newspapers, Editor&Publisher reports.

Jambo, Bid4Spots Launch Radio Pay-Per-Call

Jambo has launched a test program using radio ads to drive phone leads to select categories of Pay-Per-Call Collect advertisers. Jambo is buying radio airtime through Bid4Spots which sells last-minute radio airtime using a reverse auction format.

Clear Channel Kicks Radio Groups Off PPM RFP Committee

Clear Channel’s senior VP of research, Jess Hanson, sent an email yesterday to radio groups that have signed for Arbitron’s portable people meter service kicking them off the RFP evaluation committee that CC established to examine Arbitron PPM alternatives, Billboard Radio Monitor reports.

“Since you have decided to choose an electronic audience measurement vendor prior to the conclusion of the team’s work, we do not feel it is appropriate to ask you to continue to serve on the team,” Hanson wrote.

Clear Channel issued its RFP last June. At its inception, the CC electronic measurement evaluation team members included radio companies (ABC, Bonneville, CBS Radio, Clear Channel Radio, Cox Radio, Emmis, Entercom, Greater Media, Journal, Regent, and Susquehanna), media buyers (CIA Media:Edge, Initiative, Mediacom, and MPG), and advertisers (Ford Motor Company). The four agency representatives have also already signed for Arbitron’s PPM service when it rolls out to the top 50 markets.The two solutions still being evaluated include Arbitron and Media Audit.