CMO Tenure Dwindles to 23 months

The average tenure of a CMO has shrunk even further, according to a new survey from Spencer Stuart, down from a sobering 23.6 months in 2004 and 23.5 months last year to an even tighter 23.2 months this year, AdAge reports.

There’s no easy answer to why the window of opportunity slams so fast for the CMO. But marketing executives believe that while the pressure to perform is exacerbated by the short-term demands of Wall Street, they are also hindered by lack of access to CEOs.

A CMO Council study from last year found that top marketing executives admited that poor performance has led to a lack of influence within the corporate hierarchy. Only 10 percent of respondents to the CMO Council survey said their marketing groups are “highly influential and strategic” within the company. Less than half said their teams are “well regarded and respected,” even though two-thirds of CEOs polled in a separate survey by Chief Executive magazine said their marketing groups are “mission critical” for creating top-line growth.

Toyota Targets Kids, Hopes to Influence Parents

In April, Toyota began paying to place its Scion on Whyville.net, an online interactive community populated almost entirely by 8- to 15-year-olds. Toyota hopes Whyvillians will do two things: influence their parents’ car purchases and grow up to buy a Toyota themselves.

CBS Radio Adds Vibes Text Messaging

CBS Radio is offering text messaging to listeners through Vibes Media, provider of the iRadio Instant Response Text Messaging Platform, which CBS is positioning as a tool to help stations and their advertisers interact with consumers, Reuter’s reports. CBS said advertisers liked the fact that each message to the listener can be tagged with a “powered by” message, making each communication brand-specific.

IBN Targets Media Buyers with Duane Reade In-Store Ads

In-Store Broadcasting Network (IBN) is trying to sway New York media buyers and planners by installing TV advertising in Manhttan’s Duane Reade chain of drugstores, Ad Age reports.

IBN will bear the costs of the multimillion-dollar in-store marketing system of LCD screens in the 241-location drugstore chain. IBN is in the middle of a similiar rollout with Kroger where it is also footing the bill of installing the network. At Duane Reade, IBN will first install its network at newly remodeled stores, including locations at Times Square, 52nd and Park Avenue, and 34th and Fifth Avenue.

The question that remains to be answered is whether or not Duane Reade is the best place to reach advertising decision-makers. Luxury and high-end brands likely will steer clear of advertising on IBN’s network in Duane Reade. “We want to get out there in front of the agencies, and they are right there in NYC, and they live a different lifestyle and don’t necessarily go grocery shopping,” said Lon Von Hurwitz, exec VP of business development at IBN.

IBiquity, Sanyo Partner to Boost HD Radio Installation in Japanese Cars

In an effort to get HD Radio receivers factory-installed in more Japanese automobiles, HD Radio developer iBiquity has partnered with Sanyo Trading, a Japanese international trade and sales representative company experienced in representing European and other U.S. companies to Japanese automakers, Radio Ink writes.

Unilever Unveils Product-Labeling ‘Choices’ Effort

Joining a growing trend among companies to launch product-labeling initiatives that help consumers identify healthful foods and beverages that are free of trans-fat and low in sugar and sodium, Unilever unveiled its “Choices” program, in which its products display a logo that indicates that it is healthful, writes Brandweek.

AOL to Stream Live Springsteen Tour

Live video footage from Bruce Springsteen’s summer tour will stream on AOL Music, which will offer one song per concert, selected by Springsteen, with new songs going live the morning following each of the tour’s 18 stops, writes MediaPost. Pre-roll and other ads will come from AOL Music’s advertisers at large, as no online sponsor has signed on just yet.

Lifetime Series Built Around Perfectmatch.com Integration

Perfectmatch.com, a subscription-based online dating service with over three million members, has signed a season-long deal to be integrated into the storyline of Lifetime channel’s new series about a dysfunctional dating service, Lovespring International, writes The New York Times. Throughout the 13-episode season, Perfectmatch.com will appear as a faceless nemesis that steals clients from Lovespring.

Cubby Joins Whoopi’s Morning Radio Show

Paul “Cubby” Bryant, the longtime Z-100 New York radio personality, will join Whoopi Goldberg as her sidekick on her upcoming morning show “Wake Up with Whoopi,” which will begin airing weekday mornings from 5-9 a.m. on July 31 in national syndication from WKTU-FM New York, writes Radio Ink.

New Bud Light Site, Contest Encourages People to Create Branded Signs

As part of Anheuser-Busch’s recent “I’m Just Here For The Bud Light” campaign, the beer giant has launched a website, called Here 4BL, which encourages consumers to send in pictures of themselves holding a sign reading: “I’m Just Here For The Bud Light,” Adrants writes.