Blockbuster Acquires Movielink

Blockbuster hopes to offer video downloading services by acquiring Movielink, and is also acquiring rights to show the films of Warner Brothers, M.G.M. and Paramount

New York Times, August 9, 2007 — The video rental chain Blockbuster said yesterday that it had acquired the Internet movie provider Movielink to offer video downloading services to customers.

Blockbuster is also acquiring rights to show the films of Movie- link’s owners, which include Warner Brothers Studios, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and Paramount Pictures, it said. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Energizer Acquires Playtex for $1.9 Billion†

Deal Will Broaden Company's Competition with Giant P&G

Advertising Age, July 17, 2007 — Energizer Holdings announced plans on Friday to acquire Playtex Products, putting the Energizer Bunny in charge of a host of new categories ranging from tampons to sunscreen and children's sippy cups

Ford Seeking a Future by Going Backward

With its recent decision to entertain bids for Volvo, Ford appears to be dismantling the collection of luxury auto companies that it once assembled with such confidence

New York Times, July 17, 2007 — When Bill Ford Jr. beat out Fiat and Volkswagen eight years ago to buy Volvo, he declared the $6.5 billion acquisition a “meaningful step” to fulfilling the Ford Motor Company’s “21st-century vision” of becoming the world’s leading automaker.

GE-NBCU Invests in Healthline, Gaming†

Busy Peacock Equity Fund Shows a Penchant for Advanced Ad Applications

Advertising Age, July 17, 2007 — Putting at least $250 million where their mouths are, NBC Universal and GE Commercial Finance are placing bets on the web 2.0 world, having teamed up on a joint venture, recently rebranded the Peacock Equity Fund, to help identify young digital companies that could help them play in the advanced advertising space.

IHOP Buys Applebee's for $2.1 Billion†

Pancake Giant Looks to Right Floundering Brand Through Franchising

Advertising Age, July 17, 2007 — Pancake-flipping IHOP Corp. has purchased the struggling Applebee's restaurant chain for $2.1 billion, the company announced today.

Announcing the deal, IHOP said it intended to convert the bulk of Applebee's 508 company-owned stores to franchises, mirroring a transition IHOP itself employed to improve its own business in recent years.

Yahoo Buys Rivals.com to Bolster Sports Content†

Adds More than 150 High School and College Sports Sites

Advertising Age, June 22, 2007 — Yahoo has purchased Rivals.com, a network of high school and college sports sites. The acquisition falls into the Yahoo Sports channel, which the portal has been building through fantasy leagues and content deals with brands such as Time Inc.'s Sports Illustrated. This deal significantly bolsters Yahoo's offering of nonprofessional-sports news and content.

M&A Blind Spot†

When negotiating a merger, leave a seat at the table for a marketing expert

Wall Street Journal, June 16, 2007 — Pulling off a successful merger or acquisition is a daunting management challenge. Only about one in five deals actually succeeds in creating shareholder value.But there's a step companies could take to improve their odds: pay more attention to marketing during the negotiations.

AT&T Phases Out Cingular Name Faster Than Expected†

Removes Brand Moniker From All In-store Signage; Two Rebranding Efforts on the Way

Advertising Age, May 21, 2007 — The Cingular brand name will go away more quickly than first expected. AT&T today announced it will accelerate the elimination of its Cingular Wireless brand by removing the name from all in-store signage, including kiosks and point-of-sale materials in 1,800 company-owned stores. Several high-profile stores in major markets will have new AT&T signs. Over the next few months, branding in arenas such as consumer touch points, handset logos and Nascar sponsorship also will be changed.

Merger Challenge: Unite Toothbrush, Toothpaste†

P&G and Gillette Find Creating Synergy Can Be Harder Than It Looks

Wall Street Journal, April 24, 2007 — Among all the products brought together in Procter & Gamble Co.'s 2005 acquisition of Gillette, two carried particularly high expectations because of their natural fit: the world's No. 1 toothbrush and the world's No. 2 toothpaste. But putting together Gillette's Oral-B and P&G's Crest turned out to be more complicated than it looked.

Nestle to buy Gerber for $5.5 billion

BusinessWeek, April 12, 2007 — The famous Gerber Baby will change parents, with Nestle SA announcing Thursday that it will buy Gerber Products Co. for $5.5 billion, giving the world's biggest food and drink company the largest share of the global baby food market.