News America Marketing Appoints Steve Ross EVP, Entertainment and Thematic Partnerships
Expanded Role to Include Development of Entertainment-Based Tie-In Programs and Events
New York, NY (December 9, 2009) -- News America Marketing, the preeminent provider of at home, online and in-store marketing programs, today announced that long-time News Corporation executive Steve Ross will assume an expanded role within the organization as Executive Vice President, Entertainment and Thematic Partnerships.
In response to continued advertiser interest and as a result of the success of News America Marketing’s Partnerships division, the organization is expanding its reach and relaunching the group. The division is responsible for producing themed programs and Free Standing Inserts (FSIs) surrounding Super Bowl, The Children’s Miracle Network, Easter Seals, and a number of internally developed programs, such as “New Year, New You” and the SmartSourcePink and SmartSourceGreen issues.
“Steve has the right combination of entertainment industry knowledge and marketing savvy to enable us to respond to the strong interest our advertisers have expressed in syndicated and customized thematic programming,” said Chris Mixson, President, News America Marketing.
In addition to the Partnerships division’s current efforts, Mr. Ross will lead the development and marketing of integrated entertainment alliances and cooperative sales programs with News Corp affiliates and sister divisions, such as Twentieth Century Fox and Searchlight films, Twentieth Century Television, Fox Broadcasting, Fox Sports, Harper Collins, the New York Post and Wall Street Journal, as well as other outside entertainment companies, including movie studios, television networks, cable companies, music labels and video game publishers, to promote increased synergistic sales of News America products via product placement, tie-ins, syndicated and stand alone promotions and retail trade relationships. The new programs will include FSI, In-Store, online and digital opportunities and may also be linked to events in the same fashion as News America’s longstanding partnership with the NFL which gives clients exclusive promotional tie-ins to the Super Bowl.
"This is a very exciting time to evolve our Partnerships division as we endeavor to enhance and create more compelling thematic alliances which will broaden and strengthen our core ability to market our vast portfolio of assets and equities." Mr. Ross added, “Strategically connecting brands and content to add value is what I do best and News America Marketing’s abundant in-store network of 50,000 stores, weekly FSI reach of 70 million households and online and other digital offerings will effectively help us develop dynamic new marketing opportunities for CPG manufacturers and the entertainment sector as a whole. I'm thrilled to lead the expansion efforts for this important area of the company."
Mr. Ross’s new role will bring him to the New York headquarters of News America Marketing and is effective immediately.
Mr. Ross is a long-time entertainment industry and studio veteran who has worked for News America Marketing for the past three years as EVP, Entertainment and Specialty Marketing. He is the former head of global entertainment and business development at Mattel and his impressive entertainment background also includes more than a dozen years at Twentieth Century Fox, where he was president of worldwide licensing & merchandising, and first earned his reputation as an expert brand-builder, managing the studio’s vast portfolio of intellectual properties. He was responsible for developing integrated strategic partnerships between Fox properties and such blue chip multi-national corporations and brands as American Airlines, Apple, Burger King, Coca-Cola, Frito Lay, GM, Hershey’s, Intel, Kellogg’s, Kraft, McDonalds, Nabisco, Nestle, Nissan, Nokia, Pepsi-Co, Quaker Oats and Reebok. Mr. Ross is a former Brandweek "Marketer of the Year" and was named one of Ad Age's top-100 marketers.
“We look forward to building upon the successes of the Partnerships division and believe that Steve is uniquely qualified for the position. We have no doubt that he will engage both advertisers and consumers alike with the new thematic programs that will be developed under his leadership,” said News America Marketing Chairman and CEO, Paul V. Carlucci.
News America Marketing®, a division of News Corporation, is the leading single-source provider of consumer marketing services. The company’s product portfolio, marketed under the SmartSource® brand name, consists of the first branded free-standing insert, known as SmartSource Magazine®, various in-store marketing products, merchandising services, database marketing tools and online promotions. These products and services allow marketers to deliver a brand message to over 200 million consumers each month via a network of 1,500 newspapers and over 50,000 supermarket, drug, office, mass merchandisers and dollar-store locations across the country, including Kroger, Safeway, Publix, Food Lion, CVS, Rite Aid Walgreens, Staples, Family Dollar and Dollar General.
News America Marketing’s diverse portfolio of consumer-marketing programs includes:
IN-STORE MEDIA
SmartSource® At-Shelf Sampling SmartSource CartsSM SmartSource Coupon Machine® SmartSource Floortalk® SmartSource Price Pop GuaranteedSM SmartSource Shelftake One® SmartSource ShelftalkSM SmartSource Shelftalk Banner®
SmartSource Shelfvision VideoSM SmartSource Showcase®
SmartSource SmartSamplingSM
HOME-DELIVERED MEDIA
SmartSource Magazine®
SmartSource Custom Media
Direct Response Advertising
Partnerships Themed Events
ONLINE MEDIA
SmartSource Online
www.smartsource.com
TRADE MARKETING
SmartSource Price Feature PlusSM
DATABASE MARKETING
SmartSource Direct®
MERCHANDISING SERVICES
News America Marketing—International provides consumer-marketing services in Canada, Australia and New Zealand; in addition, we have a network of advertising and promotion partners in Asia, Europe, South America and Africa.
News Corporation (NASDAQ: NWS, NWSA; ASX: NWS, NWSLV) had total assets as of June 30, 2009 of approximately US$53 billion and total annual revenues of approximately US$30 billion. News Corporation is a diversified global media company with operations in eight industry segments: filmed entertainment; television; cable network programming; direct broadcast satellite television; magazines and inserts; newspapers and information services; book publishing; and other. The activities of News Corporation are conducted principally in the United States, Continental Europe, the United Kingdom, Australia, Asia and Latin America.
Contact: News America Marketing
Laura Richards
212.782.8145
lrichards@newsamerica.com
Rubenstein Associates Public Relations
Marisa Wayne
212.843.9216
mwayne@rubenstein.com
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