Media Advertising

Bentonville, Ark. -- Declaring that more than 90 percent of its charitable giving targets local communities, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. said for its fiscal year ending Jan. 31, 2005, cash donations through its namesake and Sam's Club foundations exceeded a record $170 million.

NEW YORK ¿ Unilever's Foods North America business unit has named Mosaica, a multicultural communications agency here, as its advertising agency of record for the Hispanic market.

The troubles of toy category killers may be a break for supermarket operators -- if they play the game well.

SAN ANTONIO -- Roger Clemens, the Houston Texans cheerleaders, and two members of the San Antonio Spurs are among the many colorful Texas icons joining Charles Butt, chairman and c.e.o. of H-E-B Grocery Co., in a new television commercial that promotes the grocery chain's Centennial Celebration.

NEW YORK -- Coupon use was on the rise in 2004 as 251 billion coupons were distributed within newspaper Free-Standing Inserts (FSIs) -- a 7.7 percent increase compared with 2003, according to the annual Marx FSI Trend Report. The report estimates that more than 850 FSI coupons were issued for every U.S. citizen, with potential per-person savings of nearly $1,000.

NORTHFIELD, Ill. -- Furthering its commitment to health and nutrition, Kraft Foods, Inc. has named Richard Black to the new post of v.p., nutrition, effective Feb. 28. Black will be responsible for developing and leading company-wide nutrition programs. He will also oversee nutrition strategies and guidelines, measurement of nutritional quality, and "specific portfolio improvement opportunities," according to Kraft.

NEW YORK -- With Super Bowl XXXIX just days away, several VNU businesses yesterday released a marketing guide based on in-depth analysis of trends related to the big game, combining data from numerous sources including television ratings, advertising expenditures, Internet measurement, album sales, box-office, consumer and lifestyle information, merchandise sales, consumer segmentation and targeting, comprehensive market research, and retail consumer sales for of the event.

NEW YORK -- The Grain Foods Foundation yesterday launched a multimillion-dollar public education campaign to highlight the beneficial role that grain products, particularly bread, play in a healthy, balanced diet. The campaign, launched here and Washington, D.C., is the foundation's first effort to publicize the nutritional benefits of breads and grains.