New CMO at Aflac QVC Vet Charney Replaces Herbert Aflac, the insurer best known for its onomatopoeic duck spokesman, has appointed a new CMO. Jeff Charney, who will assume the title svp/CMO, previously served under the same title at TV shopping network QVC. Charney replaces former Coca-Cola marketing executive Jeff Herbert, who, according to reports, initially sought to minimize the use of the duck (which quacks "Aflac!") in advertising and marketing. Herbert left in 2007 and the post has remained open since then.

"Jeff Charney is a proven leader with cutting edge experience in brand development,

creative consumer and product marketing, and strategic business development," Paul Amos, Aflac president and COO, said in a statement. The duck mascot, introduced in 1999 via Kaplan Thaler Group, has since been featured in more than 30 TV spots.



Puma Taps Droga5 New York Shop Gets $100M Account Puma has hired Droga5 as its lead global creative partner. New work will break next year, with branding efforts and ads for specific products in the mix. The company's estimated global annual ad spending exceeds

$100 million. Its U.S. media outlays have been $10-15 million per year, excluding online spending, according to Nielsen Monitor-Plus. There was no lead agency on the brand, which is based in Germany with U.S. headquarters in Westford, Mass. Puma ranks

seventh among athletic footwear companies with about $440 million in annual sales; the category leader, Nike, tallied $4.1 billion in 2007, according to data compiled by Brandweek. Droga5 was launched in 2006 by Australian creative star David Droga. The company now looks to Droga5 to strengthen its overall ad message. Antonio Bertone, CMO at Puma, said Droga5 was selected based on its penchant for crafting unconventional integrated advertising.

Citi: U.S. Ad Spend to Fall 3.6% 2009 Outlook Revised Downward U.S. advertising spending will decline 1.8 percent this year and 3.6 percent next year, and not even the Internet will be safe, Citi Investment Research predicted last week. Media analysts at the bank lowered their ad forecasts across media categories, with Web estimates hit particularly hard; they also warned that a rebound in ad momentum likely won't come until 2010. Citi analysts Catriona Fallon, Jason Bazinet and Mark Mahaney had called for 0.2 percent growth in 2008 and a 0.3 percent gain next year. "The pullback in ad spending by local businesses, compounded by national advertisers holding off on budgets, is causing a slowing across all U.S. ad media," they said.