REVIEW

Michael Kassan, the former North American president of Interpublic,

has settled a lawsuit against his former employer. No details of the

settlement were released, but Kassan had originally demanded

compensation of $63.5 million for breach of contract and defamation of

character. Ad Age

French Connection is considering taking legal action against the

Conservative Party after its young members group, Conservative Future,

rebranded itself as CFUK. Marketing Week

Thestreet.com, the US internet business news service, announced its

entry into the British market this week. Mustoe Merriman Herring Levy

will handle the launch advertising task. General release

Grey Advertising in the US is considering spinning off its Procter &

Gamble personal care business into a separate unit. The new shop would

house brands including Pantene and Cover Girl. Ad Age

Sony Corporation has unveiled a successor to its PlayStation games

console which will go on sale in Japan on 4 March 2000. Sony is hoping

that PlayStation 2 can beat back the challenge from Sega’s Dreamcast,

which went on sale in the US last week, to good reviews. General

release

Western Initiative Media has hired James Bell as executive

vice-president/managing director for Northwest operations. He joins from

MediaCom in New York, where he worked for 28 years, most recently as

managing director. Ad Week

Pay television has little or no appeal to more than half of Britain’s

households. This is the conclusion of a study which will help form the

basis of the BBC’s strategy for persuading the Government of the need

for a higher licence fee for its digital services. The Guardian

Microsoft is developing a games console in an attempt to steal a share

of a market dominated by Sony, Sega and Nintendo. The console will be

internet compatible and could be launched as early as next year. The

Sunday Times

The Whirlpool Corporation has consolidated the majority of its Whirlpool

brand business into Publicis. Following wins in six other markets

earlier this year, Publicis has now won the business across North

America. CampaignLive

Michael Parkinson is the latest star of the Mercury One2One advertising

campaign. The ad, which broke this week, features a selection of his

friends and family. Sunday Mirror

Waitrose, the supermarket group owned by the John Lewis Partnership, is

to offer home delivery of organic produce, as it becomes the latest

retailer to offer free internet access. Financial Times

Procter & Gamble is ploughing US$50 million into the creation of a

standalone beauty care internet business. The company, reflect.com, will

sell a new range of personalised beauty products and services over the

internet. Marketing Week

Charlie Dawson, managing director of Duckworth Finn Grubb Waters, is

quitting to start the Foundation, a brand consultancy. General release.

This article was first published on Campaign