Category: sports
Lay's Kettle Cooked potato chip brand is using handcrafted wood billboards to reinforce their "all natural ingredients, crafted with care,” and to launch new flavors Crinkle Cut Spice Rubbed BBQ and Harvest Ranch. BrandFreak 6/4/10
The New York Times wants the Wall Street Journal to stop using the slogan “Not Just Wall Street. Every Street” in its advertisements because it owns the line. The Wall Street Journal says they are within their rights to use the adding “We never intended to run the ad for long. We think we’ve made our point. And to get rise out of you is a special bonus.” PaidContent 6/4/10
“Toning shoes” are driving market share gains for Adidas AG’s Reebok unit and Skechers U.S.A. Inc. as Nike’s lead in U.S. women’s athletic footwear shrinks. Nike, the world’s largest athletic shoemaker, says the shoes don’t work, and women thinking of buying toning shoes should buy its Free brand, which simulates barefoot running to strengthen feet and muscles. Bloomberg 6/3/10
The Federal Trade Commission has scolded the Kellogg Company for making “dubious claims” that Rice Krispies cereal provides children with health benefits. The company was recently told to stop making similar claims about Frosted Mini-Wheats cereal. The Consumerist 6/3/10
”McDonald’s is not releasing or testing a new boneless rib product called “McRibble.” The company says that a supposedly leaked ad for the new product is a hoax. The Consumerist 6/3/10
Ford Motor announces that it will discontinue selling Mercury models this fall. Originally conceived by Edsel Ford, Henry Ford’s son, the Mercury brand was launched in the 1930s to fill the gap between basic Fords and luxury Lincolns. New York Times 6/2/10
British Airways says a fictitious boarding pass pictured in an employee publication, and bearing Osama Bin Laden’s name and flight details was a mistake, and has apologized. The Daily Mail reports the gaffe may have been the result of "sabotage" by a "dissatisfied staff member,” and may be related to “a standoff with cabin crew that has led to mass strikes." USA Today 6/3/2010, The Daily Mail 6/1/10
The National Basketball Association has signed licensing deals to enable NBA team logos made of sugar, starch and food cloring to be placed on pizzas after they have been baked. Consumers will also be able to purchase toasters $34.99 toasters that "burn" golden brown team logos onto bread as it toasts. USAToday 5/26/10
Sure, Accenture and other companies might be feeling a little burned by Tiger Woods but pairing a brand with celebrity endorsements, attractive imagery or event sponsorships can help create positive feelings about the brand say the authors of a study published in Science Daily.
Three of Tiger Woods’ sponsors, Nike (NKE), Gatorade and Gillette, have expressed their support in the aftermath of his automobile accident and rumored affair. CNN 11/30/09
The founder and former president and CEO of Jones Soda has founded BoxB, a company that will create nonalcoholic private label beverages for distributors. Owning their own brand eliminates the risk associated with building non-owned brands and then losing the distribution when they become a hit. Brandweek 11/28/09
With Christmas less than five weeks away, Borders (BGP) and Barnes & Noble (BKS) are concerned that the weak economy will depress sales, despite best sellers from Dan Brown, Stephen King and Sarah Palin. wsj.com 11/25/09 May require subscription.
Dress Barn (DBRN) has completed its merger of Tween Brands, owner of the Justice brand that caters to children from the ages of 7 to 14. It will operate as a subsidiary of Dress Barn. Chainstoreage.com 11/25/09
AOL is adopting a new brand identity next month when it spins off from Time Warner (TWX). The triangle is gone, and the uppercase “AOL” is now upper & lower case, punctuated with a period: “Aol.” NYTimes.com 11/22/09 via Media Bistro
Tide has introduced “Stain Brain,” an iPhone app that offers simple solutions on the spot and allows people to share cleaning tips. The move coincided with the launch of Tide’s Stain Release in-wash booster, designed to be added into the regular laundry load to remove a host of stubborn stains. CMDGlobal.com
Google (GOOG) CEO Eric Schmidt has resigned from Apple's (AAPL) board of directors as the Internet search leader increasingly develops products that compete with Apple's core businesses, including the iPhone. LATimes 8/3/09
The Coca-Cola Company (KO) is testing "Vio," a new carbonated, milk-based "vibrancy" drink, in New York. Packaged in 8 oz. aluminum bottles, Vio comes in four flavors – Citrus Burst, Peach Mango, Tropical Colada and Very Berry. Guardian, 8/1/09
Skype, which was purchased by eBay (EBAY) in 2005, might have to shut down because of a dispute with the original founders of the company who retained the rights to the technology at the heart of the system. FoxNews 8/1/09
Starting this season, the NBA is allowing teams to sell ads on their practice jerseys. The league is also exploring the idea of allowing ads on game jerseys noting that sponsored game jerseys are a well-established practice in other countries. MediaBistro 7/31/09
The U.S. Travel Association says corporations and government officials fearful of being perceived of wasting tax dollars are avoiding entertainment destinations such as Orlando and Las Vegas, in a policy, the organization says, that is more about saving face than saving money. CNN 7/31/09
Speaking of athletic endorsements - a joint Nielsen Preview and Harvard Business School study and case study focuses the value of athletic endorsements: How they affect corporate brands, how the brand can be monetized and value, what the effect on sales is, and whether/how a brand’s characteristics contribute to the overall results.
This is a must read for anyone who wants to understand the mechanics of brand sponsorship ROI. Free download from Nielsen Preview: The Economic Value of Athlete Endorsers
Sony (SNE) will post a 100 billion yen ($1.1 billion) operating loss this fiscal year through March, its first since 1995, due to declining sales of its liquid crystal display screens and other products and declining profits on goods sold abroad, hurt by a strong yen, says the Nikkei business newspaper and broadcaster NHK. HuffingtonPost 1/12/09
“The Home Depot (HD) is ending its multimillion-dollar sponsorship deal with the U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC) and discontinuing a program that offered jobs and benefits to American athletes.” At the height of the program, which began in 1992, The Home Depot employed more than 200 athletes. Chain Store Age 1/11/09
“During a year when the stock market lost a third of its value — its worst performance since the Great Depression — shares of McDonald's gained nearly 6 percent, making the company one of only two in the Dow Jones industrial average whose share price rose in 2008.” The other was Wal-Mart (WMT.) The company’s improved performance is attributed, in part, to “a focus on quality, service and restaurant experience rather than simply providing the cheapest, most convenient option to customers.” International Herald Tribune 1/11/09
CEO Todd Diener, of Chili's Grill & Bar, owned by Brinker International (EAT), has invited Drew Carey to manage a Chili’s restaurant for a few hours, with proceeds going to a charity of Carey’s choice. Carey recently told the Washington Post that if acting hadn’t panned out he would probably be managing a restaurant. “I'd be at a Chili's near you. I'd be the boss that everybody liked." Chili's Grill & Bar 1/9/09
FedEx Corp. (FDX) is cutting its marketing budget by more than 25 percent for 2009, sharing its rationale on the company blog. It notes that it will not be advertising in the 2009 SuperBowl. BTW, the Kinko’s brand name will disappear in 2009; FedEx Kinko’s locations are becoming FedEx Office. Atlanta Business Chronicle 1/8/09
Subscribe to Brandeo’s free weekly newsletter or RSS feed
<!-- AddThis Button BEGIN -->
Brand prestige will be driven less by premium price in 2009 according to Nielsen’s 2009 Industry Outlook, but the report cautions that focusing on low price won’t provide the results marketers desire. “Marketers should look to emphasize a brand’s value proposition in new and unique ways by linking the value message to the consumer benefit.” In other words, if your brand positioning strategy has gotten a little hazy, this is a good time to re-focus on brand strategy basics.
Nielsen’s 2009 Industry Outlook also predicts that national brands will aggressively fight private label growth with “innovative packaging, unique flavors and additional health and wellness claims.” Nielsen Consumer Insight
New brand positioning from P&G (PG-W) for its troubled Pantene brand touts it “a value buy that's just as good as salon brands, but less expensive.” Adweek 12/01/08.
Campbell Soup Co. (CPB)will sell its V8 juices in more than 15,000 vending machines for the first time in a new 12-ounce bottle as part of a deal with Coca-Cola Enterprises Inc. (CCE) Atlanta Business Chronicle 12/03/08.
Nestlé S.A., whose tagline is “Good Food, Good Life,”and positions itself as “the leading nutrition, health and wellness company,” has announced a sports nutrition research program studying the needs of athletes across a wide range of sports. Data from the program will help create “a new generation of sports nutrition products for leading athletes.” The program is under the auspices of Nestlé Nutrition, an independent entity within the Nestlé Group that studies infant nutrition, healthcare nutrition and performance nutrition. From:Nestlé S.A.
Quepasa Corporation (Nasdaq: QPSA) owner of Quepasa.com, says the unique audience for the site grew by 33% from October to more than 1.6 million, according to Alexa traffic data, making it the #2 U.S. based online social community for young Latinos.” Source: Quepasa.com 12/05/08.
Subscribe to Brandeo’s free weekly newsletter or RSS feed
Break Media operates branded Internet entertainment communities for men (Break.com, Cage Potato, Chickipedia, and Holy Taco) as well as the Break Men's Ad Network which targets a young, male demographic.
Yardbarker is an ad network and social media site for sports fans.
