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The Coca-Cola Company (KO) is partnering with Paramount to develop a line of licensed apparel, glassware and holiday gift items for next year’s 65th anniversary of the movie, It’s a Wonderful Life. Brandweek 12/5/09.
Procter & Gamble (PG) is taking its Tide Swash national this month via e-retailers Amazon (AMZN) and Drugstore.com. Swash targets young professionals and college students by providing a way to refresh and remove wrinkles from clothing without hitting the laundromat. Brandweek 12/5/09
The American Family Association says several brands, including Barnes & Noble, Best Buy, CVS, Kroger, Office Depot, Radio Shack and Victoria’s Secret, do not do enough to recognize Christmas companywide. Brandweek 12/5/09
Bloomberg LP has completed its purchase of McGraw-Hill's (MHP) BusinessWeek magazine. The BusinessWeek issue that came out Dec. 4 sports the new logo. Mediaweek 12/4/09
Charmin has rolled out its fourth annual luxury public restrooms, containing Kohler products, televisions and iPods, in New York City's Times Square. As part of the promotion, "bathroom ambassadors" will blog, Facebook and tweet about the nuances of 'going.'"Brandweek 12/4/09
Pepsi (PEP) has launched Shoppepsi.com, an interactive store where consumers can shop for contemporary and vintage collectibles, accessories and apparel, and read the latest Pepsi news. Brandweek 12/4/09
Puerto Rico is reviving a campaign that was a hit in the 1950’s, to provide “a refreshing change from the traditional sun and surf and palm trees ads you’ve seen from the Caribbean.” The new campaign incorporates photography from the 1950’s campaign for which David Ogilvy wrote the copy. NYTimes 12/3/09
AT&T’s (ATT) has withdrawn a lawsuit accusing Verizon Wireless (VZW) of misleading consumers with ads that show maps with white or gray for places that AT&T does not have 3G coverage. The company complained the maps implied that AT&T had no coverage of any kind. A judge earlier rejected AT&T’s request to temporarily block the Verizon ads saying that while they could be described as “sneaky,” or “simply clever,” they were “literally true.” NYTimes.com 12/2/09
McDonald's (MCD) is swapping its traditional red backdrop for a deep hunter green to promote a more eco-friendly image in Europe. Some franchises in Great Britain and France are already using the new color scheme; about 100 German McDonald’s restaurants will make the change the end of 2009. Businessweek 11/23/09
Carl's Jr. has launched the Big Carl, a double burger with cheese and a Thousand Island-style sauce, with an ad campaign talking smack about the Big Mac. LATimes 8/19/09
A federal lawsuit accuses Wells Fargo & Co. of slashing borrowers' home equity lines of credit based on flawed automated software that exaggerated how much the value of their properties had fallen. LATimes 8/19/09
Sears and Kmart have introduced Christmas Club cards, reminiscent of banks' Christmas accounts, to encourage savings for holiday purchases. LATimes 8/18/09
Reader's Digest plans to file for Chapter 11 protection from creditors amid declining circulation, an industry wide advertising slump and large debts. Huffingtonpost, 8/17/09
GMAC Financial Services joins a list of advertisers who have stopped advertising on Glen Beck's television show, reportedly because of Beck’s accusations that President Obama is a racist. Other advertisers include ConAgra, Roche, Sanofi-Aventis, RadioShack, Men’s Wearhouse, State Farm Sargento, LexisNexis-owned Lawyers.com, Procter & Gamble, and Progressive Insurance. Media Matters 8/17/09
“Teen apparel chain Abercrombie & Fitch has suffered after refusing to cut prices, yet it resists big discounts. The retailer hopes to win back customers by emphasizing edgier fashions.” LATimes 8/15/09
Target, which had outsourced much of its e-commerce technology and fulfillment services to Seattle-based Amazon.com (NASDAQ: AMZN), will launch and manage its own Target.com platform beginning with the holiday season in 2011. Atlanta Business Chronicle 8/7/09
Nissan Motor Co.'s environmentally friendly electric automobile, the Leaf, will go on sale in Japan, the U.S. and Europe next year. Designed to avoid a “stereotypical futuristic design,” the blue hatchback has a sporty design and a recharging opening in the front. Huffingtonpost.com 8/3/09
Apple reportedly offered a refund to the family of a child whose iPod music player exploded after being dropped, only if they would sign an agreement that threatened legal action if they ever disclosed what had happened. The Times 8/3/09
Calling it the “Killer App for your Appetite,” Pizza Hut released an iPhone app in mid July to make ordering pizza pasta and wings “easy, fast and fun.” As of yesterday, the application has been downloaded over 100,000 times. The app includes a “virtual fridge” which offers coupons, and a free game called “Pizza Hut Racer.” Tasty.
Pizza Hut shows off the app in the YouTube video below:
Amazon.com Inc. (AMZN) has reached an agreement to acquire Zappos.com Inc., one of the largest online sellers of apparel and footwear. Atlanta Business Chronicle 7/23/09
Gidget, the 15-year-old dog best known for her Taco Bell ad campaign, died of a stroke Tuesday in Los Angeles. Uttering the words "Yo Quiero Taco Bell," Gidget, a female dog, played a male dog in the commercials. CNN 7/23/09
“Delta Air Lines Inc. (DAL) Chief Financial Officer Hank Halter sent a memo to the carrier’s employees on Wednesday, noting the airline no longer expects to be profitable in 2009, the recession has cost the airline $3 billion in revenue so far this year and it may have to make more job cuts.” Atlanta Business Chronicle 7/22/09
Fast-food chain The Krystal Co. has launched its own energy drink -- Krystal Blitz -- to go with its famous burgers. The “Lemon Berry” flavored drink has a blend of natural ingredients and enhancements including taurine, guarana, green tea extract and caffeine, and is combined with Sprite. Atlanta Business Chronicle 7/20/09
“Candy.com is now a shiny new, online store for all sorts of sweets after the domain name was sold for a whopping $3 million back in June. The fairly old-school website offers a range of lollipops, jelly beans, gum, candy bars and dispensers which it ships all across the United States.” Techcrunch, 7/20/09
An anonymous hacker broke into the personal accounts of some Twitter employees and was able to obtain confidential information on Twitter. The hacker distributed the information to sources including tech blog TechCrunch, who published portions of the information.
In a blog post, Twitter cofounder Biz Stone reassured Twitter users that the theft resulted in stolen documents, not compromised accounts. He added, “We are in touch with our legal counsel about what this theft means for Twitter, the hacker, and anyone who accepts and subsequently shares or publishes these stolen documents." Twitter, 7/15/2009
At the Microsoft WorldWide Partner Conference, Microsoft COO Kevin Turner commented that Microsoft (MSFT) knew the Laptop Hunters ad campaign was successful when the Apple (AAPL) legal department called and told Microsoft to stop running the ads because Apple had lowered their prices. PC World 7/16/09
Also at the conference, Turner announced that Microsoft will open their own retail stores “right next door to Apple this fall.” Apple’s success in the retail channel has helped them to gain significant mindshare. Gizmodo 7/15/09.
Starbucks (SBUX) is testing community-inspired names for its stores in the Seattle area to reflect the neighborhood’s personality. For example, one store will be renamed 15th Avenue Coffee and Tea and will serve wine and beer, host live music and poetry readings, and sell espresso from a manual machine versus the automated machines seen in most stores. Seattle Times 7/16/09 via Huffington Post.
A man who allegedly set off a small bomb on Memorial Day at a New York City Upper East Side Starbucks was arrested after he bragged about it to friends. The suspect is reportedly a fan of the 1999 movie "Fight Club” which includes a scene where a Starbucks is destroyed. CNN 7/15/09
Mercedes Benz has released a statement explaining that a malfunctioning warning light mistakenly appeared in a television spot for their E Class vehicle and “is in no way a reflection on the quality or durability of the E-Class.” It was an embarrassing error for a vehicle touted as the “most advanced” automobile on the market. The spot appeared briefly on YouTube before being yanked by Mercedes Benz. Autoblog 07/13/09 via mediabistro.com.
Andy Azula, the actor in the UPS (UPS) Whiteboard commercials, and the creative director at the Martin Agency, posted on his blog about a delayed Delta Air Lines (DAL) flight that kept him and his family waiting at the airport for 13 hours. Azula’s original post was removed but can be viewed here. Advertising Age 7/16/09
Burger King (BK) franchisees voted against a four month drop in the price of their double cheeseburger to $1, and were immediately asked by BK to cast their votes to drop the price to $1, albeit for a shorter period of time. The BK CMO also promised less offensive but still edgy advertising. Company sales have reportedly been down since late first quarter 2009. Advertising Age 7/10/09
Best Buy (BEST) and Tivo (TIVO) have signed an agreement that calls for Best Buy to increase marketing spending with Tivo, and may lead to growth of the Tivo platform through Tivo integration in Best Buy products and other joint initiatives. Clickz 7/10/2009
Domino’s (DPZ) is placing logos on sidewalks in Los Angeles, Philadelphia and New York to promote their American Legends pizza. The logos are created in the grime of the sidewalk by using a stencil and high pressure water. Adweek 7/10/09
The Hershey Company (HSY) is closing their catalog and web business effective July 31, 2009 because the ecommerce business model costs too much compared to traditional retail sales. Philly.com 7/2/09
“Chik-Fil-A's giveaways, stunts -- and well-played grass-roots strategy -- succeed without big marketing push.” The company’s “back-to-basics strategy” combined with heavy word of mouth and community outreach has resulted a 10% increase in system wide sales year to date, “even as competitors with bigger ad budgets struggle with how much food they can offer for a dollar.” AdAge 7/9/09
“Johnson & Johnson's quick reaction to the Food and Drug Administration advisory panel recommendation for limits on acetaminophen, the generic name for Tylenol and some rival medications, furthered the company's reputation for savvy crisis management. But the going is likely to get tougher in the months ahead. Wall Street Journal 7/9/09
“General Mills Inc.’s Betty Crocker brand is carving out a niche in gluten-free food after realizing it could reach eager customers without costly ad campaigns.” Wall Street Journal 7/2/09
Ritz Camera Centers Inc. says it no longer has enough capital to continue operations and will try to sell its roughly 400 stores. Columbus Business First 7/9/09
Univisión seemed like a gold mine three years ago; since then the advertising industry has shrunk and they’re mired in a costly legal battle with their primary programming partner. Miami Herald 7/9/09 via MultiCultClassics
Panda Express has launched its Wok Smart concept to educate guests about the wide variety of healthy eating options available on their menu. Wok Smart identifies the 18 sides, entrees and appetizers that are 250 calories or less per serving. Each of Panda Express' 1263 units nationwide will feature the Wok Smart™ symbol on menu slats alongside the entrees, nutritional brochures and on the website. Panda Express 7/9/2009
The Mini, as in the car that was produced by the British Motor Corporation(BMC) from 1959 to 2000, celebrated its 50th birthday this past weekend. BMW is the current owner of the brand which is now spelled in all caps as in MINI. Ads of the World, 7/9/2009, Wikipedia
Oscar G. Mayer, the chairman of the meat processing company that bears his name, and the grandson of the founder of Oscar Mayer Foods, has died at the age of 95. Did you know there was a Oscar Mayer person? Huffingtonpost 7/8/09
“Burger King has asked franchisees to consider temporarily dropping the price of their double cheeseburger to $1, a move likely aimed at igniting a burger battle with McDonald's Corp.” Chicago Tribune 7/8/09
Delta Air Lines Inc. plans to form an alliance with Virgin Blue Airlines Group that will broaden both carriers’ capabilities between the United States and Australia. Atlanta Business Chronicle 7/8/09
Sears has launched an online boutique called Christmas Lane at sears.com and kmart.com and has set up Christmas décor shops at 372 Sears stores. Usually the retailer waits until Nov.1 to unveil holiday merchandise. Chicago Tribune 7/8/09
The founders of Hotels.com have announced the launch of Getaroom.com, a new online hotel booking site. Bob Diener and David Litman, founded hotels.com and sold it in 2003. Dallas Business Journal 7/8/09
Scotts Miracle-Gro Co. (SMG) will shut its 56-store Smith & Hawken chain by the end of the year. “The combination of a weak economy and the lack of scale proved too great to overcome.” Columbus Business First 7/8/09
Data storage giant EMC Corp. (EMC) is purchasing Data Domain (DDUP), a provider of deduplication storage for disk backup, archiving and disaster recovery with a $2.1 billion all-cash offer, according to a regulatory filing Wednesday. Boston Business Journal 7/8/09
France’s highest court has found French cosmetics giant L’Oréal guilty of discriminating against black, Asian and Arab women by directing job recruiters to hire only white sales staff to sell their Garnier Fructis Style haircare products in France. Times Online 6/25/09
Pizza Hut is using the name ‘The Hut’ in some marketing efforts. One analyst notes that large chains have been losing share of the pizza market for years and are shifting strategies to focus on their delivery infrastructures that can deliver a variety of menu items in 30 minutes or less. Advertising Age 6/24/09
Dunkin' Donuts has introduced Dunkin’ Run, an interactive website and iPhone application, so that friends and colleagues can take turns picking up orders for each other when they’re heading to Dunkin’ Donuts. Brandweek 6/24/09
