Contributed by Ted Mininni
- Boomers Change MO from Consuming to Saving
A well-researched article in Adweek, Noreen O'Leary's Boomers Caught in Squeeze ," ought to make marketers everywhere sit up and ...
- Of Clorox Bleach and Arm & Hammer Baking Soda
A recent Brandweek article, Concentrating on , piqued my interest. In the article, we learn that Clorox has launched a ...
- New Blockbuster Study Confirms 'Food and Product Safety and its Effect on Consumer Buying Habits'
Deloitte LLP issued a very important report this fall, based on a survey the company commissioned. "Food and Product Safety ...
- The New Sugar: About to Hit the Big Time
Back on July 30th, I about Truvia in a post dubbed, "Marketing the New Sugar." In my post, I commented ...
- Anything But Generic
Remember when store grocery brands used to come in generic packaging? You plain white packages with black stenciled lettering, no ...
- Is Some of Nike's Current Success Due to Its 'Running' Social Network?
So how could Nike take its share of all the running shoe business in the U.S. in 2006 and grow ...
- Selling Comfort During Tough Times
Some marketers are responding to the current economic downturn and consumer fear, by softening their marketing This isn't anything new, ...
- What Does Loss of Customer Trust Actually Cost Companies?
We all know that in challenging economic times, consumers are less brand loyal than ever. They'll drop their favorite brands ...
- Cashing In on Small Company Ideas
An interesting new concept is cropping up these days, according the Wall Street . In a large consumer product companies ...
- Procter & Gamble Competing Against Itself?
The Financial Times recently published a short article, P&G web move is challenge to , which piqued my interest from ...
- Retailers On Board with 'Shopper Marketing'
Retailers are shifting some of their conventional marketing spend–away from media to "shopper marketing." This trend has been developing for ...
- Applying the P&G Formula to a Baseball Team?
A in Advertising Age put forth an interesting re-branding proposition. The "Tampa Bay Rays Get a P&G-Style Makeover," caught my ...
- Fair Trade: The New Organic?
Now that green products and organics, have made their way into the mainstream, gaining widespread acceptance, are Fair Trade Certified ...
- Are 'Complete' Products Being 'Totaled'?
A very interesting recently appeared in Advertising Age. "Will All-in-One Products End Their Reign?" discusses the recent trend of many ...
- Pushing the Big 'O'
A compelling marketing article appeared in Brandweek titled The Story of " that was published on September 7th. It's terrific ...
- Sharing the Wealth: Shopping Private Labels to Competing Retailers
An interesting appeared in Supermarket News recently. "Can Safeway Become a Lab for Other Retailers?" discusses the food retailer's decision ...
- Obsessive Compulsive Marketers?
A recent book review caught my attention. The book being reviewed, Obsessive Branding , was authored by Lucas . With ...
- It's about conceptualizing ideas...
Have you ever heard of an advertising agency whose principals don't think their future is in advertising? Then, you haven't ...
- Wegman's Going Local
Wegman's Food Markets have quietly expanded on the privately owned grocery chain's "Locally Grown" program, according to a recent article ...
- Coca Cola Going Chinese?
I recently caught a tantalizing tidbit in a food industry newsletter and followed it to its source. An titled "An ...
- Arm & Hammer Marketing Power
Just happened to catch an interesting short new infomercial on TV. Anthony Kennedy came on the tube, and as we ...
- One Man's Trash...
A recent NPR profiled an intriguing artist and entrepreneur named Justin Gignac. In that story, titled "Treasure or Trash? Artist ...
- 'Let Your Food be Your Medicine': 7 Trends Worth Watching
A recent points out that "Nutraceuticals May Be Near Tipping Point in the U.S." While the average American is spending ...
- Marketing the New Sugar
Truvia. Remember that name. It's a natural, no-calorie sweetener derived from compounds found in the leaves of an herb called ...
- Newly Minted Expressions?
Media Post's Marketing newsletter dated July 8, 2008 had an interesting column, titled, "What's That You Say?" In it were ...
- P&G's New Billion-Dollar Baby?
Consumer product industry watchers have known for some time that P&G's Febreze brand has been an unqualified success. Launching hot ...
- 'A Rose by Any Other Name. . . '
Was it Shakespeare who said "A rose by any other name would smell as sweet..."? It seems that the Bard ...
- From Supersized to Downsized?
Fellow Daily Fix contributor Paul posted a comment to a recent post of mine Functional ) that got me thinking. ...
- Marketing Inertia?
Marketing recently conducted an interview with The CMO Council's Donovan Neale-May, who divulged some starting information. It appears that in ...
- Functional Candy?
Back in March, I posted on a new trend in the candy industry that in my view, was quite Caffeinated ...
- The Marketing of Worm Poop
Entrepreneurialism is alive and well in America. Just ask Tom Szaky, the founder of . His big a commercialized liquid ...
- Fundamental Shift in Making & Marketing Snacks to Kids
A recent Washington Post article caught my Sweet ," Under Siege, Companies Begin Replacing Familiar Junk Food Pitches and The ...
- Brand New Thinking: Put It in Cultural Context
As marketing managers seek to keep their brands fresh and relevant, many are tempted to jump on the latest trends ...
- Jumping on the Healthy Food Bandwagon
Here was a great statement in a recent Reuters article, Food makers look to health as downturn "Industry giants such ...
- Trust, Transparency, Traceability: On the Agenda in the Food Biz
If there was ever a time when the food industry needed to build the three big T's, the time is ...
- Starbucks: Building Innovation with Customers
A recent BusinessWeek , 'Hey, Starbucks, How About Coffee Cubes?' had me saying "Finally!" About a month ago, java giant ...
- Tapping into Great Ideas Right Under Your Nose
Business is running a series of what you might call "self-help articles for businesses." Before you yawn and think it's ...
- Signing Braille onto Packaging
A short, interesting piqued my interest in Packaging World recently. The "Braille 'signed' on sleeved bottles" simply discloses how Italian ...
- Capturing Teens
It seems that department store retailers, faced with sagging sales and a slumping economy, have made what appears to be ...
- Consumers in Chrysler's Boardroom?
The automotive industry's first Customer Advisory Board (CAB) has arrived. Thanks to Palo Alto, California-based Passenger, a technology company, which ...
- This Little Piggly Went to Market
According to an article in The Times and newspaper in Orangeburg, South Carolina, local grocery chain Piggly Wiggly might be ...
- Marketing Mind Meld, Part 2
Apparently, for quite a while now, some marketers have hosted focus groups using hypnosis as their tool. The wraps are ...
- Customer Service: Losing Its Touch?
A terrific article was published in a recent issue of CRM magazine. In Poor Customer Service Paralyzing U.S. ," customer ...
- Failing to Make an Impression?
Apparently marketers aren't cutting it, according to a recent study. Marketers aren't making a mark with consumers when they launch ...
- Earth-Wise Packaging Choices?
"Research from The Nielsen Co. here shows that more than half of U.S. consumers would give up all forms of ...
- Blurring the Lines Between Advertising and Entertainment
Since many traditional advertising platforms are static in nature, and consumers are becoming increasingly interactive in their preferences, companies must ...
- Caffeinated Candy: What's Next?
An interesting article dubbed "Stimulus Plan for Pack It Full of Caffeine" appeared in the February 13th edition of the ...
- The Marketing Mind Meld?
If it sounds a little like something out of Arthur C. Clarke's A Space Odyssey", it is. New technology has ...
- Clorox Going Green?
According to a recent in the San Francisco Chronicle, Clorox is introducing a green cleaning product line. Wow! Move over ...
- Coke Jumps Into the Tea Business
Coca-Cola execs obviously know a good deal when they see one. Looking to expand its beverage brand portfolio due to ...
- Just Say 'No' to Tobacco
A short recent article in Progressive Grocer magazine that an upscale, independent grocery chain in California with eight stores, , ...
- 'Locavore' and More: The Buzz Around New Buzzwords
Apparently, being a "locavore" not only spotlights one of the biggest food trends in years. It's not only the reigning ...
- P&G Cleaning Up
It's no secret that P&G is an ambitious company that sets ambitious goals for itself and a plan for achieving ...
- Retailing 'Lifestyle' v. Food
The supermarket chain, headquartered in Pleasanton, California, has had its share of challenges in the mid-Atlantic region of the country. ...
- CPG Web Sites Reign!
A recent Advertising article made me sit up and take notice. The article opens in this "What's the hottest category ...
- Designing the Customer Experience
"Looking at design as part of the total customer experience is -- Claudia Kotchka, VP Design Innovation & Strategy, As ...
- Gourmet To Go?
What better testing ground for new concept gourmet mini-supermarkets than Southern California? That's what British supermarket giant thought, too. Fortune ...
- P&G Is Going Green
According to a Financial Times article, P&G sets 'greener' products , "Procter & Gamble has set itself a target for ...
- Starting a Food Fight
Starting a Food is the newest game site for foodies on the Internet, thanks to General Mills. What's neat about ...
- 'Blogging Is Intellectual Prototyping'
"Blogging is intellectual prototyping." --Roger Martin, dean of the Rotman School of Management, University of How's that for a quote? ...
- Advertising? Forget It. Word of Mouth Reigns!
Marketing researchers conducted a global survey recently to find out which of the advertising platforms in use today, including new ...
- Frito-Lay: Altruistic, or Caving to Pressure?
Healthy junk food for the masses... what a concept! has decided to launch healthier snacks, either because it's the right ...
- Ring Bros. Experiment in Grassroots Green Marketing
An interesting article caught my eye in the September issue of Progressive Grocer. The article titled, Ring Bros. In-store Experiment ...
- The Latest Miracle on Ice
The story created a media frenzy in mid-August. In Barrow, , of all places. Up on the Arctic Circle, on ...
- How to Avoid Brand Hijack
Finally! A terrific Business Week highlighted a potentially devastating problem in one of its recent articles, dubbed Feeling Trashed on ...
- Repackage, Rebrand & Relaunch? Or Do We Need to Dig Deeper?
Leading consumer-products companies are looking to rebrand, repackage and relaunch... often too frequently. Sometimes, the effort is merely putting a ...
- Filling the Soda Void: Merchandising Water and Milk
So how do parents and schools replace sugar-laden drinks with plain old H2O and milk as exciting, viable options? Maybe ...
- The Big Brand Sell-Off
Whoever heard of multinational consumer product companies divesting themselves of category leading brands? Rumors have been flying for some time ...
- Marketing a Green Business
The increasing impetus to green up corporate modus operandi has companies scrambling to find ways large and small to protect ...
- Dell: Moving Past Sales to Building Relationships
"When the going gets tough, the tough get going." Dell has lost significant PC market share to Hewlett-Packard over the ...
- Ridemakerz: Build-a-Bear with 'Enginuity'
As a design consultant with deep roots in the toy and entertainment biz, I'm always interested in studying new business ...
- The Latest Marketing Strategy in the Hospitality Industry: Spas
That's spas. Hotels -- from branded, global chains catering to business class or high end, jet-setting travelers -- have (or ...
- Selling Technology to Baby Boomers & Seniors
Business 's online Innovation section reported on a new cell phone designed and marketed to the 100+ million baby boomers ...
- Liddle Explores a New Market for Plastic Waste
Briton Richard is taking on the huge problem of plastic waste in his country, and the impact of his efforts ...
- The New Design Culture at P&G
A noteworthy article appeared in the June issue Shelf , an influential online e-zine. The article, P&G Design's strategic value ...
- Marketing to Employees: Hearing a 'McCalling'
A recent McDonald's ad caught the eye of Business Week writers recently. "It's Not a McJob, It's a McCalling" caught ...
- No Snack or Bathroom Breaks: Keeping TV Viewers in Their Seats
The New York Times ran a great story recently, titled Marketers Struggle to Get Folks to Stay Put for the ...
- Intellectual Piracy: Not a Mickey Mouse Operation
Every major brand is grappling with the issue of intellectual piracy. While infringements on property rights are a problem around ...
- Brands Must Have an Online Presence
Just An interesting short article from , citing a study conducted by WPP's –a consultancy that offers advertising and marketing ...
- The Wegman's Way
The privately held, Rochester, New York-based supermarket chain has always been the envy of most food retailers. A highly successful ...
- Xerox: Walking the Walk with 'Customer-Led Innovation'
Who doesn't hate it when the office copier goes down? Everybody scurries away from it, yelling for the closest administrative ...
- There's Something About Harry
Harry Potter, boy wizard. Cultural phenom. This generation's Boy Wonder. The seventh and final installment about Harry's last year at ...
- GE Wins 'Most Admired' Billing
Sunday, April 22nd was Earth Day. Time for companies to take stock of what can be done and to applaud ...
- Not Your Granddaddy's Cadillac
Let's face American car manufacturers are in a major funk, and have been for some time. Cadillac, though, has been ...
- Wanted: Leadership and People Skills
How can management -- from CEOs, CMOs and the rest of the alphabet soup of corporate executives -- run successful ...
- Green in Chicago
A new idea has taken root in Chicago–bully for that city! According to Business Week, Chicago's Green will be the ...
- Store Brands Give National Brands a Run for the Money
If you missed there was an excellent article in the March 20th MarketingProfs newsletter dubbed Premium Store The Hottest Trend ...
- Mr. Mackey Goes to London
An interesting story in the Houston says that Austin-based Whole Foods Market will be opening a spanking new store smack-dab ...
- Where the Customer Really Is King
Someone has finally come along and done it. It took years, but Business Week has stepped up to the plate ...
- The Over-Use of 'Innovation'
Business writer Reena Jana published a great article recently. The Innovation " is a must-read for business executives and marketers ...
- Putting the Kick Back Into Starbucks
Hot off the presses, blog site Starbucks Gossip has published a to Monday's Wall Street Journal article just published on ...
- What Whirlpool Knows: The ROI of Good Design
I read a great article in a recent issue of Fast , titled No Accounting for that I urge all ...
- Coffee Wars Heating Up
Coffee drinkers are pretty passionate about their favorite brews. As freelance NYC writer Carol Vinzant recently wrote in an "After ...
- From Windows to Vistas
Microsoft's new wunderkind has made its long-awaited appearance. Bill Gates unveiled his company's new Vista operating system in a three-hour ...
- Nickeled & Dimed
Recently, computer-generated TV ads have hit the airwaves depicting a baffled consumer wading through multiple pages of her monthly invoice ...
- Going Berry, Berry Strong
The Ocean Spray cooperative has been the subject of business school case studies in the recent past -- with good ...
- Season Six: The American Idol Juggernaut Steams Ahead
Just when I thought American 's last season might be the beginning of the end, the show surprised with its ...
- A Whole New Kind of Supermarket
Scuttlebutt has it that Whole opened its latest supermarket just before the holidays in North Dallas with a full-service spa–so ...
- Red's Take: You Deal with People
Inevitably, with the beginning of a new year, we all stop and reflect back on the year, the people and ...
- Brand Loyalty—How to Build It, How to Keep It
What does it really take to cement brand loyalty? In addition to time, patience, commitment, and sound brand management, what ...
