http://www.mediapost.com/publications/ Must-read daily news for brand, product, service marketing execs. en-us Copyright 2009 MediaPost Communications http://www.mediapost.com/rss Sat, 21 Nov 2009 21:11:46 EST Hoping to make it as easy as possible for harried shoppers to spread the green this holiday, more retailers are piling on the channel-hopping options. Toys R Us says it will offer mobile shopping, e-gift cards, more free shipping deals and a new buyer protection plan through its expanded Toyrsrus.com website. http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=117851 <>Sat, 21 Nov 2009 13:07:15 EST"People can be from exactly the same demographic group, yet have very different feelings and plans. Some -- about 20% -- have really enjoyed discovering their new frugality. And for some, it's been miserable. We wanted to look not just at the ways consumers curbed spending, but how they felt about them, and how effective they felt they were." http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=117789Sarah Mahoney <>Sat, 21 Nov 2009 13:02:45 ESTAccording to YouGovPolimetrix's BrandIndex, buzz for both companies has increased in the two weeks between Nov. 2 and Nov. 19. At the beginning of the period, ATandT's buzz was at about 7.7, while Verizon's was around 21.3. By the end of the time period, ATandT's had risen to 14, while Verizon's had risen to 32.3. http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=117794Aaron Baar <abaar01@comcast.net>Sat, 21 Nov 2009 12:58:34 ESTChrysler Group is offering new incentives under a "Year-end Wrap-up." For Chrysler brand vehicles the company is offering 0% financing for up to 60 months or $3,000 as well as All-wheel drive at no cost with the purchase of a Chrysler 300; a no-cost DVD system with the purchase of a Chrysler Town and Country minivan. The company is offering 0% for up to 60 months on Jeep vehicles, with $4,000 and a no-cost service/maintenance program for three years/36,000 miles. http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=117832 <>Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:16:55 ESTOne strategy will involve focusing on solving gasoline-engines' weak points, such as low-RPM driving, where a car starts at zero to develop initial momentum. That is where hybrid vehicles save gas, since they power a vehicle entirely on electricity to get going. Mazda's Robert Davis also hinted at the possibility that the company may see diesel in its future. http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=117792Karl Greenberg <kgberg@yahoo.com>Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:27:34 EST"With recent green shoots of economic recovery, card issuers feel more confident about the future," says Mintel Comperemedia's Andrew Davidson. "I anticipate that this winter will mark the start of a turnaround in credit card direct marketing that will be sustained through 2010. This could very well be the beginning of the end for credit card direct mail declines." http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=117790Tanya Irwin <tanya@mediapost.com>Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:43:03 EST"Restaurants are redefining 'value' on the menu - moving away from the cost savings that were so important earlier this year to incorporate high-quality ingredients, classic flavor combinations and authentic, old-fashioned preparations," summed up Mintel Menu Insights analyst Maria Caranfa. http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=117820 <>Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:00:30 EST[from San Jose Mercury News] - Patrick May reports: "Dad would just shake his head and say 'This is silly,'" says Richard Dorsa, son of Eggo waffle inventor Frank Dor...http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=117784Thom Forbes <>Fri, 20 Nov 2009 10:44:01 EST[from Austin American Statesman] - HomeAway, which operates an international network of Web sites for people who want to rent vacation homes, has signed Chevy Chase and B...http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=117783Thom Forbes <>Fri, 20 Nov 2009 10:43:26 EST[from Detroit Free Press] - Columnist Tom Walsh writes that upcoming auto shows in Los Angeles and Detroit will be the most important in General Motor's 101-year h...http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=117782Thom Forbes <>Fri, 20 Nov 2009 10:42:19 EST[from MSNBC] - One of my favorite leading economic indicators is the health of the recreational vehicle industry, and John W. Schoen reports this morn...http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=117781Thom Forbes <>Fri, 20 Nov 2009 10:41:39 EST[from Brandchannel] - Working the street beat yesterday, Brandchannel blogger Peter Feld spotted two Nescafand#233; worker bees setting up a sampling station f...http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=117779Thom Forbes <>Fri, 20 Nov 2009 10:40:43 EST[from Ad Age] - Emily Bryson York plays the "what if" game this morning with Cadbury as the trophy that will indicate who becomes the world champeen of...http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=117778Thom Forbes <>Fri, 20 Nov 2009 10:39:53 EST "Up" is an objective that can be achieved during this year's holiday period. While it won't be easy with sales projected to be equal to last year (and last year's sales weren't great), careful execution of December specific media plans can be a key to gaining a competitive advantage and achieving success. http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=117561Mitch Burg <>Fri, 20 Nov 2009 05:00:43 ESThttp://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=117732 <>Fri, 20 Nov 2009 05:00:43 ESTNYC and Company, the official marketing, tourism and partnership organization of the City of New York, is going local with a new campaign launching this week that focuses on getting holiday shoppers to go exploring in 15 Manhattan and Brooklyn neighborhoods. http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=117706Karl Greenberg <kgberg@yahoo.com>Thu, 19 Nov 2009 17:17:08 ESTGoogle remains the favorite online brand, but Yahoo and Amazon aren't far behind, according to a Forrester survey of more than 4,000 consumers. http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=117744 <>Thu, 19 Nov 2009 17:14:10 ESTPandG's Duracell unit held an event in New York's Times Square this week to presage what it will do on New Year's Eve: use humans to power the giant "2010" sign. http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=117742 <>Thu, 19 Nov 2009 17:06:56 ESTThe joint strategic development initiative will enable the chains to bundle and leverage their brands and key personnel to efficiently expand into these locations, which are estimated to attract three to five times the traffic seen in traditional locations such as shopping malls, shopping centers and strip malls. http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=117720Karlene Lukovitz <klukovitz@klmedialink.com>Thu, 19 Nov 2009 17:04:43 ESTAfter exceeding $1 trillion for the first time in 2008 and subsequently suffering through a dismal 2009, the global commercial payment card market is poised to rebound in 2010, according to Packaged Facts. Commercial payment cards are used in the business sector in lieu of checks and other forms of payment for expenses. http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=117738 <>Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:18:54 ESTThe company said it is doing the voluntary recall after finding B. cepacia, a bacterium, in a small amount of product made at its plant in Gross Gerau, Germany. There have been no reports of illness. http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=117736 <>Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:08:47 ESTT-Mobile has introduced a prepaid calling plan called the T-Mobile Complete, available at Best Buy locations nationwide and select Wal-Mart stores. According to a company release, the plan is a "perfect solution" for U.S. Hispanic consumers, offering several options without an annual contract, deposit or credit check. http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=117735 <>Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:04:08 ESTThe Chase Community Giving Facebook application encourages Facebook users to choose from more than 500,000 small and local charities to decide which community organizations they want to receive donations from Chase's corporate philanthropy fund. http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=117718Tanya Irwin <tanya@mediapost.com>Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:02:19 EST"If you think about the tone of the message, it was so different from everyone else's," says Subaru's Kevin Mayer. "People could participate with the brand in a way that helped us stand out and gave us much greater ROI than normal. We spent probably 30% less last December [on marketing] than in the previous year." http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=117704Karl Greenberg <kgberg@yahoo.com>Thu, 19 Nov 2009 15:42:11 ESTThe camera focuses on a young man sitting in a woman's boutique as his presumed girlfriend chats on the phone behind him. Before she goes into the dressing room, the woman puts her phone and her mouth -- which comes off of her face -- next to her boyfriend as she continues her conversation. http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=117707Aaron Baar <abaar01@comcast.net>Thu, 19 Nov 2009 15:30:33 ESTA recent Luxury Institute survey shows a rethinking, says founder/CEO Milton Pedraza. "Yes, they lost money, but they're still wealthy. Even those who worried about losing a lot of wealth at once seem to have realized, 'I am better off than most people.' There seems to be a level of gratitude and recognition that as bad as things have been, they have much to be happy about." http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=117703Sarah Mahoney <>Thu, 19 Nov 2009 10:57:32 EST[from NY Sports Journalism] - It will supply more than 4,000 low-emission and electric vehicles, bicycles and motorbikes for the Summer Games in London....http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=117698Thom Forbes <>Thu, 19 Nov 2009 10:42:08 EST[from Wall Street Journal] - Stephen Miller writes a fond remembrance of clothing retailer Sy Syms this morning, saying that his folksy commercials that promoted th...http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=117697Thom Forbes <>Thu, 19 Nov 2009 10:40:57 EST[from Fast Company] - Yes, it appears, in what is no doubt a rare dose of good news for writers who write very tightly. A new study from Weber Shandwick cla...http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=117696Thom Forbes <>Thu, 19 Nov 2009 10:38:39 EST[from Cincinnati Enquirer] - VUCA stands for Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous, reports David Holthaus, and that's the kind of world that PandG CEO Bob McDon...http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=117695Thom Forbes <>Thu, 19 Nov 2009 10:37:55 EST[from Bloomberg] - "We need a new model: If you can't explain it, you can't sell it," says Elizabeth Warren, the Harvard University law professor who is h...http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=117694Thom Forbes <>Thu, 19 Nov 2009 10:37:10 EST[from Ad Age] - An Atlanta federal judge said yesterday that he could find no evidence that the Verizon "There's A Map For That" ad campaign is inaccur...http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=117693Thom Forbes <>Thu, 19 Nov 2009 10:36:01 ESTThe National Retail Federation says consumers are relying more on cash and less on credit this holiday season, with 24.9% of shoppers planning to use cash for most of their shopping, up from last year's 22.8%. http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=117691 <>Thu, 19 Nov 2009 09:59:44 ESTCoca-Cola's top stateside marketing executive delivered some auspicious words for Univision and BET this week, saying targeting "multicultural" Americans will be paramount for the company over the next decade. http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=117653David Goetzl <>Thu, 19 Nov 2009 05:00:09 ESTCMOs and brand managers must go beyond unconsciously assuming that people are but consumers, who are "Only a Pawn in The Game" and realize that people are the only game in town. http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=117249Bob Deutsch <>Thu, 19 Nov 2009 05:00:09 ESTHere are some lessons learned that marketers and brands should take particular note of as they look forward to 2010. http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=117639Anne Mai Bertelsen <>Thu, 19 Nov 2009 05:00:09 ESThttp://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=117677 <>Thu, 19 Nov 2009 05:00:09 ESTJetBlue Airways and Hertz are joining for the online "Jet and Drive Giveaway," which gives customers the chance to win one of five trips plus one of more than 100 daily prizes in an escalating sweepstakes through Jan. 31. http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=117676 <>Wed, 18 Nov 2009 17:53:57 ESTJCPenney may have built its century-old brand on massive catalogs, but the Plano, Texas-based retailer says the time has come to say goodbye: It will no longer publish its twice-yearly "big book" catalogs. http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=117674 <>Wed, 18 Nov 2009 17:52:08 ESTAdd Sears to the list of retailers offering a few lucky shoppers VIP treatment this Black Friday: Consumers who stop by the store's Facebook page can enter, and 25 winners will receive a $500 gift card, as well as the chance to shop Sears' Black Friday specials the day before Thanksgiving. Best Buy and JC Penney are running similar efforts. http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=117673 <>Wed, 18 Nov 2009 17:47:46 ESTMovie Gallery Inc., the parent company of Hollywood Video and Movie Gallery, has developed a new iPhone application that gives consumers personalized movie recommendations, as well as pertinent movie information. http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=117672 <>Wed, 18 Nov 2009 17:46:09 ESTNow that those early-bird consumers have Black Friday and CyberMonday etched in stone on their calendars, online retailers are hoping to add a big day for people who procrastinate, declaring Dec. 17 Free Shipping Day. http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=117671 <>Wed, 18 Nov 2009 17:44:58 EST"Many consumers assume that all salts are the same," Grete Lavrenz, a representative of Cargill, tells Marketing Daily via e-mail. "Diamond Crystal salt has a unique pyramid-/multifaceted-shaped crystal. The goal was to tell a compelling story about how Diamond Crystal kosher and sea salts are different from the competition." http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=117628Aaron Baar <abaar01@comcast.net>Wed, 18 Nov 2009 17:39:56 ESTA new online television series titled "Uneven Terrain" is part of the "Exploration" ad campaign for Palladium Boots, which is repositioning itself as a "hipster" boot for cool kids. VBS created the "Exploration" campaign which is ongoing and also includes TV, print and radio. http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=117629Tanya Irwin <tanya@mediapost.com>Wed, 18 Nov 2009 17:35:24 ESTSeattle-based Alaska Airlines is backing a hometown boy, champion speed skater Apolo Ohno, in a promotional campaign, "Follow Apolo." While the carrier is not a sponsor of the Olympics, the relationship leads up to and follows the Olympic Games this February in nearby Vancouver. http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=117632Karl Greenberg <kgberg@yahoo.com>Wed, 18 Nov 2009 17:00:18 ESTIn an unusual deal that will start this week, extending for the season right through all Super Bowl programming, Coors Light, a MillerCoors beer brand, will execute multiple messaging and content when consumers interact with NFL programming. http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=117654 <>Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:48:04 ESTBest Western International has extended its partnership with NASCAR's Michael Waltrip Racing team, for the 2010 NASCAR season. http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=117651 <>Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:26:46 ESTThe "Turn the Tub Around" campaign, starring "Will and Grace" actress Megan Mullally looks to capitalize on the TV talent show craze via song and dance videos featuring a playfully reworked version of the disco tune "Turn the Beat Around." ("Turn the tub around ... talking 'bout nutrition ...") http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=117636Karlene Lukovitz <klukovitz@klmedialink.com>Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:22:09 ESTPandG is combining opposites -- moisturizing cream with dish soap -- in a new SKU of Dawn dish liquid brand. http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=117650 <>Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:20:24 ESTA new survey from Sears shows that even as consumers are quickly starting new traditions to address the altered economy, they're also pumping up the ones they feel are most important, from baking cookies to singing Christmas carols. http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=117630Sarah Mahoney <>Wed, 18 Nov 2009 14:51:46 EST