• John Hancock Looks To Future In New Campaign
    John Hancock Financial Services, which was acquired by Manulife Financial Corp. of Canada in 2004, is rolling out its first fresh campaign in a decade next week. In TV spots, an announcer intones: "At John Hancock, we have the products you need to help build, protect and sustain the future you've always wanted. At John Hancock, the future is yours." Hancock's financial offerings are explained further in collateral materials, Under "build" are products like mutual funds and college savings plans. Products that "protect" include life insurance and long-term care insurance. And the "sustain" products are annuities, mutual funds and life …
  • J&J Hopes FDA Will Approve Old Drug Under New Name
    The Food and Drug Administration is expected to reach a decision today on the marketing application for paliperidone, a once-a-day schizophrenia drug from Johnson & Johnson derived from its best-selling product, Risperdal. Its rebirth as paliperidone is the latest wrinkle in the quest by pharmaceutical companies to extend sales and profits from aging blockbusters whose patents are about to expire--they tweak and relaunch them under new names. Chemically, the new drugs are just different enough to win more patent life. But they offer scant medical advantages over their predecessors, despite costing much more than generic versions of the old …
  • Gucci Celebrates Its 85th Year
    The leather-encased Gucci by Gucci, a collection of photographs commemorating the Italian firm's 85 years of star-studded glamour, is missing the image of one key player: Tom Ford. Before his high-profile departure two years ago, the charismatic designer not only brought Gucci back to the heart of fashion, but set a template for other brands. The company has thrived since Ford left, however--posting a 21 percent increase in sales for the first half of 2006. The underlying truth is that selling luxury today is not about who designs the products, but managing the brand. Mark Lee, 44, Gucci's CEO and …
  • Marie Callender's Launches Campaign For Crock Pot Offerings
    ConAgra Foods is breaking an integrated campaign today for a new line of crock-pot meals and soups under the Marie Callender's brand. It hopes to duplicate the success of its Banquet Crock-Pot Classics, which posted $100 million in sales within one year of its introduction in 2004 and garnered a spot in Pacesetters, IRI's top-selling 10 products of 2005. Crock-Pot meals are enjoying resurgence for the one-pot, self-cooking convenience they offer. Time-constrained consumers assemble the ingredients in the Crock-Pot, set the timer and walk away. Where Banquet's value-priced equity is intended to appeal to with its variety of flavors and …
  • Sweet Success For Britain's Oldest Brand
    Lyle's Golden Syrup--packaged in a green and gold tin with a unique lion logo--has been officially recognized by Guinness World Records as Britain's oldest brand. The tin is still one of the most familiar sights in British kitchens, and the brand is instantly recognized by 86 percent of shoppers. The packaging has remained almost unchanged since 1885. The Lyle's story began when Scottish businessman Abram Lyle built a sugar refinery in London in 1883. He discovered that the treacly syrup that was a by-product of sugar processing could make a tasty spread. This syrup was poured into wooden casks and …
  • 7-Eleven Drops Citgo Brand Earlier Than Expected
    7-Eleven says that it will no longer sell Citgo gasoline, a decision that appears to be partly motivated by fear that anti-American comments made by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez last week might prompt motorists to fill up elsewhere. Citgo is a subsidiary of Venezuela's state-run oil company. "Regardless of politics, we sympathize with many Americans' concern over derogatory comments about our country and its leadership recently made by Venezuela's president," says 7-Eleven spokeswoman Margaret Chabris. Citgo has been 7-Eleven's gasoline supplier for more than 20 years, but the chain has been considering creating its own brand of fuel since at …
  • Another Busch Heads Budweiser
    August Busch IV was named president-CEO of Anheuser-Busch Cos. yesterday--replacing Patrick Stokes, who will succeed August Busch III as chairman of the company in December. As chief marketer for the brewer, Busch IV was responsible for the agency's memorable Budweiser frogs and "Whassup?!" campaigns, and also for the unsuccessful push behind Bud Dry. More recently, he has starred in ads for the upscale "Budweiser Select" light beer brand. He has been groomed for the top spot since youth, but the road to the top has been rocky, due to out-of-the-office issues that led critics to question his ability to run …
  • Bromo Seltzer Burps To Generate Buzz
    Yet another entrepreneur will attempt to revive the Bromo Seltzer brand, this time with a rousing burp. Tower Laboratories, Essex, Conn., is introducing a TV campaign next week that will feature a "Bromo burp" as a mnemonic device it hopes will become a catch phrase for the effervescent antacid and analgesic. Tower recently bought the brand, which dates back to 1888, from Newmark Laboratories. In its heyday, it was manufactured by Warner-Lambert, creators of Listerine. To appeal to contemporary consumers, the traditional Bromo Seltzer bottle containing the product in granulated form has been replaced with packets in packages. Bromo Seltzer …
  • Nokia Sets Its Sights On Photos, Videos, Music
    Nokia not only wants to redefine how consumers use cell phones, it wants to re-label them as multimedia computers that can play music, take photos and watch video. The company unveiled its latest gadgets this week, including the N95 high-end camera phone with keys for playing and pausing music. The phone, with a sliding cover, signals a return to innovative design for the company after high-profile lapses. The new phones range in price from $450 to $700. Nokia also unveiled an updated version of its N91 dedicated music phone that now holds about 6,000 songs. Nokia sells almost twice as …
  • Alltel Hooks Up Fans With NFL Receivers
    Alltel Wireless is launching an integrated marketing campaign centered around four of the NFL's top receivers. The aim is to promote a feature that allows customers to get unlimited free calls, day or night, to and from their 10 most important phone numbers. Consumers will be able to add the Arizona Cardinals' Larry Fitzgerald, Carolina Panthers' Steve Smith, Cleveland Browns' Joe Jurevicius and New Orleans Saints' Joe Horn to their "My Circle" of friends. Each player has a dedicated microsite on AlltelCircle.com, complete with exclusive content and weekly podcasts. Fans also have the chance to win prizes, including game tickets, …
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