Read the whole story...

Read the whole story...

Read the whole story...

Read the whole story...

The Federal Trade Commission is accelerating a review of its guidelines governing how companies market carbon offsets and renewable energy certificates that claim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in one place to offset emissions elsewhere. The agency was scheduled to review the guidelines in 2009, but will now conduct its first public hearing on Jan. 8.

"A lot of companies are making green marketing claims," says FTC spokeswoman Jackie Dizdul. "The last time our guidelines were updated was in 1998, and obviously a lot of things have changed."

An enormous variety of companies now make such claims. They include local utilities that charge premiums to subsidize wind power, as well as car-rental companies and online marketers that sell certificates whose proceeds are said to pay for projects to reduce greenhouse gases. Other firms say they use premiums to plant trees, burn methane to convert it to less potent greenhouse gases, boost recycling or use so-called sustainable materials. Read the whole story...

Sonic Drive-In has started selling mac and cheese as a snack. Kraft has introduced an organic version. Cheesecake Factory sells it as an appetizer. And at two trendy New York eateries, it's the only entree. It's that old-time favorite of people seeking the sensory comfort of the tastes and smells of their youth: macaroni and cheese.

Mac & cheese has pluses--it's calcium-rich and has protein aplenty--but you can't make it low in calories, according to nutritionist Robin Robyn Flipse. "It's the ultimate comfort food," says Darra Goldstein, editor in chief of Gastronomica, a food journal. "There's a desire to get back to the essential foods from childhood."

The 30-seat S'mac restaurant in New York City has 13 mac and cheese entrees from $4.25 to $20; about 35% of is business is takeout. Supermac, another eatery, has versions including whole wheat and low fat. It also sells $6.95 Mac Burgers that twin it with Angus beef. Kraft's mac and cheese sales are up 10% through mid-November, says spokesman Basil Maglaris--a growth rate double that of Kraft's total North American business. Read the whole story...

"Social-shopping" sites such as Kaboodle, ShopStyle.com and ThisNext that let shoppers talk about what they're interested in buying and voice opinions on others choices are becoming popular as advertising vehicles for major marketers, such as Nike and American Express. But there are potential risks--such as transparency--for both the advertisers and the sites, which are still new and have yet to be fully tested.

On Kaboodle, for example, in-house editors assemble a list of items that they say are big sellers on the Web. They dub the list "hot picks." But advertisers can pay to have their products displayed on it. Marketers say there could be a backlash if shoppers believe the sites are blurring the line between content and advertising.

Kaboodle says its site is completely transparent. "We absolutely, 100% always have to keep a big, clean clarity between advertising and editorial," says CEO Manish Chandra. A note above the items discloses that a company sponsors them. Kaboodle, which was acquired by Hearst in August, drew 1.5 million unique U.S. visitors last month--up 48% from April, according to Nielsen Online. Read the whole story...

Seth Godin is the top marketing guru to an elite group of marketing executives, followed by Apple's Steve Jobs. The Marketing Executives Networking Group anointed Godin in a survey responded to by more than 600 of the group's 1,657 members. The study queried members about a host of other topics, including key demographic groups (baby boomers) and best business books ("Good to Great" by Jim Collins).

The top buzzwords for the group are traditional concepts, such as segmentation, brand loyalty and competitive intelligence, followed closely by new-school media tactics, including search-engine optimization, data mining and personalization. Green marketing was the most popular write-in buzzword, while the least-popular concepts--named by fewer than 40%--were Six Sigma, game theory and faith-based marketing.

Anderson Analytics surveyed the group. Membership is by invitation only. More than 80% of members are senior executives, C-level executives or company owners. Read the whole story...

On a never-ending quest to appeal to the young and young-minded, companies from Goodyear to Volvo are using tattoos in advertising and promotion. Once seen as a silent cry of rebellion, tattoos now possess a status so firmly mainstream that the Web site Leaseyourbody.com connects advertisers with those who want to be paid for sporting tattoo advertisements.

For three years, Goodyear's Dunlop tire unit has offered a set of free tires to anyone who will get the company's flying-D logo tattooed somewhere on their body, and 98 people have taken up the offer. Volvo recently created a fictional character whose tattoos spelled out the coordinates of an undersea location of $50,000 in gold coins and the keys to a new car.

The 7-Eleven convenience store chain recently started selling an energy drink called Inked, aimed at people who either have tattoos or want to think of themselves as the tattoo type. And wine sellers have adopted the tattoo, with managers of the popular Yellow Tail brand sending 600,000 temporary tattoos out with an issue of The New Yorker and Billington Wines taking the name Big Tattoo Wines. Read the whole story...