Good news is if you're one of the thousands of Hydrox fans who pestered the Kellogg Co. through phone calls, a petition and chat sites to revive their favorite cookie. The company is bringing the Oreo also-ran back starting in August, if only for a limited time.

Kellogg quietly retired the Hydrox in 2003, conceding to Kraft Food's larger advertising budget and Oreo's superior name recognition. But fans of the Hydrox-which despite perceptions actually predates the Oreo-wouldn't let it go quietly. Their efforts to bring it back made for a Page 1 Wall Street Journal story in January.

But the cookie is not back for good-yet. For now, the Hydrox-which even its fans admit probably suffers from having a name better suited to a toilet cleaner-is bringing it back for a limited time only, and with a slightly different recipe. This time, there will be no trans fats. Read the whole story...

Looking to get your friends together for a beer after work next week? Or more specifically, a Coors Light? Starting Monday you can log on to Facebook and send them a Code Blue alert, and even a map to the gathering place.

The name Code Blue plays off the new Coors Light cans that turn blue when cold enough to drink. Coors Brewing is launching an entire social media campaign centered on the Code Blue content that includes a new presence on MySpace in addition to the Facebook play. These moves come on the heels of several new media efforts for Coors, including a "Never Hide"-style viral video in which a man pours beer into glasses from increasingly unlikely heights, and a user-generated content contest for the Super Bowl.

The multi-media campaigns are also indicative of a new reality that requires collaboration among disparate agencies, in this case involving Avenue A/Razorfish, Draft FCB and the Integer Group. Read the whole story...

Customer testimonials are a tried-and-true method for promoting your company. Surely potential customers take notice when those you've served in the past are eager to step up and recommend your company, right? Maybe, but there are right and wrong ways to do it.

Consumers today are wary of all kind of marketing messages, says Lisa LaMotta, so rather than throw your customer testimonials out there as though they were blurbs on a book jacket, try taking the long-form approach. Full-out case studies are likely to be more effective than a simple quote, no matter how many flattering words and exclamation points it includes. Indeed, case studies that openly share challenges met and overcome along the way are likely to resonate better with potential customers.

Farming out this service can cost between $800 and $2,000 for a single study. But done right, it could be worth every penny. Read the whole story...

The earthquake that struck China earlier this month has already had an impact on the marketing of the Olympics. Last week, the games' organizers subtly dropped the tagline for their heretofore controversial torch relay, "Ignite the passion, spread the dream," and replaced it with the more sympathetic "Spread the sacred flame, spread caring love."

But that could be just the beginning. Marketers such as Coca-Cola, McDonald's and Samsung have had their Olympic efforts to date tarred by protesters as kowtowing to a regime that already has a poor human-rights record and now is tolerant of the genocide in Sudan. The earthquake provides an opportunity for all these companies to focus instead on the humanitarian effort, which would be difficult for anyone to criticize.

The first steps have already been taken. Many of the top Olympic sponsors have been among the most generous and aggressive in responding to the Sichuan crisis. Coca-Cola donated more than $3 million and gave more than 5.7 million bottles of water. McDonald's served 17,000 meals daily to earthquake victims, relief workers, blood donors, hospital workers and police and fire officials. Read the whole story...

Chuck Fruit, an influential marketer who held top positions at Coca Cola and Anheuser-Busch, died suddenly yesterday morning of an apparent heart attack while swimming laps at home. He was 61.

After joining A-B in 1976, he became one of the earliest proponents of moving the company's ads to cable TV and sports programming. He is also regarded as one of the architects of A-B's sport-sponsorship dominance. In 1991, he left A-B for Coke, where he held a variety of sports- and media-related positions, including two stints as chief marketing officer. At Coke, he helped develop the long-running "Always Coca-Cola" campaign, and was also instrumental in forging the hugely successful sponsorship deal with American Idol.

Fruit retired from Coke in 2005 and has served as an adviser to the company since. He is survived by his wife, Sharon. Read the whole story...

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Read the whole story...