[Retail] "All this creativity from retailers is evidence that they are very nervous about the coming holiday season," says Kathy Sheehan, SVP of GfK Roper Consulting. "With the credit crisis, there's plenty of concern that this will be a soft season, and retailers are strategizing as never before to get people into their stores." ...Read the whole story

[Food] The company needs to innovate in its core soups business to really boost sales. While Campbell had a smart product in its microwavable ready-to-eat soups, innovations since then have been few, says a Mintel research analyst. "They innovate themselves and then they grind to a halt. The major reason people have stopped buying [Campbell's] products is because they're bored." ...Read the whole story

[Technology] The dividends signal good news for the company's strength and performance in the past 10 years since moving away from branding efforts tied to copiers, and into printing and services, says an industry analyst. That's when the company began to phase out stand-alone copiers, integrating the technology in a few printers. ...Read the whole story

[Retail] "As the [Nascar] brand started growing, we increased participation from series sponsorship to tool-category exclusivity International Speedway Corporation," says DeWalt's director of marketing. "We see tremendous value in the program. For us to be able to put tools in users' hands is critical." ...Read the whole story

[Retail] Gap has tapped Yahoo to launch its 2007 holiday campaign, called GapTIDINGS. The promotion centers on letting consumers create video greetings and e-mail them to family and friends. At the Yahoo-hosted microsite, visitors are invited to upload their holiday greetings and automatically enter to win one of three limited-edition Vespa LX50 scooters. ...Read the whole story

Online communities are a vital source of feedback, opinion and input. How can marketers tune in and participate-without becoming a turn-off? ... ...More