[Transportation] "The challenge is that many things will happen between now and the time when this generation reaches the age to frequently travel," says a marketing professor. "Their memory of this brand will erode throughout the years, so you continually have to remind them, but you can build loyalty if you start early because it becomes part of their natural choice set." ...Read the whole story

[Food] Chairman/CEO Ken Powell noted that the company's categories are staples with high percentages of household purchasing penetration, which bodes well even during recessionary economies. He described the company's strategy as a "virtuous cycle": Continuing operational cost savings enable greater resources for consumer marketing, which in turn drive top-line growth and operating profit. ...Read the whole story

[Automotive] The microsite opens with an animation of lava erupting from a volcano in an urban landscape. The lava pours over a stock xD, the car melts, and reshapes into the Release Series vehicle. When site visitors click steaming manhole covers, they blow open to show vehicle features. The smoke-expelling billboards, which will roll through 12 cities, show the flaming xD RS 1.0 image. ...Read the whole story

[Pharma] The effort is centered mostly on PR and education efforts through parenting media, web sites and blogs. While the Web site includes video of teens reaching into a medicine cabinet and emptying prescription bottles (with messages such as "Today, 2,500 teens will abuse these for the first time" and "Does your conversation about drugs include these?"), there are no current plans to turn the video into television advertising. ...Read the whole story

[Research] Kbb.com's Jason Allan says SUV consideration between October 2007 and now has gone from 38% to 27%. The reason that drop isn't a lot bigger is that the SUV category represents traditional SUVs and crossovers, based on car platforms. "And there are still so many people who need three rows of seats." ...Read the whole story

[Retail] Still, some observers believe that sales are improving somewhat at department stores, and that JCPenney is particularly well positioned to gain when consumers do decide to return to the mall. Before the announcement of the revised expansion plans, for example, Deutsche Bank, citing slightly improved sales trends and its reliable earnings estimates, upgraded its recommendation from "hold" to "buy." ...Read the whole story

Alcohol TV commercials are on the rise -- and more young people are being exposed to them, especially on cable programs. Eleven specific brands are responsible for 48.5 percent of the youth exposure to advertising. ...Read the whole story

1. Arlington, Texas 2. Yonkers, N.Y. 3. El Paso, Texas 4. Riverside, Calif. 5. Birmingham, Ala. 6. Fort worth, Texas 7. San Antonio, Texas 8. ... ...More