Can The Twinkie Be Saved? by Thom Forbes

The lamentations have begun anew for Twinkies, Ding Dongs, Drakes Cakes, Wonder Bread, Ho-Hos and -- my personal favorite -- Hostess Cupcakes with a squiggly line of sugar on top of chocolate icing and cake with mushy cream in the middle. Everyone, it seems, has a favorite Hostess small pleasure -- including some brands in this Daily Beast photo gallery that have never have registered consciously before but that you've probably eaten. (Hostess Donettes? Not a delicacy on my radar but Baltimore pitching prospect Kevin Gausman makes a ritual out of them.) ...Read the whole story

  • food Ben & Jerry's Turns Fans' Instagram Pix Into Ads by Karlene Lukovitz

    The brand -- which currently has nearly 124,000 Instagram followers who "like" its photos nearly 5,000 times per day -- is encouraging them to submit photos that "best capture the euphoric feeling that comes with eating Ben & Jerry's," and tag them with #captureeuphoria. ...Read the whole story

  • automotive TrueCar Campaign Drives Transparency Message by Karl Greenberg

    The new "Let's Talk Truth" effort positions the company as a no-B.S. real-price site, with the message that there's nothing under the table in the pricing structure. The ads show cars driving on highways, past buildings in neighborhoods and whatnot, under blue skies. ...Read the whole story

  • pets Friskies Awards Best Cat Video by Tanya Irwin

    "The Friskies" award for best Internet cat video of 2012, as judged by consumer voters and official judges, went to a playful blind cat. The winners were announced and the "Catuettes" and prizes were awarded at an awards show in Hollywood last week. ...Read the whole story

  • retail Americans, Chinese Swoon For 'Made In USA' Label by Sarah Mahoney

    While Chinese consumers have long been fans of American brands, "we weren't expecting that preference to be quite so dramatic," Kate Manfred, leader of BCG's Center for Consumer and Customer Insight in the Americas and a coauthor of the survey, tells "Marketing Daily." ...Read the whole story

  • electronics Wii U Launch Will Be Big, But Will It Last? by Aaron Baar

    "We believe it's highly likely that retailers will experience some Wii U shortages in the run-up to Christmas. Stock will be replenished in ongoing fashion, but some unlucky shoppers may well miss out," said Piers Harding-Rolls, senior principal analyst, head of games at IHS. ...Read the whole story

  • automotive Jim Vurpillat: Cadillac ATS Ushers In New Buyers by Karl Greenberg

    The new car gives the brand some legitimacy around backing public art installations made by so-called street artists in places like the flank of the building across from BAM housing Mark Morris' dance company. Marketing Daily caught up with the marketer in Soho. ...Read the whole story

  • insight Rethinking Social Media's ROI by Bryan Urbick

    Finding the true ROI of social media is challenging because it throws up a multitude of data points from likes, comments, follows, shares, and retweets. ... ...More

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