A well-known and respected brand in the photography industry is about to disappear, following the surprise announcement from Japan's Konica Minolta Holdings that it is pulling out of the camera and color film businesses. The move was attributed to the rapid decline of an industry sparked by the spread of digital cameras, which do not use film. The company said it will sell a portion of its digital single lens reflex camera assets to Sony Corp. and cease production of compact cameras by March of this year. Konica Minolta is the world's third-largest maker of camera film after Eastman Kodak …

Kraft Foods is determined to keep up with consumer trends as well as marketing applications for new technologies. To that end, the company has created a program called "Open Innovation" that is designed to exchange ideas with outside partners to improve products, packaging and business systems. The initiative is led by Mary Kay Haben, who was promoted to senior vice president-open innovation in November, and could include licensing deals at some point. "We'll be looking for potential outbound opportunities such as licensing Kraft trademarks and intellectual property," said Kris Charles, Kraft director-external communications. "Kraft New Product Development will continue to …

Feeling the sting of stiff competition, Absolut vodka is taking drastic marketing steps. Not only will the super-premium Swedish vodka brand begin advertising on TV for the first time, but it is also rolling out its first new ad campaign in a quarter of a century. "With the number of new vodka brands and the amount of advertising people are exposed to increasing all the time, it's important for us to stand out amidst the clutter," says Eva Kemp-Forsberg, marketing vice-president for V&S Absolut Spirits. Absolut is now feeling the pinch as a slew of new brands and flavors hit …

Charles Schwab is getting serious in a new ad campaign that marks a departure from the financial services marketer's usual approach. The somber effort is designed to lure customers away from the big brokerage houses and online trading companies, a longtime Schwab target. But instead of taking a humorous tone, as Schwab ads did in the past, these ads feature unique animated characters talking about investments in plain language. The campaign tries to make investing more "human and approachable," says Ben Stuart, Schwab's vice president of brand strategy and advertising. "It's not about being funny," says Stuart. "It's about being …

In a case of marketing mixing directly with media, the New Balance athletic-wear company is buying a stake in a video-on-demand cable TV network. The marketer is partnering with two cable companies in the venture, to be called exercisetv, which will be dedicated to fitness, sports instruction and motivational programming. The deal marks one of the deepest commitments an advertiser has ever made to on-demand, a relatively new cable service that enables viewers to watch programs whenever they want simply by pressing a button on their remote control. But since on-demand TV viewers can zap through conventional TV spots, New …

'Tis the season No, not that season, that one's over. This is the season for an avalanche of new TV advertising from marketers trying to take advantage of special television extravaganzas that don't come around very often. First there is the Super Bowl on Feb. 5, traditionally the biggest day of the year for Madison Avenue with its $2.5 million price tag for a 30-secopnd spot. Then, not long after, there's the 2006 Winter Olympics, a fortnight festival of exciting TV that major marketers will take advantage of by running ads in between shots of skiers, skaters, and bobsledders. All …

Bakery goods marketer Sara Lee Corp. is spreading its wings. The company says it will acquire the privately held Butter-Krust Baking, a fresh bakery business, for about $72 million. Butter-Krust Baking was established in 1920 and includes some well-established brands such as Holsum, Butter-Krust Country, Roman Meal and Milano. However, it primarily produces white bread and buns and Italian bread at its two plants in Sunbury and Northumberland, Pa. The company expects 2005 sales to total more than $80 million.

Coca-Cola is introducing a new loyalty-marketing program in connection with its NCAA promotion next month that lets consumers collect codes that can be banked online and redeemed for premiums. The program, called "My Coke Rewards," will run across several brands. Consumers collect codes from bottle caps and packaging after they register for the program. Some caps and packs will carry instant-win messages instead of codes, and the program will get heavy point-of-purchase support with the NCAA kickoff. Coca-Cola Canada ran a summer continuity program, Coke Auction, in 2002, with "Coke credits" behind labels on single-serve bottles. Participants collected credits to …

Stephen King's new novel is about murderous rampages sparked by mysterious pulses emanating from cell phones, so naturally the book's publisher will use cell phones to help market it. In an elaborate marketing campaign, the venerable publishing house Scribner will give Mr. King's fans the opportunity to buy ring tones of his voice. The plan also calls for text messages to be sent to 100,000 cell phone users that say "The next call you take may be your last.... Join the Stephen King VIP Club at www.cellthebook.com." The effort is being targeted to a specific demographic group--18- to 54-years-old, 55 …

The trend by marketers toward product placement and product integration in television programming is increasingly the target of critics who claim the tactic is getting out of hand. Perhaps the most vocal group against the practice is the Writers Guild of America, West, a union representing writers in the movie and broadcast industry, which has demanded a code of conduct for producers that requires the disclosure of advertising deals through clear disclaimers at the start of programs. Failing that, they will seek increased federal regulation to prevent what they call subliminal, stealth ads. Union President Patric Verrone says his group …