Product packaging is emerging as the new frontier in marketing as companies are developing new techniques that appeal to all five senses. And while marketers are experimenting with a variety of new techniques, packaging that emanates specific aromas seem to be taking the lead in the constant battle for consumers' attention. Companies are incorporating scents into plastic bags and bottles so a shopper can smell shampoo or chocolate without opening the top. Newly developed scented ink allows ads and catalogues to capture a consumer's attention with an unsuspecting whiff. "Consumers have to be given a good reason to buy …

Ford Motor Co. is hoping NASCAR's biggest race--the Daytona 500--will catapult sales of the Ford Fusion to new levels. Eight of the cars debuted in the race on Sunday, and one of them, driven by Elliott Sadler, finished fourth. The automaker also launched a new Fusion ad campaign Sunday to coincide with the car's appearance in the race. Ford is hoping that the NASCAR marketing helps emphasize the brand's American appeal and also helps it connect with more women, Anne Stevens, COO of Ford's Americas division, said. "I believe that vehicles are very passionate, emotional extensions of ourselves," said Stevens, …

Lenovo may not exactly be a household name in the U.S., but the company is hoping its presence at the Winter Olympics will change all that. After acquiring IBM's personal computer business, Lenovo became the world's third-largest computer maker. But outside its native China, hardly anyone has ever heard of the company. To get the word out, Lenovo is sponsoring an Internet café at the Olympics where its logo covers the walls and each of 34 work stations. Lenovo is also running an ad campaign airing on NBC, the Olympic network, and has endorsement deals with 11 Olympic athletes from …

Two of Procter & Gamble's leading deodorant brands, Right Guard and Soft & Dri, have been acquired by German marketer Henkel KGaA for about $420 million, the companies announced. The move makes Henkel the third-largest deodorant maker in the U.S. In 2005, the two brands had sales of $275 million. ''This will strengthen Henkel's scale in personal care in the U.S. as well as globally, an area of weakness for the group,'' said Andy Smith, head of Citigroup's European consumer- staples research group. P&G was required to sell the products as part of an agreement with the U.S. Federal Trade …

American Honda Motor is about to take an online campaign for its Honda Element mainstream with TV spots, magazine ads, and a unique out-of-home-effort. The campaign stems from a Web site dedicated to the model at www.elementsandfriends.com, in which the car talks to a crab, a platypus and other animals in a selection of 30-second videos. In March, TV ads directing consumers to the site will appear on ESPN and late-night buys on the Cartoon Network's Adult Swim programming block and Comedy Central. Print ads will appear in a handful of titles mostly targeting young males, including ESPN the Magazine. …

The two top marketing executives at Mitsubishi Motors Corp. resigned suddenly for unspecified reasons, the company said. David Schembri, executive vice president of U.S. sales and marketing, and U.S. marketing vice president Wayne Killen, both left the company, Mitsubishi said in a statement. Replacements were not named. Hirsohi Harunari, president and CEO of Cypress, California-based Mitsubishi Motors North America, will temporarily oversee sales and marketing operations, the company said. Schembri came to Mitsubishi in February 2005 after working as U.S. marketing chief for DaimlerChrysler AG's Mercedes-Benz USA. Killen, also a former Mercedes-Benz USA marketing executive, was recruited by Schembri to …

Procter & Gamble is beginning to think that the sound of two moms talking to each other might be a more powerful communication vehicle than TV ads. The consumer products giant conducted research in the U.K. that showed a mother talking about a product sets off a chain reaction that will eventually involve 1,000 mothers in the discussion. At the start of the decade, it assumed that such a conversation would only involve 200 mothers. "I think it is largely because of the availability of technology," said Gianni Ciserani, P&G managing director for the UK and Ireland. "In the past, …

She may not have won a gold medal at this year's winter Olympics, but figure skater Michelle Kwan won another big prize--an endorsement deal with the Walt Disney Co. Disney announced last week that it had signed a multiyear agreement with Kwan in which the skater will serve as a celebrity spokesperson in advertising and promotions and will make live appearances at Disney events. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Kwan already had a relationship with Disney and has appeared in Disney TV specials. But her value as an endorser was questioned by marketing experts when she was …

Corona beer has come to Times Square in New York City in a big--make that a VERY big--way. The Mexican brewer has taken out two outdoor signs measuring 30 feet in width and 90 feet in height in one of the most visible--and expensive--areas in the world. The two signs hang on Two Times Square, facing south, and flank an enormous Coca-Cola sign. The address is generally regarded as one of the most photographed in the area and has adorned many postcards, not to mention tourists' snapshots. A spokesman for the brew said the new presence is all about reinforcing …

Marketers should forget about product placement. In this era of high-tech magic, such a strategy seems archaic at best. The new trend is all about digital product integration, where a marketer's products can suddenly appear in scenes of TV shows after they've been shot. Currently, advertisers including Chevrolet and Dannon yogurt are using the new technology, which is expected to grow in popularity as marketers continue to seek new ways to reach consumers who routinely record programming and then skip through commercials during playback. While traditional product integration can be obvious and sometimes heavy-handed, the digital technique strives to be …