The Marines may be looking for a few good men, but most marketers are desperately searching for a few good notes--musical notes, that is. It's called a sonic brand, and research indicates that it resonates strongly with consumers. "There's nothing more powerful than music," said Tena Clark, the 52-year-old founder of Pasadena-based DMI Music & Media Solutions. "Music is processed immediately in the brain's emotional core. If we can harness that, advertising will impact people in ways they've never imagined." The goal is to create not a traditional jingle, but just a few notes--maybe three or four--that immediately identify a …

Fast-food marketer Arby's is taking off the gloves in a potentially controversial new ad campaign that takes direct aim at two of the restaurant chain's most prominent competitors--McDonald's and Wendy's. Arby's--traditionally known for its roast beef sandwiches--also serves chicken, and is putting more emphasis on that menu item. The new ads attack the quality of the chicken served at McDonald's and Wendy's, claiming that the two rivals put additives in their chicken--unlike Arby's, which offers 100 percent chicken. One commercial, set in a fictitious McDonald's boardroom, features a young man trying to convince McDonald's executives to serve a healthier type …

Consumer electronics marketer Maxell is going back to the future in a new ad campaign that resurrects an old character. The new spots--for an online game scheduled to go live soon on the Maxell Web site--feature the so-called "blow-away guy," a hip young man sitting in a large armchair who is so moved by the outstanding performance of Maxell music products that his hair is blown back from his head and he is practically blown out of the chair. He first appeared in Maxell ads in the late 1970s. The character will be the star of the online game, which …

Footwear retailer Payless ShoeSource is updating its image with new product lines and a new logo, its first in two decades. "Consumer research over the past years has told us our current logo pigeonholes us and dates us," said company president-CEO Matt Rubel. "This new logo is designed to amplify the new Payless brand position--to inspire fun fashion possibilities for the family." The new logo retains Payless' orange color as well as the full name Payless ShoeSource. The logo features a stylized "P" in a circle treatment to suggest movement and change as well as a new, more fashionable font …

Although sales of Gillette's new Fusion shaving system are going strong and the company says it's on track to reach its goal of $1 billion in global sales within two years, there are still rumblings of worry at parent company Procter & Gamble. That's because so much is riding on the success of the launch--more so than perhaps almost any other in the company's long history. Not only is it Gillette's largest launch in eight years, it's the first test of whether Procter & Gamble Co. ultimately made a smart business decision in doling out $57 billion to acquire the …

Snapple had a little better luck with its latest promotion in New York City than it did with the last one. Last year, the beverage marketer tried to stand upright a 17-ton Popsicle in Union Square. Unfortunately, it was July and the thing melted all over the place, scaring consumers and creating a traffic hazard that had to be hosed away by firemen. This year's plan called for something a bit lighter, both figuratively and literally. Last week the company offered free rides in hot air balloons in Bryant Park to promote its new light, white teas. "We thought what …

Automakers are bringing back incentives, against their better judgment, to clear out inventory and make room in showrooms for new models. The moves are coming from all three of the major American carmakers, and are expected to reflect the same deals offered last summer. "It looks right now as if things will stay about the same as last year," said Jesse Toprak, auto analyst at Edmunds.com. GM begins zero-financing today--applicable mostly to larger sedans and SUVs--which will run through Tuesday. Many dealers will keep their doors open until midnight in order to cater to consumers who will have time off …

Once again, the Philips Electronics North America Corporation is going the single-sponsorship route in a new project--this one with a popular epicurean magazine--that builds on its advertising theme of "sense and simplicity." For the new initiative, Philips will spend an estimated $4 million to be the only sponsor of a 98-page, booklet-like supplement that will be distributed with the August issue of Gourmet magazine, a Conde Nast publication. It will come in a "poly bag," or plastic wrapper, making it what the magazine industry calls an outsert. The supplement is devoted to articles that are meant to "provoke you into …

Miller Brewing is increasing its presence in the growing energy beer market. The marketer is expected to announce today that it will acquire the Sparks and Steel Reserve brands from the McKenzie River Corp. for $215 million. Energy beers often include caffeine and caffeine-like substances, and have been surging in popularity. Sparks is a caffeinated alcohol malt beverage flavored with ginseng, guarana, and taurine, and has a citric taste. Steel Reserve is a lager beer. Such brands represent a small but growing part of the lackluster American beer market--and most of the industry's major players are getting more involved, creating …