Diageo is testing ready-to-drink rum, vodka and whiskey cocktails in 12-ounce cans that have the same alcohol content as most beers. A test in Tampa involves four brands--Captain Morgan and Cola, Smirnoff Vodka and Lemon-Lime Soda, George Dickel Whisky and Cola, and Seagram's 7 American Whiskey and Lemon-Lime Soda. "They're selling very well, and we're pleased," says Bob Gibson, marketing director for ABC Fine Wines & Spirits, a chain of 150 Florida liquor stores. Gibson said Diageo has indicated that it intends to expand the test to a larger geographical area, and to a fifth cocktail, featuring Crown Royal whiskey. …

Porn actress Jenna Jameson, who starred in an online ad for adidas, was a guest host on "E!" and wrote the best-selling "How to Make Love Like a Porn Star." She is now targeting women with a spate of licensed apparel, barware and fragrances. The extension of the Jameson brand is just one of a number of recent examples in which marketers have continued to test the border between taste and decency, even as the culture continues its backlash against risqué content following Janet Jackson's Super Bowl "clothing malfunction" in 2004. Another porn star, Savanna Samson, launched a wine last …

Mrs. Fields, which took the common cookie and turned it into a phenomenon, is testing a new look for its stores and adding drinks to its menu as it approaches its 30th anniversary. It's all starting at a suburban Cleveland store inside the Westfield Great Northern shopping mall, where walls have been painted red, lighting softened and the menu revamped to include gourmet coffees. Mrs. Fields officials did not say how many of its 503 stores will be redesigned, or when. It depends on the response to this one in Ohio. "I think the single biggest difference is warmth of …

Admitting that Saks Fifth Avenue made a big mistake by chasing young consumers with a line of tight clothing, new management is committed to winning back traditional customers who skew older and more affluent. It is rebuilding its label fashions, investing in classic brands, such as Ellen Tracy, Chanel and Fendi, and tailoring its stores to better meet specific markets. Saks is also renovating its regional outposts, including its Boston and Beverly Hills locations, to feature open cosmetic counters and more exciting fashion displays. Saks' Atlanta store, renovated last year, is serving as a model. The shift is reflected in …

Big-box home-improvement stores have eroded Sears' long-held dominance in appliance sales. Only six market-share points separate sales in the retail channel dominated by Lowe's, Home Depot and department stores, almost entirely represented by Sears. Sears has reigned as the No. 1 appliance retailer in America since it first put the Kenmore brand on a washing machine in 1927. Lowe's, which has been selling appliances nationally since 1994 and is the No. 2 retailer, had appliance revenue of $4.3 billion in 2005, compared to $6.9 billion at Sears. Home Depot, which did not sell a single refrigerator, washing machine or dryer …

Panned by ad critics but popular with consumers, Chrysler's $100 million ad campaign starring Dr. Z may not be resuscitated, following a two-month suspension. The automaker is focused on its clearance sale and new model launches this fall. Chrysler says the campaign will continue in some form, but might not feature new appearances by DaimlerChrysler AG's chairman and CEO Dieter Zetsche. "If we do more of the same, people would say it was boring," says a spokeswoman. Millward Brown Research found that 76 percent of consumers who intended to buy a vehicle in the next 90 days said the ads …

By creating an online music ecosystem virtually overnight through ultra-hip ads and letting customers play with products at Apple stores, the iPod tops a Landor Associates survey of "breakaway" brands. Results are based on consumer perceptions of variables, such as awareness and esteem, over a three-year period. Following iPod on the list are Viking (focused on lifestyle with cooking schools and travel); Converse (let customers design their own shoes and commercials); Robitussin (new packaging helped customers heal themselves); Best Buy (created customer-friendly services like personal shoppers); Kohl's (remodeled stores and developed exclusive partnerships); French's (redesigned its packaging and created new …

After five years of flat sales, the $1.6 billion hot-dog industry is going upscale and offering a glut of new products. Some of the new dogs are organic. Some are made from tofu. In a few cases, prices can rival steak. The Laundry, a white-tablecloth restaurant in East Hampton, N.Y., sold more than 1,000 $25 hot dogs made from Wagyu beef this summer. Some customers ordered $250 bottles of wine with them, says co-owner Stuart Kreisler. He calls the trend "reverse snobbery." The gourmet hot-dog chain Franktitude will offer imported salmon hot dogs on whole-grain buns when it opens the …

Coca-Cola was the best-recalled brand of the 15 World Cup partners, according to initial research compiled for Fifa, soccer's world governing body. "From all the data we have seen, we believe that Coca-Cola really enjoyed the best success in 2006," says Jamie Graham, managing director of Sponsorship Intelligence, Fifa's official researchers. But Graham is quick to point out that the global soft-drink giant has worked for years to promote a successful partnership with the sport. It has been a World Cup partner of Fifa since the 1970 tournament in Mexico. Coke was able to attract fans to its products--as were …

Less than 50 people--as opposed to the usual 1,000 or more--have seen a 10th anniversary edition of Elmo, the fuzzy, red Muppet with a falsetto voice, prior to its debut on "Good Morning America" next Tuesday. Later that day, Rosie O'Donnell, who played a key role in popularizing the original Tickle Me Elmo a decade ago, will give the 14-inch "Sesame Street" monster to audience members on her show, "The View." The hype seems to be working. Retailers--the very few who've seen it, and the legions who haven't--say they are ordering the maximum number of the $39.99 Elmos that Fisher-Price …