No. 1 gum manufacturer Wm. Wrigley Jr. & Co. is making the most of No. 2 Cadbury-Adams' temporary suspension of Trident Crystal Frost and Cinnamon flavors as it ramps up production of its new recloseable packs. Cadbury-Adams launched its sugarless brand in new EZ-Close Packs earlier this summer--an answer to the convenient envelope packaging rolled out earlier by Wrigley for its Orbit line. Trade channel sources report that the company has struggled since early August with shipping Trident orders because only one plant was manufacturing the recloseable packaging. The hiccup meant less of new Trident flavors, like the sweet and …

Recent commercials for Procter & Gamble's Tide don't show mom in the laundry room. They show a pregnant woman spilling ice cream on her favorite shirt, or a mother wearing well-fitting light-colored pants as she plays in the park with her child. That's no accident. It's part of a trend among marketers to focus on the needs of mothers rather than on their offspring. P&G, the Kentucky Fried Chicken subsidiary of Yum Brands, and many other companies have set up advisory councils or Internet networks of mothers, to determine how they view themselves and their lives, and where products fit …

Red Bull's lawyers sent a cease-and-desist letter to Vital Pharmaceuticals last October, demanding that it stop using the Redline name and color scheme on its energy drink, claiming they were "confusingly similar" to the market leader's. The following week, Vital sued Red Bull in Miami federal court seeking a judgment that it wasn't infringing on Red Bull's trademark. Now, each side is charging that the other's drink doesn't live up to claims touted on the packaging. Red Bull calls Redline's fat-burning boasts bogus, referring to a trademarked rhyme on Redline's bottles that reads, "Feel the Freak / Feel the Freeze …

A group of 30 communications and marketing professionals in Arizona has come up with a moniker that it hopes will do for the state's growing bioscience industry what "Silicon Valley" did for California's high-tech endeavors. Welcome to "Biozona." A tagline--"Advancing science, enhancing life"-- will accompany the brand's logo, a stylized outline of Arizona with circles abstractly depicting refracted light and molecular activity. "Arizona's biosciences need to be more than a concept--they should be thought of as a place, a destination with their own attributes and personality," according to Steve Lynn, vp for UniSource Energy Corp. in Tucson and a board …

Although analysts have said for years that Ford needs to cut down the number of brands it sells--especially the long-ailing Mercury--no lines will be axed when the company finalizes its restructuring plan this week. "Mercury is part of our plans," confirms a Ford spokesman. Former President Bill Clinton is scheduled to accept a new Mercury Mariner Hybrid next week at the Clinton Global Initiative conference--further indication that the brand will live on, despite a 55 percent sales decline in the last decade. The restructuring, which is to be publicly announced after the board of directors' meeting today, will include accelerated …

Nintendo will unveil the Wii (pronounced "we") video game console today even as its main rival, Sony, has been forced to delay and scale back the introduction of its own game machine, the PlayStation 3. Wii, which will cost $250 in the U.S., will be available for the holiday selling season with more than 25 games. Wii's major innovation is a wireless controller that the user can tilt and point to produce action on the screen. It is less technically ambitious than Sony's PS3, however, which is why it will cost less. "Our goal is to bring gaming back to …

The $47-billion United Technologies Corp. may be one of the most profitable conglomerates in the public marketplace, but it has long suffered an identity crisis. "When I say we own Otis elevator, or Carrier air conditioning, or Pratt & Whitney jet engines, or Sikorsky helicopters, the lights come on," says George David, the company's chief. Making United Technologies into a name that people recognize--and want to invest in--is the goal of a new $20 million ad campaign from DDB Worldwide. Research conducted after UTC began a campaign in 2003 with the tagline "This is Momentum" showed a 36 percent improvement …

Denny's is entering the NASCAR arena with a new scratch-off promotion with Coca-Cola, the racing circuit's official soft drink, that offers fans a chance to ride with some of their favorite Nextel Cup Series drivers. Denny's will distribute more than 49 million scratch-off cards during the 10-week Race-In-To-Win Sweepstakes, now through Nov. 19. One grand-prize winner will receive a weekend for two in Atlanta, including a ride in an actual racecar and a meet-and-greet session with members of the Coca-Cola Racing Family. Four first-prize winners will receive VIP racing trips for two to Atlanta, Charlotte, Las Vegas or Daytona Beach. …

Mars Inc., which has been marketing CocoaVia dark chocolate snacks as a "heart healthy" product with flavanols and plant sterol additives that can reduce cholesterol and improve blood flow, is adding milk chocolate varieties to the mix. Mars says its scientists have figured out how to retain the same level of flavanols--naturally occurring chemicals in cocoa that have antioxidant qualities--in milk and dark chocolate. Some nutritionists are skeptical. "Adding a milk-chocolate version is just a way of expanding sales," says Bonnie Liebman, nutrition director for the Center for Science in the Public Interest. Robert J. Gamgort, president of Mars's North …

In a bid to put more passengers in its seats, Delta Air Lines will announce today that it's upgrading its seat backs. A new in-flight entertainment system will give every passenger on long domestic flights access to on-demand movies, TV, music and games. Delta's initiative represents the U.S. airline industry's most extensive entertainment programming. Executives at Delta, which is in Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization, hope the new entertainment will lure long-haul domestic passengers away from competitors and bolster revenue. "We needed to have a transcontinental product we can be proud of," says Delta COO Jim Whitehurst. "This is designed to …