An ad campaign for Marks & Spencer, the venerable British retailer, has transformed the company's image--and its bottom line. Ads that feature the 1960s fashion icon Twiggy and younger models dressing up for glamorous nights out on the town are responsible for an 11% rise in revenue and a 32% increase in pretax profit in the most recent half-year period. "It's an emotional celebration of dressing up from a brand that had been perceived as a bit middle-aged and dull," says James Murphy, chief executive of Rainey Kelly Campbell Roalfe/Y&R, the agency that created the ads. Marks & Spencer …

Five of the 31 ads Kraft is running in a special holiday issue of People magazine, which arrives today, are of the rub-and-sniff variety. A full-page ad for Philadelphia Cream Cheese, for instance, shows a picture of strawberry cheesecake. When rubbed, the picture gives off the aroma of the dessert. The scents of cinnamon coffee, cherry Jell-O, Chips Ahoy cookies, and white chocolate will all be present in different ads. Kraft believes the more a reader can play with the ad, the better the recall of its message, according to Gary Gruneberg, its director of media buying. The issue …

Thanks to deft positioning of its multiple brands, Unilever's deodorant business has gone from a distant third to No. 1. Axe, Suave, Dove and Degree have all grown in double digits in the past four years, according to Kevin George, vice president and general manager, Unilever deodorants, because "each has a very different take and tone." Since Degree started making gender-specific varieties three years ago--with different formulations, fragrances and packaging--it has moved from No. 7 to No. 3. Its message for men is about everyday risk-taking. For women, it underscores the acrobatics they must perform to prevent white streaks …

In an effort to reverse plummeting sales, Adidas admitted last week that it has under-supported the Reebok brand it acquired in the summer of 2005. So it has pledged to put at least $63 million behind the brand in 2007. Reebok received $7 million for the first half of this year in marketing support; sales orders have plunged 14%. Adidas CEO Herbert Hainer says the company's primary objective for 2007 is to strengthen the Reebok brand, which was also hurt when Reebok's $250 million exclusive apparel deal with the National Basketball Association was transferred to Adidas. Analysts say …

PepsiCo is launching a high-energy protein-drink line called Fuelosophy this month that's made specifically for Whole Foods consumers. It follows the Sun Snacks organic line of sunflower-oil chips and cheese puffs, which have been testing in the chain since February. Pepsi is creating these brands--which bear no telltale trace of their corporate lineage and are supported with little marketing--to compete with the homespun, lifestyle-oriented companies that appeal to the Whole Foods shopper. Distribution in Whole Foods allows big food marketers to test new products without the heavy costs of mainstream launches, and establish much-needed credibility in health and wellness. …

As part of a marketing strategy to keep its youth-focused Scion cool, Toyota plans to throttle back production to keep sales from going above 150,000 vehicles next year. It is on track to exceed that amount by 25,000 cars in 2006. One analyst says it could sell as many as 250,000 vehicles a year if production controls were lifted. For Toyota, Scion's importance isn't so much added volume as it is bridging the gap to younger buyers, who consider the company's mainline Toyota brand vehicles too stodgy. About 80% of people who buy a Scion have never had a …

American Express opened a Members Lounge at The Mall at Short Hills in Short Hills, N.J. this week, where card members can reinvigorate themselves with snacks, a coat check, a private restroom, couches, free gift-wrap services, iPod and cell phone charging stations, and an e-mail station. They also have access to discounts on featured Membership Rewards merchandise and are able to buy American Express gift cards. "For today's consumers, the experience of shopping is just as important as the act of shopping," says Ralph Andretta, American Express's senior vice president, membership rewards. Access is restricted to cardholders, but exhausted shoppers …

"A Good Year," a romantic comedy starring Russell Crowe that opens today, has an unlikely co-star: Palm Inc.'s Treo smart phone. Crowe plays an investment banker from London who winds up in France tending to a small vineyard he inherited. The multipurpose phone--used for phone calls, photos, video conferencing, e-mail and even wine selection--appears dozens of times in the film. Palm said it does not pay for its TV or movie appearances, relying instead on the Treo's reputation. "Every once in a while, there's a prop that helps define a character, and the Treo is his key tie to …

The brands most remembered by active adult gamers are Coke, Pepsi, Nike, and Adidas, according to Phoenix Marketing International's inaugural study into in-game advertising and product placement in video games. Four out of five of the top games in which ads were recalled were sports games, namely 2006 FIFA World Cup, NHL 2K7, Madden NFL 07 and NBA 2K7. Racing games were the next most popular genre for ad recall. In addition to the mentioned brands, other popular ones recalled were: Reebok for apparel and footwear, Mountain Dew and Gatorade for beverages, Ford and BMW for cars, Samsung for …

A create-your-own-ad contest run by Chipotle Mexican Grill and open to students at 22 universities nationwide generated nearly 70 entrees that have been viewed more than 2 million times on YouTube since mid-October. "The cost to buy that kind of advertising exposure would far exceed what we're spending on the program," says company spokesman Chris Arnold. Two other restaurant chains that share a Colorado home with Chipotle are also trying their hand at user-generated content: Good Times Burgers and Quiznos. For Good Times' "My-Beef's-All-Natural Product Placement Film Festival," consumers have been asked to use a life-size cardboard of …