Jones Soda Co., which manufactures Blue Bubble Gum and Twisted Lime sodas for Target and other retailers, says it will replace high-fructose corn syrup with cane sugar in its drinks starting in January. Jones also makes WhoopAss energy drink. The company aims to capitalize on the bad publicity surrounding high-fructose corn syrup, which is used in popular brands like Coke and Pepsi. Some scientists have linked it to rising U.S. obesity rates. Unlike HFCS, cane sugar is a "natural ingredient" with a "positive perception in the consumer's mind," according to Peter van Stolk, Jones Soda's president and CEO. …

By asking French designer Roland Mouret to design five exclusive dresses, Gap Inc. borrowed a tactic used by Swedish rival Hennes & Mauritz and other retailers to ignite sales. But while H&M drew throngs by partnering with designers such as Karl Lagerfeld and Stella McCartney, there were precious few shoppers drawn to Gap Inc.'s Fifth Avenue store in New York on Friday. Celebrities such as Nicole Kidman and Cameron Diaz have worn Mouret's designs. But unlike H&M's treatment of its designs, Gap didn't display Mouret's name in stores or windows or even on the clothing. "It's a missed …

PepsiCo's Quaker Tropicana Gatorade division will launch a couple of Gatorade flavors and a new name next month to nudge customers into drinking the beverage in the morning. Gatorade A.M. will use the same formula as the original, but the flavors--orange-strawberry and tropical mango--are more morning-friendly. In the food department, Quaker Mini Delights rice cake snacks will hit shelves in March. The product, along with a new bite-sized granola piece snack, will build on Quaker's 90-calorie pack offerings. Revenues are up 10% percent for the Quaker portion of the division. When PepsiCo bought Quaker five years …

McDonald's is testing high-tech mini-gyms for kids at seven stores in California, Illinois, Colorado and Oklahoma and could roll out "a significant number" over the next year if they are a hit, according to a company spokesman. The RGyms would replace PlayPlaces, of which there are 5,500 nationwide. Dubbed R Gyms (after Ronald McDonald), the equipment includes bikes that are hooked to video games that kids can only play while peddling; a mini basketball court that gives electronic feedback like cheers; climbing equipment, such as rocks of molded plastic, monkey bars and ropes; and electronic pads for dancing …

While claiming that organic and natural food movement is a "belief system penetrating into the mainstream," John Mackey, Whole Foods' 53-year-old vegan co-founder, admits that prices will have to drop before the foods become standard fare for most Americans. In an interview, MacKay blames slowing same-store sales in some markets on several factors, including increased competition, cannibalization, less spending by consumers and saturation. He said that the chain is being more aggressive on pricing, but that the decision to match--or better--competitor's prices are made at the local level. Mackey confirms that Whole Foods will launch …

Pfizer was devastated Saturday. An independent board monitoring a study for cholesterol treatment torcetrapib recommended that the work end because of an unexpected number of deaths. The company immediately complied with the recommendation. It will likely slash staff and accelerate merger and licensing deals as the pressure on it to improve its financial performance intensifies, analysts say. Analysts expect Pfizer to act swiftly to bring new products into the fold, either through acquisition or licensing. Pfizer reiterated that it hopes to introduce six new products to the market by 2010, but its pipeline just doesn't have another drug …

Once derided as "brochureware" in the digital marketing world, the Web sites of corporate giants P&G and Unilever draw combined monthly traffic of more than 9 million unique visitors, according to ComScore Media Metrix. The figures for each easily trounce the audiences of many magazines and cable and syndicated TV shows where they advertise. While P&G sites captured only 3.3% of ComScore's U.S. Web audience in October, that's more than double its industry-leading 1.3% share of U.S. ad spending last year. And its nine times its share of online ad spending, according to TNS Media Intelligence. …

Yahoo is preparing to roll out what it calls "brand universes"-- dedicated areas of the portal where fans of a movie or product can congregate, share and connect with each other. The brand universes are Yahoo's answer to the popularity of advertiser outposts on hot social-media sites. But unlike the brand areas on MySpace and YouTube, Yahoo is not asking marketers for ad dollars to build the sites. Instead, it has identified a batch of 100 "passion brands" to build dedicated areas. In its first such area, Yahoo developed a destination for fans of Nintendo's Wii …

As grocery chains continue to improve the quality of their private-label products, shoppers are increasingly willing to purchase them. About 41% of shoppers say they frequently buy private-label goods, up from 36% in 2001 and 12% in 1991, according to a study produced this month by the Private Label Manufacturers Association. Private-label products are one of the ways a grocery chain can stand out when all of its competitors sell the same Coca-Cola, Crest and Charmin, according to John B. Lord, professor and chairman of the department of food marketing at St. Joseph's University in Philadelphia. "Other aspects [of …

The California Milk Processor Board plans to infuse five bus shelters in San Francisco with the smell of fresh-baked, chocolate-chip cookies next week in an effort to entice commuters to go home and pour a glass of milk. "Got Milk?" posters at the shelters will provide visual cues. The just-out-of-the-oven aroma will be embedded in scent-infused adhesive strips affixed throughout the interior of the shelters, including underneath the seats. Olfactory marketing blitzes aren't new. There's the "new car" aroma at auto dealerships, "fresh-brewed coffee" smells in convenience stores and "rose scents" for florists. But there's a …