As companies and the distribution of their goods have become more global, it has become increasingly difficult to find a name for a company, a product--even a new shade of lipstick--that has not been taken. Names now have to be registered in a company's home country -- and also secured in several others. And the Internet, with its vast reach, has complicated the process. The growth of trademarked Web addresses or Web sites is exponential, says Delphine Parlier, a founder and partner in Quensis, a company in Paris that goes through the process of choosing a name at …

The whole theory of influencers is bunk, and most of the time buzz is spread by networks and a "critical mass of easily influenced people" who have been exposed to a single adopting neighbor, says Duncan Watts, a Columbia University sociology professor. Marketers that want to start buzz, should first focus less on who people influence and more on how people are influenced, Watts says. Identifying easily influenced people--and how they are influenced--raises different questions than looking for influentials. Second, they should think more about networks rather than treating everyone as behaving independently. And third, they should stop …

American Airlines has created jobs for campus marketing interns at about 40 universities--including Yale, Harvard, Princeton and Stanford--as part of an expanding program to market itself to college students. At Yale, AA's intern will make about $12.50 an hour and "will organize product and brand-awareness campaigns, enroll students in the airline's AAdvantage rewards program and market travel on the airline to groups of students and individuals," reports the Yale Daily News. Other airlines have turned to campus marketing, too. JetBlue has marketed heavily to college students in the Boston area--including a recent Harvard promotions in which the carrier …

Procter & Gamble has developed a new extra-strength deodorant that it says uses a patented triple-action technology to fight wetness, odor and provide skin-soothing conditioners. The New Secret Clinical Strength Anti-Perspirant/Deodorant has been formulated without harsh chemicals--such as aluminums--known to cause skin irritations and more serious conditions. On top of its unique formulation, the new Secret has also been developed for application at night, when P&G says that the body is most receptive to forming a strong barrier against perspiration. The product will be launched in the U.S. in March. Sales of gender-specific deodorants, such as the Secrets …

In coming months, Coca-Cola will release Diet Coke Plus and PepsiCo will bring out a similar beverage, Tava, but neither will be promoted as soft drinks--a category that has been tarnished by its association with obesity. Call them "sparkling beverages," please. Both new drinks are fortified with vitamins and minerals. Tava--lightly carbonated and offering exotic flavors--will contain vitamins B3, B6 and E and chromium. Diet Coke Plus will contain niacin, vitamins B6 and B12, magnesium and zinc. Fortified sodas will most likely remain a niche, says John Sicher, publisher of Beverage Digest. But he predicts sales of diet …

Wal-Mart's VPI program--which in Wal-Mart speak means Value Producing Item--encourages each of its 1.8 million employees to choose a product as his or her pet project for the year. The designation ensures that a product will get special treatment at the world's largest retailer. Store employees, who sometimes adopt their bosses' VPIs as their own, give their pet products the spotlight and dream up offbeat marketing gimmicks to promote them. Store workers who push their chosen VPI to top-seller status can reap cash prizes of up to $500 and trips to Wal-Mart's raucous annual meeting in Arkansas. …

Ernest Gallo--who co-founded the E.&J. Gallo Winery at the end of Prohibition with his brother Julio and directed sales, marketing and distribution for the company--died yesterday at 97. Peter Mondavi Jr., a competitor, called Gallo an "icon" who was instrumental in the development of the U.S. wine industry, and in making the beverage "accessible at all levels." In private, Gallo was known for his Old World manners. But in business, he was tenacious, shrewd, aggressive and secretive. Gallo grew to become the world's largest wine company by volume, a title since taken by Constellation Brands of New York. But …

About 300 former and present Best Buy employees and customers say the store's intranet Web site was different than what customers saw on the public Internet. As a result, the Connecticut state attorney general has started an investigation to determine if the duplicate sites were being used to cheat customers. E-mails, messages and telephone calls from places such as Florida, California, Illinois, Rhode Island, New York, Virginia and even from Best Buy's headquarters in Minneapolis indicate that the problem for the 128,000-employee retailer extends way beyond Connecticut. For example, Al--a former Best Buy supervisor who worked in an …

A new report issued by acting surgeon general Dr. Kenneth Moritsugu urges alcohol marketers to cut back their outdoor advertising for alcoholic beverages and to eliminate college events sponsorships. The report says too many people view teen drinking as a "rite of passage" when new research indicates it could have potentially serious long-term effects. "Alcohol is the most widely used substance of abuse among America's youth," Moritsugu says. Notably, Moritsugu didn't urge the passage of any new laws, instead suggesting colleges, media and the alcohol industry should act voluntarily. Although the report's guidelines go beyond current voluntary …

Anheuser-Busch's dominance in USA Today's annual Ad Meter measure of Super Bowl advertising popularity is pretty much assured, according to ad executives familiar with the company, given that the Ad Meter process pretty much mirrors how A-B tests its ads prior to the game. The oft-quoted poll that's based on the opinions of average Joes has, in its 18 years, grown into the most-cited gauge of an ad's success or failure. It actually shapes how ads are crafted and tested and how agencies are rewarded. Bob Lachky, A-B's executive vice president-global industry development, says winning the Ad …