America Online founder Stephen M. Case is launching RevolutionHealth.com for consumers this Thursday, after building upward of 486,000 unique visitors since a beta version went online in January. "There is a big opportunity to create the most trusted brand in health," says Case. Case hopes to create a site that visitors will use frequently "to manage their lives." Users will be able to create their own pages for collecting personal and general information, which they can keep private or share. The revamped version of the site will be aimed primarily at women, who tend to be the …

ConAgra is eager to win back consumers after the salmonella outbreak that sickened more than 400 people and forced a total recall of its Peter Pan peanut butter in mid February. The Omaha-based food company won't discuss the details of its marketing plan for competitive reasons, but ultimately, it simply needs to reassure consumers and deliver a safe product. "When people own up to it, Americans forgive," says John Lord, professor and chairman of St. Joseph's University's food marketing program. Joe Marconi, who teaches marketing at DePaul University in Chicago, says the Peter Pan label needs to carry …

Atlanta-based Teavana--a chain of "tea emporiums" housed in upscale shopping malls--is popping up across the U.S. For shoppers looking for a Zen alternative to the zoom-zoom payoff of Starbucks, it has constructed an image that draws liberally on the calming allure of the Far Eastern lifestyle and the purported health benefits of its products. The company's logo, a brown and purple tea drinker relaxing in the lotus position, has a laid-back yoga vibe, while its tagline purports that the company is "Opening the doors to health, wisdom, and happiness." US tea sales are expected to grow to …

Kraft has placated shareholders recently with a boost in per-share earnings, but a tougher battle remains ahead: Rejuvenating flagging food brands that have been losing market share to private-label products and higher-margin, more healthful offerings. In the 12 weeks leading up to Feb. 24, Kraft lost market share in 10 of 12 food categories, according to a report by Citigroup and ACNielsen, which ranks global brands. But its share price has gained in the last two days after ratings upgrades by two brokerages. Their analysts expect earnings and revenue growth in 2008, when CEO Irene Rosenfeld's efforts at …

The Federal Trade Commission says that the entertainment industry may be undermining the principle of self-regulation by marketing products that are inconsistent with the ratings they assign to them. In a report issued yesterday, the FTC notes that 90% of R-rated movie ads were placed on Web sites where children under 17 made up at least one-third of the audience. It also suggests that the movie industry examine whether the dissemination of unrated or "director's cut" versions of R-rated fare undermines the self-regulatory system. The FTC also criticizes the music industry for advertising on cable shows and Web …

Demographic, geographic, behavioral and attitudinal data aren't enough to understand high-end consumers, according to a recent study by Echelon Marketing Group. Luxury marketers also need to consider a fifth category of information called "econographic" data. This will help them understand "who can afford expensive products and the impact of money on their attitudes and behaviors," says Echelon president Don Neal. The study reveals that 85% of luxury-goods marketers want to engage in more one-on-one marketing; however, only half of them actually do. But e-mail is the least able vehicle for presenting a luxury brand image. More effective methods, Neal …

Apple is delaying the release of its new computer operating system--code-named Leopard--until October because it has diverted software development resources to the eagerly awaited iPhone. The company says iPhone is on schedule to ship in late June, as planned, after passing several of its required certification tests. Tim Bajarin, an analyst with Creative Strategies, says the delay in Leopard could slow the pop in sales that normally comes from die-hard Apple computer fans, who will now likely wait to buy new computers. Leopard is expected to boast new features, including a file back-up feature called "Time Machine" and …

Military robot maker iRobot--which also makes robots that clean consumer's carpets and floors--is taking a dip in the pool. It's marketing two models that it claims can clean pools from floor to waterline in 60 to 90 minutes, rather than the four to six hours typical for most automatic models. The $799 Verro 300 and the $1,199 Verro 600 were actually developed by companies belonging to Aqua Products Group, a N.J.-based firm that's been in the pool-cleaning market for two decades. For now, iRobot is selling the Verros only through its Web site, rather than through retail stores, says …

Radio talk jock Don Imus was caught in the cross hairs of a 24-hour news cycle, writes David Carr, in offering a myriad of reasons why his racist remarks led to his dismissal by CBS Radio yesterday.

After a long courtship, Nestlé is buying baby-food giant Gerber for more than $5 billion from Novartis, which has been selling businesses unrelated to its core healthcare products. Nestlé already has a huge infant-nutrition business in Europe, Asia and Latin America, but Gerber dominates the $900-million-a-year baby food business in the U.S. It controls 81% of the market. Gerber has struggled to diversify into other areas, including apparel, food for toddlers and life insurance. Nestlé already has a stake in the $2-billion-a-year market in America for infant formula; it owns Good Start infant formulas. While the baby-food business …