As they grow more sophisticated about developing and branding their own products, retailers are building brands that bear no resemblance to their store names, such as Target's Archer Farms line of gourmet oils, appetizers and frozen foods, and Safeway's Eating Right line of frozen dinners, cereal and salad dressings. Sara Lee CEO Brenda Barnes says the challenge to branded companies like hers is to be No. 1 or No. 2 in its category "because why would a retailer want to carry 10 products in a category?" Private-label sales of food and nonalcoholic beverages in the U.S. rose 4.3% …

With its back-to-back product recalls, Mattel--the world's largest toy maker and the home, among others, of Fisher-Price toys, American Girls dolls, Matchbox cars and, of course, Barbie--has been thrown into the center of a boiling debate over the safety of products made in China. Mattel has been manufacturing in Asia far longer than many companies (the first Barbie was made there in 1959). That led to long-term relationships with certain Chinese contractors, many spanning decades. Paradoxically, that appears to have contributed to Mattel's problems: the longer it outsourced to a factory supplier with good results, the looser the leash …

The credit crunch in housing--including higher monthly payments for some owners and declining home values for others--is persuading many Americans that buying a car is not a good idea right now, according to CNW Marketing Research. A recent poll shows that nearly 18% of people in the market for a car or a truck are delaying their purchases because of home-related issues, up from 9% in 2006. Other data show consumers may be turning their attention to used cars. Web site Edmunds.com says online interest in used cars is up 24% this year, while interest in luxury cars …

In a major coup, Wal-Mart has scored an exclusive deal with Iconix Brand Group to carry the Ocean Pacific and Op brands, the iconic labels often credited with spawning the surf and beach culture. Ocean Pacific was born in the Sixties as a surfboard label. Jim Jenks, the founder, created an apparel line in 1972 that identified a burgeoning culture and connected surfing with music, skateboarding, motocross, BMX and snowboarding. The Ocean Pacific and Op deal covers a broad range of apparel and accessories, and is expected to launch in Wal-Mart stores in the U.S. in the spring. It's …

An official Web site is no longer the automatic centerpiece of media campaigns for new movies, and there is a budding trend to launch more than one site for the same movie. Rather than attempting to just build traffic from scratch, movie marketers are placing content such as trailers, tie-in promotions and ads on sites with huge audiences such as Yahoo Movies, MySpace, YouTube and Google. Marketing executives say that some films still load up their main Web sites because powerful creative talent--actors, producers and directors--demand it, given "The Blair Witch Project" success that rode the Internet to astronomical …

Hewlett-Packard is launching a $300-million marketing campaign today as it introduces more than 20 new printers for consumers and small to medium-size businesses. It hopes to get digital-age consumers to think more about print. Digital content presents challenges for HP. With their lives stored on their computers, will people print more or less? Will family photos remain digital or be put on paper to show off? Will blogs be read only on computer screens? Vyomesh Joshi, executive vice president of HP's imaging and printing group, says he has pushed HP to see itself not just as a seller …

Video gaming is beginning to transcend the boy-in-the-basement stereotype with a new generation of gamers--including women, older people and children--who want to play in a more social ambiance. The trend presents a lot of opportunity for marketers, says David Riley, analyst with the NPD Group, and an avid gamer. In March, the online-party-invitation specialist Evite launched dedicated Wii party-planning pages. This month, it added invitations, including actual Wii avatars, games and themes. "The Wii, in particular, is great for parties because of the level of activity and the multiplayer format," says Lariayn Payne, vice president-marketing and public relations at …

Honda is working on a new high-profile hybrid--a Prius fighter that analysts expect will have the highest mileage on the road when it arrives in 2009. Code-named the "Global Small Hybrid," the new gas-electric model won't replicate anything else in its lineup. Instead, Honda execs say it will be a five-passenger, small family car priced under $22,000. In the low-octane race for the environmental high ground, Honda is running a distant second to Toyota, despite the fact that Honda was first to sell a hybrid in America and remains a darling of the green movement. But to …

Philips-Van Heusen's Arrow brand shirt is undertaking a $20-million-plus multichannel marketing campaign designed to raise awareness of--and financial support toward--restoring the deteriorating buildings on historic Ellis Island in New York. It includes national print ads, billboards, in-flight videos, eco-friendly hangers, online ads and a Web site with consumer-generated content.   The combination of a cause-related marketing program and social-networking campaign is a first for Arrow, according to Hitesh Patel, vice president of global communications at Phillips-Van Heusen. After a year and a half of research, the company determined that the brand's core audience cares about community, family, social values, supports …

Zagat began bolstering its ranks of paying online subscribers last year with new electronic-commerce technology from a company called TrialPay. The technology lets Zagat lure new users with a tempting offer: If they accept another, unrelated marketing pitch--such as taking out a new credit card or spending $65 at Gap--they get a free subscription to the Zagat Web site. Alex Rampell, TrialPay's 26-year-old founder and CEO, says the logic behind TrialPay isn't complicated. While people who won't pay for Zagat's online service, or premium New York Times crossword puzzles on the Web, are "bad customers" for those companies, …