Airline frequent flier programs--which began 27 years ago as a way to win the loyalty of travelers--have turned into a lucrative business for the airlines. Many now earn hundreds of millions a year by selling miles to partners like credit card companies and hotel chains. Those companies, in turn, give the miles to customers as sign-up bonuses or rewards for hotel stays. But as consumers can earn miles in more and more ways, the number of miles accumulated each year has vastly outpaced the number redeemed, an imbalance many airlines are now being forced to address. One way that …

The powerful marketing pitch of buy-one-get-one-free offers for nonessential items is whipsawing consumers at a time when they're paying more for must-haves. The average price of a dozen large eggs in February was $2.17, up 24% from the year before, while a gallon of milk rose 26% to $3.87 compared with February 2007. In a marketing move two years ago in which it tried to capture more dollars from wealthier shoppers, Wal-Mart stopped stressing its low-price message. But just before the Super Bowl, it announced an "economic-stimulus plan" that included lowering prices between 10% and 30% on …

Canadian Club whiskey is finding dad may have all the answers after all. A new campaign it introduced in November--with taglines like "Damn right your dad drank it" and "Your mom wasn't your dad's first"--appears to be reversing a two-decade sales slump. The mostly print effort, which attempts to redefine dad as less Ward Cleaver and more "Mad Men," has seen case volume in food, drug and liquor stores rise 4.4% in the 13 weeks ending March 8, outpacing the category and its dominant brand, Diageo's Crown Royal, according to AC Nielsen data. Case shipments fell from 3.9 million …

With its eye on a new potential blockbuster franchise, Disney is using its full array of media tools to boost exposure of The Jonas Brothers--the youthful heartthrobs whose self-titled album has gone platinum. "It feels like some giant wave forming out on the ocean," says Gary Marsh, entertainment president at Disney Channel. Like the Jackson 5, the Jonas Brothers are built around a musical prodigy--in this case, Nick Jonas, who has performed on Broadway since he was 7. He signed with a major label at age 12 as a Christian pop artist. Disney Radio and the Disney …