Kraft, Kellogg and Colgate-Palmolive this week all reported strong revenue growth amid price increases. On the losing side, Unilever and SABMiller upped prices only to have consumers trade down to other brands. Why the discrepancies? Possible factors include a more stalwart following for U.S.-based brands (Unilever and SABMiller are both foreign-owned), the resurgence of private label, ads that play up emotional appeal, and less-mobile consumers spending more on food at the supermarket as they cut back on eating out. James Gregory, CEO of Corebrand, says consumer sentiment for American-based brands is typically high during a recession. Another contributing …

Evian is pushing its Broumisateur Facial Spray, co-created with tennis star James Blake, and a new designer bottle as part of its sponsorship at the U.S. Open Tennis Tournament this year. The bottled water company is giving away 25,000 samples of the facial spray, which will go on sale at New York metro area Duane Reade stores just prior to the start of the two-week tennis tourney in late August. An Evian designer bottle created by Christian Lacroix will be promoted at its booth and sold online as a collectible for $13.95 at www.evian.com. Blake himself will be …

Bristol-Myers Squibb's offer Thursday for the remaining 83% of ImClone Systems that it doesn't own comes during a period in which traditional pharmaceutical companies are buying smaller biotechnology players to replenish their pipelines. It comes on the heels of Roche offering to buy the remaining 44% of its longtime biotechnology partner, Genentech. Biotechnology companies like Genentech and ImClone sell so-called biologic products, which are made in living cells. Such drugs are particularly attractive to companies because they are not subject to generic competition. There is no process for approving generic copies of biologics. In addition to full rights …