As food companies face pressure to raise prices to cover fast-rising costs, many are quietly adding fillers and substituting cheaper ingredients to cut costs. Most of the tweaked products still cost the same for consumers, if not more, however. Hershey is substituting vegetable oil for a portion of the cocoa butter traditionally used in some of its chocolates. McCormick is now supplying food companies with cheaper spices and new flavor blends, such as Mexican oregano instead of pricier Mediterranean oregano. General Mills says that by reducing the number of spice and ingredient pouches in boxes of Hamburger Helper -- and …

Building one-to-one relationships with consumers historically has been embraced by some sectors -- such as financial services and automotive -- more than others. But the Direct Marketing Association's Quarterly Business Review for the first quarter of 2008 finds that 50% of the marketers surveyed said they will increase their spending on database segmentation, overlays and analysis should there be a recession. Procter & Gamble, long accustomed to a bombard-the-masses-with-heavily-tested-ads strategy, has been working on better personalizing the consumer experience. CRM is also the force behind Coca-Cola's My Coke Rewards online program. Hewlett-Packard is said to have recently completed the …

Chrysler's redesigned Dodge Ram will begin trickling onto dealer lots later this month, a couple of months earlier than Ford's revamped F-150 makes its debut. Chrysler executives hope to capitalize on the early lead. "As we see competitors backing off a little bit, it's our opportunity to take some share with this brand-new truck," says Marc Seguin, the Ram launch manager. The Ram, known for its styling and Hemi engine, is the underdog to Ford's F-Series, which has carried the title of best-selling vehicle for decades but has come under new pressure as the industry slumps because of a …

Contrary to the belief that today's short-attention-span consumer is impervious to marketing, and that big brands no longer matter, author Rob Walker argues that marketing methods are stronger than ever, just harder to spot. And murky is a stealthy way to sell, he reveals in his new book, Buying In: The Secret Dialogue Between What We Buy and Who We Are. Walker, who writes the weekly "Consumed" column for The New York Times Magazine, fills his richly reported book with insights from cutting-edge marketers, entrepreneurs and artists. He also delves into case studies of resurging old brands such as Timberland …

Sam's Club tries to appeal to both the individual looking to save money on bulk items for the family and the business member loading up on everything from industrial kitchen supplies to hotel furniture. Instead of meeting somewhere in the middle, it is finding ways to directly appeal to both. Take Sam's Club Business Center, a new concept and format for the 25-year-old unit of Wal-Mart that will open Aug. 27 in Houston. Many features tailored to the individual -- like the café and pharmacy -- have been replaced with things like shop-in coolers, a walk-in tobacco cage …

Pepsi Bottling Group, the second-largest soft-drink bottler in the U.S., will distribute Crush sodas in most of the bottler's markets. The move represents a blow for PepsiCo, which stands to lose a large chunk of distribution for its own main orange soda -- Tropicana Twister -- at a time when fruit-flavored drinks are performing better than colas. Dr Pepper Snapple Group makes Crush. The deal also marks a comeback for Crush, a well-known brand that faded from store shelves after several bottlers dropped it for other brands. PBG will gain a widely recognized brand to take on Coca-Cola …