• Drug Firms' Medical Staffs Say What Salespeople Can't
  • Microsoft To Cut Prices On Windows 7 System
  • Palm's Earnings Excite Investors; All Eyes On Pre Smartphone
    Investors were buoyed by Palm's report of a smaller-than-anticipated loss yesterday, sending the stock price up 15%, Hugo Miller reports. Older models sold better than expected but the company's fortune will rest with the success of the recently launched Pre smartphone and its new WebOS operating system, both of which have been hailed by critics. "It's all about the rebirth of the company with the Pre," says Jim Suva, an analyst at Citigroup. "They really pulled it out of the hat with the Pre, but you've got a raft of new devices coming onto the market that will …
  • Q&A With Major League Soccer's Marketing Guy
    It may not have the attendance figures or the TV deals that Major League Baseball, the National Football League the National Basketball Association do, but when it comes to fan, consumer and marketing clout, Major League Soccer is as just potent as any of its brethren, writes Barry Janoff. David Wright, vp partnership marketing for MLS and Soccer United Marketing (which holds commercial rights to MLS), talks to Janoff about the dynamics of building and marketing a pro sports league. Eleven of the league's teams now sport sponsors' names on the front of their jerseys, and Wright says fans …
  • Jackson, Fawcett, McMahon Leave A Legacy Of Commercial Work
    Theresa Howard points out that Michael Jackson, Farrah Fawcett and Ed McMahon aren't only dead celebrities, they also are dead advertising icons, each making singular contributions to the art form. Jackson, 50, "set the bar for the corporate world to embrace pop music," says Ryan Schinman, CEO, Platinum Rye Entertainment, which brings together celebrities and music talent for commercials. Jackson's famous Pepsi video set the stage for the future use of pop stars as corporate spokesingers. (Phil Dusenberry relates some hair-raising moments before Michael Jackson's hair caught fire during the production of the spot …
  • Meijer To Test Smaller Store In Suburban Chicago Market
    In tune with the smaller-is-beautiful zeitgeist, Meijer -- "the store that sells everything from spaghetti to swimming pools" -- plans to test a smaller format store in Niles, Ill. Sandra M. Jones reports. "If this works the way we want it to, we definitely will consider it for other markets," says Frank Guglielmi, a spokesman for the chain of 189 sprawling one-stop-shopping emporiums. The retail industry is going on a diet as wallets shrink and gas prices rise, Jones points out, but that's not Meijer's only motivation for the experiment. Analysts point out that shrinking the box …
  • If Retail Shelves Seem Bare, That's Because They Are
    Analysts say that supermarkets, drugstores and discount retailers, who have been expanding the amount of products they carry for years, will be trimming the assortment of products in their stores by at least 15%, Ilan Brat, Ellen Byron and Ann Zimmerman report. Brands, sizes, colors, flavors, fragrances and prices are all under scrutiny. This presents a huge challenge to manufacturers, of course, who are used to filling up ever-expanding shelf space with ever-expanding SKUs. (Speaking of which, you may want to check out the New York Times' 30th anniversary celebration of the birth of the bar …
  • CVS Fund-Raiser Drops Auction Access To Executives
  • Supermodel Bar Refaeli Will Introduce Garnier Fructis Products
  • Superdawg Sues Superdog Over Trademark Infringement
    Speaking about hallowed names, Chicago weinermeisters Superdog -- famous since 1948 not only for its exquisite fare but also for the rooftop, 12-foot sausage statues made in the likeness of owners Maurie and Flaurie Berman -- is suing a New York upstart named SuperDawg for trademark infringement. Although Superdogs does not have a New York outlet, the Bermans' son, Scott, says that print and television reporters have done a lot of stories over the years, garnering the eatery an international reputation. Superdawg owner Danny Omari could not be reached for comment, Mike Hughlett reports, and his attorney says …
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