"Jerry Seinfeld must have been pree-tty bored when he agreed to this one," writes Jacquie Bowser. The comedian, who in the past has only starred in ads for global giants American Express and Microsoft, is appearing in TV commercials for the Greater Building Society, which is based in Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia. The ads were filmed in Cedarhurst, a small town in Long Island, N.Y., that was made to look like a regional Australian community. …

The NPD Group says 24% of all food and beverages served in American homes last year were store brands, and 97% of all households consume private label foods on a regular basis. While consumers say price and value are their driving motivations, Barbara Grondin Francella reports, most respondents also feel the quality of store brands is often equal to, or in some cases better than, name brands. 7-Eleven, which has expanded to more than 200 private label products in recent months, is working to add nearly 100 more items to its 7-Eleven and 7-Select brand lineup by the end …

Emily Bryson York, who yesterday scolded Burger King for a pattern of ads offensive to one group or another, today sheds some light on a back-to-basics, grass-roots marketing strategy that's steadily increasing sales for fast-food rival Chick-Fil-A. The growing chain, which is known for its lightly breaded chicken sandwiches, yesterday posted a 10% sales gain through June. Today it's hosting its fifth-annual "Cow Appreciation Day." Anyone who shows up dressed in "full cow regalia" at any one of its 1,450 restaurants gets a free meal -- entrée, choice of side and a drink. Come with just a …

Online stores that offer short, intense sales of designer apparel are attracting increasing numbers of shoppers, largely through word of mouth, as well as venture capital that the companies will use to expand their services into new categories. Companies such as Gilt Groupe, RueLaLa and HauteLook offer daily "members only" sales of limited merchandise with constant inventory updates that create a sense of urgency to buy, Shira Ovide and Vanessa O'Connell report. The retailers' marketing efforts center on email blasts to members. The sites keep a lid on inventory spending by carrying a limited number of styles, …