This business and personal finance site has a tightly written, cautionary roundup of products that have suffered from too much hype and too little substance over the years. Some are must-have perennials on lists like these. Roberto C. Goizueta, the CEO responsible for the launch of a Coke with a different formula must have rued the day he heard the word "New" for the rest of his life. Ditto the still-vertical John Sculley about the Apple Newton, which took the polish off the former Pepsi CEO's theretofore-impeccable credentials as a master marketer. Some other choices -- such as …

Noreen O'Leary says that the sparring over taxation and advertising regulations in D.C. may just be getting underway but marketers are faring better than many observers expected in the early going. Manufacturers of everyday consumer items such as condoms and home pregnancy tests were heartened to learn last week that the Senate Finance Committee reconsidered a proposal to tax "medical devices" that cost less than $100. Also last week, Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) announced that he was scaling back on some of the provisions of the proposed Consumer Financial Protection Agency. Proponents of the proposal claim the American …

A senior analyst at Mintel says that some of the stevia-sweetened products that have hit the shelves so far may do more harm than good, Caroline Scott-Thomas reports. "Taste is what it's all about," says David Browne. "I think that, of the products that are out there right now, some of them don't taste very good. There is a real 'what if' in the market: Is the taste good enough to convert consumers?" The great appeal of stevia-derived sweeteners is that they are all-natural and calorie-free. Although the stevia market is still in its infancy, Mintel expects sales …

Burger King seems willing to further irritate some of its vocal franchisees, Mike Hughlett reports, as it will begin a nationwide promotion for its $1 double cheeseburger beginning Oct. 19. Last month, it cut the price on its double cheeseburger, which normally costs at least $2, to $1 in 40 markets, rankling some franchise owners who fear a nobody-wins price war. "It's obviously something of considerable concern to the franchise community," says John McNelis, president of the real estate division of Mirabile Investment Corp., which owns more than 40 Burger Kings in the Memphis, Tenn., area. "The …

CEO Howard Schultz led the charge for the national rollout of Starbucks' new instant coffee, Via, yesterday -- except that he did it Friday in a media conference call that was embargoed until Monday, Melissa Allison reports in her "Coffee City" blog. "We're sitting on perhaps the biggest opportunity our company has ever had," Schultz enthused. In addition to a national TV campaign, customers who take a "taste challenge" from Oct. 2 to 5, comparing brewed coffee to Via will get a free cup of brewed coffee and $1 toward a Via purchase. Single-serve packets …