Dr Pepper Snapple Group has seen its market share grow -- 0.3 percentage points to 15.3% -- in the hard-pressed carbonated soft drink category since spinning off from Cadbury a year and a half ago. It has also launched new products such as Dr Pepper Cherry and boosted its marketing spend. CEO Larry Young, speaking at a Beverage Digest conference, indicates that the company's new independence has played a large role in the surge. "Previously much of our profits were shipped across the pond to help a candy outlet that was based there," he points out. The …

A two-year test of electronic couponing conducted by Procter & Gamble and Kroger will be discontinued at the end of the year despite its apparent success, Jack Neff reports. It appears that P&G was getting more out of the relationship than Kroger was, according to data from TNS Compete, with almost 24% of referrals to PGeSaver.com coming from Kroger.com in November. "We'll continue to partner [with third parties on coupons] but as we move forward, we are going to have coupon offers available on Kroger.com where people who have Kroger loyalty cards can see all offers available to …

If you liked A.G. Lafley's leadership of Proctor & Gamble, you're probably going to love Bob McDonald's, if the arguments mustered by Hal Gregersen, a professor of leadership at the international business school Insead, hold up. Their professional backgrounds are very similar and McDonald appears to pay even more attention to detail than the delivery-driven Lafley did. Just as importantly, McDonald shares Lafley's interest in innovation. Gregerson cites the way that McDonald would immerse himself in the culture of countries he was assigned to over the years. "Not only did he devour books on each new country, but he …

Put H.J. Heinz Chairman and CEO William Johnson on the side of those who believe that the recession will have long-term impact on the psyche of shoppers. "To say that consumers will return to historic norms is disingenuous," he tells Brad Dorfman. Although Heinz highlighted an increase in trade spending when it reported earnings in late November, Johnson says the maker of Heinz ketchup, Ore-Ida potatoes and Smart Ones frozen meals will not keep resorting to that one strategy to keep sales aloft. "What we're seeing right now is an industry that in some cases is …

So Barry Janoff discovers in a far-ranging Q&A with Phil Pacsi, vp, North America consumer tire marketing, Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations, who has forged marketing alliances with the NFL, MLB, NHL, PGA Tour and the Indy Race League. Bridgestone is also the title sponsor of two of the hottest events in sports. More than 150 million people worldwide are expected to watch the "Bridgestone Super Bowl XLIV Half Time Show on CBS on Feb. 7, starring The Who. It also will be title sponsor of the third "NHL Winter Classic," to be played Jan. 1 at Boston's Fenway …

Morton T. Hansen, Herminia Ibarra and Urs Pyer say that Apple's Steve Jobs has been the best CEO of a large public company who assumed the job no earlier than January 1995 and no later than December 2007. In fact, he's such a hands-down no-brainer, they admit that it's no surprise. What may be surprising is just how stellar his performance has been. On average, the top CEOs delivered a total shareholder return of 997% (adjusted for exchange-rate effects); Jobs has delivered a 3,188% industry-adjusted return since rejoining the fast-sinking Apple as CEO in 1997. Rounding …

Just like Tickle Me Elmo and Cabbage Patch Kids in the days of yore, the Zhu Zhu phenomenon might be more a product of adult frenzy than kids' actual desires, Sandra Pedicini reports. "It is hype. It is the fact it's so hard to get," says Laurie Schacht, co-publisher of Toy Insider. "If it was easy to get, would it still be as hot? I don't know." Then again, price might have something to do with what's driving parents to wait on long lines even though they know that the robotic hamster may be sold out …

It is the CMO's responsibility to curb black market consumption, write Peggy Chaudhry and Stephen Stumpf, who both teach at the Villanova School of Business. But if you want to stop counterfeiters from usurping the goodwill of your brand name (and the good fortune of your bottom line), you first have to understand why consumers buy ersatz products in the first place. After having conducted a web survey of 2,000 consumers in five countries -- Brazil, Russia, India, China and the United States -- the authors offer a five-point program to battle counterfeiters. The first step is to develop …