• Justice: Ticketmaster And Live Nation Can Merge, With Conditions
    The Justice Department has approved the merger of Live Nation and Ticketmaster -- the world's largest concert promoter and the U.S.' dominant ticket seller -- but the new entity will have to create a pair of rivals to ensure price competition, Dawn C. Chmielewski, Ben Fritz and Randy Lewis report. "The merger," they write, "will create a goliath with hands in every pocket of the music business." Ticketmaster has agreed to give Anschutz Entertainment Group access to its technology so that AEG -- which owns and manages nearly 100 venues -- can create its own ticketing service. It …
  • Walgreens Hires Exec To Rapidly Expand Fresh Food Offerings
  • Hostess Cup Cake Celebrates 60th Birthday By Suing For Squiggle
  • Coke Bottle Is Part Plant But It Feels and Functions Like Plastic
  • Columnist: Protecting Consumers Will Undermine Capitalism
    Not really, concludes columnist Susan Antilla, after reviewing the objections of organizations such as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the American Financial Services Association to pending legislation to create a Consumer Financial Protection Agency.
  • Innovation Can't Stop At The Product Level
    Apple may be renowned for its innovative products, but innovation needs to go beyond the product itself, according to a group of executives who recently sat around a table with Les Berglass, the founder of executive search firm Berglass + Associates. "Today great marketing innovation is actually what drives product sales," says Richard Dickson, a svp at Mattel and gm of its Barbie line. He points to the brand's own strategic marketing partnerships, as well as to a 35,000-square-foot Barbie flagship store in Shanghai that includes a spa where mothers and daughters can enjoy chocolate soufflé facials. "We …
  • New P&G Shampoo Targets Men With Thinning Hair
    Procter & Gamble is rolling out Hair Endurance for Men, a product that purportedly reduces hair breakage by eliminating dandruff, Elaine Wong reports. "It's a universal need," says Head & Shoulders senior assistant brand manager Navin Gupta. "It's driven by the fundamental way in which guys' bodies are built." P&G research shows that more than 44% of U.S. males who experience some form of hair loss also claim to have dandruff troubles. The product is aimed at men who are concerned about their thinning hair, but not to the point that they want to get into …
  • Debate Over Best Way To Target Muslims In U.S. Market
    The controversy surrounding Best Buy's wishing "Happy Eid al-Adha" to Muslims in a holiday-season flier is indicative of the problems marketers face in targeting a market estimated to be greater than 2.3 million consumers by the Pew Research Center. A three-year old study estimates its buying power at $170-billion. Many Muslims embraced Best Buy's attempt at inclusion, Raja Abdulrahim reports, but some people objected to the gesture on the Best Buy Web site. "You insult all of the heroes and innocent who died 911 by celebrating a holiday of the religion that said to destroy them!" one poster …
  • Online Panel Gives Mercedes Green Light On SLS TV Spot
    Mercedes-Benz USA recently asked a year-old online owners panel to give thumbs up or down on a rough cut of a spot for the upcoming gull-wing 2011 SLS AMG. Only several hundred vehicles will be available in the U.S. this year, but the car marks "a big brand moment," according to vp of marketing Steve Cannon. Cannon says agency Merkley & Partners "delivered okay work," but he asked for revisions five times because "this had to be great." Then, late last year, the company asked the roughly 1,400 online members of its Mercedes' Advisors panel to join Cannon …
  • Sam's Club Outsourcing Product Demo Jobs; 11,200 Jobs Cut
    An outside company, marketing firm Shopper Events LLC, is taking over in-store product demonstrations at Wal-Mart's Sam's Club chain, leaving about 10,000 part-time workers without a job, at least for now. About 1,200 membership recruiting jobs will also be jettisoned, Chris Burritt reports. Sam's Club CEO Brian Cornell says Shopper Events already works in Walmart stores, and the move is intended to improve operations. The company expects to improve Sam's Club's demo stations, signs and uniforms, according to a memo from Cornell. "This was not a cost-cutting move," he says. "We view it as an investment in building membership …
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