Elena Malykhina chats with Ken Chaplin, vp of marketing at Crocs, about its first integrated marketing effort centered on a single message: "Feel the Love." The phrase is a reference to the Croslite proprietary technology that's built into all Crocs shoes. "This technology is what sets our shoes apart from any other in the casual footwear market," Chaplin says. "We make shoes that love you back, and people are passionate about our footwear because of this." Crocs also wants to encourage people to take a fresh look at its product line, which is more than one …

Jennifer Rooney and Michael Bush took the occasion of the New York International Auto Show last week to round up top marketers at some of the leading global brands to ask them about their global-marketing strategies. The participants are Jim Farley, group vp-global marketing and Canada, Mexico and South America operations, Ford Motor Co.; Scott Keogh, CMO, Audi of America; Chris Perry, director-marketing and acting head of marketing, Hyundai Motor America; John Maloney, vp-marketing and product planning, Volvo Cars of North America; and Jack Pitney, vp-marketing, BMW of North America. The questions posed are: "What is …

Microsoft will formally introduce its "Project Pink" phones early next week, sources say, along with a new name for the devices. Targeted to heavy users of social network sites, they appear to be stylish versions of Microsoft's Sidekick device, Bill Rigby and Sinead Carew report. They are expected to hit the market this summer. Microsoft's main thrust in the mobile phone market is the revamp of the Windows Phone 7 software it licenses to handset makers. It will be available later this year. Apple, meanwhile, is set to preview its new iPhone …

KFC is introducing a Double Down sandwich that consists of two white meat chicken breast fillets with a filling of bacon, Monterey Jack and pepper jack cheese with Colonel's Sauce. A ticker on KFC's Web site is counting down the minutes until its rollout this weekend. It comes either grilled or fried and will sell for about $5, depending on the market. "It was extremely popular in test," says KFC spokesman Rick Maynard. "Obviously it's a unique sandwich." The fried version has 540 calories, 32 grams of fat and 1,380 milligrams …

The Ad Age ad critic is bidding adieu after 25 years and, by his count, about 1,200 AdReviews columns that blithely attempted to reverse a trend toward "billions of client dollars every year ... being squandered by narcissists, conmen, naifs and a number of blithering morons." I will go back and savor the 2,500 words after deadline but this paragraph jumped out at me: "Perhaps you've noticed that I always referred to myself as 'AdReview' or 'the AdReview staff' and employed the 'editorial we' -- also known as the 'royal we'-- to lend an air of pomposity, arrogance …

A new café in Seattle's Capitol Hill section -- home to a vibrant gay community, grunge rockers, hipsters and mansion dwellers alike -- is a far cry from the standard Starbucks that made the city famous as a coffee mecca (or was it vice-versa?). It features velvet curtains, indie movie nights, single-origin coffees, wine and beer, and organic and gourmet food, Lisa Baertlein reports. But Roy Street Coffee & Tea is, in fact, owned by Starbucks -- an incarnation of management's idea to create "idea incubators." The 15th Avenue Coffee & Tea, also in Seattle, …

Many brands and retailers have been improving their loyalty programs during the recession, making them more attractive to consumers looking for a deal and hoping to maintain their dialogues with existing customers, Nathan Golia reports. Target and Best Buy are among the big box chains that are offering additional rewards and discounts. "We're currently testing a new rewards program in select markets that offers guests a percent off all purchases made with their REDcard," says Target spokeswoman Leah Guimond. Best Buy has introduced a high-value tier that gets additional benefits in its Rewards Zone program. Hilton, …