• On Hair: P&G Studies Good Days And Bad
    Procter & Gamble went Frankenstein for Pantene, putting caps on women's heads to measure their brainwaves as they watched ads for the brand. The high-res electroencephalograms showed, in one case, viewers focused more on the model's expression than on her hair so they tweaked the spot. But that was nothing compared to what took place before P&G got to the ad stage, when the consumer products giant went all scientific. Ellen Byron tells us how the company studied -- and studied -- women's emotions around hair, particularly "the dreaded bad hair days," which it put "at the center of a …
  • Virgin America Looks To Crowd For Ideas Around Contest
    Brian Morrissey reports that the campaign, designed to call attention to Virgin America's first foray outside the U.S., centers on a video contest that dangles such carrots as free flights for a year. "The Virgin America Toronto Provocateur" is expected to tap the power of a crowd to create ideas around the contest in which entrants will be judged on whether they have what it takes to rep the brand in Toronto. Victors & Spoils, the agency behind the idea, is familiar with critics who say its approach commoditizes creativity, telling Morrissey that the democratization of creative services …
  • Spencer Stuart Finds CMOs' Staying Power Up By 6 Months
    Todd Wasserman interviews Tom Seclow, head of Spencer Stuart's CMO practice, about the trends of CMOs staying in the job for longer periods of time. Used to be, CMOs were in and out in a matter of a few years. Spencer Stuart's annual survey this year shows a big jump in the average length of stay, to 34.7 months, up 6.3 months over last year. While the economy was a factor, Seclow says the trend has been toward longer tenures since the report began six years ago. CMOs are getting better at interacting with others in …
  • Nintendo Takes On World Cup With Wii Summer Games
    Barry Janoff writes that Nintendo is going up against the World Cup with "Wii Games: Summer 2010," a national competition to include tournament events in 24 markets beginning July 16. The event will culminate with a national championship in Los Angeles in early September. Eight of the events will be held at Six Flags theme parks "highlighting Nintendo's ongoing relationship" with the family park destination. The other 16 events will take place at major shopping malls. Nintendo plans to support with regional multi-media marketing at each site with national spokesperson Shawn Johnson, who won a gold …
  • 'Miracle' Sneakers: Marketing Gimmick Or The Real Deal?
    Who wouldn't be interested in a pair of sneakers that promise more shapely butts, legs and abs just by wearing them? The ads call such "toning shoes" an athletic footwear game-changer. But do they work? Michael McCarthy reports that a growing number of doctors are saying the shoes don't deliver on their marketing promises and warn that they could cause injuries by, among other things, changing a person's gait, or way of walking. The shoes, which have a rounded sole that stretches the wearer's leg muscles with each stride, represent the fastest-growing segment of the $17 billion-a-year athletic …
  • The New Pastas: Healthier, Better -- But Rarely Both
  • Junk Food And Obesity: Taking A Cue From Tobacco Control
  • Disney Store With Interactive Elements Makes Debut
  • Miller Finds Women Often Beat Men As Beer Tasters
  • Imagine That! P&G's Bounty Now Promises To Clean
    In "Campaign Spotlight," Stuart Elliott reports that Procter & Gamble has been bouncing around over the recession, trying to get a handle on ever-changing consumer buying habits, and its Bounty paper towels is a good example. A year after changing campaigns for the brand, P&G is refocusing its advertising again. While it is hanging onto its most recent "Bring it" element, now Bounty ads end with proclamations that it is "the clean picker upper." "(Yes, a campaign for paper towels devoted to how they clean. What next, a campaign for bread devoted to how eating it keeps away …
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