Chevy marketers yesterday put the kibosh on idle speculation that their memo banning the use of Chevy was a clever ploy to generate free media coverage, as they demonstrably did with the gift of a Corvette to a nearly perfect Detroit Tigers pitcher Armando Galarraga. They also gave their blessing to hoi polloi using the nickname, so we have. But GM spokesman Klaus-Peter Martin says that while "consumers and fans [and re-reporters]" are certainly free to use Chevy to their nostalgic content, it will continue to switch to Chevrolet in promotional materials in an effort to have consistent …

The memo has gone out: Chevy is out; Chevrolet is in, Richard S. Chang reports. "We'd ask that whether you're talking to a dealer, reviewing dealer advertising, or speaking with friends and family, that you communicate our brand as Chevrolet moving forward," Alan Batey, vp for Chevrolet sales and service, and Jim Campbell, the G.M. division's vp for marketing, wrote to General Motors employees Tuesday. It's all in the interest of "consistent" branding of the sort you see at "Coke or Apple," for instance, they say. You'd never see Coca-Cola Co. refer …

If the word "stodgy" leaps to mind when you hear "Tetley," think again. Sir Tetley, a fictional character created for the brand by Think 360 Inc., does have impeccable manners but also sports a tattoo, likes punk rock music and pairs a jacket and tie with shorts and a swim tube hugging his waist, Patricia Odell reports. "The point of our campaign is to disrupt the perception that Tetley is an old tea brand, and to do that in a slightly eccentric way," Think 360 CEO Karen Koslow tells Odell. "Sir Tetley allows us to bring a more …

Joints of another variety are increasingly being marketed wit a flair that mixes the sensibility of Mission St. with the panache of Madison Ave. as voters in California debate a ballot referendum this fall that would legalize cannabis sales to anyone over 21. "Until recently, cannabis reviews have largely been based on folk wisdom," Sarah Varney reports from KQED. "But now these products -- and promises of marathon highs and cure-alls -- are showing up in advertisements in glossy magazines and in promotional booths at trade shows." Pot growers are angling for niches in the market, from blue-collar …

Annual sales of Sunny Delight's Elations line of liquid supplements containing glucosamine and chondroitin have jumped to $75 million from just $12 million in 2008, Laura Baverman reports, as boomers look for remedies for their aching joints. "It is a sweet spot right now because consumers still want beverages that do more than taste good and refresh," says John Sicher, publisher of Beverage Digest. Originally formulated by Procter & Gamble, the line was purchased by Sunny Delight in 2004 after it was spun off from P&G. One secret to its success has been to expand beyond the supermarket …