Plastics companies are looking at new ways to market themselves and that includes using social media. In a new survey, over half of 310 plastics companies are boosting their B-to-B marketing budgets, but Mary Scheibel of marketing firm Scheibel Halaska said their messages need to be focused on things like how they have changed post-recession to offer more efficient or better services to customers. Only 74% of marketers polled said that Marketing is only "somewhat aware" of their efforts. "I tell a lot of people in this industry sector, 'you spend a lot of time telling me what you do, …

Columnist Marc Babej argues that 2011 is a poster-year for how marketers need to stay ahead of events. A "Black Swan" year (Nassim Taleb's term for how unrelated, unpredictable events can reverberate and amplify their regionality and become global) because of the domino-effect revolutions in the Middle East and the incredibly bad coincidence of Japan's earthquake and tsunami, 2011 has a big question mark on it. Babej says global events like the ones now unfolding are why marketers have to stay ahead of events and not just respond to them after they happen. "At a time when consumer priorities and …

The new "Green Lantern" movie is having a "Spider Man: Turn Off The Dark" moment. The film is supposed to hit movie theaters in three months, but it needs a bit of advertising to get the message out. The movie is Warner Brothers' first DC Comics film meant as a summer tent-pole movie, but Warner Bros. can't tout the $200 million flick because it is still working out special-effects kinks. The company's worldwide marketing president, Sue Kroll, said the initial trailer was poorly received because the critical sequences featuring intricate effects were still unfinished.

Philadelphia International Airport is trying to reduce its carbon footprint via a deal with a company that follows the adopt-a-highway model of sponsorship. Adopt-A-Watt makes photovoltaic displays using solar panels and brings in sponsors who get their names on signs.

As Japan's power crisis continues, spare parts shortages have begun having an effect on U.S. producers. Toyota has told dealers that it will be short of some 233 parts for at least a month and that it could get worse.

The Sports Authority has signed to be category exclusive sponsor of Major League Lacrosse. The deal puts Sports Authority on jerseys, gives the company branding at stadiums, commercial time on MLL games broadcast on ESPN, title sponsorship of the MLL All-Star Game and a weekly show "Inside the MLL."

A federal court is giving the green light to a lawsuit to against Campbell Soup Co. that accuses the company of selling lower-sodium soups at premium prices when they had almost as much salt as regular soups, thus misleading consumers. The suit -- brought against the company by four New Jersey women -- says, among other things, that Campbell's 25% Less Sodium Tomato Soup actually has 480 milligrams of salt, as much as its regular tomato soup. The company tried to dismiss the case, saying that the federal Food and Drug Administration does not require Campbell to specify how …

The fast feeder, which has reconfigured its fries, is launching a new effort via Kaplan Thaler Group. The company put the new fries on the menu last fall and has since seen orders with fries increase 10%. According to Kantar, the company in December spent $17.7 million of its measured media against the item, versus $26.9 million for all products in that period in 2009. The new ad push, launching this week, touts Wendy's fries as different from competitors' products as part of its "You known when it's real" push.

LinkedIn is riding the food-truck cuisine wave to tout its new LinkedIn Today social news platform. The company has the trucks in San Francisco and New York to give away coffee. You can follow the trucks on Twitter.

Target is in talks with the Chicago Housing Authority to build a store at Cabrini Green, an urban public project on Chicago's South Side. The last of the high rises will be demolished this week. Target didn't confirm, but a Housing Authority spokesperson said discussions are on.