• Are New Organic, 'Green' Cigarettes Really 'Eco Friendly'?
    New magazine ads for cigarettes with "additive-free" organic tobacco say the products are "eco-friendly." The Natural American Spirit ads say the cigs comprise additive-free, organic tobacco. And ads for Natural American Spirit cigarettes say the same thing, and list environmental efforts by the manufacturer, Santa Fe Natural Tobacco Co. Those ads started in March issues of books like Esquire, Field & Stream, Wired, Mother Jones, Elle and Marie Claire. "It's an egregious ad. It's trying to greenwash a deadly and addictive product," says Vince Willmore of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, adding research shows cigarettes also are the No. 1 …
  • Red Lobster Commercials Feature Real Owners
    Fishermen from Alaska are some of the people in a new Red Lobster campaign, "Sea food differently." The campaign features workers along the supply chain. The effort launched this week with two commercials, a revised website and a Facebook fan page. They feature Jon Forsythe, who fishes for crabs in Alaska, and Charles Himple, a grill cook at the Red Lobster restaurant in the Bronx. A forthcoming ad will feature Annie Sessler, who designed the artwork for menus at the Darden Restaurants' seafood chain. The campaign also reflects a greater commitment to social media. The effort, via Grey …
  • Marchionne To Reveal Fiat, Chrysler Strategy
    There's a vine that grows in Costa Rica that climbs a tree, embraces it, and surrounds it until nothing is left but the vine itself. While Fiat SpA, with owns 53.5% of Chrysler has certainly created a latticework of support for the Detroit automaker, it isn't going to metabolize it, though the relationship is evolving. Just how that is happening and where it's going will likely be revealed by the CEO of both companies, Sergio Marchionne, this week. He will explain the framework of the company the two automakers are creating as he announces a new, integrated management. …
  • Have 3-D Smartphone, Will Travel
    Here come 3-D phones that do not require 3-D glasses. HTC is selling one, the HTC Evo 3-D, in partnership with Sprint. Also coming is one from LG, which intends to begin a big marketing campaign on Monday in New York for the Thrill 4G, to be sold in partnership with AT&T. The campaign, which will carry the theme "Your World Comes Alive," is to start with a concert by the band Jane's Addiction at 9 p.m. at Terminal 5 on the Far West Side. Concertgoers will be encouraged to use more than 200 of the new phones …
  • Crafts Retailer Michaels Goes Digital
    Crafts retailer Michaels is using a mobile-optimized site application and mobile coupons to drive in-store traffic. The company is also using QR codes and SMS, part of a response to hearing consumers' needs for easier, on-the-go tools that can be used in stores. "Our key strategy was to give customers the opportunity to engage with Michaels whenever and wherever they choose," said Anthony Price, senior director of digital marketing and public relations for Michaels.
  • Nivea Pop-Up Store In New York For Brand Anniversary
    Beiersdorf's Nivea skin care brand is celebrating its 100th anniversary with a five-day pop-up experience this week, The Nivea 100 Year House, in Grand Central Terminal. Designed like a life-sized tin of Nivea creme, the store was launched with TV personality Giuliana Rancic.
  • American Apparel To Expand
    American Apparel will expand overseas in department stores. The troubled retail chain has deals to expand into premium department stores in Europe. UK department store Selfridge's will add the brand to as many as half a dozen stores in the coming year. Galeries Lafayette in France has expanded distribution to a suburban location, with plans for several more. American Apparel is cutting a similar deal with Bloomingdale's in the US. American Apparel's department-store deals are "a way for the company to expand its business without spending a lot of capital," according to a person briefed on the plans.
  • Toyota Tries Interactive Car Windows
    Toyota is a working on a new kind of in-vehicle interactive system, and it's not on the control console. Toyota Motor Europe and the Copenhagen Institute of Interaction Design have developed a conceptual car side-window that works like a touchscreen computer screen, allowing passengers to interact with the passing scenery. The "Window to the World" works like an Etch-a-Sketch, where riders can trace objects they see outside to create a drawing. They would also be able to see a zoomed view of distant objects or gauge their distance from the vehicle. Last month, digital marketing agency Fusion92 …
  • Apple Sales Booming In China
    With demand for Apple products through the roof in China, the company is planning a third store in Shanghai and dozens of other stores throughout the country. Apple says its two stores in Beijing and two in Shanghai are the four most heavily trafficked Apple stores in the world. They also generate the most revenue, outselling even the Fifth Avenue Apple Store in Manhattan. The company is also opening a store in Grand Central Terminal. "Apple has done what Google and Facebook cannot do: become No. 1 in China," said John Quelch, former senior associate dean of Harvard …
  • Dunkin' Donuts Plans Premium IPO To Fuel Expansion
    Canton, Mass.-based Dunkin' Donuts Group plans to offer shares at a premium to Starbucks Corp. as it accelerates a U.S. expansion. The company wants to raise $401 million in an IPO selling 22.3 million shares for $16 to $18 each, according to a regulatory filing. Dunkin' plans to more than double its U.S. locations in the next 20 years and may open more locations than Starbucks, the world's largest coffee-shop chain. Last year, its revenue increased faster than McDonald's Corp., where it competes with the McCafe line of coffees. Fewer than 2% of the company's stores are in the western …
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