Minneapolis-based Malt-O-Meal has made big sales gains in a mature market by making knockoffs of brands like Fruit Loops and selling it cheaper: its Tootie Fruities bear a striking resemblance to Froot Loops. Honey Nut Scooters could pass for Honey Nut Cheerios. Malt-O-Meal, recently became MOM Brands, and has benefited by offering a value proposition versus General Mills and Kellogg. "Once people try us, we have a very loyal group of consumers," said Chris Neugent, MOM Brands' chief executive. Between 2001 and 2011, Malt-O-Meal's annual sales climbed from $300 million to about $750 million. In 2009, it opened a cereal …

Northbrook, Ill.-based Allstate has owned online car insurance company Esurance for three months. The $1 billion acquisition puts it into the online insurance market dominated by GEICO and Progressive. Having an online insurance sales channel is critical because that's how people want to buy insurance these days. J.D. Power & Associates says agents write 90% of Allstate's premiums. In the past three years, the percentage of people relying solely on online channels to obtain quotes has risen by more than 50%, to 23%, J.D. Power said.

During this summer travel season, more Americans will use credit card rewards to cover some of their costs, according to a new survey. The Capital One survey found that 52% of those who plan to travel this summer said they will use credit card reward points to pay for some costs. Last year, 42% of those who took the survey said they planned to use credit card rewards. As for what they will use those reward points on, 58% of those who were surveyed said they planned to use them on airfare, 42% on hotel costs and 18% on gasoline.

New vehicle sales jumped more than 20% in May as carmakers had one of their best months since the 2008 financial crisis. Fast-falling fuel prices and the increasing availability of credit helped. The biggest gains were Honda and Toyota. The latter saw a 73% increase, indicating it not only had recovered from the shortages created by last year's Japanese earthquake and tsunami but also that new products were winning over customers. Honda saw a 47.6% sales jump, 46% at the flagship Honda brand and 62% for the Acura marque.

Internet marketing strategist B.L. Ochman argues that Twitter will be around "long after Facebook fades away. I think Twitter will monetize with brand partnerships like its current brilliant global one with Pepsi, and its partnership with ESPN." She gives 10 reasons: Twitter is a top source of news; you can get queries answered by experts; advertising there makes sense; it's a great customer service channel; if you do it right you get more than you give; Twitter is already a strong mobile platform; anyone can become an influencer on Twitter; Twitter humanizes companies; the 140-character limit makes you a better …

Big changes at JC Penney: the new JCP logo identity, elimination of coupons and daily sales, and the selection of Hollywood celebrity entertainer Ellen DeGeneres as the new spokesperson for the American retail brand. And the retailer's new Father's Day ad features a same-sex couple of two dads with their children. The ad features real-life couple Todd Koch and Copper Smith sitting on the floor smiling with their son and daughter in a living room backdrop with the ad copy that reads, "First Pals. What makes Dad so cool? He's the swim coach, tent maker, best friend, bike fixer and …

Forget the new ad campaign the Marines have been running. It pales in comparison to this photo essay with testimonials on what boot camp is like. It's hell, but in the paradoxical logic of youth, that's precisely what will entice young men (whose age of machismo may have preceded that of reason) to sign up. Oh, to be 18 again.

The iPhone will be on pre-paid wireless plans when it makes its debut on the Leap Wireless network on June 22. The Leap plan is $55/month and includes unlimited voice and data calls and what the company labels as "unlimited" data, but which is actually 2.3GB per month. The catch: you need to pay $499.99 for the 16GB 4S (Apple charges $649 for an unlocked 16GB 4S). An 8GB iPhone 4 is also being made available for $399.99. You also only get access to Leap's 3G network.

The national fresh-squeezed fruit drink destination will bring its "Live Fruitfully" mantra to seven upcoming races in the distance running series as the "official blended fruit beverage and smoothie partner," adding marketing support and on-site activation alongside other partners including Sport Authority, Michelob Ultra, Snickers' Marathon Bar and Got Chocolate Milk?

Walmart.com, going after Amazon in e-commerce, is prepping a subscription mail-order sampling program called Goodies. Set to roll out within about a month, Goodies will focus on artisan and other food products but could expand to other product categories.