Consumerist
This won't happen again, at least for 70,000 years, so make a gingerbread synagogue now. Actually, Manischewitz has been making its gingerbread house mix for a couple of years. Amazon has reviews for them dating back to 2012. These reviews caution that it's overpriced.
Brand Republic
Scott Morrison, Diesel marketing director, is leaving in January to launch a consultancy business. The firm will help organizations "build, coach and sustain award-winning teams that accelerate change." Morrison began his career in advertising with Saatchi & Saatchi in 1995, moving to Wieden + Kennedy and, in 2003, became head of marketing UK and Ireland at Levi Strauss & Co. He was top marketer at video games developer Activision, working on the "Call Of Duty" franchise.
Automotive News
Chrysler is back to spotlighting famous Detroiters (it's even had Iggy Pop in an ad) with a new spot featuring Detroit Tigers third baseman Miguel Cabrera. The spot is for the Chrysler 300 and Town & Country. Called "Road to Greatness," it has moving images of little leaguers intercut with shots of Cabrera working out. The ad, via Doner, premiered during the Tigers' rise in the past season, it may have gone viral recently due to the team's high-profile trades. It has gotten 135,206 views online.
Brand-e.biz
Seventy percent of consumers are comfortable receiving targeted advertising, with 41% dissatisfied with ads which are poorly targeted and appear multiple times on a single online page, according to a survey conducted by Sociomantic Labs. Almost one-quarter of those finding mobile advertising well-targeted say these ads are likely to influence their online buying behavior, while 50% of those seeing Facebook ads as well-targeted says the channel affects their purchase conduct.
Nation's Restaurant News
A proposed ban by the Food and Drug Administration of partially hydrogenated oils (PHO) could require restaurants to reformulate many of their recipes for fried foods and baked goods. Earlier this month, the FDA said PHOs are no longer "generally recognized as safe," a label ingredients need so they can be added to food without explicit FDA approval. The government agency is now seeking commentary from the public before making a final determination.
Brand-e.biz
A report from Spil Games finds online gaming delivers mass-market appeal and the opportunity to discover elusive premium advertising real estate. The total number of people who play games is expected to surpass 1.2 billion globally by end-2013, meaning that 17% of the world's population are gamers. In addition, almost half those playing online are female - women tend to like puzzle, quiz and word games, while girls like cooking and dress-up games. Spil Games reports a significant shift in spend from display to video, with video advertising revenues increasing 500% over the past 12 months.
Brand Republic
Nissan is attempting to boost sales of its Leaf electric car in the UK with the introduction five pledges to make it a "practical" choice for more customers, as part of a "ground-breaking customer commitment." Nissan's first pledge is to allow customers to "rapid charge" their Leaf for free at any Nissan dealership or at service stations located along the road network that are part of Ecotricity's Electric Highway scheme. Customers will also be able to borrow a petrol or diesel Nissan for free for up to 14 days if they need an extra car for a "special occasion." The …
eMarketer
Digital ad spending in Canada is expected to represent nearly a quarter of total media ad investment in 2013. The next several years will see that proportion climb even higher, eMarketer predicts in a new report, "Canada Digital Ad Spending: Mobile and Video Investment Will Lead Further Growth."
NYSportsJournalism.com
Carol Kruse, who most recently was svp-CMO for ESPN and before that spent nearly 10 years leading Interactive Marketing for Coca-Cola, has been named global CMO for Tough Mudder, which oversees more than 50 endurance and extreme competitions worldwide with such marketing partners as Under Armour, Degree, Dos Equis, General Mills' Wheaties and the U.S. Army.
Automotive News
Kia Motors Finance was the No. 1 auto lender among mass-market brands and Lincoln Automotive Financial Services the top lender among luxury brands in J.D. Power's 2013 U.S. Consumer Financing Satisfaction Study. The study also found that dealership recommendations were the most commonly cited driver of lender choice, at about 50%. The study also found that easily understood "welcome aboard" materials paid off and higher levels of customer satisfaction also implied higher future loyalty.