• Maas Dishes On Sex, Guilt and Creating Ads That Sell
    Ad Age's Rupal Parekh writes about a soiree she attended last week in the Manhattan penthouse apartment of former Ogilvy & Mather chairman-CEO Ken Roman to celebrate the publication of Jane Maas' Mad Women: The Other Side of Life on Madison Avenue in the '60s and Beyond. The piece signs off with Maas telling a roomful of advertising luminaries that "her proudest moment recently" came after she'd done an interview on NPR and overheard someone ask the receptionist who was on air."
  • AT&T Shifts Gears; Explains Its Throttling Policy
    The New York Times' Bruce Chen presents a sublime quote this morning portraying a consumer's reaction to having the flow of data slowed on his mobile device.
  • Fed Judges Rule On Rx Painkillers, Tobacco Warnings
    Two decisions by judges in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., yesterday -- one finding that companies that distribute prescription painkiller are responsible for making sure they are not diverted to "street sales" and the other batting down the requirement that cigarette packs carry graphic anti-smoking images -- may have major implications for marketers although the judges' rulings are not likely to be the last word in either case.
  • Apple Invites And The Tech World's In A Tizzy
    After weeks of "speculation, rumors and dream casting," the day is finally coming. No, we're not talking about who will appear on Season 14 of "Dancing with the Stars," as HuffPoTV is. We're talking iPad 3. Most probably.
  • Food For Thought: Omega-3 Fatty Acids
    I can see it coming: Whole Wheat Bran with Anchovies Bits. Salmon-Fortified Sports Elixir. Holy Mackerel Multi Grain Crackers with Sea Salt. Why not? Nanny Goat Cheese with Omega 3 is already here.
  • Marketers Get Their Nickels' Worth On Oscar Night
    It was a fit night for new twists by old comfort brands like Kraft's Miracle Whip, JC Penney and Johnson's Baby. The Oscars telecast featured a 63-year-old host, a Best Picture that's silent and in black and white, an 82-year old Best Supporting Actor and a Best Actress who herself said something like "enough already."
  • Who Is Alex Gorsky And Why Is He Leading J&J?
    Alex Gorsky isn't talking himself yet but details have begun to emerge about the West Point grad, Army Ranger captain, Wharton biz school graduate, ex-marathon runner and intrepid "bag carrier" who has risen through the ranks and will now lead Johnson & Johnson -- a company whose own illustrious credentials as a consumer marketing and medical-device powerhouse have been tarnished in recent years by product recalls and questionable decisions.
  • FDA Panel Recommends Approval Of Fat-Loss Pill
    In what by most accounts is a "surprising" reversal, a Food and Drug Administration advisory panel has voted 20 to 2 to recommend that Qnexa, an anti-obesity pill made by Vivus that it advised against by 10 to 6 in 2010, be approved for use by doctor's prescription. The FDA, which usually, but not always, follows the advice of its outside experts, is expected to make a final decision by April 17.
  • Walmart Results Fail To Excite Analysts
    The good news for Walmart is that same-store sales rose for a second straight quarter after nine quarters of decline. Analysts see the results as an indication that resuscitation of its everyday low pricing policy and holiday-season layaway plan, as well as restoring the 10,000 items or so that it had withdrawn in an ill-advised attempt to declutter its shelves, has put the retailer back on the right track. But, at best, it's the local, not the express.
  • It's Post Time, Again
    Flash Quiz: What's the No. 3 cereal maker in the nation based on pound sales? If you said Ralcorp Holdings, you'd be wrong on two scores. First, Ralston got out of the business earlier this month when it completed its spin-off of Post Cereal. Second, it was passed by Malt-O-Meal last year for the No. 3 poundage spot behind General Mills and Kellogg. But wait, this just in: Malt-O-Meal announced this morning that it's changing its name to MOM Brands.
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