(3/30/09)

Mars About to Launch New Candy

Mars is getting ready to launch its new candy brand, "Fling."

The low-calorie candy will be targeted at women. Its marketing includes suggestive taglines and commercials.

Several of these taglines include "It's not cheating if you don't feel guilty," "Your boyfriend doesn't need to know," and "Pleasure yourself."

"Fling's main competitor will be Hershey's chocolate Bliss candies, which are also aimed at women.

For the full story, go to Fling.

The Problem with iPhone Apps

The iPhone application trend has marketers salivating over getting their brand in the mix.

However, with the rapidly increasing numbers of applications, marketers are having a harder time getting noticed by consumers.

Studies show that only about 1% of applications have any long-term use; the rest are quickly discarded after a few weeks of use.

Bryon Morrison, the president of Ipsh, says that apps should be just a part of a broader marketing scheme.

For the full story, go to iPhone apps.

CIA Using College Students for New Ideas

As the CIA continues its advertising and marketing campaigns for new recruits, it is tapping into young, fresh talent at major universities.

The semester-long CIA Collegiate Marketing Program is currently taking place at the University of Southern California, the University of New Mexico and Michigan State University.

The program basically transforms a business class into a full-fledged ad agency.

Students are separated into groups representing the creative, research, media, PR and non-traditional departments of an agency and work closely with the client (the CIA) to produce new marketing solutions.

For the full story, go to CIA.

Liz Ross Leaves Tribal DDB

Liz Ross, president of U.S. operations and global chief marketing officer, is leaving her post at Tribal DDB.

She has said that it is time for her to move on. She will be leaving next month and the position is not expected to be filled.

She says that although she loves the creative side of the agency world and that she had grown up there, she will be keeping an open mind.

The agency's former CEO Matt Freeman left last summer and Ross's departing is another blow to the company's leadership.

For the full story, go to Liz Ross.

Auto Industry's TV Comeback

Carmakers seem to be making a return to television advertising as Time Warner's Turner channels, which include TNT, TBS and TruTv, are experiencing an increase in automaker ad spending.

Another network said it has noticed marketers making scatter purchases.

Automakers have to get their ads out there to increase sales in the critical upcoming months: April, May and June.

The frequency of many car ads has increased due to the NCAA basketball tournament.

For the full story, go to car ads.

CIA Advertising?

Yup, they are. The Central Intelligence Agency is turning to popular advertising methods such as print ads and radio to boost its recruitment.

These recruiting efforts are creating buzz online, with bloggers writing about the ads they've seen or heard.

The CIA has been sending recruiters to college campuses to promote their work.

They have also been marketing on Facebook.

For the full story, go to CIA ads.

Obama's PR

Recently, President Barack Obama has been everywhere trying to get support for his new stimulus plan.

He appeared on the "Tonight Show with Jay Leno" and "60 Minutes" last week. His appearance on "The Tonight Show" was the first for a sitting president.

Analysts say that this effort to be seen on all these programs is also to make him seem more human and allow him to talk to a wider audience.

Obama has obviously been ignoring the old idea that a president being overexposed and getting too much press is a bad thing. Most people think that this tactic seems to be working so far.

For the full story, go to http://adage.com/article?article_id=135462

New Models of BMW Mini to be Introduced

Despite the declining economy, BMW Mini will be introducing several new models this year.

The number of minis sold jumped 28% in 2008 from 2007. However, through February 2009, their sales had decreased 16%.

This week they will be launching their second-generation convertible.

The company thinks the car will sell well globally, but not as well in the U.S. due to the sliding auto industry. They will be able to target their advertising more easily at a narrower niche audience.

For the full story, go to http://adage.com/article?article_id=135443

McDonald's Testing New Product

McDonald's is currently in the process of testing out a new product: the Snack Wrap Mac.

This new concoction consists of half a beef patty, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, and onions wrapped in a flour tortilla.

The wrap will be cheaper than a Big Mac at $1.49 and is intended to draw people who want to snack between lunch and dinner.

According to a McDonald's spokesperson, the results of the testing so far have been great.

For the full story, go to http://adage.com/article?article_id=135459

Delta Plans to Rebrand with Merger

After its $3 billion merger with Northwest Airlines, Delta Air Lines is making plans to rebrand and change its marketing tactics.

Between January and November of 2008, Delta spent about $61 million on media, whereas Northwest had only spent $10 million during that time.

The airlines merged in October 2008, with Northwest becoming a subsidiary of Delta.

The rebranding process is part of the company's plans to integrate the two airlines.

For the full story, go to http://adage.com/agencynews/article?article_id=135411

Reebok Changes Advertising Account

Reebok has switched its advertising account from McGarryBowen to DDB.

Reebok has been in a downhill slide for the past several years. Its U.S. market share is down to 2% from almost 9% in 2005.

The company's head of global brand marketing, Rich Prenderville, said that they favored DDB because they could sense the agency's passion for creativity and they like their nontraditional thinking.

In their new marketing, they will be focusing on Reebok's traditionally stronger sector: women's fitness.

For the full story, go to http://adage.com/agencynews/article?article_id=135395

Text Hoaxes' Affect on Walmart

On March 18, a text message was passed around in at least 16 states warning women to avoid going to Walmart.

The texts, which were tailored to fit the particular area they were being passed around in, said that if women went to Walmart, they would risk being killed.

The police in many of those states have decided that this is a hoax and it can be traced back to a similar event that took place in 2005 in Tennessee.

This rumor happens to be at a very inconvenient time for Walmart, as they were getting ready for the much-anticipated release of Twilight on midnight of March 21.

For the full story, go to http://adage.com/article?article_id=135382

Ford Increasing Market Share

Ford Motor Co. is stealing some of the market from General Motors and Chrysler as it's retail-market share increased steadily for four consecutive months through January.

Data shows that in January and February of this year, 19% of consumers who planned on buying a GM car and 15% who planned to purchase a Chrysler or Dodge switched to one of Ford's brands.

Ford has been getting good publicity for not accepting a government handout in these rough economic times. GM and Chrysler both did.

Ford's newest ads are focusing on people who aren't necessarily in the market to buy a car, otherwise known as the "upper purchase funnel" of consumers.

For the full story, go to http://adage.com/article?article_id=135105

Coca-Cola Pushing Vault Soft Drink

In a very aggressive marketing move, Coca-Cola will be giving away a free sample of their citrus drink Vault for every customer that buys one of PepsiCo's Mountain Dews.

The idea behind the campaign is that once Mountain Dew drinkers taste Vault, they will want to make the switch.

The campaign is being called the "Vault Taste Challenge" and will last through late July.

PepsiCo does not appear to be fazed by this campaign because it believes that its Mountain Dew drinkers are loyal.

For the full story, go to http://adage.com/article?article_id=135104

Gun Sales Increase

Background checks for firearms sales increased by 42% in November, followed by increases of 24%, 28% and 23% in December, January and February, respectively.

The election of a Democratic president and the ushering in of a Democratic administration may have something to do with this recent increase in firearms as some consumers predict tighter gun control laws.

It can also be attributed to the bad economy. People feel less secure and also see hunting as a way to get some meats cheaper.

Manufacturers and retailers have seen increases in spending on firearms, despite the declining economy and tightening of consumers' pocket books.

For the full story, go to http://adage.com/article?article_id=135092

Event Marketing Effected by Economy

Spending on event marketing will grow in 2009, but less than it has in the past. 

Last year, there was a growth of 15% from 2007's numbers. This year, analysts are projecting spending to equal about $9.83 billion, only a 10.6% increase from 2008.

L'Oreal Canada has been focusing more on getting to the consumer at the point of purchase: the retailers.

David Rich, a senior VP, said that his agency, George P. Johnson, has not lost any clients and actually may have some new business this year.

For the full story, go to http://adage.com/article?article_id=135038

Auto Industry Still Suffering

The sagging auto industry is not seeing a bright side any time soon.

It has been estimated that the industry's total sales in February were down 42% from what they were this time last year.

Mike DiGiovanni, an exec at General Motors, said that February was the worst month for the auto industry since 1982.

As a result of this continuing decline in sales, Chrysler is extending its "Employee Pricing Plus Plus" through the end of March, even though it was supposed to end this week.

For the full story, go to http://adage.com/article?article_id=135014

New Kindle iPhone Application

Kindle is a new e-book reader application that hooks up to the consumer's Amazon account and allows them to read the books they've purchased on their iPhone.

You can not buy books directly from the application yet, but you can by accessing Safari on the iPhone.

The author believes that this new "app" may increase e-book sales on Amazon.

Amazon is not trying to sell the actual Kindle device, but to become the prominent e-book supplier.

For the full story, go to http://adage.com/digital/article?article_id=135023

Business Lunches Still Holding Their Own

In a time when the declining economy affects pretty much everyone's activities and spending habits, the business lunch for media executives and their prospective clients is still going strong.

Popular restaurants that cater to these power lunches, such as The Four Seasons Grill Room and Patroon, are reporting that the midday traffic is still bustling.

These seem to have replaced client dinners and cocktail hour and the restaurant owners have noticed that the time slot for client lunches seems to have slimmed down to about an an hour and a half.

Media executives note that despite these hard times, there is still money to be made.

For the full story, go to http://adage.com/article?article_id=135029

Radio is Heard by Young People

A recent study by Nielson in Lexington, Ky., shows that young adults might actually be increasing the amount of time they listen to the radio.

Household that use cell phones as their only source of phone communication, which includes the 18- to 34-year-old age group, listen to about 23 hours of radio a week.

This is significantly lower than the total sample, which included landline-only households. These households represent an older demographic.

Among other information drawn from the study, Nielson found that radio connects with 93% of its market over the age of 12. 

For the full story, go to http://adage.com/mediaworks/article?article_id=135087

Reality Shows Rule the Ratings

Reality TV shows like The Bachelor are drawing in audiences and high ratings as scripted series run reruns.

Reality shows raked in six of the top ten spots in the 18- to 49-year-old demographic the week of February 26 to March 4.

The Bachelor was ranked fifth this week, after its buzzed-about finale and two-night post show. This was its highest rating in five years.

Scripted series will probably enter back into the rankings in the next couple of weeks as new episodes return in March sweeps.

For the full story, go to http://adage.com/mediaworks/article?article_id=135084

ABC to Launch Two New Shows

ABC will be introducing two new shows, both of which use the failing economy as a backdrop.

One will star Kelsey Grammar as a Wall Street millionaire who's life is turned around by the troubled economy and who becomes a stay-at-home dad. The other show, "Canned", will revolve around young friends who are fired from their jobs as investment bankers.

"Canned" was passed over the first time it was pitched to ABC, but executives later changed their minds.

The show is mainly about getting fired and how it affects your daily life and your future, which is something that many people can relate to.

For the full story, go to http://adage.com/madisonandvine/article?article_id=135062

Sleep Aids and Antidepressants Sales Increase

Despite the declining economy, sales of sleep aids and antidepressants have increased, while spending decreased.

It seems as though the possibility of a recession is keeping more people up at night.

In a poll, 31% of respondents admitted to getting less sleep due to worrying about the state of the economy or their own financial situation.

Prescriptions have seen a major decrease in marketing and spending. For example, spending on Ambien CR decreased from $190 million in 2007 to $150 million in 2008.

For the full story, go to http://adage.com/article?article_id=135037

Target and General Mills Pair Up

General Mills is pairing up with Target to bring customers a special cereal promotion.

The promotion will include old retro designs on the packaging of their best-selling cereals, including Cheerios, Lucky Charms, Trix, and Cocoa Puffs.

They will also be giving away and selling T-shirts with similar designs. If a costumer has five proof of purchase labels, they can get a free T-shirt. 

The company is hoping that these older designs will appeal to the young adult demographic and comfort them during these hard economic times.

The promotion will last about a month, from February 15 to March 21.

For the full story, go to http://adage.com/article?article_id=135015