From The Mainichi Daily News: Japanese convenience store operator Seven-Eleven Japan has breathed fresh air into its product lineup by announcing it will add cans of oxygen to its shelves. The firm said it would make an entry into the rapidly expanding oxygen market and begin selling cans of oxygen on May 24. Oxygen has emerged as a popular new product and sparked the creation of city "oxygen bars" that provide …
Technology Delivers Content. Content Brings Dollars.
The company that has long "owned" the desktop operating system business, now wants to focus on content. Why? Because content brings ad revenue to the table in a big way. Google's search content has proven this. From Info World: Microsoft Chief Executive Officer Steve Ballmer downplayed his company's rivalry with Google on Thursday, saying Microsoft is more focused on creating Internet content and other services that …
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Bud-B-Que
The Budweiser name will soon be on a line of non-alcoholic barbecue sauces that rolls out in July, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Anheuser-Busch Cos. hopes the sauces will strengthen the link between Budweiser and a favorite American cooking style, while heightening brand loyalty during the key beer-selling season. The recipes were cooked up by brewer's culinary team at the upscale Kingsmill Resort in …
Natural Foods Marketer Plays Price Game
According to the New York Times, Austin-based Whole Foods is embarking on a mission to change a fundemental consumer perception—that the store is exceedingly expensive. For the next 10 weeks, Whole Foods is running print advertisements in New York City emphasizing "value" and "deals" — two words not generally associated with the chain that inspired the quip "Whole Foods, Whole Paycheck." Portraying itself as …
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Lying, Cheating Brands
Well, Hugh said it very succinctly (see post below), but over at Fast Company, Karen Post takes a closer look at "Lying, Cheating Brands": Deception in promotional programs, communications, advertising, and customer service pollutes the entire market. Consistent integrity, not shady tactics, is the glue that bonds a brand to a consumer. If you are employing any of these deceptive practices, you may have an integrity …
Fallingwater Safe From Corporate Wrecking Ball (If BMW Has Anything To Say About It)
BMW has respect for iconoclasts. According to Adweek, as part of its new "Ideas are everything" campaign from GSD+M, the German carmaker places value on the work of unconventional characters like Frank Lloyd Wright. One ad shows corporate executives crushing their employees' creative instincts with bromides such as "Choose your battles." In a spot that shows architect Frank Lloyd Wright's famous "Waterfall House" …
SGI On The Ropes
Reuters reports that nothing lasts forever, especially high flying Silicon Valley hardware makers. Silicon Graphics Inc., a struggling maker of high-performance business computers, Monday filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection after a round of restructuring measures failed, sending its shares plunging. SGI is best known for its high-powered computers that are used in creating Hollywood movie special-effects. The …
A Whiff Of Childlike Creativity
News of another iconic brand deploying scent is wafting on the wires. This time it's about nostalgia. For the first time, Hasbro, Inc. has bottled that fresh, just-out-of-the-can, "eau de PLAY-DOH" aroma into a limited-edition fragrance as part of a year-long celebration of the beloved modeling compound's 50th birthday. The 1-ounce, spray bottle fragrance is meant for 'highly-creative people, who seek a whimsical …