What is in a name? We see at the moment various products placing some add-ons like the words “plus” or “free”. In the case of Diet Coke Plus, they certainly have to emphasize what “Plus” means. It has been around since 2006, but it seems like it is only now that the Food and Drugs Administration have looked into the actual contents, finding nothing different other than the label.
Diet Coke Plus was launched in 2006 as “a good source of vitamins B3, B6 and B12, and the minerals zinc and magnesium,” per company press materials.
For its part, Coke has…
If you think mismanagement was the case behind the current predicament of Chrysler and General Motors than what do you call the losses being reported by Japan-based Toyota? It has reportedly shown a downward version in the last two months, having problems of its own coping up with a worsening financial crisis that seems to be getting worst as each day passes.
Toyota said it expected an operating loss in its auto operations of 150 billion yen, or $1.7 billion, for the fiscal year ending March 31. That would be the company’s first annual operating loss since 1938, a year…
Today, obesity is a growing issue and for most people it seems that exercise and proper dieting is not enough without the usual supplements that help speed up the process. However, be careful with the actual supplement you are taking and make sure you know the key ingredients in it.
Take your cue from actions taken against several companies for maintaining undisclosed ingredients in their food supplements and have thus been recalled as ordered by the Food and Drug Administration.
Among the undisclosed substances include:
• Sibutramine, marketed in the United States as the anti-obesity drug Meridia and classified as a Schedule…
You were a kid once and among the things that your parents had you believing in was Santa Claus. You know, the big white-bearded guy with the red suit that flies around the world on Christmas Eve to deliver toys to the children who have been naughty and nice?
Well the population of people who still practice beliefs in Santa Clause has diminished and with the economic turmoil all of us have to deal with, don’t be surprised if some parents tell their kids that Santa may not come this year.
But regardless, it looks like some parents have killed the…
While the game may be the same, the game consoles are different. Among the things we notice is that graphics should be better and different if you cater to the various game consoles like Nintendo Wii and Xbox 360.
But Electronic Arts seems to be cheating in a way to which people who caught a glimpse of the Wii game footage claimed that they are the same footage as that of the Xbox 360.
“[EA] believed the use of the Wiimote throughout, the subsequent Nintendo branding and the format advice at the end of the ad was sufficient to allow viewers…
Steve Jobs is someone that has made quite a mark as far as his stance and appearance with each MAC event and experiencing one without him seems to be unusual. In fact, many would call it inferior which could lead to some rumors about business issues or health problems. Of the two, it is the latter that is spreading widely today.
With no Jobs at the MACWorld, who would care to see what is new in the event? People have identified Steve Jobs as a familiar figure so if it results that he is not around for a regular event, something…
Christmas is here and when it comes to shopping, don’t expect customers to be satisfied with the special Christmas discount sales that are spread anywhere near your neighborhood. Surely, they would want more and some add-ons as well.
There is no doubt that people are spending wisely. While they are eyeing certain consumer items and goods, getting the best deal is still the tops in their agenda. There will be retailers who may give in while others would not. But in the end, do not be surprised when some of them do concede to your needs and adjust their prices…
Advertising may be minimal for some companies but not for leaders in certain category markets. Del Monte and Sunkist, two leading brands as far as packaged fruits drinks and prepackaged fruits are gearing up for a hot race towards consumer preference as they are aggressively mapping out their marketing plan of attack to maintain their hold in their category.
Del Monte dominates that market at present and while many would think that Sunkist is just trying to retain its current market position, that is perhaps the case. But to some, it is a tactic that can creep into the market share…
We all know that to build a brand, bold measures as far as advertising and promotions can be a good tactic. However, there is fine line between distinguishing a good ad and a suicidal ad. Apparently Pepsi forgot all about the good part as these new ads that they are using are not at all amusing.
If you look at their current ads, they seem to be taking the cue of the Simpsons’ “Itchy and Scratchy Show” where violence is obviously seen in the eyes of cartoon shows. But the Simpsons are fictitious cartoon characters who don’t care much about…
As far as trying to achieve another milestone in trying to set a differentiating factor as far as making their burgers stand out, Burger King has taken a different route, picking illiterate knowing hamburger folks to see if their burger is truly the best in the food world. The idea is keen but the procedure and perhaps the tactic is what critics are looking at.
For one, were the participants compensated for their efforts or exploited. We are all aware how much ad production cost and included are the talent participation, something that is perhaps also in question as far as poor…
The Super Bowl has already had a number of big time advertisers beg off and while they have secured one with AnHeuser-Busch, it seems like if the anti-beer campaign succeeds, they may likewise be pulled from the line-up ads for the biggest event of the year.
Marin Institute launched today the country’s first anti-beer ad contest, FREE the BOWL. The contest for youth from 13 to 20 seeks original anti-beer ads of 30 to 60 seconds to counter excessive Super Bowl beer advertising.
The intent is great but the revenues from ads may become too much to bear. At some point, these…
I have never mistaken a McDonald’s Double Cheeseburger for gourmet food. However, when I need a quick snack and I am out and about, I might pull in for a double cheeseburger off McDonald’s dollar value menu.
Only now the double cheeseburger isn’t on the dollar value menu. The McDouble is. What is the difference between a double cheeseburger and a McDouble? Twenty cents and a slice of cheese.
That’s right. In a time when everyone is being thrifty with their money and are seeking value, the fast-food giant has chosen to cut some costs.
Now, as far as I am concerned, I…
In a move to help do its part in the world-wide trent in which advertisers provide a small act of kindness to their consumers, Kraft Foods has reportedly posted ads on several bus shelters carrying the message “Cold, provided by winter. Warmth, provided by us”. It’s a good night for Stove Top.”
The strategy is quite simple. Get people in the warm bus stops and hope that they would buy their Stove Top Quick Cup while they are warming up. It shows no promise on their part but at least the idea is there as part of their small act of kindness…
Every week, I get together with a group of friends. Often when I would arrive at the home we meet in, there 
would be McDonald’s bags strewn everywhere, with people hungrily gnawing into a burger or throwing french fries across the room.
A few weeks ago, I arrived, and people were hanging out and chatting. One thing I immediately noticed was that nobody was eating McDonald’s. I even asked about it, and the response I got really gave ma an “a-ha!” moment of insight. What someone said was “No, I don’t eat at McDonald’s when they don’t have the Monopoly game…
We have seen a large influx of new video games developed and while many think that it takes only one person to unveil a worthy game, guess again. It takes a platoon of programmers to develop a good and hit game. So if you do the math, lots of programmers, designers, artists and musicians, you are talking about a lot of money.
So if new games unveiled would become expensive than the old ones, you know where the income is going to. Rather than only one person getting it all, it is subdivided into a lot of subcategories that make up…
It may not be easy to do but somehow companies find a particular item to match products to be at level with the way that consumers perceive them to be. Normally, this would take lots of research not only on the consumers but also on the strategies that your competitors use.
You don’t have to necessarily copy or find a similar strategy to which your competitor is applying. You can improvise and add some spice to it. Among the common things include:
1. Highlighting the product differentiation from your competitors
2. Celebrity endorsement
3. Packaging and Content
4. Production Highlights
We often see this in the…
It has happened in the past where a carrier brand that is supposedly connected to the mother brand becomes the better brand and in the case of Matsushita and Panasonic, we all know which of the two brands is familiar to us.
Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd., is still around and is a familiar brand name. But when you mention Panasonic these days, it is without question that when you are looking for quality, it is the preferred brand.
So in this competitive world of marketing, money is placed on the brand that makes you better identified so Panasonic has taken over.…
Branding your business used to be about the colors you chose to use on your company brochure and the logo that you used on everything from your business card to your letterhead. In these modern times, your branding has to extend to 21st century marketing collateral like all of the amazing resources you (and everyone else) have access to on the Internet.
3 modern branding exercises
1. Be Google friendly. Probably the most popular search engine in the world is Google. Who hasn’t sat down at their computer and Googled themselves and everyone else they know? The same premise holds true for…
For pizza store owners, trying to balance the amount of stuff you put into you pizza is a dilemma. However, one thing you should watch out is ripping of your customers and at the same time adhering towards franchise standards and requirements, something that cannot be negotiated.
Hell Pizza made that prime mistake and outside that some franchise owners placing their rights in jeopardy, they may find themselves worst off than where they started.
Such is a medium for most franchise owners. Do not compromise product quality for the sake of greed. There is a certain level of quality that they have…
When you see a brand, there will always be something that associates it in your own understanding. At that point, it will matter if that brand has any meaning to you or as some people would say, relevance towards making it identifiable.
It all boils down to what is stored in the mind of the consumer. Branding is not purely about marketing and advertising. It is about instilling that brand in the minds of consumers now and until that brand is in existence.
Take for example fashion brands today. Armani, Gucci, and Esprit. If you had no ideal preference for any of…
