Too much good stuff to keep to myself, this is from Mediapost:
The Silver Lining: Package Food Surges As Consumers Dine In
Ad Age
If you're looking to get mentally beat up this morning, turn to just about any Web site, newspaper or magazine for more stories about the financial woes ahead. But Age offers a different perspective -- at least for those of you who have more than a gustatory interest in the boxes, cans and aseptic packaging on the supermarket shelf.
Campbell Soup's sales are up 13% in the most recent quarter, Kellogg's rose 11%; General Mills was up 14%, and Kraft -- which replaced American International Group on the Dow last week -- reported a second-quarter sales jump of 21%.
Consumers are eating at home more but are not showing a renewed interest in cooking, which is why a lot of products seeing the biggest bump are the easiest to prepare: cereal, sandwiches, and ramen, according to Tim Hammonds, president of the Food Marketing Institute president. Kraft Foods' CEO Irene Rosenfeld says sales of its Macaroni & Cheese -- "our icon of value-oriented meal solutions" -- grew 20% in the last quarter.
With the silver lining, there's a cloud, of course: The sales increases can also be credited to package-goods companies hiking prices to offset swinging ingredient costs, which hits profits. - Read the whole story...
'I'm All Thumbs' Taking On A New Meaning As Texting Surges
The New York Times
A story in Saturday's Times about the danger of texting while doing other things -- such as crossing the street or driving a locomotive -- contained an interesting statistic from CTIA-The Wireless Association: 7.2 billion text messages were sent in the U.S. in June, 2005; 75 billion in June 2008 -- a tenfold increase in 36 months.
Today's Times is crammed with glum financial stories -- "Wall Street Fastens Seatbelt"; "Foreign Banks Hope ... Bailout Will Be Global"; "Hedge Funds Face Chaos" are just a few -- leaving scant room for news about brands. The ad column rounds up "messages of strength" from the financial sector, along with sound bytes on the crises from advertising, media and analyst types. Hard to pin any conclusions on the half-page effort except that times are tough and the future is murky. - Read the whole story...
Bratz Loses Scholastic Push; Retailers Reduce Shelf Space
The New York Times, Adweek and The Wall Street Journal
The Times also followed up a story in Adweek Friday about Scholastic banning Bratz -- the popular doll franchise -- from its book clubs and fairs. The Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood says a campaign it organized against the "highly sexualized" brand is responsible for Scholastic's decision but the publisher says that's not so. It just switches what it promotes in the normal course of business, it claims.
Judy Newman, president of Scholastic Book Clubs, tells the Times that it asks editors, teachers and librarians to help choose the titles included in the book clubs and fairs and that she "can't be directed by anyone's special interest."
The WSJ , meanwhile, reports that Bratz's sales have been slipping, and both Target and Wal-Mart have reduced shelf space. Analysts estimate revenue will be about $300 million in 2008, down from $400 million in 2007.
MGA Chief Executive Isaac Larian concedes that Bratz dolls lost their edgy looks as his company fought allegations by Mattel, maker of rival Barbie. Larian recalls thinking, as he was reviewing the current line earlier this year, "Oh, my God, we lost focus on what our brand was." In short, the dolls weren't keeping up with the fickle tastes of their human counterparts.
Mattel claimed MGA stole the idea for the dolls. In July, a federal jury sided with Mattel and later awarded the company as much as $100 million in damages. Mattel is now asking a federal judge to evaluate MGA's continued ownership of the brand. MGA has agreed to consider settlement talks with Mattel before the judge approves the award, though it hasn't ruled out an appeal. - Read the whole story...
A Peek Behind The Veil Of Walmart
The Morning News [of Northwest Arkansas]
On a recent sunny afternoon in Bentonville, Bill Rouse, director of solutions consulting with ACNielsen's Homescan & Spectra, shared some of the company's most recent data and insights with Wal-Mart suppliers.
Walmart has increased its number of pet supply shoppers by 41% during the past two years, according to Nielsen -- in fact, pet food sales posted roughly the same amount Walmart shoppers spent on computers and electronics. Sales for products in that category -- led by DVDs but getting a big bump from flat-panel TVs, were $4.8 billion. Shoppers also love candy -- $2.5 billion worth -- and plunked down $1.1 billion for car care and accessories. Medications and remedies are a $2.7 billion business for Walmart, which is as big as sales in office and school supplies.
Stephen Quinn, Walmart's chief marketing officer, told suppliers last week at a retail industry conference that the company was more focused than ever on the core female head of household and providing her a certain price and value. - Read the whole story...
MillerCoors Holds Sparks Red Pending Talks With AGs
Chicago Tribune
MillerCoors says it won't go ahead with its scheduled Oct. 1 launch of caffeine-infused Sparks Red until it talks with the attorneys general from 25 states who asked the company not to release the beverage. The AGs say that adding caffeine to alcoholic beverages reduces drinkers' sense of intoxication, and young people are especially vulnerable.
"MillerCoors is dedicated to ensuring all of our brands are marketed responsibly to legal drinking-age adults," the company says in a statement. Sparks Red was to be an extension of MillerCoors' existing caffeine-laced alcoholic beverages line. With 8% alcohol, Sparks Red would pack more of a punch than Sparks' original version or Sparks Plus, which contain 6% and 7% alcohol, respectively. - Read the whole story...
Literary Excerpt Of The Day
The Wall Street Journal
From The Donut Chef (Golden Books, 34 pages, $14.99) by Bob Staake, which just may inspire a young 'un or two to join the morning breakfast fray when they grow up to be marketers:
They tried new shapes beyond just rings -
Their donuts were such crazy things!
Some were square and some were starry
Some looked just like calamari! - Read the whole story...
Move To Digital Photos May Soon Take Kodachrome Away
Austin American-Statesman/AP
Krispy Kreme Hopes To Heat Up Sales With Ice Cream
USA Today/AP
'Relevance': A Critique Of What Is Wrong With Advertising
Los Angeles Times/Financial Times
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment