marketing

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Railroads Hopping Aboard Green Marketing Trend

Train pushed as eco-friendlier option—and environmentalists are conceding the point

(Newser) - Often maligned as noxious-fume-spewing bad citizens, railroad companies are hopping the green train, the Wall Street Journal reports. Campaigns by Norfolk Southern and CSX tout clean-burning diesel engines that "can move a ton of freight 423 miles on a single gallon," and Union Pacific claims diverting 25% of...

More Advertisers Text to (Willing) Customers

Media companies jumping on board as ads have higher success rate than Web versions

(Newser) - Text-message advertisements are catching on with marketers, largely because consumers actually ask to receive them—or at least to receive content that ads are attached to, the Wall Street Journal reports. Coors Light, for example, added marketing blurbs to text alerts requested by fans during last month's NFL draft, of...

Ditching TV Ads Helps Put Gap Back on Track

Clothing seller sees profit up 40% after cutting marketing costs

(Newser) - The Gap's balance sheet is back in the black, helped along by its decision to stop spending on TV ads, Advertising Age reports. The clothing retailer slashed marketing spending by nearly a fifth in the first quarter and saw profits leap 40%, even as sales slumped. The Gap has switched...

Indiana Jones & Raiders of the Fat Fridge

Pediatrician slams Indy film's junk food tie-ins

(Newser) - Indiana Jones has a new enemy. Pediatrician Rahul Parikh is irritated about Indy's marketing tie-ins to high-calorie foods like Burger King's "Indy Double Whopper" and Snicker's "Adventure Bar." Parikh has been enjoying the films of George Lucas and Steven Spielberg for decades, but he's also watching kids...

'Greenwashed' Products Mostly Hype

Some 'Earth-friendly' products are more about marketing than reality

(Newser) - "Green" is in, and many new products being marketed as Earth-friendly are in reality only marginally less unfriendly. The Boston Globe points to hybrid SUVs that get barely better mileage than their standard brethren, water bottles that use less plastic but still require large amounts of energy to make...

Competition for Cable Customers Turns Nasty

The cable wars turn nasty as telcos fight for a beachhead

(Newser) - The battle for a larger share of TV customers has taken a nasty turn as companies like Time Warner, DirecTV, and Verizon hone ad campaigns highlighting rivals' shortcomings, the Wall Street Journal reports. It's not the first time operators have taken shots at each other, but it signals a ramping-up...

'Cloud' Ads Float Sky-High
 'Cloud' Ads Float Sky-High 
Apr 17, 2008 2:36 PM CDT

'Cloud' Ads Float Sky-High

Flying logos don't pollute, either, company says

(Newser) - Forget blimps. A new kind of advertising sends company logos sky-bound in the form of clouds themselves—or almost. “Flogos” are flying, cloud-like shapes created from a soapy mixture pumped up with helium and other gases. The floating messages, sent up by repurposed snow machines, are completely safe, both...

John McCain: the Brand
 John McCain: the Brand 
Apr 12, 2008 2:36 PM CDT

John McCain: the Brand

Campaign uses decade-old image to sell GOP hopeful

(Newser) - John McCain is more than a candidate, he's a brand—and a successful one at that, the Washington Post reports. His image of independence, experience, and, of course, straight talk endures in the public eye and explains why he keeps rising in national polls despite his support for an unpopular...

Bar Code Marketing Misses Mark
Bar Code Marketing Misses Mark
Apr 8, 2008 2:04 PM CDT

Bar Code Marketing Misses Mark

Scanning codes with your phone reveals information—for a fee

(Newser) - A technology that lets European and Asian cellphone users point their phones at bar codes on everything from products to street signs to bring up more information isn’t ready for deployment in the US. At least that’s the indication so far of a trial at Case Western Reserve...

DC Ditches Glory for Power
 DC Ditches Glory for Power 
TRAVEL
Apr 3, 2008 8:15 PM CDT

DC Ditches Glory for Power

Capital ditches 'American Experience' for new tourism slogan

(Newser) - "The American Experience" hasn't been the come-on Washington officials hoped, Portfolio reports, and DC's tourist board hopes to change that with a new campaign: “Create Your Own Power Trip." With a stumbling economy projected to eat into the US capital's 15 million in annual tourism, the city...

Mickey Ds Lurks Behind Spooky 'Lost Ring' Game

Golden Arches launches weirdest marketing campaign yet

(Newser) - Players had spent days searching for clues to The Lost Ring, an Olympic-themed online mystery game, before uncovering the stunning identity of the game’s shadowy creator: McDonald’s. Golden arches and burgers are nowhere to be seen in the dark contest—instead it’s promoting the Olympics, while “...

Apple Has Top Brand, World Consumers Say

But survey says Microsoft, USA need to revamp marketing

(Newser) - Apple is the world's "most inspiring brand," as well as the one most consumers say they can't live without, according to a new survey on brand impact. Meanwhile, Reuters reports that Microsoft was the brand buyers thought most in need of an overhaul—with the United States as...

YouTube Will Show When, Where Clips Are Hot

New feature will help marketers direct ads

(Newser) - In what could be a boon to advertisers, a new YouTube feature will allow video makers to see when and where their clips are being watched, reports the New York Times. YouTube Insight will show a map and graph representing the video’s popularity by state and over time--interesting information...

Girl Scouts Look to Rebrand
Girl Scouts Look to Rebrand
Mar 25, 2008 6:10 PM CDT

Girl Scouts Look to Rebrand

Facing dwindling ranks, scouts hire image expert, plot new pitch to modern youngsters

(Newser) - The Girl Scouts of America have hired a chief marketing officer to shake up their image and bolster dwindling membership, Brandweek reports. Laurel Richie helped make Huggies and Kotex into major brands; despite the famous cookies, Scouts number less than 3 million. "How we communicate the brand and how...

Borders Tests More Covers, Fewer Books

Space-hogging move will cut titles 5%-10%

(Newser) - Borders is betting you do judge a book by its cover, the Wall Street Journal reports. In hopes of catching more customers’ eyes, the nation’s second-largest book retailer will dramatically increase the number of face-out books it displays. The move, aimed at countering stagnant sales and distracted customers (elections,...

Sony Goes Viral With 'Thriller'
Sony Goes
Viral With 'Thriller'
Mar 10, 2008 11:15 AM CDT

Sony Goes Viral With 'Thriller'

New YouTube videos promote song's 25th anniversary

(Newser) - When Sony BMG wanted to work up some excitement for the 25th anniversary of Michael Jackson’s “Thriller,” a conventional campaign using the reclusive artist didn't look like a winner. So the label went the guerrilla route, staging “impromptu breakouts” of the "Thriller" zombie dance at...

CEO Reveals Victoria's Secret: It's 'Too Sexy'

Brand hopes to regain its stylish, sophisticated image

(Newser) - Victoria’s Secret has become “too sexy,” the chain’s CEO said today, explaining that she wants to bring higher-quality and sophisticated products back to the stores, the Wall Street Journal reports. "We use the word 'sexy' a lot and have gotten off 'ultra-feminine,'" she said....

Not Your Parents' Russian Vodka
Not Your Parents' Russian Vodka
Feb 25, 2008 8:15 PM CST

Not Your Parents' Russian Vodka

Premium imports, in fancy bottles, begin to arrive on US shores

(Newser) - If a shot of Georgi isn’t your style, Russian vodka makers are rushing to sell a new wave of premium bottles, the Los Angeles Times reports. Vodkas from France, Finland, and the US have gained popularity stateside over the past few years, but buyers couldn't find anything Russian other...

Absolut Cans Bottle Ads, Sees Sales Soar

Iconic campaign dumped after high-end vodkas steal brand's thunder

(Newser) - Absolut is selling a lot more vodka now that it's dumped one of the world's best-known ad campaigns, Advertising Age reports. The Swedish brand and its arty ads featuring the iconic bottle had been a big hit since entering the US market in 1979, but sales were flat before the...

Super Bowl Hits Ratings Record
Super Bowl Hits Ratings Record
Feb 4, 2008 7:40 PM CST

Super Bowl Hits Ratings Record

Match-up pulls a record 97.5 million viewers

(Newser) - Super Bowl advertisers scored big last night as the Giants-Patriots match-up pulled a record 97.5 million viewers, besting the 1996 high of 94.1 million. "You could argue this might have been a perfect game from an advertising perspective,'' said a marketing analyst—who noted that the...

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