Nowadays, retailers and manufacturers can’t merely introduce a new product to consumers and call it a day. The way that 7-Eleven is launching “Slurpee Lite,” its new low-calorie drink, shows how a product rollout must be an “event.” This week’s event includes a big Slurpee giveaway.
Celebrity endorsements rarely make much sense. Despite what Hulk Hogan and Troy Aikman have said, for instance, it’s foolish to pay double the retail price for a TV from Rent-A-Center. Even so, the endorsement-crazed “famous for being famous” Kim Kardashian is a special case. Based on her history of endorsing goods that are of dubious [...]
The new JCPenney sounds so appealing on paper. So far, though, the reaction among consumers to the newly made-over JCPenney is that there’s not much need to show up at the stores at all.
Last summer, the FDA announced new regulations affecting how sunscreens are marketed. Accordingly, sunscreen labels will no longer be allowed to feature the words “waterproof,” “sweatproof,” and “sunblock”—because no sunscreen is truly waterproof or sweatproof, and no lotion completely blocks the sun’s harmful rays. Originally, the changes were set to take effect this June. Now, [...]
Last month, the health food company Kashi was caught in an uproar when complaints went viral regarding its use of genetically modified and non-organic ingredients. All the attention brought to light another open secret about Kashi: While it may seem like an independent mom-and-pop operation, it’s actually owned by Kellogg. Consumers are drawn to brands that seem created based on indie passion and dreams. Sometimes, though, these brands fall under the domain of huge companies—companies that rarely go out of their way to reveal who owns what.
Major fast food and coffeehouse chains are launching special discounts and promotions aimed to keep customers streaming in during the hot days and months ahead. Who says “happy hour” has to be limited to bars and restaurants that serve alcohol?
The annual event known as Free Comic Book Day is held the first Saturday in May every year—May 5 in 2012. It’s a day when comic book shops all over North America give away free comics to each and every customer. It’s also a huge day for selling comic books.
Whereas the average consumer may find the creep of advertising to be, well, creepy, advertising insiders see unexpected brand and product placements not as intrusive, but as innovative, often brilliant.
The concept of customized, more relevant daily deals has been around at least since Groupon began talking about it two years ago.
Members of Gen Y—the “millennials” born roughly between 1980 and 1995—are perhaps the most studied demographic in history. We know everything from how often they post on Facebook and Twitter, to what degree they really want to be able to wear jeans at work. Here’s one more factoid about this group that retailers are sure [...]
If your refrigerator door is stocked with just two bottles of condiments—one Crayola yellow, the other Crayola red—and you use them only in strict traditional fashion (mustard on hot dogs, ketchup on French fries), then your taste buds are missing out. New, unusually flavored condiments are gaining popularity, as is the idea that classic condiments [...]
