5 Blogs Before Lunch

Starbucks Launches Via Ready Brew on SNL and YouTube

I'm not sure if you saw Saturday Night Live this week. Megan Fox hosted the season premiere, which showcased her lack of talent and was by most accounts a dud of a show.

SNL was remarkable for one reason, however, it included the launch ads for Starbucks new instant-coffee brand Via Ready Brew.

There were four 15-second spots inviting customers to visit Starbucks locations for a taste test that pits the instant coffee against the house blend at Starbucks.

So why is this remarkable? Well, for two reasons:

1. Starbucks rarely uses television advertising to promote products
2. It capped off a social media marketing campaign that was professionally executed and effective.

The TV ads on SNL capped a two-week, cross-country road trip where a team from Starbucks (including a comedienne) stopped at carefully selected locations, handing out Via samples, and posting web videos on Starbucks' YouTube channel.

AdAge reports that the group stopped in Iowa last week, where a dairy farm named a newborn calf "Starbucks Via Ready Brew." It will be called "Via" for short. On Friday, they stopped for lunch at Al's #1 Italian Beef on Chicago's South Side, asking consumers to try Via with their sandwiches. The team completed its tour in New York on Saturday.

Starbucks has been test marketing Via in Seattle, Chicago and London. Starbucks used Costco, Target and Barnes & Noble locations with Starbucks cafes, as well as its own restaurants, as points of sale of Via during the test phase.

Text Mining Allows Marketers to Listen More Carefully to Web Chatter

Text mining is a tool used to track web chatter. Marketers like Domino's, Cisco, Hormel and Microsoft are using software to automatically search the web to track virtual buzz, to see who's talking about their brands, and their competitors.

With all the user generated content out there, text mining is a helpful, albeit inexact tool. The players in this space--companies like Lexalytics, Clarabridge and Visible Technologies say they have seen a spike in interest for their automated software programs, but do admit that it has a mixed record of accuracy and can lead a brand astray if they're not calibrated correctly.

More at Adweek.

HSN Turns To Product Integration To Enhance Revenue

HSN (Home Shopping Network) is looking towards product integration as a new revenue. While they make most of their money from revenue-sharing in sales of products touted on the shopping network, they've decided to start incorporating brand mentions in demonstrations by HSN hosts.

So far, several companies, including Kraft Foods and pasta maker Barilla, have signed on.

From WSJ.com:

HSN's foray into product placement comes as many marketers have grown dissatisfied with traditional commercials alone. They are eager to blend their products directly into TV shows to circumvent digital video recorders and other ad-zapping technology. Almost half of all U.S. households with income above $125,000 have a DVR, according to Bernstein Research.

When products are "integrated into the morning show or cooking segments, it increases the engagement we get with consumers," says Kelley Woodland, senior director of consumer relationship marketing for Kraft Foods North America.

Yahoo! Set To Launch $100 Million Marketing Campaign

Yahoo is reportedly going to spend more that $100 million dollars on a new direct-to-consumer marketing campaign.

The ads will run on TV and online and in other media in the U.S. and nine other countries.

The campaign is an effort to reinvigorate the brand-whic was once the Twitter-and-Facebook of its day.

Yahoo's new Chief Executive Carol Bartz reportedly believes the company has been getting a bum rap — something she hopes to reverse with the new advertising push.

"When you get outside of New York City and Silicon Valley, everybody loves Yahoo," Bartz said Tuesday during a press conference that was webcast. "Why are you (the media) so cynical about us? Be cynical about frigging Google. If you don't love us, leave us alone."

CEO of Blurb explains why she launched the self-publishing platform and how you can create your own book.

Hot Milk Lingerie Makes Pregnancy Sexy

Protect Insurance Companies PSA

"Hollywood speaks out to help insurance companies."

 Sometimes a little sarcasm is needed to understand the absurdity of a debate. via MoveOn.org

Protect Insurance Companies PSA from Will Ferrell

Special Post: How Marketers Can Cope With A Seismic Shift In A Career Plan

I have been meeting with a lot of marketers lately. All, of course, have been hit by what is now being called The Great Recession.

As I meet with marketer, after marketer I hear the same phrase, repeated over and over: "I never thought I would be at this place, at this point in my life."

Senior executives are out of work, others are taking jobs out of necessity rather than out of passion. Marketers are staying in jobs they hate, and/or taking pay cuts and title demotions just to keep a job.

The idea of climbing a corporate ladder has given-way to hanging on to the ladder for dear life.

The words "I never thought I would be at this place, at this point in my life." have a defeatist tone in the delivery. And, in most cases, colleagues are dealing with this emotion at a personal level, as if they were the only one's dealing with this new reality.

Of course they...you? are not alone in trying to cope with the change in economic climate, and we all should know that this seismic shift in the current environment is temporary.

But change is scary. The unknown has little comfort.

To sort all of this out, I turned to some experts in the field to understand how I might help colleagues cope with their current job prospects and career.

Gladys Stone and Fred Whelan are partners in Whelan Stone, an executive search and coaching firm. Their business is about working with marketers and the companies who need them.

This past April they came out with a book on the topic of coping with changing career goals. It is called "Goal! Your 30-day Career Plan for Business and Career Success."

I asked them for a few helpful words on how to deal with the current job crisis many marketers are experiencing.

Take a look at what they have to say...after the jump.

Rogue Ad Appears on The New York Times Website

This weekend, I was one of the victims of what The New York Times is calling "an unauthorized advertisement" or a rogue ad on the company's website.

When browsing the NYTimes.com, a pop-up ad appeared, warning me that my computer may be infected with a virus and redirecting me to a site claiming to offer antivirus software. The only way to escape the ad was to force-quit my computer.

I was surprised by the ad, mostly because it had appeared on The New York Times website. You see, consumers trust the site to be safe, and provide only reputable advertising.

The paper is dealing with the affects of this rogue ad, both from a technology perspective (how did this ad get on the site?) and as a PR crisis (how could such an ad end up on a reputable website, and what does it do for the paper's reputation?).

The New York Times posted a "note to readers" in its Media and Advertising section:

Some NYTimes.com readers have seen a pop-up box warning them about a virus and directing them to a site that claims to offer antivirus software. We believe this was generated by an unauthorized advertisement and are working to prevent the problem from recurring. If you see such a warning, we suggest that you not click on it. Instead, quit and restart your Web browser. Questions and comments can be sent to webeditor@nytimes.com.

Sears and Kmart's Spyware Program To Gather Customer Data Shut Down By FTC

The objective seemed innocent enough.

Sears and Kmart wanted to better understand customer habits in order to serve their audience.

Unfortunately, something went terribly wrong in the execution.

The retail giants (both part of the same holding group) offered to pay website visitors $10 each to relinquish Internet browsing histories under the guise of a marketing survey. The idea was that they could take that data, and analyze shopping patterns.

Unfortunately, the data revealed far more information about consumers than Sears and Kmart needed, and a lot more than consumers knew they were giving up.

You see, the "research" involved installing software (essentially spyware) on consumer's computers. It transmitted the complete contents of a browsing session, even secure sessions to the folks at Sears and Kmart.

This meant that Sears/Kmart would have access to the contents of shopping carts, online bank statements, drug prescription records, video rental records, library borrowing histories, and the sender, recipient, subject, and size for web-based e-mails.

Talk about TMI (too much information).

Once this activity was discover, In walks the Federal Trade Commission, who, after an investigation, found that the two businesses, both owned by Sears Holding Management, hadn't adequately disclosed their data-collection program's scope and ordering them to destroy all the data they collected.

They essentially said that Sears and Kmart buried the information that would have told consumers that they'd be spied on, way too deep in a user agreement.

According to Ars Technica, under the settlement with the FTC, Sears has now agreed to destroy all data gained from the experiment and stop collecting data from any software still running in the wild. In addition, if it wants to do any tracking in the future, the company has committed to "clearly and prominently disclose the types of data the software will monitor, record, or transmit. This disclosure must be made prior to installation and separate from any user license agreement. Sears must also disclose whether any of the data will be used by a third party."

The Jay Leno Show--1/3 the production cost, 1/3 the audience projection, and a bargain for advertisers--but what about the viewers?

The folks at NBC are setting the bar pretty low for the new Jay Leno Show.

The hourlong comedy and variety show, to air five nights a week starting next week, is expected to draw about a third fewer viewers (aged 18-49) than the network has historically garnered during the same 10pm primetime slot, according to NBC executives.

It is also costing NBC about a third less to produce the show ($100 million to produce compared to typcial $300 million dramas) and will cost advertisers a relatively low prime-time ad rate -- between $55,000 and $75,000 for a 30-second spot.

These numbers presumably add up to profitability for NBC, but at what cost to consumer desire? Is America really ready for Jay Leno to replace primetime dramas? The ratings will soon tell.

Source: The Wall Street Journal

Macy's Strategy: Think Locally, and Centrally.

After a decade or more of the consolidation of department store brands to maximize the efficiencies of volume buying, Macy's is rethinking its inventory practices to win shoppers back in a down economy.

The "My Macy's" initiative allows individual stores to stock more items aimed at local customers. A pilot program launched last year in 20 stores showed encouraging results, with pilot stores showing smaller-than-average losses and even a little growth in a few locations.

The concept encourages stocking extra swimsuits in stores near water parks, more size 11 women’s shoes in Chicago, etc, etc. and is now being rolled-out nationwide.

But all of this localized-inventory doesn't mean an abandonment of the value of centralized management. Macy's--at the same time it is localizing inventory, has been centralizing buying, planning, and marketing operations from seven regional offices into one in New York. The move has cost 5,400 Macy's jobs but may have saved the company $500 million.

A more detailed look at Macy's strategy can be found at Businessweek.

Wheaties Fuel for Men

General Mills is introducing a new breakfast cereal targeted directly at men.

They're leveraging the Wheaties brand, which used the "Breakfast of Champions" tagline for decades and creating a new product called Wheaties Fuel with the tagline "Fuel. Win. Evolve."

The new product is said to have been created with the guidance of a sports nutritionist and five athletes, and is being marketed specifically to men, using samplings at sporting events and ads in Men's Health magazine to get the word out.

The brand extension seems like a logical one. Wheaties always had a sporty-twist to its marketing, but had gone stale in the marketplace. Wheaties Fuel will hopefully leverage the existing brand awareness, but rejuvenate its reputation.

I'm also a big fan of targeted product marketing. By focusing on a demographic (men) and psycho-graphic (sports/energy mindedness) target, General Mills seems to be on the right path.

Here's Media Post Marketing Daily's take:

The 85-year-old Wheaties brand, which saw unit sales decline by 14% during the 12 months ending in mid-June, according to IRI data cited by The New York Times, failed to find long-term success with earlier extensions such as Wheaties Energy Crunch and honey frosted and raisin bran varieties. All have been out of production for several years now.

But Wheaties -- which has a 60% male customer base but has never been male-exclusive in its marketing (its box has featured female athletes many times) -- may have found an approach with legs this time, in the opinion of some branding experts.

Additional source: examiner.com

YouTube Still Searching for Profitability

YouTube has many measurements by which it could consider itself a success.

The company is far and away the Internet's biggest video outlet. comScore reports that In July, YouTube and other Google video sites registered a record 8.9 billion video views, accounting for 42% of all videos viewed online.

And, the founders should still feel good about the $1.65 billion they received from Google back in 2006.

But one success metric has proved illusive to YouTube--profitability.

Apparently, YouTube will not go into the black in 2009, notwithstanding a revised report that cut its estimated bandwidth costs from $360 million to $300 million for the year, according to a pair of Credit Suisse analysts. Per the analysts' projections, revenue for the  site will be $240 million this year, about $60 million short of the cost of bandwidth.

Or in the words of Maxwell Smart--"Missed it by THAT much."

Source: Mulichannel News

A sponsorship at the U.S. Open is all about "Experiential Branding Moments" for IBM, Lexus and Olympus

There was a time when a sports event marketing sponsorship involved the exchange of large sums of money, and the delivery of t-shirts, hats and a few large banners with a company name, logo and tagline.

In marketing circles, event marketing was seen as more tactical than strategic.

But the times, they are 'a changin'.

Now, corporate events marketers (at least the savvy ones) are maximizing their sponsorships by integrating their brands into the fan experience. The shift in strategies and tactics is both about maximizing corporate marketing dollars, and converting to the new world of digital consumer engagement between brand, venue and fan..

From Forbes:

Sporting events always attracted corporate sponsors, to the point that the practice has become rich fodder for parody. What's new is that digital technology has significantly increased the number of places consumers hang out and pick up branding cues. Today, the challenge of identifying where a marketer can play to win--getting the message, the medium, the moment and the money to line up--is one of the toughest games in town.

Lexus, Olympus and IBM are among the U.S. Open sponsors that are maximizing their investment through experiential branding moments throughout the venue--from Lexus' parking sponsorship ("free parking courtesy of Lexus) to VIP transport in Lexus vehicles, to the Olympus "Photo Pit" and "Photo Cart," sponsors are driving relevant, obvious, and differentiated brand ques in everything they do.

IBM is another brand making appropriate use of the U.S. Open setting and audience demographics. Building on its "Smart solutions" campaign, Forbes is reporting that it is hosting the Official Web site of the event, which includes a section called "Smarter stats for a better Open," a place where anyone can get comprehensive, real-time statistics and video highlights of the action.

According to Allen Adamson, who is managing director of the Landor Associates, New York. "Playing to win in today's branding game is about more than just reaching people," Adamson writes. "It's about reaching out to people in ways that are relevant and truly demonstrative of what makes a brand different and better."

McDonald's Loses McCurry Trademark Suit in Malaysia

McDonald's has long been known as an avid defender of its trademark.

In fact, McDonald's has been criticized for its liberal use of the court system.

There was the McCoffee case, the McChina Wok Away suit, and the McMunchies trademark case (to name a few).

McDonald's contends it is merely protecting its corporate interests from undue attack.

But now, in a case of "you win some, you lose some," the owner of a small curry restaurant in Malaysia has won an eight-year trademark battle against the world's largest fast-food giant.

The restaurant, which was sued by McDonald's for use of its name which it claims it is short for "Malaysian Chicken Curry," (despite the logo that has a big "M", and little "c" like McDonald).

It is a blow to McDonald's who wanted sole rights to the use of the prefix "Mc" to protect its brand image, and fend off other attempts at McTrademark infringements.

The Malaysian High Court ruled Tuesday that the fast-food chain had no such exclusive rights and pay legal costs for the eight-year suit.

Source: Slashfood

Burger King Fries To Be Available at a Grocer Near You.

Burger King has just announced it will be launching a line of microwaveable Burger King-branded crinkle-cut french fries, available at grocery stores, and Walmart.

BK is partnering with ConAgra Foods Lamb Weston  on a product to be called "King Krinkz" that will be the first product in the line, followed by King Kolossalz extra-large crinkle-cut fries and King Wedgez seasoned potato wedges.

"Now consumers can enjoy King- fries at home, in an easy-to-prepare, microwaveable format that's perfect for today's busy families," Sharon Miller, vice president of retail sales for ConAgra Foods Lamb Weston, said in a release.

Burger King already has a line of fast-food themed potato chips with flavors like "Ketchup & Fries" and "Flamed Broiled Burger."

Source: Slashfood and Brandweek

Krispy Kreme Opens Up Shop In Istanbul

The once high-flying Krispe Kreme franchise has seen the glaze melt off its brand over the last several years.

There was a time in the not-so-recent past when the opening of a new Krispy Kreme shop generated TV news crews stationed at the front door, and lines of new customers wrapping around the block.

Then, they expanded into Walmart, and all-variety of locations to satisfy demand.

Now, after an accounting scandal and a shift in fickle consumer tastes, Krispy Kreme is a shell of its former self--a creme puff without the filling, if you will.

So where do you turn when your home-market has been saturated, or tried up? You go international of course.

Krispy Kreme newest store opening is on Istanbul's Bagdat Avenue. It is the first of 25 Krispy Kreme shops planned to open over the next five years in Turkey.

Krispy Kreme has stores in 18 countries, including Bahrain, Japan, Lebanon, Mexico, Saudi Arabia and others. It has also announced a franchise agreement for China.

Source: Forbes

Honda's Social Media Backlash Is Turning Into A Wildfire

What if you launched a Fan Page on Facebook for your brand, and only the "haters" came?

What if your new product's Tweets on Twitter sang only a negative note?

It is one of marketer's biggest fears when using social media.

Honda recently released photos of their new 2010 crossover vehicle, the Accord Crosstour on a Fan Page on Facebook, and the nightmare came true.

Four thousand people signed up as "fans" of the car on the day it was launched, and most immediately began posting negative comments about the car's design. And the Twitter response has been equally negative.

While social media marketing can reap huge word-of-mouth wins for brands, and keep marketer's in touch with their customers at a very intimate level, marketers must deal with negative bursts of commentary as aggressively as they deal with positive buzz.

Honda needs to turn this around, and fast.

The negative buzz which started on Facebook and Twitter is now spreading to articles on blogs and online media outlets.

Apparently, Honda has attempted several responses, with lackluster results.

One Honda employee began posting positive comments on the page without identifying himself as a company employee. Spotting a rat, Facebook users quickly caught on to his identity, and Honda purged his comments from the page.

Autoblog says, "His comments and other similar non-sanctioned corporate communique will one day wind up in business textbooks as examples of how social media marketing can go very, very wrong."

Honda also launched a more formal effort at "damage control." The company posted a note to fans on the page, attempting to respond to the criticisms, and defending the design. They also blamed the photographer.

U.S. News & World Report says that Honda wrote, "the two studio photos we posted didn't give you enough detail, nor were they the best to showcase the vehicle. There are more photos on the way. Maybe it's like a bad yearbook photo or something, and we think the new photos will clear things up."

The "blame the photographer" excuse is now being mocked once again in comments on the page.

You can close the doors, Honda, but you can not stop a social media train once it has left the station.

Overall, Honda's response is being seen as defensive, insensitive, and deceptive--not at all how you need to behave in the world of social media marketing.

Source: Mashable, U.S. News & World Report, Autoblog

Chevy Volt: "A Car for Idiots"?

If the folks at GM were searching for a tagline for the new Chevy Volt, they probably would not turn to Audi of America President Johan de Nysschen.

The folks at AutoBlog are reporting that the Audi chief called the Volt "a car for idiots" during a recent interview.

Adding that they're too expensive and, "No one is going to pay a $15,000 premium for a car that competes with a (Toyota) Corolla. So there are not enough idiots who will buy it." He predicted that the Volt will fall flat, which will cause the federal government to step in and subsidize the Volt in order to save face and boost sales.

Samsung. The next big name in digital cameras?

When you think of digital cameras, Samsung is probably not the first brand that jumps to mind.

But, the Korean electronics company, better known in the U.S. for mobile phones and wide-screen TVs, is launching a $50 million advertising campaign to shift perception, and generate awareness of its new DualView digital cameras.

The campaign, from agency Leo Burnett, will include TV, print and online advertising and will feature the new camera's ability to help users shoot self-portraits. One of the first ads features girls, and a gorilla--holding cameras in front of their faces, "doing what everyone seems to be doing these days: taking pictures of themselves."

From Forbes:
"With everyone--kids and parents--uploading photos these days, we had no decision but to jump further into the market," says (Samsung's vice president of digital imaging marketing, Reid) Sullivan. The camera is targeted toward teens, who snap self-images for uploads to their blogs and social networking sites, and to parents, who may appreciate the camera's child-friendly features, Sullivan says. The DualView's child mode displays a clown cartoon on the camera's front screen to grab children's attention.

Samsung expects to kick off another campaign of similar size in 2010. "We want to leave the other competitors licking their wounds," Sullivan says.

Pepsi Has Some Explaining To Do After Frog Residue Is Found In Diet Pepsi Can

After discovering a "disgusting" blob at the bottom of a Diet Pepsi can, a Florida man called in the FDA who confirmed it to be a frog or toad. Yep, that's right. A frog or toad.

After an investigation, the FDA says they can't figure out how the frog got in the can.

The FDA conducted an investigation at the local Pepsi bottling plant in Orlando and "did not find any adverse conditions or association to this problem," spokeswoman Siobhan DeLancey said.

"We have not determined when or how the contamination occurred," DeLancey said

Now it is left to Pepsi to explain themselves after an inconclusive investigation.

Pepsi says the FDA results "affirmed" the company's confidence "in the quality of our products and the integrity of our manufacturing system," according to spokesman Jeff Dahncke.

But, but Pepsi...there was a frog in a can of Diet Coke.

Rather than touting the quality of the products, shouldn't they be managing this PR crisis with a little more humility, and customer concern? Treat it with humor, talk about how you're cracking down on health and safety at the plants...something.

Instead, they're trying the "it is not our fault" PR route:

"The speed of our production lines and the rigor of our quality control systems make it virtually impossible for this type of thing to happen in a production environment. In fact, there never has been even a single instance when a claim of this nature has been traced back to a manufacturing issue," Dahncke has said.

Then where did the frog come from?

The Orlando couple say they're (pardon the pun) "hopping mad" over Pepsi's handling of the matter.

Apparently, Pepsi has not contacted the couple since the day after the incident occurred, when she told Pepsi that she had contacted the FDA.

"I want to see Pepsi fess up to it and compensate my husband for the negative publicity they have caused," she said. "I'm easy, but they're the ones that are making it hard."

Harris Interactive Survey: Who's Got College Brand Cred?

Harris Interactive recently conducted a survey of college student's behaviors and brand associations.

In an annual survey, college students named Microsoft, Colgate and Apple among the brands they trust most. Brands they associate with "happy" include McDonald's, Coca-Cola, Target, Wrigley, Wal-Mart, Dove and Hershey.

College students--a sub-segment of the 13.8 million US Adults, aged 18-30 are a valuable commodity for marketers. They have spending power ($56 billion last year), and seem unshaken by the recession (spending is up 37% over the last 4 years, and 5% up from last year). Plus, they're at an impressionable stage where they establish brand trust relationships that can last a lifetime.

So, congratulations to Apple, Colgate, Microsoft and Coca-Cola, Toyota, Nike and Bank of America,Target and Dell who top the list of brands that college students say they "trust,"

Source: Media Daily News

Real Customers as an "effective pitchfork" in Building Brand Trust

'time was when a celebrity spokesperson was a sure-fire path to brand trust. By transferring the established trust/relationship consumers had with the celebrity, to the advertiser, marketers could quickly gain acceptance with consumers.

Now, a new trend is emerging among some major marketers, including Dell, Marriott and American Express, They're using real clients and customers in advertising campaigns instead of models or celebrities as a way to build a trusted brand.

Or as Forbes puts it: "Real people make effective pitchfolk at a time when big businesses aren't trusted."

These apparently aren't the times for slick models or celebrity pitch-people. Dell is among several companies that are putting their own clients and customers--typically highly vetted, telegenic ones--in advertising around the globe. Through this new talent pool, marketers hope to connect to prospective customers, hone in on a specific demographic--and take the focus off their very large businesses at a time when people are less trusting of big companies.

New American Express Campaign: "Don't Take Chances. Take Charge."

American Express is launching a new campaign for its green card, touting the benefits of using the card in place of cash, while reminding consumers of the need to be prudent with their spending.

It's a creative, and strategic approach to encourage AMEX usage during tough economic times.

From Forbes:

The number of credit cards issued this year has decreased 39%, causing further concern for card companies already dealing with financial setbacks. AmEx's second-quarter revenue, reported in late July, dropped 18% to $6.09 billion and profits plunged 48%.

"Coming out of these tough economic times, we need refocus on our customers and give them a sense of greater control," says Deborah Curtis, vice president of global advertising at American Express.

Publicis Buys CRM Tool from...Unilever

 Publicis Groupe has purchased the French customer relationship management program Pour Tout Vous Dire from Unilever.

The deal licenses use of the tool to Unilever for five years,  to keep Unilever products represented. The Web-focused portal aims to forge and bolster relationships between consumers and brands.

From Brandweek:
According to the Paris-based holding company: "The goal here is to build a benchmark e-CRM platform for the group's clients that showcases brands and fosters interactions with consumers." The plan moving forward is to operate the property on an open architecture basis, allowing clients of all stripes to quickly tailor programs and messages.

McDonald's Sued Over "Who's Your Patty" Ads

Lions Tap burgers in Minnesota has been using the tagline "Who's Your Patty?" for several years, registering the trademark four years ago.

Problem is, McDonald's has started to use the same phrase--"Who's Your Patty?" in their Angus Third Pounder burger ads.

So, Lions Tap is suing McDonald's on charges of trademark infringement, statutory unfair competition, false designation of origin and unjust enrichment, according to Nation's Restaurant News .

"McDonald's acts of infringement have caused Lions Tap damages, and Lions Tap seeks judgment for McDonald's profits made by McDonald's unauthorized and infringing use of Lions Tap's trademarks, for the damages sustained by Lions Tap, and for all costs necessary to remediate the infringing uses and their effects," the complaint says.

Ben & Jerry's re-Brands "Chubby Hubby" To Celebrate Gay Marriage in Vermont

I keep hoping to be invited to one of the naming strategy meetings at Ben & Jerry's. Here's their latest brainstorm:

The socially conscious ice cream maker is celebrating Vermont's move to legalize gay marriage by re-branding its popular "Chubby Hubby" as "Hubby Hubby" for the next month.

"At the core of Ben & Jerry's values, we believe that social justice can and should be something that every human being is entitled to," said Walt Freese, Ben & Jerry's CEO.

But, like gay marriage laws, Hubby Hubby is only available in select geographies--at Ben & Jerry's six company-owned ice cream parlors. There are no plans yet to release the product nationally.

Source: AOL News

ABC and NBC Refuse to Run Ad Critical of Health Care Reform

Daily Politics is reporting that ABC and NBC have refused to run a national ad critical of President Obama's health care reform plan. The commercial features a doctor who warns that a government-run health care system will lead to rationing and will disproportionately harm the quality of care for seniors on Medicare.

NBC is saying that it is an issue of the factual content of the spot, and that if the spot were revised, they'd run it.

"We have not rejected the ad. We have communicated with the media agency about some factual claims that require additional substantiation. As always, we are happy to reconsider the ad once these issues are addressed," said NBC spokeswoman Liz Fischer.

ABC spokeswoman Susan Sewell said in a statement that the network "has a long-standing policy that we do not sell time for advertising that presents a partisan position on a controversial public issue."

Sears To Launch New Beauty Department

Sears has announced it will launch new beauty departments in 13 stores in Chicago, Los Angeles and New York. Sears will sell brands such as Calvin Klein, L'Oreal, Maybelline and others.

Sears has struggled for years to figure out a formula to attract women buyers into its stores to buy soft goods. They've tried everything from lavish advertising campaigns (remember "The softer side of Sears?") and department-stores within-department store formats.

Still, the only mainstay for the brand has been in its more traditional hard goods categories, such as appliances and hardware. Brands such as Kenmore, Craftsman and DieHard have been staples in American homes for decades.

With its Sears Beauty department, the company follows  J.C. Penney, who joined with French cosmetics chain Sephora to open shops in its department stores; and Target who has an exclusive deal with the British drugstore chain Boots to sell its beauty products in U.S. stores.

Daily Finance points out that Sears tried this strategy a decade ago, it had an ambitious Circle of Beauty department that failed to perk sales. In 2000, it joined with JC Penney & Co. to plan a series of beauty departments selling an exclusive Avon Products line, but withdrew from the project before it even launched.

Hard to say whether this "softer side" of Sears will have a different result.

A Dress Code at Starbucks?

I've stayed in a fair share of hotels that require certain dress in the public rooms. Typically, the "swankier" hotels demand no sandals, beach-wear, baseball caps or even shorts in the lobby. Jackets and ties are required in the dining rooms.

But what happens when a swanky brand mixes a casual dining experience within its walls? The Waldorf-Astoria in New York City is being caught in a fun bit of critisism around its "dress code" for the Starbucks inside the hotel.

Apparently grabbing a coffee at the Waldorf-Astoria requires you to adhere to a "smart casual" dress code. See below (source: Oyster Hotel Review Blog):

It Looks Like eBay Finally Has a Buyer for Skype

It has been no secret eBay has had a FOR SALE sign up on the lawn of the Internet phone service Skype, which it acquired in 2005.

Skype was always an odd fit with eBay--two companies in decidedly different businesses who could not find a way to spin an association of brands.

It now appears that a deal has been struck to sell Skype to a group of private investors which include Netscape founder (and eBay Board member) Marc Andreessen's investment group. early Skype investor Index Ventures, and the private equity firm Silver Lake Partners are part of the deal.

How much eBay will receive to sell the company is currently unclear, but they were apparently hoping for around $2 billion.

The company was reportedly purchased for a price that ultimately topped $3.1 billion in 2005. EBay later wrote down $900 million of Skype’s value, after it became clear that the company was not a good fit with eBay’s main e-commerce and online payment businesses.

Source: The New York Times