Retail shops take heed—Ad Age reports that Safeway's account is on the move. As it tries to stay above the price-war fray sweeping the grocery industry, Safeway is tossing its $200 million account in review and ending nearly a decade-long relationship with Interpublic's Dailey & Associates, West Hollywood, Calif. The move comes a little more than a year after Dailey helped Safeway reposition itself in the …
Vodka And Fake Red Bull
Coke may be the real thing, but Red Bull is making its own authenticity case in courtrooms across the land. From Iowa City Press-Citizen: The distributor of the energy drink Red Bull has filed a lawsuit against an Iowa City bar for mixing cocktails with an imitation, but failing to tell customers who specifically ordered drinks with the popular beverage. Red Bull North America Inc. filed its lawsuit in U.S. District …
The King Of (Green Bottled) Beers (From Western PA)
Anheuser-Busch paid Belgium's InBev $82 million for Rolling Rock--the iconic brew from western Pennsylvania--last Friday. According to USA TODAY, InBev's decision to sell Rolling Rock, which it acquired with its purchase of Canadian brewer Labatt in 1995, follows its strategy of concentrating its U.S. sales and marketing resources on imported brands such as Bass, Brahma, Labatt Blue, Stella Artois and Beck's. As for …
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Yo Philly, Your Steak Just Got Demoted To A Burger
Mendelsohn/Zien, Los Angeles is out with a new Hardee's spot. This time there's no soaped up waif feeding her face, just a guy who talks Philly with his mouth full. Hence, the need for subtitles. …
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Miller Lite Borrows From Miller High Life’s Manliness
With the launch of ManLaws.com, Crispin Porter + Bogusky has built a nice venue for showcasing their new Miller Lite TV spots. They've also created a place where no metrosexual can feel at peace, as there are thousands of so-called Man Laws to adhere to and more coming in by the hour from consumers. Here's a sample of some Man Laws from the new site: A man-to-man phone conversation may not exceed five minutes. There …
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We Can Do It Too (And Outspend The Bastards)
TechCrunch's Michael Arrington wants to see the big boys get a bit more creative in their approach to new product development. I am seeing an increasing trend of the big guys simply copying what successful startups are doing. AOL with AOL UnCut and AIM Pages. Google with Google Notebook and a flurry of other projects, etc. The only large company that is even experimenting with unproven concepts at this point is …
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Why Should Vodka Have All The Fun?
According to Lewis Lazare: Jose Cuervo, the popular Mexican tequila brand, has pegged Thursday, May 18 as National Flavors Day. That is a day when the company is making a major guerrilla marketing push in several key cities, including Chicago, New York and San Francisco, to launch three new flavored tequila brands -- orange, lime and tropical fruit. Commuters and visitors to key local landmarks such as Wrigley Field, …
Axe Chops Away The Competition
It might be too much information, but I use Axe deodorant. I certainly don't fit their target demographic, but it's an interesting case of how a new brand in a tired packaged goods category can get big fast. Ad Age takes a closer look at Axe: The brand has risen remarkably with edgy creative and a marketing message to unleash your inner animal magnetism in a category where efficacy is normally the selling point. Axe …