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'Sex Mints'? No, Thanks!
 'Sex Mints'? No, Thanks! 
consumer alert
Oct 12, 2009 5:10 PM CDT

'Sex Mints'? No, Thanks!

'Internal feminine flavoring' not quite what this blogger had in mind

(Newser) - The press release was so intriguing that Jen Phillips had to know more. Linger mints are being promoted as "internal feminine flavoring"—you read that right—with the catchall please-don't-sue-us warning that they're "for novelty use only." And no wonder: They're mostly sugar, which is...

Studios Hot (and Bothered) on Twitter

(Newser) - Movie companies aren't sure yet how big the Twitter effect is in making or breaking films—a spate of negative tweets are reputed to have killed Bruno after a strong opening over the summer—but they're leaving as little as possible to chance. It's the hot new "campaign-management tool,...

PBR Raises Price, Doesn't Advertise—and Sales Soar

'Ironic downscale chic' keeps brand selling

(Newser) - It’s a good time to be a cheapo beer, but that alone can’t explain the ridiculous year Pabst Blue Ribbon is having, Advertising Age reports. PBR’s sales are up a whopping 25%, making it by far the fastest growing cheap beer, which is especially astounding because it’...

Utilities Turn to Peer Pressure to Nudge Customers

Cut your energy use to keep up with Joneses

(Newser) - Would you be more likely to rein in your energy use if you knew it would save money, or if you knew your neighbors used less? Traditional economists assume the former—that consumers do what is in their best interest—but companies are ditching that notion in favor of behavioral...

Pfizer Pays Record $2.3B Fine for False Marketing

(Newser) - Pfizer will shell out $2.3 billion—a record for a health care fraud settlement—over deceptive marketing of its drugs, the Los Angeles Times reports. Pfizer and one of its subsidiaries marketed four drugs based on off-label uses specifically prohibited by the FDA. The settlement with the Justice Department...

Fall Fashion Mags Shed a Few Pounds

Advertisers slowly turn to the Internet

(Newser) - Fashion magazines’ typically beefy September issues are nearly a third skinnier this year as advertisers drift away from print, the Wall Street Journal reports. Vogue, for example, boasted 840 pages in September 2007; this year, it’s just 429 pages, a 36% drop from last year. Advertisers are trying out...

Back to School Sales in Slump
 Back to School Sales in Slump 
Aug 15, 2009 5:20 AM CDT

Back to School Sales in Slump

(Newser) - Retailers are seeing the slowest back-to-school season in many years as consumers cling to their cash, the New York Times reports. Estimates on sales, an early indicator of how stores will fare in the holiday season, show declines of 3 to 8% from last year, which saw a 1% increase....

Durex Targets Heat-Seeking 'Pleasurati' in Condom Ads

Company paints itself as the pick of mature pleasure seekers

(Newser) - Second-place condom maker Durex has rolled out a juiced up identity in its latest ad campaign, Advertising Age reports. Advertising execs—who say their research shows that market leader Trojan is seen as the "boy scout" condom and No. 3 brand Lifestyle as the choice of swingers—are...

Stay Tuned for Ads During TV Shows

Advertisers to paste commercials on sides of screen

(Newser) - A new strategy aims to grab the attention of viewers now using DVR to skip commercial breaks: in tests, so-called “in-show ads” are run on the top or bottom of the screen—and even on occasion in the middle—during the action, Advertising Age reports. Execs are betting that...

Brewers Relieve Recession With Cheap Beer

Natural Light, Busch, High Life see sales jump

(Newser) - With the recession drying up cash flow, thirsty Americans are seeking out “sub-premium” beers, and brewers are marketing accordingly, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports. Anheuser-Busch is creating its first-ever ad campaign for Natural Light, whose sales are up 4% this year; MillerCoors is pushing Miller High Life, whose sales...

Retailers Pitch Tweens, Moms Age-Appropriate Wares

Marketers seek positive messages for their products

(Newser) - Tween girls are a $43 billion market—but they’re not the ones with the wallets. Marketers are aiming for parents concerned about kids facing a barrage of ads that may not be “age-appropriate,” the Washington Times reports. “Many products are about making them older faster, but...

Caffeinated Booze Prompts State Probes

AGs said to be concerned over deceptive marketing

(Newser) - State attorneys general are taking a hard look at increasingly popular caffeinated alcohol beverages amid fears the combination is dangerous and targeted at underage drinkers, the Wall Street Journal reports. The AGs are calling for company records from the makers of Joose and Four Loko. At 7-Eleven, Joose has had...

Got 250 Twitter Followers? Best Buy May Have Opening

It may be the first time social-networking popularity has been a job requirement

(Newser) - For possibly the first time, an active Twitter following is a job requirement, the Telegraph reports. Best Buy asked that candidates for a senior marketing position at the company’s Minnesota headquarters have at least 250 followers for their Twitter pages. The posting also lists “1 year of active...

Post Cancels Off-the-Record 'Salons'

'Overzealous marketing execs' pushed fliers, paper says

(Newser) - Washington Post publisher Katharine Weymouth today nixed the “salons” aimed to sell lobbyists access to off-the-record gatherings of administration officials, members of Congress, and Post journalists, the paper reports. “This should never have happened," said Weymouth. Fliers advertising the meetings "got out and weren't vetted. They...

Twitter a Delicious Marketing Tool, Restaurants Find

Microblogging website allows for quick communication with customers

(Newser) - Restaurants are finding Twitter a highly useful marketing tool, allowing for direct communication with customers other forms of advertising can’t provide, the Boston Globe reports. Boston’s Tupelo (@tupelo02139), for example, used a Twitter feed to post updates as the restaurant passed inspections, set the décor and decided...

Diddy May Hawk Guinness, Too

(Newser) - Diddy may be mixing beer with his vodka soon. Rapper-pitchman-entrepreneur Sean Combs is in talks to help market Guinness and Red Stripe, sources tell Advertising Age. Combs has already worked with Diageo, the British company behind the brews, on its Ciroc vodka brand. If the deal goes through, Combs would...

Obama Sees 'Victory' in Passage of FDA-Tobacco Bill

(Newser) - President Obama praised the passage of a bill allowing the FDA to regulate tobacco products as “a long time coming," the Hill reports. The legislation, which sailed through the House this morning, grants the agency new power to regulate tobacco ingredients and marketing. "After a decade of...

Dunkin' Pushes...Donuts
 Dunkin' Pushes...Donuts 
Jun 1, 2009 1:15 PM CDT

Dunkin' Pushes...Donuts

(Newser) - America may run on Dunkin', but the working-man's coffeeshop would like to remind recession-slapped Americans about the cheap, sugary goodness of the other end of its name. After a decade of emphasizing coffee—which fuels 60% of the chain's revenue—Dunkin has decided it's time to make the doughnuts pay...

In Recession, Sales of Sex Toys Boom

People have 'more time on their hands'

(Newser) - The recession is good news for at least one retail segment: Sales of so-called sexual enhancement devices are through the roof, Advertising Age reports. Lubricant sales jumped 32% in the first quarter, and sales of “marital aids” sold in food, drug, and mass-market stores have soared 74%. “When...

Ladies, Mars Wants You to Have a Fling

'Naughty' new candy bar has really, really, really suggestive ads

(Newser) - Mars has introduced its first new candy bar in 20 years—and a racy marketing campaign to go along with it, NPR reports. The Fling is a "chocolate finger" of meringue and truffle painted with a "shimmering" chocolate coating, and both the 85-calorie size and the very pink,...

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