marketing

When I learned baby carrots were kicking off a $25 million marketing marketing makeover, I couldn't help but scratch my head. Really? What could possibly make these dried-out packets of "nature's candy" plane snacks hip, ever?

But when I saw the campaign's new website and SNL short-esque commercials, they made my morning. I've decided that, even though I maintain baby carrots taste overrated, I stand corrected: they are on the cutting edge of avant-garde. Check out my favorite commercial when you read more.

Remember the amazing social media campaign that was organized about a month ago by men's deodorant brand, Old Spice, which had everyone — including celebrities like Ellen DeGeneres and Ashton Kutcher — excited over? The company assembled a team of people to produce a video every seven minutes over the span of a few days to respond to questions posed by social media networks. Sales for the firm shot through the roof, and the commercial campaign even won an Emmy over the weekend.

One of the key reasons why the YouTube videos were such a success was because hunky actor, Isaiah Mustafa, nailed the manly, goofy character to a tee. It seems that Isaiah only started smelling success in his life recently, according to Forbes. He was originally an athlete that didn't quite make it big in the NFL. He then used up all his savings to start a restaurant that closed in five months. Broke, but not discouraged, he signed up for the gameshow The Weakest Link and won $47,000. He took that money and invested it in acting school, which paid off and landed him the Old Spice Guy part a few years later. Now he's said to play a part in an upcoming Jennifer Aniston movie and has scored other TV roles.

I know Isaiah's story might seem unrealistic to most, but we can all learn from it. For example, if you find yourself without a job, think of creative ways to reach out to companies. And if you meet with a disappointment, pick yourself up and try again.

Domino's has succeeded in making its pizza more authentic, and now it hopes to do the same with its advertising imagery. In its latest campaign, the pizza chain pledges not to alter its pizza in TV and print ads, encouraging customers to upload their photos instead. With the help of agency Crispin Porter + Bogusky, Domino's has just released a video. Titled "Pulling the Cheese," the clip gives the public a glimpse into the amount of exacting effort that goes into a tabletop video shoot.

Exactly what is involved? We're talking pizza makers, key grips, hand models, and food stylists toting tweezers, blow torches, drills, and electric knives. The takeaway quote comes courtesy of a key grip, who puts it this way: "Everything is focused in around this tabletop, and when you look at it from across the stage, it's this glowing other world."

See the extremely intense cheese pull in action after the jump.

With words like bacon, ham, and prosciutto associated with its name, you'd think pork would be pretty happy about its status in the food world. But this week, the Des Moines, IA-based National Pork Board announced its hopes to revitalize the protein's reputation by doing away with the famed tagline "The Other White Meat" in favor of a new slogan. The board will launch a new brand campaign in March 2011, after more than 23 years of using the well-known slogan, which it first aired in 1987 as a way to let consumers know pork had fewer calories than one might think.

However, according to Ceci Snyder, the Pork Board's marketing vice president, people have lost sight of the meaning of the phrase. In two decades, chicken has more than doubled in demand; meanwhile, pork sales have remained flat.

The National Pork Board maintains it won't completely drop "The Other White Meat" as a marketing tool — only that the line will no longer be the focal point of its campaign. "It did its job, for sure, back in 1987. It was phenomenal," Snyder said, but "we really need identity that catches people's attention. Being the (other) white meat is just blending into the background." Instead, the new campaign will focus on protein, and include a website overhaul.

"The Other White Meat" is such an enduring campaign that I think it'll be difficult to forget — and hard to top. What do you think of this risky move?

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After a 10-year break, Kraft's Jell-O and Bill Cosby are back together. The legendary Cosby Show comedian, who appeared in Jell-O commercials for nearly 30 years, is once again partnering with the gelatin and pudding company in its newest marketing campaign.

Although his last stint with Jell-O was in front of the camera in 1999, this time, the actor will be behind the camera as executive producer of the brand's new multimillion-dollar "Hello Jell-O" campaign, which features an updated Jell-O logo with a smiling face.

In addition to the brand's ads, which will begin airing on Monday, Jell-O will also sponsor the comedian's new weekly web series, OBKB, which will consist of 10-minute episodes on Cosby's own Ustream channel.

Next month, Cosby will help Kraft kick off a 22-city tour in Los Angeles to find the country's best giggle. To check out one of Jell-O's latest spots, read more.

Here's a post from OnSugar blog Life Forward.

Despite the general self-congratulations of Dove, Glamour, et. al. for using Plus Size models, turns out, seeing them in advertisements just makes women feel worse.  A University of Arizona study found that larger women preferred ads without any models, average sized women felt less bad about themselves (yes, that's what we're aiming for — less bad) with ads with skinny models, and skinny women preferred ads with skinny women.

I'm not shocked about the skinny women — It's hard to imagine a size 2 woman looking at an ad with a size 18 and wanting to look like her — and therefore be moved to purchase that product.  Our society has elevated the size  2 to a much higher place than the size 18, so there's nothing aspirational about the size 18 to the size 2.  Same goes for the average size woman — who, again, let's note, doesn't feel good about herself either way, just "less bad." These women would see a thinner model, think she looked like her and feel good, and if they saw a heavier model, worry that they were the same — and feel bad.

Good news though, using heavier models, which makes women feel bad about their own size/weight/etc. can be a useful tool in selling diet and weight loss products.

Anyone else disgusted by our own mind games?

Want to see more? Start following Life Forward or start your own OnSugar blog. Maybe your stories will be posted here on TrèsSugar!

If it's been a while since you've cracked open a can of Campbell's, its makers are hoping that this will be the year to change that. Today, the soup company announced it would be making some improvements both inside and outside of the brand's iconic red-and-white soup can.

Come August, the soup will be ditching its signature labels in favor of a more contemporary look that's focused on food photography. But perhaps it's learned a lesson from Tropicana's recent repackaging fiasco, because the three core soups — chicken noodle, cream of mushroom, and tomato — will retain their classic red-and-white labels.

The soups themselves will also get a face-lift. The company has cut sodium in 23 of its condensed soups by 45 percent, to contain 480 milligrams of sodium or less per serving. It's also launching a campaign to highlight its vegetables, such as carrots, celery, potatoes, and tomatoes, grown in the US. Chicken soups will include a new type of roasted chicken.

I'm always skeptical of canned soup, but I still look forward to giving Campbell's Soup 2.0 a chance. Will you?

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For the first time in 40 years, Heinz has redesigned its ketchup packet — and made it healthier to boot.

This morning, the company revealed a larger, more versatile condiment packet, which ketchup lovers can either tear off to squeeze like a traditional packet or peel off to dip. It holds three times as much as the old packet. The packaging innovation will be in most quick-service restaurants by the end of this year.

The company also introduced Simply Heinz Tomato Ketchup, a version made with sugar instead of high-fructose corn syrup. The ketchup will be released in March, and by Summer, the entire core Heinz ketchup line will reduce sodium by 15 percent, making Heinz the lowest-sodium national ketchup.

I know this is ridiculous, but I consider this a Heinz breakthrough. I can't wait to tear open a packet that's big enough for more than three fries! Hopefully, the news will quiet ardent protest groups on Facebook, like Make Ketchup Packets Bigger and Abolish Ketchup Packets. Are you as excited as I am for this groundbreaking move?

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