YumSugar

Campbell's Emphasizes Oodles of Noodles With New Campaign

YumSugar — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 11:30:02 -0700

To commemorate the 75th anniversary of its celebrated chicken noodle soup, food company Campbell's has really used its noodle. Yesterday, the 140-year-old company launched a bold campaign called "Slurp" to get consumers to think about its staid soup in a new way.

To promote the fact that there are 32 feet of egg noodles in every can of its chicken noodle soup, the corporation partnered with ad agency BBDO New York and Traction Creative. They've erected a giant billboard with a 54-foot noodle coming out of it, which appears to be slurped by a mannequin standing in a window three stories above.The billboard is near Manhattan's Times Square and will be displayed on the corner of 7th Avenue and 53rd Street for the next four weeks, where it will attract plenty of attention in a high-traffic area.

The campaign is cute - I only wish I could see the billboard in person! - and I learned something new (I would never have guessed there are 32 feet of noodles in every Campbell's can). What do you think of the marketing effort? Does it make you want to buy Campbell's chicken noodle soup?

Source: Flickr User Vagamundos

Pepsi Draws Controversy For Amp Drink iPhone App

YumSugar — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 06:50:33 -0700

Looks like Burger King isn't the only food brand that toes the line between cutting-edge and crass. PepsiCo, the maker of new energy drink Amp, has gotten flack for its latest iPhone launch.

"Amp Up Before You Score" is a free iPhone application that offers young men pointers on how to get in bed with 24 different types of women. Selections include "Sorority Girl," "Treehugger," and "Punk." Amp fans can then detail their conquests on the app's Brag List.

Backlash soon followed, with many accusing Pepsi of demeaning and objectifying women. Amp tried to appease the furor with an apology on Twitter, although it seemed to only want to heighten the buzz around the brand by introducing the Twitter tag #pepsifail.

What do you think of the move? Check out the video after the jump

Kellogg's Testing Logo Corn Flakes in the UK

YumSugar — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 15:20:07 -0700

From Chanel suckers to LV-inspired cupcakes, fashion labels and food have been teaming up in unusual ways. But this trend may be headed in a direction that even the most brand-beset consumers couldn't have comprehended.

In an effort to quash imitators, cereal brand Kellogg's is developing laser technology in the UK to burn its logo onto individual Corn Flakes. "Now you'll always be able to tell your Corn Flakes from your corn fakes!" Kellogg's UK tweeted yesterday.
The company intends to use concentrated beams of light to print a toasted trademark logo without altering the cereal's taste, and is going to test batches before deciding whether or not to put branded flakes in all Corn Flakes boxes. If successful, the logos could be put on other brands, such as Special K and Bran Flakes.

Helen Lyons, lead food technologist for Kellogg, said, "We want shoppers to be under absolutely no illusion that Kellogg's does not make cereal for anyone else. We're constantly looking at new ways to reaffirm this, and giving our golden flakes of corn an official stamp of approval could be the answer."

Source: Twitpic User KelloggsUK

Italy's Fashion Houses Pay Tribute to Coca-Cola

YumSugar — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 05:50:53 -0700

Milan's 2010 Spring Fashion Week just came to a close, and in addition to revealing their latest collections, Italy's premiere fashion houses also partnered with Coca-Cola to raise funds for earthquake victims in Abruzzo, Italy.

Female designers Donatella Versace, Alberta Ferretti, Angela Missoni, Anna Molinari for Blumarine, Veronica Etro, Silvia Venturini for Fendi, Consuelo Castiglioni for Marni, and Rossella Jardini for Moschino dressed up Coca-Cola Light's trademark clear bottle for sale at an auction during Milan's "Tribute to Fashion" show.

I like them all, but my hands-down favorite is the iconic woven Missoni design, followed closely by the Moschino milk parody and Blumarine's flirty fruit pattern. To see each bottle, read more.

Bud Light's "In the Can" Commercial Aims Below the Belt

YumSugar — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 05:50:16 -0700

To promote its new Bud Light Lime cans, Anheuser-Busch is getting the word out through an interesting campaign that takes raunchiness to the next level. The online commercial features confessions of people who claim they enjoy "getting it in the can."

Industry vets have called the spot a "wannabe viral video" that's "crude" and "juvenile." Personally, I was entertained the first time I saw it - though it doesn't make me want to run to the store to buy Bud Light Lime. What do you think? Is this marketing ploy childish and gross, or a laughable campaign that you can get behind?

Source: Flickr User KeyExpert

For Papa John's, Camaro Search Ends on a Sour Note

YumSugar — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 09:00:45 -0700

This Summer's turned out to be quite the roller coaster ride for Papa John's founder John Schnatter. First, he and the pizza chain held a contest to locate his 1971 Camaro, the car he sold to finance his first pizza joint 25 years ago.

In what seemed like a fairy tale, Schnatter reunited with his long lost Camaro in Flatwoods, KY. But here's where the story turns sour: Papa John's is now suing one Kentucky couple, Phillip and Billie Slone, who believe they deserve the $250,000 search prize.According to the Slones, they first alerted Papa John's to the vehicle's whereabouts. Papa John's has fired back, accusing the Slones of fraud. The chain claims that after it informed Billie Slone that she didn't qualify for the prize without the vehicle's title, she contacted the titleholder, Jeff Robinson, and told him she knew a man who would pay for his Camaro.

Although Papa John's offered the Slones $25,000 for the role they played in linking Robinson to the pizza chain, Billie Slone has accused the company of amending winning guidelines after the contest was under way. I'm saddened to see a monetary prize spoil such a fun competition. Who is at fault: Papa John's or the Slones?

Source

Sydney Promotes International Food Festival With Food Flags

YumSugar — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 11:45:40 -0700

The brand-new Sydney International Food Festival has garnered worldwide attention with an appetizing marketing campaign that showcases flags made out of food. The designs, created by Sydney advertising agency WHYBIN/ TBWA, pay homage to symbols of state by composing them out of various countries' most representative ingredients.

We've included a gallery below with more photographs. Which one is your top pick?

See if you can match all the foods and flags to the right countries when you keep reading.

Papa John Reunited With 1971 Camaro

partysugar — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 07:50:33 -0700

In what seems like a story made for television, John Schnatter, the chairman and former CEO of Papa John's, has found his long lost 1971 Camaro. In 1984, Schnatter sold the car and used the money from the sale to open the pizza joint.

Last June, he embarked on a 12-city tour in search of his former ride. He highly publicized the trip by chronicling it on Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter and made special public appearances, like ringing the closing bell of the Nasdaq stock exchange, and throwing out the first pitch at a Dodgers game. After car blog Jalopnik joined in the search, a reader located the Camaro and notified the blog, who then got in touch with the pizza chain founder. Jeff Robinson from Flatwoods, KY, was able to produce the title to the car Schnatter sold 25 years ago.

In return for the car, Schnatter is rewarding Robinson with $250,000. Papa John's is so excited by the discovery that to celebrate, today they are giving away a free large, one-topping pizza to anyone who owns a Chevy Camaro. Are you surprised that Papa John found his old car?

Source

Hardee's Hopes to Entice Eaters With Racy French Maids

YumSugar — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 09:26:27 -0700

The marketing masterminds behind Carl's Jr. know that sex sells: this year alone, the fast food franchise has featured lascivious spots starring seductresses such as Padma Lakshmi and Audrina Partridge suggestively scarfing down burgers. And CKE Restaurants, the parent company of Carl's Jr. and Hardee's, won't stop there. To kick off its new French Dip Thickburger, Hardee's has brought on four feisty "French Maids" who will embark on a national tour, visiting stores and posing for photos. The ladies - appropriately named Sophie, Antoinette, Gabrielle, and Isabelle - hope to lure customers with short skirts, fishnet stockings, and plunging necklines. Consumers will be able to snap pictures with the maids and later locate the images online through a Hardee's microsite, French Me. With their risqué campaigns, the two eateries have certainly gotten media attention. But as they continue down a racy path, are the chains poised to become the fast food equivalent of Hooters? Is the company's marketing approach slick - or edging on vulgar?

Source

Che Guevara's Granddaughter Shows Skin For PETA Campaign

YumSugar — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 11:35:58 -0700

PETA is targeting South America as the market for its latest campaign. The organization's spokesperson? None other than Lydia Guevara, granddaughter of Marxist leader Ernesto "Che" Guevara. In the organization's first-ever South American campaign for vegetarianism, the scantily clad Lydia, a vegetarian, wears nothing but bandoliers of baby carrots and a red beret, in a reference to her grandfather, a revolutionary who contributed to Fidel Castro's rise to leadership in Cuba.

"It very much evokes the tagline of the ad, which is 'Join the vegetarian revolution," said PETA representative Michael McGraw. "It's an homage of sorts to her late grandfather." What do you think of the campaign? Does it get your attention in the right way, or it is too racy and politically charged?

Source