Most Clicked GMA SmartBrief Stories
1. Kraft taps SocialVibe for Facebook food-donation program
GMA SmartBrief | Dec 31, 2008
Kraft Foods has turned to SocialVibe to create a cause-related Facebook application. Each time a user persuades someone else to add the application, Kraft donates six meals to hungry families through the Feeding America program. Adweek (12/30)
2. 2008: The year of the shrinking food package
GMA SmartBrief | Jan 02, 2009
About 30% of all packaged goods were sold in smaller packages last year, according to Nielsen Co., with many companies striving to make the changes nearly invisible to consumers. "It's become a game," one observer said. "How far can you go in reducing the size of a package while flying under the consumers' radar screen." Chicago Sun-Times (12/31)
3. Gatorade gets a face-lift
GMA SmartBrief | Dec 30, 2008
PepsiCo is giving Gatorade a new look and renaming some of its line extensions. The flagship brand, Gatorade Thirst Quencher, will get a new label with a large "G" next to the iconic bolt. Among the name changes, Gatorade Fierce is now Bring It, and X-Factor is Be Tough. Brandweek (12/29)
4. Gillette puts its razor focus on women
GMA SmartBrief | Jan 05, 2009
After decades of research on men's shaving, Procter & Gamble's Gillette is turning its attention to women, hoping to double sales in its Venus line. At a research facility in Reading, England, scientists use 3-D computer technology to study how women move their bodies when shaving. Boston Globe, The (01/04)
5. Campbell named Food Marketer of the Year
GMA SmartBrief | Jan 05, 2009
Marketing Daily named Campbell Soup its Food Marketer of the Year for 2008, saying the company's head-to-head battle with General Mills' Progresso was part of a "nimble, spot-on" strategy. Campbell's Lower-Sodium Soups, the year's top-performing food launch, were promoted in ads that compared it directly with Progresso Light. MediaPost Communications (01/02)
6. Twitter becomes a winner for big marketers
GMA SmartBrief | Dec 30, 2008
SMS-based social network Twitter.com is becoming an important part of the marketing mix for companies looking to humanize their brands. "There's something so gratifying about being able to connect in real time and in a real way," a spokesperson for Dunkin' Donuts said. ClickZ (12/29) TVWeek.com (12/28)
7. Where Heinz cooks up ideas
GMA SmartBrief | Jan 05, 2009
New products are researched at the Global Innovation and Quality Center of H.J. Heinz Co. The sleek, 100,000-square-foot center, which opened in Marshall Township, Pa., about three years ago, is the site for food science, consumer-psychology research, packaging engineering and manufacturing fine-tuning. American City Business Journals (01/02)
8. How Affinnova helps companies with brand management
GMA SmartBrief | Dec 30, 2008
Affinnova helps companies including Procter & Gamble and Wal-Mart evaluate their products, with the premise that only the strongest will survive. In 2006, the group identified imagery and messaging that would help launch Dannon's Activia in the U.S. BusinessWeek (12/29)
9. P&G facility is at the center of the brainstorm:
GMA SmartBrief | Jan 05, 2009
A Procter & Gamble facility on Clay Street in Cincinnati is where executives go to unlock creativity. There are beanbag chairs and wood floors, and speakers such as New Age thinkers might be brought in to help give new perspectives. Journal Gazette (Fort Wayne, Ind.), The (01/04)
10. Stevia stirs up health debate
GMA SmartBrief | Dec 30, 2008
The Food and Drug Administration has accepted stevia-derived sweeteners as "generally recognized as safe" for food and drinks, and its use is expected to become widespread. But at least one scientist believes the FDA moved prematurely, saying the sweetener has been shown in lab tests to damage genetic material. Palm Beach Post (Fla.), The (12/28)
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