FTC Issues Subpoenas for Food Companies
Posted by ekabak in Uncategorized on September 2nd, 2010
FTC SUBPOENAS MARKETERS OF CHILDREN’S FOOD AND BEVERAGES
Last week, the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) began issuing subpoenas to 48 children’s food and beverage marketers seeking data about advertising practices and marketing expenditures dedicated to children. The FTC previously announced that it would be taking this action last May.
In 2008, the FTC published a report, “Marketing Food to Children and Adolescents: A Review of Industry Expenditures, Activities and Self Regulation.” The 2008 report was based on the results of a study of 44 marketers (most of whom have now been subpoenaed again in 2010). It included a number of recommendations for companies marketing food or beverages to children, including, “(1) adopt meaningful, uniform nutrition-based standards for all products marketed to children under 12; and (2) apply these standards to all advertising and promotional techniques.”
The 2010 subpoenas seek information regarding the implementation of those recommendations as well as updated figures on the companies’ spending on marketing to youths. The FTC plans to issue a follow-up report based on the information it collects.
The FTC has said that it is not planning to propose any new regulations, but the subpoenas clearly indicate that the FTC still views its oversight of marketing to children as a top priority in 2010 and beyond.
Thanks to Jeff Greenbaum and Michael Schiffer of Frankfurt, Kurnit Klein andSelz
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Neighborhood Retailers Create New Uses for Promotion
Posted by Deborah Martin in Promotion tactics, Shopper Marketing/Retail, Uncategorized, couponing on August 19th, 2010
Just last week, I noted the use of two promotion tactics, traditionally used
by product manufacturers and big retailers, now supporting the service
industry and neighborhood retailers. CVS had a direct mail coupon flyer
with two 20% off coupons — each good on one day only for the pharmacy with
a bonus coupon for talking to the pharmacist, which required his initials.
CPG coupons for the drug store - not new - but a chat with the pharmacist?
The other interesting approach is Discover Card’s promotion of neighborhood
dry cleaning services. Distributed in a full page FSI, Discover Card is
offering five entries to win $1 million if you use your card with a dry
cleaning, tailoring, or laundry service. Interesting idea, promoting an
industry segment of service providers, not a specific brand. I wondered if
they were approached by a national association for dry cleaning to help
promote their members!
What’s next? Meet the accountant, dentist, doctor, personal trainer? Use
your credit card at shoe makers, barber shops, nail salons?
It’s interesting to see traditional tactics morph into a new use. — Bonnie Carlson, President, PMA
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New study finds U.S. Internet users are spending more time on social networking sites
Posted by Deborah Martin in Digital Marketing, Email marketing, Social Media on August 5th, 2010
According to a new study released this week by Nielsen, Americans spend 40% of their online time “on just three activities — social networking, playing games, and e-mailing.” The biggest increase was reported in the amount of time spent on social networking sites, an increase of 43% from 2009. It will come as no suprise to marketers that Facebook was the top social networking site with a reported 85% of all social networking activities conducted on their site. Additionally, the study found that Americans who access the Internet via phone instead of computers reported an increase in the amount of online time spent using e-mail, an increase from 37% to 42%.
Read more about the study at http://www.informationweek.com/news/software/web_services/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=226500045&cid=RSSfeed_IWK_News
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Hey There Marketers, what is your Twitter annoyance level?
Posted by Deborah Martin in Blogging & Podcasting, Social Media on July 30th, 2010
In a recent article, the blog Social Times identifies seven twitter habits that marketers should avoid so as to not annoy their followers.
Top offenders include:
1. Not using url shorteners
2. Mundane tweets
3. Auto Direct Messages
4. Using so many characters that your followers can’t RT (retweet)
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NEWS: PMA protects sweepstakes industry in North Carolina law battle
Posted by Rob Fields in Marketing Law, Sweepstakes on July 15th, 2010
The North Carolina Senate and House last week ratified House Bill 80, a law that is designed to close loopholes in the state’s ban on video poker machines by prohibiting “the use of electronic machines and devices for sweepstakes purposes.” The bill is expected to become law with an effective date of Dec 1, 2010. An earlier version of the bill contained language that could have banned instant win sweepstakes and other forms of sweepstakes conducted for marketing purposes, but the bill’s sponsor eliminated that language, after hearing from PMA & others.
The bill bans the use of electronic machines owned by the sponsor or promoter and intended to be used by sweepstakes entrants. It is not aimed at the consumer’s PC, laptop, or mobile device, or at a server or other device for the consumer’s use. It also requires, for the statute to apply, the use of an “entertaining display”, which is basically defined as encompassing the uses associated with video poker and gambling devices.
The intent of the bill was to prevent gambling businesses from hiding behind the veil of electronic sweepstakes, but not to penalize legitimate sweepstakes operations.
PMA was instrumental in helping to modify the language of the proposed bill, protecting our industry. Linda Goldstein and Ed Kabak of the PMA Governmental Activities Council were actively involved in the revision of the law. Thanks also to Ed Chansky, Brian Heidelberger, and Scott Schleifstein for their help in the process.
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Shopper Marketing Takes the Lead
Posted by Rob Fields in Shopper Marketing/Retail on June 8th, 2010
In Advertising Age, SymphonyIRI’s Robert Holston writes:
The past five years has seen a refocus on the store as fertile ground for brand marketers with the advent of shopper marketing and the ability to leverage new insights and develop much more customized programs for customers. While the clear economic benefits from shopper marketing have been elusive for many, the true value of the past five years of the shopper-marketing craze just might be the mind-set change it has brought to CPG manufacturers in helping them migrate away from mass-market brand and execution.
To this, he suggests the following approach for marketers looking to leverage the opportunity that the store presents:
- Create a shopper-centric segmentation model
- Integrate both consumer and shopper understanding.
- Conduct economic modeling
- Plan for scale implementation
- Plan collaboratively
- Monitor and evaluate
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Twitter Usage in America 2010
Posted by Rob Fields in Consumer Insights, Digital Marketing, Social Media on May 28th, 2010
Edison Research recently released its study of Twitter usage, and some of the findings are:
- Despite high awareness levels (nearly 87% of Americans know about it), it is only used by seven (7) percent of the population
- Twitter appears to be disproportionately popular with African Americans, as 25% of Twitter users are African American, which is double the percentage in the overall population.
- Twitter users are three times more likely to follow brands than users on other social networks
- A higher percentage of Twitter users update their social network profiles and connect to Twitter via their mobile phones/smartphones that the average social networking site user.
Here’s the Webinar where Edison’s VP of Strategy & Marketing, Tom Webster, takes you through the results.
Twitter Usage in America 2010 from Tom Webster on Vimeo.
Hat tip to Jason Keath
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The ROI of social media is. . .
Posted by Rob Fields in Digital Marketing, Social Media on May 10th, 2010
Despite this being a push for a new book by Eric Qualman–Socialnomics: How social media transforms the way we live and do business–it’s chocked full of interesting stats. To wit:
- Social media has overtaken pornography as the #1 internet activity
- 1 in 8 married couples met over the internet
- Generations Y and Z consider email passe
- People care more about how their social graph ranks products and services that how Google ranks them
Additional link:
- Read more at Eric Qualman’s blog
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Upcoming PMA Events
Posted by Rob Fields in PMA Events on April 21st, 2010
Check out these upcoming PMA events:
- May 11–Webinar: Creating Brand Advocates with Integrated Digital Promotions featuring speakers from Ventura Associates, Capita Technologies, and Hip Cricket Mobile.
- May 12-13–Integrated Marketing Bootcamp (Chicago), an all-new class in the basics and fundamentals that industry professionals must know to be successful at Integrated Marketing, focusing on Promotion.
- May 25–Reaching Consumers Through Promotional Branding (Chicago chapter event) sponsored by Vervelife.
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How The Black Eyed Peas Became America’s Most Corporate Band
Posted by Rob Fields in Entertainment Marketing on April 16th, 2010
Good trend piece in the Wall Street Journal about the disintegration of the record business, the changing consumer perceptions of musicians with corporate sponsors and the increased business savvy of artists. Take a look:
Once, when pop music was synonymous with rebellion, a band getting into bed with a large corporation was as improbable as a Brooks Brothers suit at Woodstock. For companies, too risky; for fans, a betrayal.
This changed when advertisers began to leverage elements of the counterculture, which was no longer threatening. First they targeted baby boomers, from the Rolling Stones’ “Start Me Up” for Microsoft to John Mellencamp’s Chevy commercial. Cries of “sellout” diminished. As CD sales and the marketing surrounding it began to fall into a bottomless pit, younger bands rushed to find other sources of income and publicity. The Peas were among the fastest learners of the industry’s new math.
Read the full article here.
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