Pepsi is redesigning its 16 and 20-ounce bottles for the first time since 1977 — one in a series of recent moves (see: the recent Super Bowl halftime show sponsorship and related landmark partnership with superstar Beyonce) as PepsiCo attempts to revitalize its flagship brand after a few mis-steps that led to the brand losing market share to rival Coca-Cola's Diet Coke brand in 2011.

The new design features a swirled grip on the bottom portion of the bottle, a shorter label edged in a "cola-colored" border and an enlarged version of its current globe logo and applies to Pepsi, Diet Pepsi, Pepsi Max and Pepsi Next. 

"This new bottle is the next milestone in Pepsi's Live For Now marketing campaign," stated Angelique Krembs, VP of marketing for the Pepsi trademark. "Our single serve bottle is the most visible and tangible connection point we have with our consumers, and we love how the new bottle expresses our brand DNA."

"We started with single serve, because it is the package you're seen drinking and holding," Krembs told Ad Age. "The longer-term view is this new design system would eventually hit all touch points beyond packaging, to be honest, but certainly all other package types, as it applies."

According to PepsiCo's press release, "The new bottle's bold swirl and elevated profile reflect the brand's attributes and youthful spirit, capturing the excitement of now for Pepsi consumers. The etched, grip-able bottom allows consumers to have a more stimulating, tactile interaction with the bottle itself."Continue reading...

Hey kids — eating cereal can earn you valuable prizes! Yes, you’ve got your airline loyalty cards and your hotel loyalty cards. You’ve got your “Buy 10 and Get One Free” cards at the shoe store, liquor store, and every other store. You’ve got your cash-back loyalty programs. And now you’ve got your cereal loyalty program.

In the vein of MyCokeRewards.com, Kellogg this week kicks off its own loyalty program. The idea is for consumers to visit KelloggsFamilyRewards.com and enter codes on each Kellogg product that they purchase. They then become eligible for rewards as well as the opportunity each day to win $200 of groceries.Continue reading...

While many global marketers are aiming Olympics-related campaigns at young consumers, the real core of TV watchers of London's Summer Olympics are expected to be older Gen X-ers and boomers. Those generations also struggle more than younger ones with obesity and other health issues.

All of that may be why Coca-Cola is using its Olympics sponsorship to do more than promote its new global "Move to the Beat" campaign, which is aimed at teens. Another new initiative by Coke is highlighting active lifestyles by centering on an "eight-pack" of athletes even though the first one revealed — Shawn Johnson — won't be competing in London following her recent surprise retirement from the sport.

In a challenging time in America for soft drink brands, led by New York City's proposed ban on large soft drinks, Coke is hoisting a healthy living banner into the London 2012 Olympics with a campaign which claims that — despite being dismissed as overcaloric sugar water by many health critics — the brand actually has an association with healthy lifestyles.Continue reading...

Coca-Cola US today released it latest London 2012 Olympics Commercial: "Support Our Athletes." As part of the campaign, Coke is featuring an "eight-pack" of American athletes — Shawn Johnson, Henry Cejudo, Alex Morgan, John Isner, David Boudia, David Oliver, Marlen Esparaza, and Jessica Long — in a My Coke Rewards Olympics contest.

Johnson, who retired from gymnastics on June 3rd, was featured in her own Coke spotlight video (see below) two weeks ago and will be covering the Summer Games as a "correspondent" for another of her sponsors, P&G, which last week announced a grant of $75,000 for youth sports development in U.S. gymnastics .Continue reading...

American Express continues to innovate in the social media space, working with Twitter, Foursquare and Facebook, and now adds a major gaming play to its virtual and real portfolio. Today, AmEx and Zynga launched a co-branded, prepaid Serve Card, called Zynga Serve Rewards, linking everyday spending to virtual rewards for millions of online gamers.

Tied to AmEx's Serve next generation open payments platform and digital wallet, this latest move is a first in the prepaid card market by offering in-game incentives for daily expenditures. The reloadable Serve pre-paid debit card will reward users in Farmville cash.

“We're excited to partner with American Express to invent new ways for people to experience Zynga play in more parts of their day,” stated Mark Pincus CEO and Founder of Zynga. “Together we can add surprise and delight to every day shopping.”Continue reading...

In April, it will be two years since the BP/Deepwater Horizon oil spill that dumped nearly five million barrels of the black stuff into the Gulf of Mexico. The folks at BP would like everybody to move along now.

To help ease that transition, the company — the second largest gasoline marketer in the US — plans to invest $500 million over the next two years for an American marketing push, according to Convenience Store News.

According to the report, the plan is centered around “a distinctive fuel offer, improved customer experience, and a more compelling loyalty rewards program” with the hope that the company can become the “No. 1 fuels marketer east of the Rockies” again.

“In 2012 and beyond, BP’s commitment to its branded marketers will be second to none in our industry,” said Doug Sparkman, president of BP’s East of Rockies Fuels Value Chain, at this week’s 2012 BP Amoco Marketers Association (BPAMA) Convention and Business Expo, an annual gathering of BP marketers taking place in Florida.Continue reading...

You want to go check out some serious water polo at the Olympic Games this summer in London but don’t feel like ponying up a boatload of cash to make it happen? Well, you just might have the opportunity.

United Continental Holdings has announced that it will let its loyalty-program members use their points to bid on events and experiences, such as tickets to attend the London 2012 Games, entry to concerts, and other hot tickets, according to the Chicago Tribune.

The new auction site, Mileage Plus Headliners, sets minimum bids for experiences, with a ski trip to California’s Mammoth Mountain that includes a private guide starts at 27,000 miles while four tickets to see the Chicago Orchestra starts at just 5,000 miles. Other experiences to bid on include “an opportunity to train like a pilot in United's flight simulator in Denver” and the possibility of being one of the first travelers on the Boeing Dreamliner when United gets delivery of that plane.Continue reading...

Shell Oil Products U.S. has had a lot of success with its two-year-old Grocer Rewards program, which allows consumers to get discounts on gas depending on how much they spend at participating grocery stores. So now the Houston-based company is expanding on the idea with its new Fuel Rewards Network, according to Convenience Store Decisions.

“What we are aiming for with FRN is a program that is even bigger than just grocers—one that goes into all the other spin categories that the typical family has and allows them to earn fuel rewards based on those other purchases,” said Dan Little, Shell’s North America Fuels and Forecourt Marketing Manager, according to CSD. “Those fuel rewards can be redeemed at all Shell stations, not just the 8,000 Shell units that have a grocery partner.”

Consumers simply get a FRN loyalty card at a Shell station and then register it online, where they can find a list of participating retailers and also download a mobile app to make their phone into a loyalty card.Continue reading...