Running is about to change forever. Well, that’s what the marketing minds at Adidas want you to think about their new running shoes, the Adidas Boost trainers, which will make their debut Wednesday.

To prove the point, Adidas has released a teaser video (below) that shows off three metal balls being dropped from the top of the frame onto the base material for Boost, EVA (or ethylene vinyl acetate, which is often used in running shoes), and concrete. Guess which ball bounces the highest by far? Spoiler alert: Boost it is.

The Adidas Running website and Facebook page are also teasing the big reveal at a global press event in New York, while promoting the #boost hashtag to stir Twitter conversations.Continue reading...

If Amy Sedaris pitching Downy in a perky new campaign rings a bell, it's because celebrities have been sudsing up for brands since the early days of Hollywood. Think back to the golden days of radio, when Jack Benny plugged Jello in his opening line, "Jello, everybody, this is Jack Benny," and Bob Hope promoted Pepsodent toothpaste. And in the early days of television, George Burns and Gracie Allen peddled Carnation Milk, Groucho Marx touted Prom Shampoo and Ozzie and Harriett shilled for Aunt Jemima Pancake Mix. Before he was President, Ronald Reagan stumped for Chesterfield cigarettes.

In today’s world of 24/7 social media, celebrity endorsement, backing and entrepreneurship (from Gwyneth Paltrow's Goop to Jessica Alba's Honest Company) have reached new digital platforms. This week Stamped, a mobile app and website that lets people share reviews of anything they like, announced new celebrity backers including Justin Bieber, Ryan Seacrest and Ellen DeGeneres, and investments from Columbia Records, Eric Schmidt and The New York Times Company, bringing its financing to over $3 million.Continue reading...

Michelle Obama may have her vegetable garden at the White House  and the state of Delaware’s parks may be acting as a testing ground for the national-park system this summer by "balancing" its menus to offer fewer sweets and more valuable sustenance, but that doesn’t mean America doesn’t still like its snack foods.

In fact, Americans love their snack food more than ever.

Research firm Packaged Facts reports that Americans spent  $64 billion in 2010, an increase from $56 billion in 2006 for a compound annual growth rate of 3%. “Sales are expected to continue upward to $77 billion by 2015,” the researcher states in its report.

"The boundaries between meals and snacks are growing ever blurrier, creating consumer consumption habits that will resonate for generations," said David Sprinkle, research director and publisher of Packaged Facts.Continue reading...

UNICEF's celebrity endorsement-spoofing commercials for a mock version of its Tap Project (faux tagline: "now the world's most ridiculously expensive tap water can be yours") are spot on, featuring Rihanna, above, and UNICEF US ambassador Selena Gomez, below.Continue reading...

Today is the one-year anniversary of the earthquakes that hit Haiti. UNICEF Ambassador Selena Gomez taped this promo to draw attention, particularly among kids and teens, to the continuing impact of that devastation — and to draw attention to a special website, unicefhaiti365.org.