Reebok got itself into a heap of trouble with the Federal Trade Commission when it put out an ad campaign that claimed that the design of its EasyTone and RunTone shoes help give anyone who wears them better muscle tone than anyone who wears other shoes.

The company had such noted muscle-tone experts as Kim Kardashian spreading the news of its effects. Back in 2009, the kontroversial starlet blogged her love for the product, the Daily Mail reports. 

“You guys wouldn’t believe it, these shoes have a ball (kind of like that big balance ball you use to do sit ups on) on the bottom of the shoes!” Kardashian wrote. “So basically it works your leg and butt muscles as you simply walk!”Continue reading...

Double dip or a single dip with sprinkles on it, the recessionary feeling of the economy is something that Americans may be getting used to. And increasingly, quick-serve and fast-casual restaurant brands are adjusting to this "new normal" and simply trying to do business in spite of it, instead of assuming that better days are ahead.

Take Bennigan's. One of the original definers of the modern fast-casual restaurant segment, the 80-unit chain knows a thing or two about hard times, and by its own admission the Irish pub chain had grown rather stale and lifeless. It filed for bankruptcy-court protection in 2008, closed its corporate-owned stores across the US, and last November relaunched under new ownership. And certainly the three-year slump in the restaurant industry hasn't helped.

But instead of crying the blues, the Dallas-based chain, which now operates about 100 stores in the US and internationally is bringing out the green: It is launching a deep overhaul that includes re-connecting with the Irish green that was a key part of the optics of the original Bennigan's brand.Continue reading...

Brands with a strong regional following often achieve cult-like status among fans who embrace such brands as uniquely theirs.

So it is with Cheerwine, an unusually-named soft drink that, despite its name, has no alcoholic content but does have a wine-like hue. Cheerwine, with its cherry-like taste, was created in 1917 in North Carolina. Its maker, the Carolina Beverage Corporation, still maintains its headquarters in Salisbury, NC.

Traverse the Tar Heel state and you'll see old-fashioned Cheerwine signs in pharmacies and over lunch counters. The soda has been celebrated throughout the state and was featured on Our State, a television show broadcast on UNC-TV, North Carolina's educational television station.

Now Cheerwine is trying to follow the route of Krispy Kreme Donuts, another legendary North Carolina brand that expanded beyond its regional roots. In fact, Cheerwine, which proclaims "Legend since 1917" on its label, is leveraging the legend concept in a massive ad campaign intended to make the soft drink nationally competitive.Continue reading...

Usually when a brand takes off, it is in earnest. But sometimes it has many half-lives in hilarity. When it comes to satire, Star Wars is a deathless brand.

A new video has surfaced from YouTube’s Sneaky Zebra Channel. Based out of the UK, the channel says it is dedicated to creating awesome action and comedy films, and then getting them to go viral.

The latest of their creations to take off? A parody of the “I’m a PC, and Windows was my idea” campaign, but Star Wars-branded. Yup, there’s still gas in the tank on the Star Wars satirical vehicle.Continue reading...

Penguin, the orange-spined iconic British paperback publisher, is celebrating the 50th anniversary of Penguin Modern Classics this year.

Rather than rerelease titles as an app or some other digital/mobile item, it's celebrating the book (remember books?) with mini paper versions of 50 titles, some forgotten but all intended to delight and surprise and be read on the go.

Beautifully designed (of course), the Mini Modern Classics (which recalls VW's classic "Think Small" campaign and another iconic Brit brand, Mini) is a bold move for a brand whose stock in trade — the paper book — is fighting for its existence.

And who doesn't need to read more inspiring, engaging works of the imagination?Continue reading...

Think you understand the "reputation economy?" Ha. Two separate reports today indicate that reputation maybe is not all it's cracked up to be.

In the first example, despite the cocaine scandal involving Kate Moss, including seeing brands like H&M dump her in response, the British model has made much more money. Secondly, another report notes that Jet Blue passenger traffic rose 15% in the wake of the Steven Slater debacle. (You're forgiven if you've forgotten Steven Slater, by the way.)Continue reading...

Brasso metal polish, the venerable 105 year-old brand, is keeping up with the iPod generation.

Parent company Reckitt Benckiser is relaunching its Brasso brand by targeting owners of digital devices such as MP3 players and e-readers.

Previously marketing to tradesman and professionals, the Brasso Gadget Care formula debuts in November with an underlying message that it’s safe to use on iPods, laptop computers and mobile phones.Continue reading...

Unemployment remains stubborn, so businesses are hoping for the next-best thing: a return of strength in American consumer spending. And they’re seeing signs of just such a thing in the latest figures.

Indicators of the tenor of the US economic recovery remain uneven. The jobless rate is stuck at 9.7 percent, while the number of long-term unemployed continues to skyrocket. The housing market remains shaky, not to mention commercial real estate. And personal income has ticked up, but not by much.

But it appears that all of those things may no longer matter to consumers. Nascent signs of a revival in spending are proliferating, ranging from a March surge in new-car sales – including Ford, Toyota, and GM – to seven consecutive months of growth across the total retail industry. So the nation’s retailers, such as Nordstroms, Saks, and Abercrombie & Fitch, are ordering more merchandise.Continue reading...