Oreo did a pretty good job of owning the second half of the blackout-interrupted Super Bowl—at least on social media. Now the world's leading cookie brand is making a grab for the galaxy in a playful new app exclusive to Nokia Lumia phones.

Meanwhile, continued innovation from Oreo will be crucial for its parent company Mondelez International as it attempts to reignite sales growth this year after a slightly disappointing 2012. CEO Irene Rosenfeld told analysts this week that she's "bullish about our future. Although our top-line growth was disappointing in the back half of last year," she said in a press release, "the quality of underlying revenue and earnings growth provides strong momentum as we enter 2013."

Using what it calls "augmented-reality" technology, the new Oreo Skies mobile app on Lumia allows users to write messages and "attach" them to actual constellations revealed in the app. Stars then "twist open" (like an Oreo) to reveal the message to the intended recipients. Other features include "shooting stars" that dash across the screen which carry special offers, recipes or incentives.Continue reading...

Babies, toddlers, and kids love ‘em, so why shouldn’t adults? At least that’s what a few manufacturers of packets filled with pureed fruits and vegetables are thinking.

Happy Family, Buddy Fruits, and GoGo squeeZ “are experimenting with larger portion sizes, simpler designs and sophisticated flavors like cranberry or açaí,” the Wall Street Journal reports. Those aren’t flavors that the diaper set would likely be interested in, but for adults who spend a lot of time in their cars and on the go, squeezable food may have found itself a receptive marketplace. They are certainly popular with babies, even though the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry isn’t a big fan.

Plum Organics reports that “sales of pouch-style baby food more than doubled in the last three months, while baby food in jars and tubs was down 15%,” the Journal notes. Benjamin Punchard, senior global packaging analyst at Mintel, tells the paper that 40 percent of new baby food products or flavors introduced last year came in pouches, up from two percent in 2007.

And why not? Baby foods are a $1.5 billion industry and the pouches help extend the lifespan of the products. “It’s allowing us to age up,” said Maureen Putman, chief marketing officer for the Hain Celestial Group, maker of organic brand Earth’s Best, according to the Tennessean. “Where moms may have stopped baby food at 9 to 12 months, the pouches have really helped extend the shelf life of baby food. We see growth for a long time to come.” Continue reading...

Warren Buffett may finally have met a deal that satisfies his appetite. In agreeing to buy H.J. Heinz Co. in partnership with 3G Capital for $23 billion (or $28 billion including debt assumption), the CEO of Berkshire Hathaway has acquired a stable of globally popular brands owned by a staunchly resilient company in an economically dependable business.

In fact, the famed Oracle of Omaha told CNBC this morning, he has been ogling Heinz since 1980. "This is my kind of deal and my kind of partner," he said. "Heinz is our kind of company with fantastic brands."

Those brands include not only Heinz ketchup, the "bread and butter" of the portfolio of the Pittsburgh-based CPG giant, but also Ore-Ida, Lea & Perrins sauces, and Classico pasta sauces. Heinz products are sold in more than 200 countries.

Even more important to Buffett, Heinz and its brands have been great performers in a tough industry even during the Great Recession, and over the last 12 months its stock already has risen nearly 17 percent. Berkshire and 3G agreed to pay $72.50 a share, about 20 percent above Heinz's closing price on Wednesday. On Thursday, the stock climbed about to about the acquisition price.Continue reading...

Procter & Gamble is redoubling efforts to tap into the emotions of consumers and the inventiveness of entrepreneurs as CEO Bob McDonald declares that he has brought the company through a rough patch and sees a brighter future.

The company has just launched a new front door for its vaunted open-innovation program, Connect + Develop. The new website aims to speed up and simplify external connections by linking would be innovators directly to top company needs, and P&G business leaders directly to external innovation submissions.

Connect + Develop, which the company describes as, "at the heart of how P&G innovates," has been responsible for a wide variety of game-changing innovations introduced by P&G over the last decade, ranging from Swiffer Dusters to Crest Whitestrips. The aim of the new site is to make the sorts of connections that lead to such innovations "easier and more effective," Laura Becker, general manager of Connect + Develop and of global business development for P&G, said in a press release. Continue reading...

Call it "We are the Swirl." As brandchannel broke on January 7th, Kraft's Miracle Whip dressing brand has produced its first musical video, an "anthem" that will premiere during Sunday night's Grammy Awards telecast, but won't run on CBS. Instead, it's being promoted on the brand's social and digital channels.

The tongue-in-cheek video, above, stars Scottish songbird Susan Boyle (in her first U.S. commercial endorsement) and an unlikely crew of musicians, including Lance Bass (formerly of 'N Sync and readying his first solo album), country star Wynonna Judd, '80's pop star Tiffany, former Guns N' Roses guitarist Gilby Clarke, alt rock drummer Philip "Fish" Fisher of Fishbone, heavy metal singer Don Dokken, rap/hip-hop artist Chali 2na, and members of the Village People.

In the vein of "We are the World" and other musical pleas for understanding, the eclectic mix of performers sings "Keep an Open Mouth," continuing on a theme that debuted during last year's Academy Awards telecast. The sense of humor is in keeping with a brand that makes light of its claim that "a lot of people say they hate us without every (even) trying us," as its YouTube channel notes.

As Judd tweeted, the campaign's goal is "to set all the pre-judgers out there straight." Addressing the "haters," the Miracle Whip Twitter feed promoted the video (hashtag: #KAOM) with the comment, "Don't knock it 'til you try it," and will be live-tweeting throughout the Grammys telecast.

Nominated for several Academy Awards, Silver Linings Playbook has been critically acclaimed for its directing, story and performances. But what about its product placement?

The feel-good love story features some product placement as complex as its themes. For starters, there is the question of whether or not pharmaceutical companies like AstraZeneca had anything to do with drug mentions. (They did not.) There are Raisin Bran, Budweiser, and Apple products. ("Gimme' an iPod. Who doesn't have an iPod?")

And then comes the conspicuous jar of Hellmann's mayonnaise. Continue reading...

Famous mouths opening up — isn't that what the Grammys are all about?

Miracle Whip has just posted a teaser video on its YouTube channel (watch above) hinting at some of the gold-plated throats that will help the brand promote its sponsorship of Sunday's Grammy Awards telecast on CBS, recording a song (a title guess: "We are the Swirl"?) and using the tagline — "Keep an Open Mouth" — that the Kraft-owned brand introduced during another awards show: the 2012 Academy Awards.

Participating musicians include Scottish singer Susan Boyle, country legend Wynonna Judd (who's been tweeting about the launch—see below), former 'N Sync vocalist Lance Bass, '80's pop star Tiffany, former Guns N' Roses guitarist Gilby Clarke (who tweeted an Instagram photo of Boyle with his motorcycle; thanks, Fairacre, for the Twitter tip), and members of the Village People (who posted photos from the video shoot on Facebook), all seen in a behind-the-scenes video during the taping at Ocean Way Studios in Hollywood.

The teaser ends: "Famous Mouths Are Opening Up for Miracle Whip" and promises an "epic video" (update: watch it here) that will be "opening" on Sunday. Ahead of Sunday's debut, the campaign is being promoted on the brand's Facebook page and on Twitter with the hashtag #KAOM, an acronym for the "Keep an Open Mouth" tagline.Continue reading...

LUNA Bar is rebranding itself as a “thought leader” on women’s nutrition, and expanding its reach to include dieters.

Its six "Debunking the Diet" webisodes, hosted by "Funny or Die" writer/actor Erin Gibson and nutritionist Tara DelloIacono Thies, premiered this week with a focus on weight gain and late-night eating.

The spots support the brand's new tagline, "Feed Your Strength," and are appearing on Luna's Facebook and YouTube pages as well as health-related websites, The Huffington Post and Daily Candy.  Other campaign messages include “Moderation, not deprivation” and “Strong beats skinny.”Continue reading...