Best Global Green Brands 2013

brands under fire

Kraft Defends Mac ‘N Cheese Food Coloring to Cheesed Off Bloggers

Posted by Mark J. Miller on April 2, 2013 01:31 PM

For many parents, tiredly pouring the little pouch of mysterious dry ingredients that comes in your Kraft Macaroni & Cheese box into the pasta and watching the whole thing turn a scary orangish color is a rite of passage. There are some, though, who are alarmed (and awake) enough to try and put an end to it

Vani Hari mostly writes her Food Babe blog from North Carolina, but she recently traveled to Northfield, Illinois, to pay a visit to Kraft Foods HQ in Northfield, Illinois, on Monday and demand that the company stop putting yellow #5 and yellow #6 dyes in its food, as Hari noted in a blog post.

Kraft, of course, wasn’t backing down. "The safety and quality of our products is our highest priority and we take consumer concerns very seriously," a Kraft spokeswoman said in a statement, the Chicago Tribune reports. "We carefully follow the laws and regulations in the countries where our products are sold."Continue reading...

brand ambassadors

Kraft Zesty Guy Takes on Old Spice Guy in Latest "BRAND NAME Guy" Race

Posted by Abe Sauer on April 2, 2013 11:01 AM

In the future, all advertising will be based on the Old Spice Guy. The sooner we accept it the better. The latest entry into the field is Kraft Dressing's Zesty Italian salad dressing line with, wait for it, "The Zesty Guy."Continue reading...

brand news

In the News: Amazon, Facebook Phone, Toys 'R' Us and more

Posted by Dale Buss on April 2, 2013 09:07 AM

In the News

Amazon sees online retail rivals rise in 4Q and reign as most expensive stock end as company may have smartphone ambitions.

Facebook phone, no longer a rumor, is coming to Android.

Toys 'R' Us pulls planned IPO.

American Airlines settles fare suit with Orbitz.

American Express tests geo-targeted ads in London cabs.

American Greetings decides to go private.

Apple apology by CEO Tim Cook seems to satisfy Chinese authorities.Continue reading...

viral buzz

April Fools' Day 2013: Google Leads Brand Pranks Sweeping the Web

Posted by Mark J. Miller on April 1, 2013 05:54 PM

Every April 1st, Google tries to outdo itself with a new array of April Fools' Day pranks, and this year was no different.

Users of Google quickly spotted a “Google Nose” link that appeared on April 1st that invited consumers to smell what they are seeing on the site, whether it is a campfire or a flower. Or, at least, it would let them “leverage new and existing technologies to offer the sharpest olfactory experience available.”Continue reading...

truth in advertising

Starbucks and Gevalia Face Off Over Social Media and Advertising Claims

Posted by Sheila Shayon on March 29, 2013 04:08 PM

Trouble is brewing between Kraft Foods and Starbucks. The one-time partners have turned courtroom rivals over the $6.6 billion ground coffee category and the former’s advertising claims for its Gevalia Kaffe brand, which Kraft touts as "an exclusively smooth yet rich coffee experience that has been perfected by Swedes since 1853."

In its latest Gevalia campaign, Kraft says a blind third-party taste test “found nearly 60 percent of coffee drinkers preferred Gevalia's House Blend over Starbucks House Blend, versus 34 percent favoring the latter.”

Kraft’s premium coffee brand is leveraging its commissioned survey of U.S. adults to the hilt with its new TV campaign featuring a Swede named Johan, who is seen in the coffee aisle at a grocery store telling shoppers about the taste test while standing next to displays of ready to take home packages of Gevalia and Starbucks coffee.Continue reading...

brand news

In the News: AB InBev, Twitter, Cablevision and more

Posted by Dale Buss on February 27, 2013 09:09 AM

In the News

AB InBev fiercely denies allegations that it waters down Budweiser, as its earnings are boosted by U.S.

Twitter sees potential valuation soar as it mulls IPO.

Cablevision sues Viacom for making it run second-tier channels.

AMC is propelled by "The Walking Dead."

Apple is expected to address cash horde at annual meeting as it tries to crack India market with iPhone.

Asus plans aggressive push in U.S. PC market.

Boeing encounters lack of battery expertise as probe of Dreamliner drags on.

Facebook opens up its ad exchange to sell everything but Google.

GM CEO Dan Akerson requests no pay raise for second year in a row.

Huawei kicks off branding campaign at Mobile World Congress.

In-N-Out Burger is kept on track by heiress.

Kraft debuts theme of Velveeta as "liquid gold."

Macy's plans to intensify digital efforts and issues upbeat outlook.

Milwaukee Brewers renew deal with long-time sponsor Miller Lite. Continue reading...

ad watch

Ad Watch: Grammy Awards Follow Super Bowl as Brand Campaign Launchpad

Posted by Shirley Brady on February 10, 2013 09:04 PM

In addition to new campaigns for Ford's "Hello Again" music project for the Lincoln brand and Kraft's "We are the World"-like music video for its Miracle Whip dressing during the Grammy Awards telecast on CBS, a host of other brands used the post-Super Bowl platform to make some noise.

Anheuser Busch InBev's Bud Light Platinum debuted its new new campaign by its new "creative director," Justin Timberlake, while Target also used the Grammys to kick off its tie-in with the singer's new album and promote its tie-ins with singer Pink and fashion designer Prabal Gurung:Continue reading...

celebrity brandmatch

Watch Miracle Whip #KAOM #Grammys Music Video With Susan Boyle, Lance Bass and the Village People

Posted by Shirley Brady on February 10, 2013 05:13 PM

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.

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