Kellogg, Kraft Forge Ahead Through Market Turmoil

The sour economy continues to be sweet for package-food marketers, as Kellogg Co. reported double-digit increases in third-quarter earnings today. It credited stepped-up marketing support for the gains -- but a slowdown looks to be on the horizon. . . .

AdAge

You Loving It?

Looks like Mc'D's is changing their look. Now you can figure out what's inside the package- may still have trouble figuring out what's inside their food.

McDonald's Give Packaging a Flashy Update - via AdAge.com

Kraft profit slightly ahead of Wall Street view

Kraft Foods Inc posted slightly better-than-expected quarterly profit on Wednesday, helped by price increases and new products that boosted sales.

Reuters

Jelly Time!

Chocolate, Meet Choco-Luxe

But in their race to broaden the high-end market, the giants are competing with tech-savvy upstarts like Tcho and Amano. Founded by former nasa software developer Timothy Childs, Tcho brews limited-edition "beta" bars superb enough to extract $5 for a few bites. Childs classifies batches with wine descriptors like fruity, nutty and floral.

Time Magazine

Foodmakers come up with 'Smart Choice' label to denote healthier fare

The label, dubbed "Smart Choices," will be featured on products made by General Mills, Unilever, Coca-Cola, Pepsico, Kellogg and Con-Agra, as well as Kraft. Wal-Mart, the nation's leading grocery retailer, also played a role in developing the program, though the label will be carried on products sold at all grocery stores.

Chicago Tribune

. . . And to Accompany Your Free Taco

Do you love G&R and Free Dr. Pepper. . .

Do You Love Free Tacos? Me Too!

If you love baseball, then you'll love free tacos!

Brands Lose Relevance in Food-Buying Decisions

...brand marketers who think that conveying taste, quality and price is pretty much still enough -- "and oh yes, we should probably let [consumers' know that we're sustainable and have some health benefits"--will indeed find that their brands become less and less relevant, she warns.

Media Post

Drink away your sorrows about the economy with a $175 bottle of Whiskey!

At least that is what Beam Global and other premium spirit distributors are hoping for. Even though the market is tanking there is still a desire for luxury goods.

AdvertisingAge

Dunkin' Beat Starbucks

Really . . .

Is this really the new Pepsi logo? Really? It looks like the logo got a little tipsy at the bar.

"The white band in the middle of the logo will now loosely form a series of smiles. A smile will characterize brand Pepsi, while a grin is used for Diet Pepsi and a laugh is used for Diet Pepsi Max. Mountain Dew will be rebranded as Mtn Dew."

Check out all the $1.2 billion worth of changes that Pepsi's undertaking.

A Caddy for Daddy

There is only one way to roll when you are flying up and down the Jersey Turnpike.

Almost too pretty to drink

More Mockingbird Lager concepts here

via The Dieline

Walkers crisps brand reinvigoration

Walkers crisps, the nation’s favourite brand, was suffering an unprecedented decline in sales.

OMD UK needed to reinvigorate the appeal of Walkers and get the audience to connect with the brand afresh.

SEE HOW THEY DID IT

Do You Like Eating Out?

Restaurant - 80% off Dining Certificates, $25 GC for $2, Oct 13

Restaurant is offering 70% off Dining Certificates via coupon code EIGHTY. $25 certificate is on sale for $10 - 80% off = $2. Please read the minimum spending limits for each "gift certificate" and other restrictions before you purchase.

via www.dealsea.com

Closed for Business?

From Domino's to Yum Brands and beyond, the credit crisis is sweeping the
fast-food industry, resulting in increased scrutiny for loans, delayed
construction and even some store closures.

http://adage.com/article?article_id=131671

Mars takes a bite out of chocolate giant Hershey

But M&M-making rival Mars has crept up on Hershey's dominance of U.S. chocolate buyers. And now, Mars has delivered a chocolate-coated slap in the face, setting up shop in south-central Pennsylvania, just 10 miles from Hershey's flagship factory on Chocolate Avenue.

msnbc.com

Want some breadsticks with that?

Chowdown champ Joey Chestnut has done it again -- this time proving he's a pizza powerhouse.He downed 45 slices in 10 minutes Sunday to win the first-ever Famous Famiglia World Pizza Eating Championship in New York's Times Square.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/10/12/pizza.eating.contest.ap/index.html

Milk Cartoon

His first deal involved getting the Disney character Doug onto cartons. According to Milk Media, milk consumption in participating schools rose as much as 34 percent (and the percentage of 2-to-11-year-olds watching “Doug” rose “dramatically” in cities where the schools used the branded cartons).

New York Times Magazine

The Food Issue

"It may surprise you to learn that among the issues that will occupy much
of your time in the coming years is one you barely mentioned during the
campaign: food. Food policy is not something American presidents have had
to give much thought to, at least since the Nixon administration — the last
time high food prices presented a serious political peril."

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/12/magazine/12policy-t.html

What does Spicy Sweet Chili Taste Like?

If you have ever wondered this then try the newest member of the Doritos family. Although they are very different from any other Doritos I have ever tried they are a miss for me. Personally I think they taste like an egg roll from a China Buffet Restaurant. Maybe my palette isn't sophisticated enough to appreciate the subtle spicy notes and hints of sweet undertones. Or maybe Doritos should stick to the classics, but you should decide for yourself.

Soup War Continues, Progresso Strikes Back

"Campbell fired the first shot and Progresso has responded with missiles," said Julia Beardwood, a principal at brand consultancy Beardwood & Co., New York.

Brand Week

Toning down the noise

I always find grocery shopping an enlightening experience. As a packaging designer, I can't help but wander the aisles looking for new and interesting products, trends, techniques, etc. Lately, I've been noticing that several brands have been "toning-it-down" in aisle. There's less "shouting" and more emphasis on clean, attractive design focusing on 1 main message. Some aisles, which tend to cause sensory overload, are slowly becoming a bit more refined. In the cereal aisle, for example, I recently noticed the new Grape Nuts packaging, with a smaller logo and macro photography, surrounded by lots of white space.

TheDieline.com

Sung Korean Bistro - An Outing

We decided to take a trip to Sung Korean Bistro to enjoy a little Korean food before the weekend started.

Wintrob had -

STONE BOWL BIBIMBAB
Water crest, bean sprout, carrot, radish, lettuce and pan fried egg (sunny side up) over rice with
choice of: beef, chicken, pork or tofu. served in a hot stone bowlServed with spicy bean chili paste sauce on the side.

Emily had:

YANGNYUM DUBU
Pan-fried tofu & roasted seaweed with Chef’s sauce. Soy sauce & vinegar base


Michael B had:

DAK BULGOGI
Grilled marinated spicy chicken.

Overall, the meal was good, though it lacked a little flavor. In hindsight I should have had stone bowl - nothing makes a meal better than a blazing hot bowl brought to your table and mandatory instructions to "play with your food."

Top Chef Season 5

So, I started watching Top Chef a couple seasons ago and was hooked. Who doesn't love chef's creating whacked out food, fighting, and then being told who's good and who's bad? Well, I just saw that the next season is approaching (Nov) and that Foo Fighters (of Paul Brown Stadium Fame) will be one of the guests, along with much disliked and embroiled Martha Stewart and Rocco DiSpirito.

Jeff Ruby's Belterra Review

I had the chance to visit Jeff Ruby's Steakhouse at Belterra this past weekend for the first time. I've been to a couple of his other restaurants, Carlos & Johnny's, The Precinct, and Jeff Ruby's in Downtown Cincinnati, and this was the best steak I've had at any of these restaurants so far.

Here's what I had and my layperson thoughts:
New York Sirloin - The steak was great, cooked to my request (medium well, which I'm sure the Chef hated) and seasoned perfectly.

"Jersey" Jeff Ruby's Boardwalk Fries - As a connoisseur of fine french fries (you know, McD's, Wendy's, Penn Station) the fries were great, as they should be for $4. They were served with the mini bottle of Heinz, which is both cute and tasty.

Overall, had a great time at Ruby's Belterra. I would definitely recommend it if you're in the mood for steak and gambling.

P.S. If you've got 10 extra minutes, you can check out this steak related phenomenon

Study: Too Much Sugar in Kids' Cereals

MSNBC