Pepsi Plans Additional Price Increases

Similar to Coke, PepsiCo plans on more price increases on its products this summer to balance the offset of rising commodity costs. Consumers are still recovering from the economy and budgeting their necessities versus their desires; such as soda and snacks. After PepsiCo received a new sales volume, there was a renewed price push due to rising sales in snacks and beverages in North America. Consumers should expect rising prices on PepsiCo products by summer.

Read Article Here

McDonalds has fun with Vancouver

To promote their new breakfast lifestyle, McDonald’s had a little fun in Vancouver, by launching a few installations like this street lamp.  They also offered free coffee for 2 weeks to guests who came in.

Diet Dew Supernova

The fans have spoken! The new permanent part of the Mountain Dew family will be Diet Dew Supernova, a Strawberry Melon flavor. Diet Dew Supernova won the brand’s Fan-Dew-Monium Diet Dew Challenge after consumers had the chance to try 8 new potential flavors. In the end there were two top flavors left, Diet Dew Supernova and Voltage. These drink went on sale for a limited time in early March. Supernova came out as the winner with 55% of the votes from an online poll.

Read Article Here

Special Report: 2011 Soft Drink Report

The carbonated soft drink (CSD) category has lowered in sales across the nation by 1.3% according to Nielson ratings. Despite this decline, specific brands have managed to increase profit during this lull. Coke Zero and Sprite are some of the brands to have been able to maintain a small percentage of positive growth. The Coca-Cola Brand has recently been garnering positive results. While their staple sodas, Coca-Cola and Diet Coke, have lowered in market, they have still been able to capture the top 2 positions in sales. Pepsi has dropped to the 3^rd position, however, their Pepsi Max brand has received positive growth. Dr Pepper Snapple Group brands are up in the market and have received growth throughout the year. Unfortunately, 7 UP, Sunkist, and A&W  declined while Crush and Canada Dry grew double digits for the year. Dr Pepper Ten is expected to spread across the nation soon and is anticipated to do well within the low-calorie category. New packaging inventions and health options are reformulating the industry to new paths of innovation. 

Read Article Here

Lipton launches new line of beverages with natural ingredients

Lipton Iced Tea, a PepsiCo partner, has recently launched the new 100% Natural Lipton Iced Tea. These Natural Lipton Iced Teas come with a new line of beverages with an all-natural ingredient list from the US. The line includes the four new flavors of Green Tea with Citrus and Iced Tea with Lemon, Iced Tea with Blueberry Pomegranate and Green Tea with Passionfruit Mango. Lipton currently has a line of teas called Pure Leaf which is an extension of the brand. This new line of ‘natural’ teas is an effort to appeal to ingredient focused health conscious consumers. Lipton will also be able to present a more brand focused image that will differentiate from the Pure Leaf line. Pepsi and Lipton also plan on expanding their diet portfolio with a new Diet Green Tea with Watermelon. 

Read Article Here

Coca-Cola Profit Rises 18%

Coca-Cola’s net income rose 18% during this year, however, the company is anticipating commodity costs could be as much as $300 million higher than expected. This estimate could potentially rise to over $400 million by the end of the year. Increased costs are due to high fuel costs and soaring prices for the plastic they use for bottling. With a lack of business in the East after Japan’s devastating earthquake and tsunami, Coca-Cola is projecting a negative hit of three to five cents a share. In order to solve these looming threats to Coke’s business, they will be raising prices by 3% to 4% this year in large markets. They will attempt to sell more drinks in convenience stores which already present higher drink prices in comparison with supermarkets. A recent increase example is the 1.25 liter bottle of Coke selling for 99 cents in the supermarket, the same price a 2 liter bottle used to cost. 

 Read Article Here

Life-Altering Vending Machine of the Day

PepsiCo is introducing their new Social Vending machine to the world. This machine creates an interactive experience for the consumer. A user friendly touch screen allows consumers to navigate through the drink options and either select a drink, gift a drink to a friend, or check out the Pepsi Refresh Project. One of the additional features on the Social Vending machine is the “Random Acts of Refreshment”, which allows consumers to give a free drink to a stranger in the city as encouragement.

Read Article Here

Privacy 2.0: We Are All Celebrities Now

Our culture encourages documenting virtually every aspect of our lives, yet our society still demands for increased privacy. Celebrities and politicians continually express the hardships of being in the public eye, yet it is this exposed public attention that is the essence of their livelihood. They choose the be public figures, and now with the tools that the technology has given us, so does everyone else. Facebook, Twitter, blogs, and smart phones are all great tools for community building, however, they are also the media for exposing our lives to information-seeking companies and interested voyeurs. David Hector Montes, a former outreach director of the Pro Bono Research Group at the Moritz College of Law at Ohio State University, states that social media's prevalence "has created a culture of over-sharing and blurred the lines between who is a public figure and who is not." Public figure categorization could potentially alter privacy laws since it is easy for everyone to proactively seek prominence. Simply put, the result of online sharing is a decrease in privacy. It is important for users to remain cautious of their actions to avoid negative repercussions from the public eye, however, infamy is just another method for achieving public figure status.

Read Article Here

Diet Pepsi - Beckham Tweet

Name of Company/Competitor: Diet Pepsi
Name of Campaign/Spot: Beach Treat
Date Launched: 4/11/2011
Description: While relaxing on a hot beach, Sophia Vergara decides she wants a cold Diet Pepsi, but the line is too long. She sends out a tweet claiming that she sees David Beckham at the pier. The crowd disperses. Vergara is able to freely order a Diet Pepsi and moves back to her seat. Suddenly David Beckham appears next to her questioning the commotion by the pier. She is speechless.
Media Details: TV

Review: Spurlock’s Greatest Movie Ever Sold

Morgan Spurlock, the documentary director of the acclaimed 'Supersize Me', has developed a new film entitled the Greatest Movie Ever Sold. The movie focuses on advertising and product placement within the film industry. While the documentary is entertaining, some critics offer little praise. At first, the movie seems to be a swipe at the advertising industry, however, it turns more into a commentary of how the entertainment culture is being controlled by brands. There is no direct point of view established and the film does little to address what needs to be changed.

Read Article Here
See Trailer Here

The Amazingly True Tale of the Old Spice Campaign

Wieden + Kennedy was named the 25^th most innovative company of the world by Fast Company for their notoriously viral Old Spice campaign with Isaiah Mustafa. Rather than sticking to the usual :30 TV commercial, Weiden + Kennedy opted for making 200 online videos in 2 days. Seeing how successful an online ad can become, other companies are looking to do the same. 

Read Article Here

The Corporate Pursuit of Happiness

In the aftermath of the Great Recession, companies are now seeking to market happiness along with their products and services.  Jennifer Aaker, a professor at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, encourages her students and corporate America to pay attention to how happiness is linked to meaningful moments, and how these moments can then go viral. The professor goes on to add that happiness shifts with age. Younger people equate happiness with excitement and older people associate happiness with peacefulness. However, both the young and old consider recommendations from a friend or family member most influential. Coke’s “happiness machine,” a special vending machine that gives away free cokes, pizzas, and flowers, is a great example of how a brand can instantly become associated with genuine happiness and how these memorable moments can be shared virally. 

Read Article Here

Eric Whitacre: A virtual choir 2,000 voices strong

In 2010, Eric Whitacre, a professional composer, took on an ambitious project. After receiving a fan video of a young girl singing one of his songs, he decided to virtually gather a group of singers into what he called a “virtual choir”.  Hundreds of people from around the world sent in their YouTube videos singing their select portion of Whitacre’s “Lux Aurumque”. Each video was combined, making the singers sing in unison, as Whitacre conducted. This year, he again put out the challenge to create an even greater choir of 2,052 people from over 50 different countries singing “Sleep”. The project reveals the power of music and the possibilities for people to virtually make meaningful connections with those they have never met. 

Read Article Here

Diet Pepsi Joins Pepsi Max With New Commercials

PepsiCo has been primarily focusing its advertising dollars towards Pepsi and Pepsi Max products. While the Pepsi Refresh Project has been interacting with consumers on a personal level, there has been a lack profit from the campaign. Therefore, Pepsi is restructuring their ad spending and now reincorporating Diet Pepsi into their media spending. This new ad features Sophia Vergara of 'Modern Family' and soccer superstar David Beckham. PepsiCo hopes to bring Diet Pepsi back into the conversation with this boost in advertising.

Read Article Here

Thor Doesn’t Drive. However …

Summer blockbusters present a perfect opportunity for brands to partner with studios and expose their product. Acura has partnered up with the summer movie, Thor, which hits theaters May 6th. This is Acura's first major promotional sponsorship with a major film studio. The rationale is that Acura will represent the official vehicle of S.H.I.E.L.D. (Strategic Homeland Intervention Enforcement Logistics Division). S.H.I.E.L.D. is a worldwide peace-keeping organization in the Marvel Comics universe, and altogether, not a bad "company" to be affiliated with.  “Marvel has been supportive of us creating a ‘sub-storyline’ about the S.H.I.E.L.D. organization that doesn’t necessarily exist in the movie,” said Susie Rossick, brand manager for Acura national advertising. On May 6th, expect to see the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents driving Acura models such as the MDX, RL, TL and ZDX, while defending mankind.

Read Article Here

PepsiCo Creates Center of Excellence for Media and Marketing Procurement

As such a huge company, PepsiCo needs to be organized to maintain their ‘Power of One’ strategy. This strategy emphasizes the need for the company to be more cohesive. Therefore, PepsiCo is creating a Center of Excellence to handle specific areas of media and marketing procurement. The group is expected to establish a more global approach. “With this new operating model, the Advertising and Marketing COE will be well positioned to operate globally and create a more consistent and rigorous platform around key marketing spend categories in support of strategic business needs," says Grace Puma, Senior-VP and Chief Procurement Officer. The new group is excited for the opportunity to do its part for the company. 

Read Article Here

On TV Now: Watch an Ad, Get a Free Pepsi

Pespi is engaging in a new way to make commercials interactive and have consumers actively seeking out their ads. The process is simple. Consumers download the iPhone check-in app, IntoNow, and hit it while the commercial plays. Audio-fingerprinting technology then recognizes the ad and a coupon for a free 20-ounce bottle of Pepsi Max is downloaded. As an experimental trial, only 50,000 coupons will be accepted. The partnership with IntoNow will be executed through the airing of Pepsi Max’s “Field of Dreams” commercial for Major League Baseball. IntoNow’s technology not only knows what consumers are watching, but also if they are watching live, on DVR, or on YouTube. The program could usher a new means of interactivity with the consumer and reward that relationship.

Read Article Here

James Jarvis x Coca-Cola 125th Anniversary Cans

In time for their 125^th anniversary, Coca-Cola collaborates with British artist and illustrator James Jarvis to introduce 6 limited edition Coca-Cola cans. According to Highsnobiety.com, the project was curated by Kevin Poon of CLOT and Communion W, and the cans are speculated to be available in Hong Kong.

Read Article Here

Retailers See Double-digit Growth in Bottled Tea

Convenient store owners are claiming that Ready-to-drink (RTD) tea has been and will continue being their fastest growing beverage category in 2011. They argue that their customers are choosing bottled tea over bottled water and carbonated soft drinks because they perceive bottled teas to be healthier and reasonably priced. To further prove his point, the owner of Plaid Pantries, described how their quarterly two for $3 deals on Snapple bottles consistently result in a blow out of the store. 

Read Article Here

Social Media Integration at Virgin America’s New Terminal

Taking their social media efforts to another level, Virgin America has set up a public check-in leader board at their new terminal in San Francisco as well as on their Facebook page. This allows Virgin America to track and reward the top five users who check-in using Foursquare and Facebook.  The ranking system is arranged as follows: 1-4 check-ins earns a “Ground Crew” badge, 5-10 earns a “Flight Crew” badge, 11-20 = “Navigator” badge, 21-50 = “Co-Pilot” and 50+ = “Captain”. Additional prizes are also available from the Virgin America crew, including t-shirts and flight vouchers. All these efforts put together not only create a more interactive and entertaining atmosphere for their travelers, but also gives them a higher incentive to fly with Virgin America more frequently.

Read Article Here

Fuze: I'm Not In Your Club Club

Name of Campaign/Spot: I'm Not In Your Club Club

·     Date Launched: 3/31/2011

·     Description: Different fruits are segregated by clubs in a school setting. The two main characters walk through the scene, looking at each group. Suddenly they have an idea. They make their own booth titled 'I'm Not In Your Club Club' and begin throwing water balloons at the other clubs. All the characters break free and begin having fun together. The spot ends with the two main characters holding out a Fuze drink and the tagline appears saying, 'It's better when you mix things up'.

      Media Details: TV, YouTube Channel

Sunkist gives consumers inside look at citrus fruits

Sunkist has launched a new online media series that gives consumers an inside look of how the beverage is made. The three-part web series showcases how citrus fruits are grown and how to identify the different varieties. "This video series highlights how the Sunkist commitment to quality ensures families are getting the best fruit possible year-round," says Gina Widjaja, Advertising and Public Relations Manager for Sunkist. In partnership with the launch, Sunkist also initiated a sweepstakes for the chance to win cash prizes. Consumers are automatically entered into the contest by answering trivia questions based on the webisodes that will be periodically appearing on the Sunkist website, Sunkist.com/citrusgrove, until June. Fans who answer questions correctly could win $1,000.

Read Article Here

Have a Coke and a smile with new high-tech soda fountain

After a year of work and development, Coca-Cola has begun testing for a new soda fountain called Coca-Cola Freestyle. With over 106 different soft drink flavors to choose from, consumers are able to pick exactly what they want. "It's micro-dosing allows us to save space but provide a high-quality beverage," says Sydney Taylor, Group Director of Marketing and Innovation for the Freestyle. Salt Lake City, Atlanta and Orange County were one of the first cities to test the machine's capabilities. The Freestyle machine delivers consumer friendly touch screen control for easy browsing through the vast drink selection available. Currently, two styles of the machine exist, a self-serve model and a smaller model for restaurants that are operated by the employees. It has been dubbed "PurePour Technology" by Coca-Cola and is a new change in dispenser technology.

Read Article Here

R&D/Leverage and Dr Pepper Snapple Group create new "Legacy" bottle

Dr Pepper Snapple Group and R&D/Leverage have partnered up for the development of the new "Legacy" bottle. This bottle represents a visual and tactile design that is critical to the retail success of hand-held sizes. This new Legacy bottle will be integrated into packaging for brands including 7UP, Sunkist soda, Canada Dry, Sun Drop, Squirt and other soft drinks in the company's portfolio. The bottle will be widely available at retail outlets beginning this month. "It has to look good, and feel good in the consumer's hand," Tamara Christensen, Leverage's Director of Research.

Read Article Here

'Organic' Label Seems to Make Food Taste Better

Consumer perceptions toward products with the 'organic' label was put to the test in a study with organically produced chocolate sandwich cookies, plain yogurt and potato chips. Subjects were asked to compare food labeled as "regular" versus "organic", but in reality they were both the same organic products. The food items with "organic" labels were perceived as being lower in fat, higher in fiber, significantly lower in calories and worth more money. This study projects the theory of the "Health Halo Effect" which is the perception that an item labeled as "organic" is therefore nutritious. This effect is resulting in people believing that "organic" foods tasted better. The preliminary study displays the shift in consumer attitudes when determining which product they prefer.

Read Article Here

Pepsi & The X-Factor: Experience Generation X

Name of Company/Competitor: Pepsi
Name of Campaign/Spot: Pepsi & The X-Factor: Experience Generation X
Date Launched: 3/28/2011
Description: Crowds of people ready to audition for The X-Factor share their enthusiasm for the show and the beverage that has helped to bring it all together.
Media Details: YouTube Channel

Tea-based energy drink unveiled

Warrior Energy, a new company based in Martinsburg, W.Va., is exploring a new side project to build up their brand. The company is now branching off into the Tea category with Warrior Tea.  This new drink is revolutionizing the energy drink category by being marketed as a new kind of all-natural energy tea drink. "It's more than just a tea, it's energy you can chug," says founder and CEO Arthur Ebeling. He went on to explain that Warrior Energy drink is all natural and does not contain artificial flavors, colors or preservatives, nor is it carbonated. The new beverage is available in white tea and green tea varieties and is sweetened with agave nectar.

Read Article Here

Unbelievable David Beckham

Name of Company/Competitor: Diet Pepsi
Name of Campaign/Spot: Unbelievable David Beckham
Date Launched: 4/11/2011
Description: While on the beach in California shooting a commercial for Diet Pepsi, David Beckham shows why he's the world's most famous soccer player.
Media Details: YouTube Channel

Dr Pepper Snapple Group's BIG MTV Deal

A great interview with Forbes discussing Sun Drop's re-launch and Dr Pepper's revamp of its tuition giveaway.

Will American Consumers Ever Go Green?

Corporate America is embracing sustainability, but consumers aren't keeping up. Panelists at the Brainstorm Green conference this week dissected consumer behavior in comparison with what they say they are doing. Consumers tend to overplay the importance of sustainability when discussing consumption habits, exaggerating small sacrifices and ignoring a reluctance to make sweeping changes. "They tell pollsters that they consider sustainability factors in their purchasing decisions ... but the reality is quite different. They're green-washing their own behavior." - Marc Gunther


Read Article Here

PepsiCo Talks Social After Soda Brand's Fall to Third Place

 PepsiCo's global director for digital and social media, B. Bonin Bough, addressed the recent rumors regarding the slip to third place in the market. He suggested that singling out his company's social media marketing efforts for the fall was an incorrect assumption. Bough expressed that embracing social media and location-based efforts can help in both branding and moving product. That this is the essence of what integrated marketing is. Bough is confident that non-traditional media outlets are the way of the future and that Pepsi will have a head start in the process.

Read Article Here

When it comes to social media, Coke is it!

The Coke vs. Pepsi battle has been in competition for a long time. This competition is the longest in branding history. Last year, Pepsi changed its tactic to get ahead of Coca-Cola. Pulling out of the Superbowl, Pepsi decided to spend 50% of its advertising spending on social media. The Pepsi Refresh project was born and grew to reach a large market with over 80 million registered votes. However, despite these impressions, their sales began to slide downward. Coke was on the rise and even took over Pepsi's number two position with Diet Coke. Instead of marketing a movement, Pepsi should have remained on target by marketing a cola and pushing a call to action. The marketing needed to be more product oriented to succeed. The lesson learned by Pepsi is not that social media is worthless, but that its application benefits have been overstated.

Read Article Here

Coca-Cola's Give It Back racks a nod to sustainability commitment

Coca-Cola is once again establishing itself as a leader in sustainability concerns through their latest 100% recyclable display racks. These new racks are titled Give It Back racks and are stand-alone units made of easily recyclable corrugated cardboard. The racks currently are being tested in select markets and are expected to become widely available in late 2011. Coke's goal is to encourage stores that sell their product to join them in the revolution for complete sustainability.

Read Article Here

Twitter to offer brands Facebook-style pages

Twitter has already been a great success in the social media industry, however, they are ready to expand. Through branded pages, Twitter hopes to attract more advertisers by delivering tailored messages to consumers. Brands would be able to create content that would encourage consumers to follow them on Twitter. This would be a portion of a new long term plan to increase revenue within social networking.

Read Article Here

Caught Up in the Hype - How to Play in Social Media

While many companies seek involvement in social edia territories, such as Facebook, Twitter, and mobile apps, only a few really understand how to correctly connect and engage in this virtual playground. The article outlines some basic dos and don'ts but highlights the importance in connecting in 'real time' and correctly understanding the consumer you are speaking to. Brands that 'got it right' include Red Bull, the fourth most social brand across Facebook, Twitter and YouTube and also PepsiCo with its Refresh Project that invites users in.

Read Article Here

Dasani bottled water, Odwalla juice to be sold in plant-based bottles nationwide

Coca-Cola's bottled water, Dasani, will now be sold nationwide in PlantBottles. These PlantBottles are made from 30 percent plant-based material. Also, Coke's Odwalla juice and smoothies will break forth with a new 100 percent plant-based bottle for their single-serve portions.

"It's our goal to make traditional plastic bottles a thing of the past and ensure that every beverage we produce is available in 100 percent plant-based, fully recyclable packaging." - Scott Vitters, General Manager of the PlantBottle packaging platform at Coca-Cola. 

Read Article Here

Smirnoff’s ‘Peelable’ Caipiroska Bottles

Promotional bottles of Smirnoff’s new flavored ‘Caipiroska’ bottles will be packaged and ‘skinned’ like the fruit they are flavored as; lemon, strawberry and passion fruit. The packaging can be ‘peeled’ off, much like the skin of the fruit they represent. This is a great example of how packaging can pay tribute the brand itself and differentiate itself from the competition.

Read Article Here

Brands Become Art

The Dorothy collective is working on a series of painting that strip down famous brand logos into basic graphic forms.

Life And Times: Jay-Z’s Editorial Play

Jay-Z is more than just a rapper, he is also a designer and business man with an established company called SC Enterprises. Currently, Jay-Z is developing a new lifestyle site titled "Life And Times". The site will contain a variety of music, style, art, design and gadgetry. Although the site is not very different from other sites on the web, it does offer one point of intrigue to users; Jay-Z. He will capitalize on the millions of fans who trust his brand and will act as the website's editorial director and curator. Working directly with a small staff, Jay-Z will ensure it has his own personal style. Fans will flock to the site, interested in what catches Jay-Z's eye.

Read Article Here

Hot Wheels Installs Loop On Highway

Hot Wheels took a new approach with their latest advertising campaign. Instead of installing your average billboard, they have erected a giant loop-the-loop on the overpass of a freeway. The familiar image is a unique way to bring to life a real example of childhood imagination.

Read Article Here

Coke Promo: Help Write Song for 'Idol'

The "Perfect Harmony" promotion is part of Coke's new music program offering teens opportunities to engage with and collaborate with music artists. The promotion kicked off in February with the Maroon 5 London music session. Now, fans can join in the latest contest by submitting lyrics for a song composed by singer/songwriter Taio Cruz. The winning lyrical version will be performed by Taio Cruz during the American Idol finale on May 25th. The next projected promotion will be focusing on Hispanic teens. 


Read Article Here

Pepsi prepares to launch mid-calorie cola - report

PepsiCo is set to release a new drink this Summer that contains only 60 calories per 12 ounce can. While past versions making similar offers have failed, PepsiCo is confident that consumers are ready to indulge without sacrificing their diet standards. The new beverage will be titled 'Pepsi Next'. There is no anticipation of competition from Coca-Cola in the mid-calorie soda category.


Read Article Here

Powerade Ion4, Vitaminwater Zero rank as New Product Pacesetters

Coca-Cola's newest products have achieved a high ranking in the annual list of New Product Pacesetter. Powerade Ion4 and Vitaminwater Zero have increased sales and opened the door for further drink possibilities.

Read Article Here

New Snapple Tea Bears TV Show's Name

Snapple has partnered up with the CBS show Amazing Race to promote their newest limited edition tea.  India's rich tea tradition and the CBS show's stop in Kolkata, India inspired the new Papaya Mango Tea. Snapple was highlighted within the episode, in which the contestants followed the ancient tea-trading route between China and India. The new flavor was unveiled at the end of the show by host Phil Keoghan. Snapple is also showcasing a "Snap-a-Snapple" Facebook promotion  where fans are given scenarios where to photograph the new flavor for a chance to win $5,000. 

Read Article Here

French DJ David Guetta, Coke launch talent contest

French DJ David Guetta is teaming up with Burn, an energy drink made by Coca-Cola, to help discover the next big DJ in the music industry. Coke sees Guetta as a match for Burn given his high-energy music, creativity and collaboration with other musicians. Rules for the contest are set to go up soon on the company's website. The promotion will also tie in with a recent documentary about David Guetta's life. The documentary is also an opportunity to educate everyone about the underground dance music scene, electronica, house tunes and the large festivals that are now a routine part of the music industry.

Read Article Here

Dr Pepper supports 'Thor' film release

Dr Pepper is supporting the new movie "Thor" through exciting promotions and limited edition cans. These cans will feature "Thor" characters and will be utilized through a Quest for the Can promotion. Fans can enter codes from caps and bottles at DrPepper.com to win!

Read Article Here

Fuze to Launch First TV Campaign

Juice Brand Fuze is looking for it's next stage of growth through their first TV campaign. After being acquired in 2007 by Coca-Cola, they have received a steady increase in sales. However, Fuze is now looking to gain a higher percentage in market share with their new "It's Better When You Mix Things Up" Campaign. The campaign is a result of quantitative research which determined that their demographic enjoys mixing a variety of music, food, and wellness.This new campaign is a huge step by Fuze who is looking to solidify it's stance as a everyday choice within the 18-34 year old demographic.

Read Article Here

Google Adds Own 'Like' Button in Foray Into Social Search

In competition with social sites such as Facebook, Google has integrated the 'Plus-One' ranking system into their site. Similar to the Facebook 'like' button, 'plus-one' enables users to  share results they find useful through Gchat, Gmail, Google Reader, Buzz and, soon, Twitter. The Plus-One system could change ranking since recommendations by friends would increase click-rates. With these increased click rate scores, marketers with better ads could pay less for a given keyword or position. Microsoft's Bing has already integrated Facebook 'likes' into their search engine, however, it is not in their algorithm. The only concern is whether Google can manage against scammers looking to capitalize on the clicking system for increased profits.

Read Article Here

Diet Coke to focus on "fashionistas"

Diet Coke is taking a "lighter approach to fashion" and a new approach with the brand. Though TV advertising, packaging, merchandising and digital, Diet Coke will create a stronger link between the fashion industry and Diet Coke. Designer Karl Lagerfeld has produced three limited edition Diet Coke bottles and brand-inspired high-end merchandise including a clutch bag, scarf and top.

Read Article Here