Brand Noise

Ethiopian Coffee Campaigns for Recognition

Ethiopia has launched a campaign to brand and market its coffee after ending a long trademark dispute with US coffee giant Starbucks. Ethiopia, Africa's largest coffee producer, will trademark its most famous coffee names -- Sidamo, Harar and Yigacheffe. "Licensees are required to feature Ethiopia's new brand identity in their marketing as part of their licensee agreements," the Ethiopian Intellectual Property Office states.

Embracing Eating Alone

The TV dinner has evolved - well at least in attitude.  I was kind of surprised to see the positioning on the latest launch by DiGiorno, "DiGiorno for One".  Microwave cooking has taken some time to get in touch with the lonely reality behind it.  Embracing it seems like a smart strategy.  Implied sharing is built into so much of other heat and eat food messaging.  How long has advertising lied to us pushing those frozen foods as still connected to some ideal picture of home.  Is this really what works?  Are people who eat alone expecting some reminder of a more social eating experience? 

Haagen-Dazs Promotes HoneyBee Buzz

Haagen-Dazs demonstrates some interesting and relevant green marketing with with their "Help the Honeybees" campaign.  Haagen-Dazs uses the campaign to warn that decline of the honeybee could become a big problem for the premium ice cream maker's business. According to Haagen-Dazs, one-third of the U.S. food supply - including a variety of fruits, vegetables and even nuts - depends on pollination from bees.

The campaign works well in promoting a real environmental cause, while also emphasizing the premium and natural positioning of the brand.  It is tied well to the value of the brand and plugs the consumer into what goes into quality ice cream.  Pretty basic.  Real flavors need real fruits - and that needs honeybees.  The campaign includes a new flavor launch called "Vanilla Honeybee" to further promote the cause.

Essence of a Fridge: What is it?

Last week, my daughter came home from kindergarten. In her science class, they are learning about magnets. The teacher asked all the kids to raise their hands if magnets stuck to their refrigerator. Our kid did not. Instead, she came home for a lesson in stainless steel.

I realize that a clean Sub-Zero fridge was a ‘90s status symbol. And that things that are stainless coated will hold magnets. But has anyone asked lately—what is the modern essence of a refrigerator? Is its essence a defacto gallery for family artwork and magnetics?

The first refrigerator magnet patent was obtained by William Zimmerman of St. Louis, Missouri, in the early 1970s.

There’s been some talk about parents coming to term with their modern homes in the wake of young children. But that’s not what I’m talking about. Is my fridge any less a fridge because it has no magnets? Am I a lesser parent because there’s no artwork on my fridge? Does magnetic steel really solve the problem? What will we carry forward?

College Students Demand Organic--Whatever That Means

College kids serve as a beautiful microcosm for the rest of the world demonstrating the importance of food education.

This from AdAge: College students, increasingly concerned about the source and quality of food they're eating, are demanding that schools purchase regional produce. The catch, though, is while students are demanding organic and local fare, they aren't always sure what that means -- or how it tastes.

Some think local means within 10 miles or inside the city, while others think it means within 150 miles. Many of these students, she said, also like to have bananas and strawberries for breakfast -- all year long.

Read the whole story.

Pepsi Raw: All Natural, Less Fizzy

Pepsi Raw is said to be made from natural ingredients and contain no artificial preservatives, colours, flavourings or sweeteners. It is the first time that Pepsi has added a new drink to its range for more than 10 years. The calorie content of a 300ml bottle is 117 compared to 126 for normal Pepsi (which we think is less of an issue than the ingredients).

Pepsi Raw ingredients include apple extract, plain caramel colouring, coffee leaf, tartaric acid from grapes, gum arabic from acacia trees, cane sugar and sparkling water. It is paler in colour and less fizzy than other cola brands. (At this point, fizz intensity or lack of has linked itself to health. The less fizzy, the more healthy.)

Initially, Pepsi Raw will only be available in selected bars and clubs in seven cities - London, Manchester, Glasgow, Brighton, Birmingham, Leeds and Liverpool, although a wider roll-out is expected later in the year.

Read more.

Col-Pop: Fast Food Portability from Korea's BBQ Chicken

Kellogg's & Tyson Head to the Summer Olympics

In preparing to take a delegation of more than 600 athletes to the Summer Games in Beijing this year, the U.S.O.C. faces food issues beyond steroid-laced chicken. In recent years, some foods in China have been found to be tainted with insecticides and illegal veterinary drugs, and the standards applied to meat there are lower than those in the United States, raising fears of food-borne illnesses.

It has made arrangements with sponsors like Kellogg’s and Tyson Foods, which will ship 25,000 pounds of lean protein to China about two months before the opening ceremony, but will hire local vendors and importers to secure other foods and cooking equipment at the Games.

Tyson has provided all United States team members with duffel bags containing a hot pot, a power adaptor, recipes and replenishable pouches of chicken that they can take to international qualifying events over the next few months.

Kellogg’s has been asked to supply cereals like Frosted Flakes and Mini-Wheats, as well as Nutri-Grain bars, because those products are not readily available in China.

Read the whole story.

Gatorade Needs a Better Ltd Bottle

For the first time, Gatorade has introduced a limited edition bottle available exclusively at Gatorade.com. This special collector's item highlights the New York Giants as NFL champions.

"For almost 40 years Gatorade has played an important part in fueling some of the world's toughest athletes on sports' most high-pressure stage -- the Super Bowl," said Matt Knott, Gatorade Vice President of Marketing. "We're proud to offer this first-ever celebratory bottle to the New York Giants, a team that defied the odds and claimed their place in NFL history."

Available immediately, consumers can order these commemorative bottles individually for $2.25, or in a case of 24 for $24.99 (plus shipping). There are only 2,520 bottles in stock and are first come, first serve.

C’mon. What’s special about this thing? We have campaigns to get consumers to move back over to tap water. Issues of reusable bottles. Concerns about recycling. In a world concerned about many things beyond bottles, is that all you got?

Crushed Ice Gets Its Due

Ice isn't just for chilling drinks anymore, or for packing fish and treating sprains. It's a hot snack. Some Sonic Drive-In franchises sell it in cups and in bags to go. Ice-machine makers are competing to make the best chewable ice, with names like Chewblet, Nugget Ice and Pearl Ice. One manufacturer calls the ice-loving South the "Chew Belt."

Sales of machines that make easier-to-chew ice jumped about 23%, to 16,673 units in 2006 from 2003, according to data from the Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Institute. Some ice chewers, including country-music star Vince Gill, have had the machines installed in their homes.

Ice chewers swap tips on Icechewing.com. A recipe for preparing the perfect cup of ice: Use a glass, not a plastic cup. Let crushed ice fuse in water. Drink the water. Shake the cup to loosen the ice. Dig in.

The American Dental Association says that ice-chewing can damage teeth. "People have the right to do things that may hurt them," says Matt Messina, a dentist in Cleveland and spokesman for the association. "If something breaks, we'll fix it."

A little trading down, a little retro, a little irreverence, a little retro. No wonder ice is gaining commercial steam.

Read more. (Image: Billy V.)