Hasta La Creative!

Kentucky Fried Chicken has been known to come up with the craziest concept dishes and apparently there is a new one coming out. KFC announced a second secret recipe added to its menu – the Kentucky Grilled Chicken (KGC). The announcement made today, at New York City’s famed Friars Club marks the launch of this revolutionary new non-fried menu item, which is available in KFC stores nationwide beginning today.

KFC’s Kentucky Grilled Chicken is packed with flavor. It’s marinated and seasoned with a savory blend of six secret herbs and spices and slow-grilled to juicy perfection. The cooking process includes a blend of spices that is proprietary to KFC and utilizes custom-designed, patented ovens, making it KFC’s second secret recipe.

With between 70 to 180 calories and four to nine grams of fat depending on the piece, Kentucky Grilled Chicken provides a non-fried option from a brand America knows and loves.

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Kimberly Clark has unveiled a new super premium diaper under its Huggies brand that includes natural, organic materials and ingredients to provide gentle protection for new babies, as well as initial steps toward environmental improvements, without sacrificing performance.

The new Huggies Pure & Natural diaper is hypoallergenic, latex and fragrance free and features a breathable outer cover that includes organic cotton. The liner includes natural Aloe & Vitamin E and materials from renewable sources, and the product’s outer packaging is sourced from 20 percent post-consumer recycled materials. The new diaper will be offered in 6 sizes, from newborn through size 5.

K-C expects the Huggies Pure & Natural diapers will help the brand build inroads with those moms who are most interested in products that include natural materials to provide the best care for their babies. According to a K-C consumer research study, the moms surveyed expressed a strong interest in purchasing Huggies brand diapers that included organic and natural materials.

Huggies Pure & Natural diapers will be widely available in North American retail outlets later in April.

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With a proven brand marketing tactic bringing in the bacon, Church’s Chicken has placed a positive outlook for its brand. The latest tactic is their 99-cent value menu offering launched in January during a period typically slow for most restaurants in the quick-serve industry, the new value menu offers eight items for under a dollar. The success of the value menu especially during a down economy only re-enforces the effectiveness of their multi-layered marketing approach to drive value while staying true to the brand’s core essence of authenticity and time-tested great products offered at a value.

Church’s Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer, Farnaz Wallace said, “The introduction of the value menu gives customers an affordable option in stretching their dollar while satisfying their taste. The new value menu is just one more way to stay true to Church’s no-frills positioning. It underscores Church’s price-value position of providing good, authentic juicy marinated fried chicken – the menu serves comfort foods without premium costs.”

As a key ingredient to the brand’s marketing strategy and success, the value menu was developed to drive traffic while sustaining the brand’s positive same-store sales. Church’s domestic system experienced a growth of 3.4% and a rise of customer transactions of 6.3% during the month of January. The brand also averaged an 8.3% sales mix and continued to maintain over 6% sales mix during a 10-week time span.

By offering a variety of flexible and affordable menu options for customers, Church’s has maintained a sales growth momentum of 2.6% year-to-date. “The move to an even lower price point of these selected items only re-enforce our brand’s commitment of value during these tough economic times,” Wallace added.

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No other than the man behind the concepts and designs of luxury brand Ridpath’s Fine Furniture. On Thursday, April 30 from 6-9 pm, Christopher will present an in-depth look into his approach to style, luxury and design. He will also discuss the elements and inspiration behind his latest collection which is making its Toronto debut.

Christopher, world-renowned for fusing classicism with modernism, is the creative force behind his 15 year old luxury brand. His designs grace luxury residences all over the world as well as The Savoy in London, The Encore in Las Vegas and films such as “Oceans 13″ and “The Devil Wears Prada.” Christopher Guy’s unique approach to design transcends modern and traditional boundaries, culminating to the instantly recognizable Christopher Guy lifestyle collection.

Ridpath’s has set the tone for what Toronto desires for over a century with their rich tradition of quality craftsmanship. Recently, Ridpath’s has seamlessly blended that tradition with the fresh and exciting, making it a perfect partnership with Christopher Guy. Known for their exemplary customer service, the store recently opened an in-store design resource center for design consultations.

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Have you ever had one of those days where everything seemed out of control, and you weren’t getting anything completed? Then, when you finally realized that you made some progress, an itch in your brain was nagging you, saying that you missed something important. You think, “If I could only remember…I just wish I knew wha…It hits you. 
Mine was that I had forgotten my “blogging time.” Maybe that’s why I’m in such a crappy mood. I dig writing…it’s my down time. However, just like of you, ideas are constantly spinning in my head, and when I see something that grabs me, I write it down, email it to myself, put it in my Blackberry, or write a note on my hand. It’s quite a remarkable system. (I wonder if I can direct-tweet myself?)

Twitter was everywhere today! Releasing new apps, getting press, products launches were being announced on Twitter…there were so many things happening, it was hard to keep up.

Is your company embracing Social Media? Are you an early-adopter? You had better be. Where do you stand?:

We  have it and use it daily

We  have an account set up, but no idea what to do with it

We  just don’t get it (it’s all these damn kids today)

To determine the who’s who, I follow businesses on Twitter to see how they engage consumers. And, if you’ve read anything regarding Social Media,this is considered a “good idea”…some do a fantastic job and have real conversations. Engagement.Shhh! Dunkin’ Donuts would be one, with “Dunkin’ Dave Tweetin for the mother ship.” DraftFcb is another, offering insights on their blog, the latest podcast, newest campaign, and HR news. Although not implemented yet, DiGiorno Pizza is planning to use influential tweeters to host tweetups (gatherings) and Kraft will deliver DiGiorno Pizza…but wait, it’s NOT delivery, it’s DiGiorno delivered? Either way, good idea. Unfortunately, Kraft is nowhere to be found. Allstate has a fantastic page and great rapport. Companies that have accounts with nothing going on?  Sear has two accounts, no followers. Krogers, Dominicks, Safeway, Publix–all grocery stores, not a single one on Twitter. Whole Foods? You betcha, with over 400,000 followers. Cleverly, I decided to check ad agencys, but received a measely 155 members using “advertising” as my search term. Then, I decided to enter agency names to see if they had accounts, and for the sake of future employment, I am not going to list them. However, names that I thought would be there, weren’t.

Some Twitter Nuggets
Over the last two months, according to Socialmediaatwork.com, Twitter has exploded. Twitter’s demographic skews  female (53%) and is mainly made up of 18-34 year olds. However, Worldwide, the highest indexing group for users is A45-54. Twitter surpassed the NY Times in unique visitors in April, became the top social network used by hospitals in March, and also recorded that 17% of UK businesses are on Twitter. It seems that Twitter is not only growing up, but expanding it’s reach into business.
Don’t Use Twitter if
As a business, there are certain things that will keep you from using Twitter effectively. The entire list is is on AdAge, but a couple of the funnier entries were, “You have to run your tweets by legal” and, “You think a ghost-tweeter for the president of your company is OK.” For more reasons your company should not use Twitter, check out AdAge.

Jeff Louis is a Strategic Media Planner & Buyer with over seven years of B2B & B2C experience. His interests are emerging media, schweet  ideas, and redefining the status quo (not necessarily in that order.)  He’s passionate about writing and digs great creative that is on-strategy. Follow him on twitter @jlo0312, or LinkedIn, www.LinkedIn.com/in/jefflouis

Here is something worth watching from MillerCoors and RecycleBank. Just in time for Earth Day, MillerCoors and RecycleBank have partnered to relaunch “The Cycle,” an animated video that helps answer the important question of what happens to recyclables after they are collected. “The Cycle” won the “Best Educational Resource” award at this year’s South by Southwest Interactive Festival in Austin, Texas.

RecycleBank is a recycling rewards program currently servicing households across 18 states. To date, RecycleBank has helped to divert more than 141,000 tons of recyclables from landfills and households have cumulatively saved more than 1.4 million trees and more than 95 million gallons of oil through their recycling efforts.

The Cycle takes viewers through each step of the recycling cycle, from recycling collection to processing to manufacturing new products from recycled material. With the goal of sharing the knowledge about recycling and helping people understand their eco-footprint, the video can be downloaded in three formats and is meant to be shared.

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Purple Beverage Company Inc. has re-evaluated the corporate marketing strategy, announcing that it will be more cost effective to outsource many of its operating needs and reduce its full time work force.

“We knew we had to move to a leaner and meaner profile,” said Ted Farnsworth, CEO of Purple Beverage Company. “It was very tough to get through, but now, Purple is in the process of repositioning and realigning. We anticipate moving forward with our antioxidant beverage and are also looking forward to adding line extensions that we feel will be well received by consumers, despite these recessionary times.”

Introduced in late 2007, Purple is a unique and tasty blend of seven antioxidant-rich fruits, including the exotic acai berry, black cherry, pomegranate, black currant, purple plum, cranberry and blueberry. The health benefits of these fruits are blended into an all-natural, no-sugar added beverage that is perfect as an on-the-go drink, as part of a healthy fruit smoothie or as a mixer for cocktails.

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Simplicity Inc. was forced to recall about 25,000 Travel Tender Play Yards due to a fall and entrapment hazard. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the retailers named below, today announced a voluntary recall of the following consumer product. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed.

One or more rails can collapse unexpectedly, posing a fall or entrapment hazard to young children. The recalled play yards are portable and were sold with a bassinet, changing table and mobile features. The play yards bear the “Simplicity” logo. The model numbers are 5500DRM, 5500WDS, 5501FEL, 5502MON, 5520PRO, 5550HAN, 5700MAN, and 5750MIR. The model number is located on a sticker on one of the legs underneath the play yard.

Burlington Coat Factory stores nationwide and online at Babiesrus.com, Target.com and Kohls.com from March 2005 through January 2009 for about $100.

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Honda is a familiar brand and a popular vehicle but the thing is, do you know its value and see if it matches your needs? Honda has proven to be a reliable brand through the years and the deal can only get sweeter as Honda embarks on a program aimed to ensure that customers only get the best option for their vehicular needs.

To provide consumers the necessary information to make the smartest decision when purchasing a vehicle, Honda is teaming up with Edmunds.com, the No. 1 auto-shopping site on the Web, to deliver “True Cost to Own a Honda” data to consumers.

The multiplatform campaign strategy developed by RPA, Honda’s longstanding agency of record, encourages consumers to compare Honda models to the most cross-shopped competition while calculating the long-term costs of vehicle ownership versus the price tag of a vehicle. The campaign features TV, online and radio.

“The voice of this campaign is honest and approachable. The goal is to get the attention of auto shoppers while differentiating the communication from competitors promoting a strong discount message,” said Gregory J. Smith, SVP, account director at RPA. “The TV ads include a clear call-to-action for consumers to check out the ‘True Cost to Own a Honda’ comparisons at Edmunds.com and are then tagged with compelling incentives.”

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It would be great to sponsor events or good causes when you can. But if you happen to be a member of companies seeking bailouts and then find yourself spending heavily on promotional support, expect all hell to break loose after a couple of hours. Ford is a familiar figure in the much celebrated “Big Three” auto industry bailout issue and now it finds itself being criticized for perhaps spending financial support in a questionable manner.

In a Complaint filed today with TARP Inspector General Neil M. Barofsky, National Legal and Policy Center (NLPC) President Peter Flaherty wrote,

“Ford’s major donation to Al Sharpton’s group at this critical time calls into question CEO Alan Mulally’s commitment to what he called ’shared sacrifice’ at Congressional hearings in December.”

In a letter today to Steven Rattner, who directs President Obama’s auto industry task force, Flaherty wrote,

“Ford’s financial support for Sharpton places into doubt the judgment of Ford executives. I can think of no expenditure further removed from the core mission of saving the company and the American auto industry than bankrolling Sharpton. It is your responsibility to ensure that no more capital is wasted on controversial political causes, no matter how supportive they are of the administration you represent.”

Ford was a sponsor of the National Action Network 2009 National Convention (NAN) that took place April 1-4, 2009 in New York City. NAN was founded by Al Sharpton and the convention is his major fundraising event of the year.

NAN did not disclose the exact amount of Ford’s gift, but a “sponsor” designation for last year’s event cost $50,000. Ford has recently closed 17 plants in North America and has laid off over 50,000 employees. Last year, the company lost $14.6 billion.

Other corporate sponsors of last week’s event included American Honda, Anheuser Busch, Colgate-Palmolive, Comcast, Entergy, Home Depot, Johnson & Johnson, Macy’s, PepsiCo, Pfizer and Wal-Mart.

Bailout recipients GM, Chrysler and Citigroup were sponsors of the same event in 2008, but were not identified as sponsors for 2009.

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