With yet another quality control scandal coming out of China, is it any wonder that the public has increasingly become concerned about food safety. To add fuel to the fire, Kraft and Mars announced today they are investigating claims that candy produced in that country is tainted and agreeing to abide by a voluntary recall. Just like the complete disaster on Wall Street, executives hope to drive down cost of goods and increase profit without much thought to the implications. Well, look where that has gotten us. Consumers aren’t going to take it and are already looking to buy more locally produced products. I know I will.  (more…)  UPDATE  Say it isn’t so. Cadbury is now recalling chocolate due to tainted milk from China. British candy maker Cadbury said Monday it is recalling 11 types of Chinese-made chocolates found to contain melamine, as police in northern China raided a network accused of adding the banned chemical to milk. Now there is nowhere to turn for my fruit and nut chocolate fix (more…) 

With less than 45 days to the US presidential election and the polls still showing a close race, a study by Havas media agency MPG and CNN’s Advertising Sales and Research Group found that voters are putting a lot of significance on what transpires in the presidential debates. The study finds that not only does a strong majority (78%) of voters plan on tuning in to the debates, 54% of voters said the debates will help influence their final decision about who to vote for. In the immortal words of Sting,

Every move you make

Every vow you break

Every smile you fake

Every claim you stake

I’ll be watching you

 (more…)

A new Japanese mobile phone will automatically unlock the doors of its owners’ cars and let drivers start their engines without using an ignition key. The phone, built by Sharp Corp., uses a technology previously developed by Nissan Motor Co. called “Intelligent Key” that allows drivers to enter and start their cars without removing their keys from their pockets or bags. How is this much better than having your car keys? Not sure unless they find a way to have your phone open your front door too.  (more…)

It happened Sunday night in the Bronx, when Yankee Stadium hosted a baseball game for the last time. It went out the way it opened, with a home victory, this one over the Baltimore Orioles, 7-3. Babe Ruth hit the first home run, in 1923, and Jose Molina hit the last, a two-run shot to left that broke a tie in the fourth inning. It’s difficult to describe what is like watching a baseball game at Yankee stadium in the bleachers during a summer evening. The cow bells, the yelling, the laughing, and of course the cheering. I have a soft spot in my heart for old stadiums. Even though I grew up a Met fan, there is nothing like watching a baseball game at Yankee Stadium, Fenway, or Wrigley Field to make you forget about steriods, multi-million dollar contracts, and arrogant brushes with the law. Sitting at Yankee Stadium was a boisterous reminder of why baseball is one of America’s favorite pastime. When last night’s game ended shortly before midnight, Derek Jeter took a microphone on the pitcher’s mound and said to the 54,000 fans there, “What really made the stadium was the fans. Concrete doesn’t talk back to you. Chairs don’t talk back to you. It’s the people who were there that root for you, day in, day out, that makes this place magic.” Said Jeter: “The pride and tradition has provided a lot of history and a lot of memories. But the great thing about memories is that you’re able to pass it along from generation to generation. We’re relying on you to take the memories from this stadium, add them to the new Yankee Stadium and continue to pass them onto to future generations.”  (more…)

Shiver me timbers! Today is “International Talk Like A Pirate Day.” The holiday was created in 1995 by John Baur (Ol’ Chumbucket) and Mark Summers (Cap’n Slappy), of Corvallis, Oregon who proclaimed September 19 each year as the day when everyone in the world should talk like a pirate. According to Summers, the day is the only holiday to come into being as a result of a sports injury. He has stated that during a racquet ballgame between Summers and Baur, one of them reacted to the pain with an outburst of “Aaarrr!”, and the idea was born. That game took place on June 6, 1995, but out of respect for the observance of D-Day, they chose Summers’ ex-wife’s birthday, as it would be easy for him to remember. Thanks to the internet, ITLAPD continues to grow in popularity. All we need to complete the day of celebrating is holiday themed Hershey Kisses booty. Yo ho ho and a bottle of Rum! (more…)

Auntie Mame had it right in the classic Broadway musical declaring the need for a little Christmas spirit while the country was deep into the Great depression. Unfortunately, new polls by TNS and Reuters/Zogby suggest retailers are going to be anything but merry this holiday season. Consumers pressured by high fuel prices and a U.S. housing slump are focusing on paying only for essentials and cutting back discretionary items like extra clothes and gifts. More than 44 percent of people surveyed by the monthly Reuters/Zogby poll last week said they will spend either a little less or a lot less on gifts this year than in 2007. One bright spot is online sales, which TNS forecast to grow 9 percent this holiday. Still, increases in consumer confidence may be around the corner as consumers plan to focus on more meaningful ways to celebrate the holidays with family, friends, and community. Thanks for the suggestion Auntie Mame. (more…)

After issuing dire warnings about the future of consumer surveys, the two biggest advertisers and buyers of market research in the world — Procter & Gamble and Unilever — are linking with the Advertising Research Foundation for an industry effort to embrace online chatter and other naturally occurring feedback like never before. To tackle the issue, the ARF will hold two industry summits in the coming six weeks to support new ways of listening to consumers that don’t involve the traditional question-and-answer format. “Our consumers have been sending us messages for years that they’re not interested in the traditional survey process,” said Kim Dedeker, VP-external capability leadership, global consumer and market knowledge at P&G. (more…)

Anybody who knows me knows that phrase is one of my pet peeves. I have observed countless focus groups where women of all socio-economic and demographic backgrounds utter these words — right after they say how much they liked what they just tasted. Maybe their kids would eat something other than hot dogs, mac and cheese, and chicken fingers if something different was served to them. Well, those researchers are at it again and this time nutritionists have come up with 6 rules that will help kids have a more diverse and healthier diet. Number 6?  Blowing the theory “My kids would never eat that” right out of the water. (more…)

It’s not trendy, it’s “on trend,” and if clothes are really good, they’re “fierce” or “dope.” Don’t like the lingo of fashion? Whatever. Industry observers say the language of fashion is changing thanks to fashion blogs and reality television, where shows like “Project Runway” have popularized fashion terms. ”‘Cool’ to me is dated, whereas ‘chic’ is not,” said Tim Gunn, “Project Runway’s” fashion consultant, whose phrases — including “make it work” — have helped hone his fashion credentials. Gunn said “on trend” was more in vogue now than “trendy” and that he dislikes “modern” to describe a new look. He said the TV show helped make the fashion vernacular accessible to a larger audience who now have “a vocabulary to talk about fashion.” Fierce. (more…)