Does marriage make you fat?  According to new research, within a few short years of getting hitched, married individuals are twice as likely to become obese than single people who are dating. Researchers tracked changes over a handful of years in the weight and relationship status of 6,949 individuals, and their findings don’t bode well for commitment: not only are married people more likely to become obese than those who are just dating, but young women who move in with their partner tend to pack on the pounds, too. ilye  (more…)

A note to food marketers: Consumers who say they want healthy options are unlikely to actually order off the healthy menu. ”There’s definitely a dichotomy between what people say they want and what they actually do when it comes to healthy restaurant eating,” Maria Caranfa, a registered dietitian and director at Mintel Menu Insights, said in a statement. “Over eight in 10 adults told us it’s very or somewhat important to them to eat healthy, but when it comes to dining out, most people are really looking for taste, texture and experience.” Mintel found that only one in five consumers rank a food’s health attributes as an important factor when choosing dinner. But 77% of them thought about “taste,” and 44% considered “hunger satisfaction.” And a particular problem for restaurants: While roughly 75% of those surveyed said they would like to see more healthy options, only 51% order from those selections. (more…)

Pizza Hut’s recent branding debacle highlights exactly what can go wrong when a company spews too much marketing corporatese. Most humans don’t speak that language and are easily confused by it. This time, many of them came away believing that Pizza Hut was changing its name. Apparently, it’s not. I think.  (more…)

A corporate icon is diving into the MBA world, and he’s bringing his well-documented management and leadership principles with him. Jack Welch, former CEO at General Electric, has announced plans to start an MBA program based on the business principles he made famous teaching managers and executives in GE’s Crotonville classroom. Welch’s decision to jump into online education shows impeccable timing. Business schools are experiencing a rise in applications as mid-level managers look to expand their business acumen while waiting out the current job slump. The new program’s flexible schedule—paired with the low tuition cost—could be doubly attractive to those looking to move up the corporate ladder as the market begins to rebound. (more..)

For the first half-hour of the meeting, it was hardly surprising to see a potential client fiddling with his iPhone, said Rowland Hobbs, the chief executive of a marketing firm in Manhattan. At an hour, it seemed a bit much. And after an hour and a half, Mr. Hobbs and his colleagues wondered what the man could possibly be doing with his phone for the length of a summer blockbuster. Someone peeked over his shoulder. “He was playing a racing game,” Mr. Hobbs said. “He did ask questions, though, peering occasionally over his iPhone.” But, Mr. Hobbs added, “we didn’t say anything. We still wanted the business.” As Web-enabled smartphones have become standard on the belts and in the totes of executives, people in meetings are increasingly caving in to temptation to check e-mail,Facebook, Twitter, even (shhh!) ESPN.com. But a spirited debate about etiquette has broken out. Traditionalists say the use of BlackBerrys and iPhones in meetings is as gauche as ordering out for pizza. Techno-evangelists insist that to ignore real-time text messages in a need-it-yesterday world is to invite peril.  (more…)

The U.S. recession is taking a bite out of national brand loyalty in products ranging from Advil pain reliever and Green Giant frozen vegetables to Jif peanut butter, according to a study released today. Just four out of 10 brands held on to at least half of their highly loyal customers from 2007 to 2008, according to the study from Catalina Marketing Corp’s CHKHDC.UL Pointer Media Network, which gathers purchasing data at 23,000 stores nationwide. What’s different about this recession? This time around, retailers such as Kroger, Safeway and Wal-Mart are aggressively expanding their own private labels. (more…)

Mmmmm burgers. Seems like the dominance of this comfort food knows no boundaries. As the wedding season gets into full swing, many brides and bridegrooms are taking a decidedly down-home approach. Bring on the grilled steak, sweet potato fries and Rice Krispie treats (not to mention the checkered tablecloths). For Shannon Jones of Los Angeles, the new thinking is indeed a sign of these times. She is having her reception — an outdoor supper for 200 — at a 1920s estate in Montecito on July 25. Ms. Jones, 26, and her fiancé, Michael Malik, 31, wanted to have what she called “a big summer backyard dinner,” much like the weekend parties that have become common among her peers. (more…)

The sole of Nike’s new Air Jordan is made with ground-up bits of old Nike sneakers. But the company isn’t selling it as an eco-friendly shoe: That might not be good for business. Nike has an unusual problem. Like many companies, it is trying to make its supply chain and products greener, which brings obvious environmental benefits and, just as important these days, financial ones, too. But while executives at General Electric and Wal-Mart eagerly advertise the eco-conscious changes they’re making, those at Nike choose to play down sustainability initiatives. Nike customers buy shoes to make them feel fast, slick, and hip; they don’t care much about being eco-chic. “Nike has always been about winning,” says Dean Crutchfield, an independent branding consultant in New York. “How is sustainability relevant to its brand?” The lesson for Nike was that its green innovations should continue, but its customers shouldn’t be able to tell. “We want to do more and say less,” is the way Lorrie Vogel, who oversees Nike’s green business practices, puts it.  (more…)

Whenever I travel abroad, I make it a point to stop at McDonald’s.  Anyone who knows me is scratching their head right now.  Why McDonald’s?  Because they are brilliant at grasping the nuances of local markets. This trip I had the pleasure of experiencing the breakfast wrap at Subway’s in London — baked beans, sausage, and eggs. They must be doing something right as KFC is making a pretty similar sandwich offering. Besides, I’m all for anything that gets baked beans into another meal occasion.