Added 7 January, 2013
Imagine Walt Disney World with no entry turnstiles. Cash? Passé: Visitors would wear rubber bracelets encoded with credit card information, snapping up corn dogs and Mickey Mouse ears with a tap of the wrist. Smartphone alerts would signal when it is time to ride Space Mountain without standing in line.Fantasyland? Hardly. It happens starting this...
Added 7 January, 2013
The MKZ (and its Ford cousin, the Fusion) use a new system called Lane Keeper that literally steers the car down the road. A forward-looking camera mounted in the windshield mirror assembly reads lane markings and, if it determines you’re about to drift out of your lane, steers the car back toward the center of the lane. Other companies offer...
Added 21 December, 2012
Set to release more than 100 new products, General Mills is looking to market Better-for-you snacking as a way for eaters to regulate energy levels and ingest healtier ingredients such as fiber, protein and whole grains. Three of the most interesting new entrants fall squarely into the better-for-you category. They are Fiber One Protein bars,...
Added 21 December, 2012
Starbucks Evenings is a test concept that has been quietly piloted over the past year. After 4pm daily in these pilot locations, the store flips to a menu offering a selection of wines, beers, various small plates (such as truffle mac and cheese), salads (baby arugula with fresh basil and pickled beets, anyone?), sandwiches (such as fire grilled...
Added 21 December, 2012
Safeway, a major US supermarket chain, is struggling to survive in a competitive market increasingly defined by upscale brands and value rivals. Safeway’s greatest challenge is that competition from non-traditional grocers at the high end and low end of the market is stealing its customer base. Stores such as Grocery Outlet, Wal-Mart, Target,...
Added 20 December, 2012
Next year is shaping up to be mixed, at best, for luxury goods. Continuing economic woes in the Eurozone, a flagging Japanese economy, and slow recovery in the U.S. will likely lead to modest spending on luxury brands in those regions.
Meanwhile in China, which has been a booming luxury market, the situation is more complex. New leaders of the...
Added 20 December, 2012
Proctor & Gamble has released an exclusive music video starring Jewel, who's the brand ambassador for Pampers, and her toddler.
The song, "The Green Grass Grows All Around," is taken from her 2011 children's album, "The Merry Goes 'Round." According to Pampers, the song pays homage to the beautiful morning moments shared between parents and...
Added 19 December, 2012
We are going to be seeing a lot more of these kinds of things. StickNFind is a Bluetooth Powered ultra small Location Sticker. One interesting application for this, and others, like the $29 SpotLoss keychain fob, is that you can create a computer log that shows when your son or daughter comes home at night.
Added 19 December, 2012
A fast-food chain in Brazil, called Bob’s after founder (and tennis champ) Robert Falkenburg, wrapped its burgers in edible wrappers and encouraged its customers to just not bother unwrapping it. Two US companies are currently vying to be the first to commercially exploit this marketplace in North America.
Added 18 December, 2012
"Drinkify" is PepsiCo-speak for the R&D push to liquify snacks. Leche con Avena is a drinkable oatmeal produced by its Quaker brand in Latin America.