Walking down the aisles of your local supermarket, you've probably seen all the product packaging promoting the benefits of organic food. Everywhere we look, we’re taught that organic food is healthier, more nutritious, and free of chemical substances when compared to conventional foods. Some products even claim to protect consumers from cancer-causing pesticides. (I’ll take those in bulk, please!)

So is organic food truly a miracle? An escape from all our processed and genetically-altered products?

According to the National Center for Public Policy Research, 85% percent of Americans think so. Corporations such as Whole Foods Market, Ben & Jerry’s Homemade Ice Cream, and Wild Oats are profiting from publicity about environmental topics and our society’s obsession with food and health issues.

Many consumers assume that organic foods don’t contain pesticides or chemical fertilizers, but that may not be accurate. In most cases, organic farming is defined by what the farmers do not do to their crops rather than what they do. Even today, there seems to be little consistency in the methods of organic farming. Most of the organic movement is based on each farmer’s personal attitude, tactics, and philosophy on farming.

Some food manufacturers lead consumers to think that organic food offers nutritional benefits not found in other foods. But this isn’t true. Conventional brands have the same vitamins and minerals as organic products. Even the Organic Trade Association has published reports concluding that there is no scientific evidence that organic food provides more vitamins and minerals.

So with the expensive prices of organic foods and no extraordinary benefits, how will these businesses grow? How will they entice customers away from non-organic products?

Enter the “food fear” campaigns.

Some organic retailers design product packaging and advertisements that create broad public misperceptions, to discourage the use of products that are sometimes just as safe and usually more affordable.

This tactic seems to be working: U.S. organic food sales represent a six-billion dollar industry. And growth in certain food categories, like baby food, has increased by 110%.

So, the next time you go grocery shopping, pay attention to the marketing, and recognize it for what it is. And don’t be afraid to not go organic. Stick to foods that won’t break the bank and guarantee the same great nutrients…now that’s nothing to be afraid of.

To begin this story, let's start with some basic stats:

• According to the Marketing to Moms Coalition (MMC), American mothers are responsible for purchasing power to the tune of $2.1 trillion/year.
• Mothers typically have the last word in deciding what products their families consume.
• In a recent MMC survey, three-quarters of mothers feel that Super Bowl ads don't target their needs at all.

This veritable gold mine of marketing has been completely untapped for years, with most advertisers preferring to spend their money reaching out to the male demographic who usually watch football. Many have missed the fact that, unlike most football games, the Super Bowl has become more of a social event than a typical sporting event.

So we asked, how would marketers reach this group? In the world of professional sports, what novel approach could catch the attention of mothers in the audience without putting off the traditional male viewer?

We have an idea.

What if a major advertiser deliberately chose NOT to buy a Super Bowl ad? It's a radical thought, yes…but imagine that an advertiser instead launched a campaign in which they proclaimed that instead of spending $3M for :30 of air time, they spent those dollars to help others. By donating to a mom-friendly nonprofit, an advertiser could net a huge amount of customer loyalty.

What is that kind of positive publicity worth in today's dollars? That's the $3M question…

You’ll notice that we’ve deliberately refrained from posting a “best of” list for 2007. And for good reason.

We believe in using the past as a learning tool, but it doesn’t pay to get too overwhelmed or to drift into morbid reflection. Because today—as every day—we’re moving forward…ever forward.

What do we look forward to in 2008?

• More online video. It’s impossible to escape the pervasiveness of online video as a marketing tool. Whether it’s a flash presentation on your website, a training module broadcast around the globe or the latest “Will It Blend” segment on Youtube, we are all hooked on video content. And with the prevalence of mobile video streaming, it’s likely that this trend will continue growing.
• Green is in…for good. It’s no longer only the granola hippies who recycle and compost. Going green is now mainstream, embraced by Nokia, Toyota and Frito Lay …and this movement shows no sign of slowing down. (Can you hear the planet’s collective sigh?)
• Video games: no longer just for those with thumb dexterity. Thanks to galactic leaps forward in technology, games that create an interface between onscreen action and live motion are all the rage. Think wii, Guitar Hero and Rock Band. Even the “regular” at-home console games are well beyond their Atari beginnings. (Have you seen PS3?)

Long story short: 2007 is over. 2008 is just beginning. And from here, it looks like it’ll be one to remember. (At least until next year…)

Remember the good old days of using a favorite catalog to write your Christmas list? My companion was a classic behemoth that became my toy-shopping bible, happily lugged from place to place while I daydreamed about the Barbie Dream House and EasyBake Oven that Santa had, no doubt, set aside for me.

It was a sad day when, due to changing lifestyles and so-called “advances” in technology, these Christmas catalogs became just a fond memory. Since the Sears Wish Book—one of the last to succumb to the advent of the web—was discontinued in 1993, a whole generation of children has missed out on this cherished holiday pastime.

But no longer must the nation’s youth bookmark toy websites in the world-wide web’s virtual catalog! At long last, the Sears Wish Book is being resuscitated. The updated version will be trimmed from 700 to only 188 pages, but the nostalgia of dog-earing your favorite pages remains the same.

The catalog’s return also reconnects us to (oh, happy day!) human operators who can answer questions and offer advice relating to size, color and shipment—a dynamic that is often lost on the internet.

Sears is not alone in its marketing venture. “Our catalog is itself an advertising vehicle, and it is an effective way to drive traffic to our website," said Mary Rose MacKinnon, an L.L. Bean spokesperson. According to Advertising Age, retailers report that 13% of their new online customers last year came because of catalog mailings; conversely, about 43% of catalog customers also buy online. According to Bette Kahn, spokesperson for Crate & Barrel, "There's no question, when people receive the catalog, it's a call to action. It brings them into the stores as well as online."

How long can the real world and the virtual world continue to peacefully co-exist in the wonderland of holiday shopping? The jury’s still out, but let’s hope it’s at least long enough to return all those wrong-sized clothes…

In recognition that yesterday was America Recycles Day, it’s worth noting that we everyday consumers create a shocking amount of e-waste. According to the EPA’s stats for 2005, “between 1.5 million and 1.9 million tons of used or unwanted electronics were discarded in US landfills, including as many as 130 million cell phones [our italics]. Only a little more than 350,000 tons were recycled.”

The good news is that this trend is changing, albeit slowly. Industry giants like Dell and Nokia are pioneering recycling efforts aimed at minimizing our footprint on the planet…

• For just $25, Dell will pickup your old Dell equipment and dispose of it safely, recovering all reusable materials and destroying all your personal files. (Dell's recyling program)
• Nokia allows you to send your phone back to them—for free—where they’ll recycle it on their dime. (Nokia's recyling program)

In fact, Nokia has launched the “I’m an unplugger” campaign to encourage users to save energy by unplugging their cell phone chargers when not in use. Nokia estimates that if just 10% of their 1 billion customers did that, we could save enough energy to power 85,000 homes. For a year.

Who says we can’t make a difference?

Sodexho, the food service giant known for supplying hotel chains around the world, has recently gone native. Sodexho—which supplies breakfast and lunch for more than a dozen school districts in Rhode Island—will now purchase a larger percentage of its produce from local farms.

In conjunction with nonprofit group Kids First, Sodexho worked on this project for three years—making sure local farms met their certification needs and negotiating fair prices for produce.

This move seems to be a win-win-win for all concerned: Sodexho garners good publicity in the area; our kids receive more healthy food choices at school; and the use of local produce is a “greener” choice that adds to farmers’ bottom lines and saves ever-depleting global resources used in transporting food across the country.

What does this initiative bode for the local farm industry? Let's hope that this project encourages other global conglomerates to go local, opening the door to more long-term and lucrative opportunities for the Ocean State.

Still full from lunch? Not hungry for dinner yet? Then go grab a free taco from Taco Bell during the inconvenient hours of 2-5pm on October 30th. While you’re there, feel free to drink a soda, or order a gordita…or six. Taco Bell found a PR goldmine in its advertising “gamble” to give away free tacos to America if any player stole a base in any game of the World Series. In Game 2 on October 25th, everyone’s wishes came true when Red Sox rookie Jacoby Ellsbury stole second, and consequently Taco Bell stole the stage.

“Every year we're looking for a way to raise the bar," said Taco Bell spokesman Will Bortz. According to Nielsen Monitor-Plus, Taco Bell—a World Series sponsor since 2002—spends $5.6 million on advertising in the World Series, and plans to give away less than $1 million in free tacos. This novel giveaway stole extended air time and plugs for Taco Bell, including forged conversations from players in the dugout.

Advertising Age reports, “If each of 6,000 locations gives away three tacos a minute for about three hours, Taco Bell would give away a maximum of 3 million tacos. [It’s] estimated they cost Taco Bell about 20¢, making the maximum total cost about $700,000.” This was a low-risk chance the chain was more than happy to take. The fast food chain is counting on its customers to buy a higher margin of sodas and other products while they’re in the stores, which would more than cover the cost of the free tacos.

The good news is that for the first time in baseball history, the losing team won’t go home empty-handed…the Colorado Rockies are also entitled to free tacos.

The Ventura County Star is reporting that their local congresswoman is taking aim at women's mags. Capp's wrote an editorial on Friday, denouncing a number of women's magazines with young female readership for carrying ads (pictured here) for Camel No. 9, or more specifically, for ignoring her letter signed by 42 members of congress imploring them not to run the ads. But should we share her disappointment? Do women's mags like Vogue and Allure and Cosmo Girlreally "set trends for the country, and have [they] historically served as respected sources for articles on women's health and fitness"? Shockingly, she noted that "all of these publications seem to care more about their bottom lines than the health of their readers."

In response to two letters Capps sent to the publishers of 11 leading women's magazines (one in June and a follow-up in August) asking them to voluntarily stop accepting advertising for Camel No. 9, seven eventually wrote back. "None of them promised to drop the ads," notes the Star.

In his response, Vogue publishing director Thomas A. Florio lectured that Congress should focus on creating guidelines for the marketing, distribution and sale of tobacco products rather than trying to 'bring pressure' on a magazine to 'forgo its legal right to conduct business.'

'Any other pressure or coercion to alter the legal right of any citizen or company doing business in America is at odds with the basic fabric of our country's value system,' Florio wrote.

Camel's new, feminine cancer sticks are re-imagined for a female consumer (the box is pink!). Camel realized its brand was woefully skewed towards the male sex, so it created No. 9 to “focus on products that are ‘wow,’ ” Cressida Lozano, vice president for marketing of the Camel brand told the New York Times [link requires free registration]. Lozano noted that No. 9 adds “fun and excitement to the category. What we’re about is giving adult smokers a choice,” Ms. Lozano said, “with products we believe are more appealing than existing products.”

Stay-at-home-mom Angela Rewis, 26, approved of the new choices offered to her.  "They're a sweeter taste, and they don't stink like regular cigarettes. And I like the pack," she told NPR.  "It's more for females, instead of carrying around a nasty, ugly pack."

TheAssociated Press outlined the two main arguments in May. While cigarettes are deadly,they're also legal, and publications with a readership of teen girls have the legal right to accept advertising from them.  “I'm totally anti-smoking,but a marketer's job is to market and a customer's job is to decide what to buy,”  Marian Salzman, executive vice president at the J. Walter Thompsonad agency told the AP. “If the message breaks through, then the marketer has done a good job.”

This week marks the fourth annual celebration of Advertising Week in New York City, and judging by the thorough media coverage, many a reporter walked away with a free bag of conference schwag.

Ad Age covers the five-day, 200-event extravaganza with a touch of cynicism, inviting readers to vote on whether "we need" it or not. Their on-the-scene reporting runs the gamut from discussions on activism in Darfur and consumer-generated advertising to Grey's green initiative, and a general call for fewer panels and more meaningful contributions in the model of Unicef's Tap project.

Ad Week covered the MIXX conference noting the need for teamwork, the power of media agencies and the Person of the Year.

Meanwhile, the New York Times reported on what was missing from this year's event, the parade of ad mascots marching down Madison Avenue. Critics charged the display had become too commercial and distracted from the true meaning of Advertising Week. The public was again invited to vote for its favorite ad icon. Past winners have included the Aflac duck and Tony the Tiger.

What's growing faster than Internet ad spend (and way faster than tv, print andradio)?AdvertisingAge reports that Shopper Marketing has doubled since 2004 and is on pace foran annual growth rate of 21% through 2010, making it faster than even theInternet juggernaut (which is rising 15% annually). As usual,P&Gis leading the pack among consumer brand powerhouses, spending at least $500million annually on shopper marketing.

From decals on the aisle floor to ads on the shopping cart, brands arescrambling to get closer to the point of purchase, increasing the chances ofinfluencing the purchase decision. "Shopper marketing is a new medium asimportant as the internet, mobile or gaming," Starcom MediaVest Group NorthAmerica CEO Renetta McCann told AdAge. MassoGroup estimates 80% of all purchase decisions are made in a retailenvironment.

Shopper Marketing considers shopper identity rather than brand identityaccording toHubMagazine. In the calculated labyrinth of the local grocery store, marketersconsider where products are located and what route customers take to get tothere. For example, by the time customers arrive at the detergent aisle theyhave a full cart, and it is much more convenient to pick up ALL Small &Mighty.

Nielsen isgetting in on the action, having recently announced a new system for measuringthe effects of marketing to an in-store audience. Dubbed PRISM (PioneeringResearch for an In-Store Metric), the  project wasunveiledSeptember 27 at theIn-StoreMarketing Expo in Chicago.  According toIn-StoreMarketer, "the measurement model predicts consumer reach by category or areaof the store, by retail format, and by day of the week, delivering unprecedentedinsight into the store as a marketing channel."