Packaging and labelling company ProScales has announced the launch of its new deli labelling system, AdPro, which prints shopper-marketing directed ads on deli labels. The company says its new technology has shown significant improvement in customer purchasing patterns, after being trialled at Adelaide gourmet retailer Il Mercato. AdPro, a software package, allows a variety of existing hardware to print extra information on deli, bakery and pre-pack labels, such as promotional offers, competitions... ...Read more »

Cadbury has apologised to Naomi Campbell after its Dairy Milk Bliss adverts “upset” the supermodel. The print campaign for Dairy Milk Bliss featured the slogan: “Move over Naomi, there’s a new diva in town”. After Campbell threatened to sue the company, the chocolate manufacturer published an apology on its website on Friday (3 June). Cadbury said that it was “seriously sorry” and that it was not its intention to “offend Naomi, her family or anybody... ...Read more »

Fisherman’s Friend throat lozenges have announced a new campaign aimed at double-digit growth for the brand. The campaign, designed by Stuart Alexander, marks a switch from TV advertising, which has seen steady growth for the brand, to an “aggressive below-the-line marketing campaign, driven by experiential sampling”. The campaign introduces two new “Fisherwoman”, in green (Fresh) and hot red latex (Feisty) ‘waders’, to represent both the Fresh Mint and Original... ...Read more »

Heinz has launched a new campaign for its iconic baked beans, asking Australians what “Beanz Meanz” to them. The campaign harks back to the equally iconic “Beanz meanz Heinz” advertising campaign, which ran from 1967 for thirty years, and features celebrities and ordinary Australians talking about their memories of Heinz Beanz. The campaign is supported by a competition, featuring $100,000 cash prizes for the ten best stories associated with Heinz Beanz, to be submitted online... ...Read more »

Cadbury has launched a new marketing campaign for its Favourites line, aimed at encouraging the product’s gift status in between the usual special occasions. The new “What to bring when you’re told not to bring a thing” TV commercial features an Australian family searching for the a gift when faced with a host who says they don’t want anything. In a dream sequence, family members struggle with inappropriate gifts, including a ridiculously large croquembouch, a 30L jelly... ...Read more »

The NSW Food Authority has continued its crackdown on dodgy diet foods, issuing fines to two Sydney-based companies for advertising food for sale claiming it had weight loss properties and providing advice that was of a medical nature in their advertising and information. Both companies were advertising what is commonly known as ‘Latin Seed’ or ‘Slim Seed’,  Aleurites moluccana, which they described as a South American seed they claimed was able to reduce body weight. These claims were investigated... ...Read more »

Advertisements for high fat, sugar and salt (HFSS) foods aimed at children now only make up a very small portion of all food and beverage advertisements on children’s television in Australia, according to new research released by the Australian Food and Grocery Council (AFGC) today. The study found just 2.4 per cent of all HFSS food and beverage adverts on children’s TV between March to May 2010 targeted children aged under the age of 12, according to data sourced from Commercial Monitors,... ...Read more »

Childhood obesity appears to have plateaued in NSW, but 23 per cent of school children are still above the healthy weight range, according to a University of Sydney survey released this week.The results of the Schools Physical Activity and Nutrition Survey of over 8,000 NSW schoolchildren were similar to a survey carried out in 2004. Lead researcher, Dr Louise Hardy, said the findings were promising and suggested that current investments to reduce the risk of unhealthy weight gain were beginning... ...Read more »

UK organic food makers have launched a marketing campaign they hope will improve consumer understanding of the sector and boost sales.The three-year “Why I Love Organic” campaign, launched by sector body The Organic Trade Board (OTB), costs GBP2m (US$3.1m). Half the investment has been put up by the organic industry with the rest coming from the EU. The campaign, which aims to “democratise” the organic sector by getting consumers to talk about why they buy organic products,... ...Read more »

Following a review of more than 5,600 creative submissions – the most ever in a single year of competition – Doritos and Pepsi MAX today revealed the names of the 10 finalists in the Crash the Super Bowl challenge. These 10 finalists will go on to compete to be one of six consumer-created ads – three for Doritos and three for Pepsi MAX – airing during the Super Bowl XLV broadcast, Feb. 6, on FOX. As the contest enters its next phase, Doritos and Pepsi MAX fans in the United... ...Read more »