When there's already a Lego parody of your extreme marketing stunt, it's safe to say that pretty much the entire planet now knows the name Felix Baumgartner, thanks to the 43-year-old Austrian skydiver's record-breaking supersonic freefall, 24 miles out of the sky, straight down to New Mexico. He made breaking the sound barrier look so easy that he landed on his feet, and you nearly expected him to land right into a moving convertible (or one of those Red Bull Mini Coopers), James Bond style. 

His main benefactor since 1988, Red Bull, deserves to milk the historic feat for all its worth for some time. After all, the whole thing came about from Red Bull Stratos, a challenge put forth by the brand back in 2005 that nobody could beat the standing world record. Well, Baumgartner did — so what does Red Bull do now? And how much does the brand stand to reap on what one observer calls "the greatest marketing stunt of all time" after financing the research, training, team, equipment and PR?Continue reading...

Scoff all you want. Kraft Foods is going for it. The company is splitting into two public entities and one half of it — its global snacks business — will be known as Mondelēz International. 

The shareholder vote at the company's May 23rd annual general meeting on the name change wasn’t even close, either. More than 90 percent of those who voted gave the new name the OK, according to a press release.

The word Mondelēz, selected from an internal employee competition, is a "portmanteau" combination of the Latin word for world (“monde”) and “delez,” which is supposed to suggest deliciousness. Sticking "International" on at the tail end gives it that global feel the company is in search of.Continue reading...

Remember all that stuffy marketing from Kraft brands like Oreo, Trident and Tang? Well, once the newly named Mondelēz unit gets its freedom from Kraft in a spinoff of the company's fast-growing, internationally oriented snacks business, expect the marketing chiefs to push the envelope.

The brands to be deposited into Mondelēz — including the aforementioned Oreo, Trident and Tang — "tend to have a younger, vibrant appeal that allow us to push the edge of the marketing much further than some of the classic, traditional, more Midwestern-focused brands," said Mary Beth West, Kraft's chief marketing officer, in an interview with the Chicago Tribune. "That's not a value judgment," she insisted.

But West herself does plan to leave "Midwest" parent company Kraft Foods — based in Northfield, Ill. — to join Mondelēz. And she will be taking Dana Anderson, Kraft Foods SVP of marketing strategy and communications to join Kraft Foods CEO Irene Rosenfeld, who is also decamping to Mondelēz.Continue reading...

Kraft Foods, the world’s second largest food producer, has announced the results of a survey mapping its total environmental footprint: the company’s effect on climate, land and water and its focus on sustainable agriculture.

"Experts say climate change, land and water use may be among the biggest challenges in feeding a world of 9 billion people in 2050,” explains Roger Zellner, Sustainability Director for Research, Development & Quality at Kraft Foods. "Having the 'big picture' of our total footprint — from farm to fork — validates the focus of our sustainability efforts, particularly advancing sustainable agriculture."

Serving 170 countries with highly visible and popular brands including Cadbury, Jacobs, Kraft, LU, Maxwell House, Milka, Nabisco, Oreo, Oscar Mayer, Philadelphia, Tang and Trident, Kraft has stepped up its sustainability commitment in a footprint that spans and effects the globe. So how's it doing?Continue reading...

The world’s economy has been sluggish now for years, and all levels of the supply chain have been patiently waiting for the whole economic machine to begin churning in a consistently positive direction.

Kraft Foods Inc., makers of everything from Cadbury's chocolate to Oreo cookies, Cheese Nips to Tang, has decided to put a good investment toward India and “the Indian consumer's rising spending power as it firms up plans to become one of the top-five food companies in the country in the coming years,” Reuters reports.

"In India, in particular we have witnessed exceptional growth,” Kraft Chairman and CEO Irene Rosenfeld told reporters on Tuesday, according to Reuters. “Year-to-date we are up almost 40 percent in this country.”Continue reading...

If Travie McCoy really wanted to be a billionaire, he might have thought about going into inventing a powdered drink that was used by early astronauts rather than songwriting. 

It’s not clear how much the inventor of Tang, General Foods scientist William Mitchell, ever made from the 54-year-old brand (he also dreamed up Pop Rocks and Cool Whip), but the owner of Tang, Kraft Foods, now reports that Tang is pulling in $1 billion in revenue annually.

That makes it Kraft’s 12th billion-dollar brand, joining Oreo cookies, Trident gum, Maxwell House coffee, and eight others in the revered category.

Five years ago, it wouldn’t have been easy to predict that Tang would join the elite tier of Kraft brands, which collectively generated $49.2 billion in sales last year.Continue reading...

Christies' first green auction tonight will offer adventures with celebs with brands' support.

Amazon's Kindle is its best-selling product (and it's coming to Target).

Coca-Cola dismisses criticism of BPA packaging.

Apple and Adobe clash over Flash.

US Airways ends talks with United.

Hulu is planning a monthly subscription service.Continue reading...