From BrandRepublic.com 

Ford is putting mobile marketing at the heart of a campaign designed to attract young drivers to support the launch of the new Ford Ka because it believes that 18-25 year olds, unburdened by credit problems, have a higher disposable income.

What do you think of marketing to youth primiarly because they have little or no credit history? It may be dangerous for Ford–who is already barely able to survive in this economy–

It seems like Ford is preying on younger people, offering them the freedom of a car with the burden of high interest rates. We’d love to hear your thoughts.

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From Webwire.com

“PAMOJA MTAANI”(“Together in the Hood”), New Behavior Change PC Video Game Created by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and the U.S. Government is Introduced in Nairobi  as a  Multi-Player Game Designed to Educate Youth in Kenya as a Key Component of the Partnership for an HIV-Free Generation

It seems that educational software that is also entertainment centered–i.e., edutainment has continued to grow despite the economic environment. I’d like to see the overall interface of this program. Does it appeal to the Kenyan youth as it appeals to American/Western Europen  youth? What do you make of edutainment? Is it a worthy endeavor or should it be avoided?

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Turner Broadcasting’s Animation, Young Adults & Kids Media group has named Vicky Free as VP of 360 consumer marketing and Tracy Barash as VP of brand development.

 This group includes the Cartoon Network–specifically Adult Swim. Adult Swim, serves as an avenue for adults who enjoy animation that is both adult and nostalgic. With the generational gap between Generation X and the Millenials, it will be interesting to see how Free and Barash develop their content to cater to these generations. What do you think is a good strategy for marketing to these similar yet different generations?

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From Reuters:

The world’s biggest mobile phone maker, is moving away from advertising specific devices to marketing themes, such as music or messaging, a top executive said on Thursday.

Anssi Vanjoki, the executive vice president for markets, said a big part of the company’s marketing would be based on service themes such as music, navigation or messaging going forward instead of on specific phones.

“The share of marketing spent by product was getting very narrow. These kind of device-based campaigns were kind of fractioning the whole thing,” said Vanjoki at the company’s investor meeting in Brooklyn, New York.

He also said digital marketing would take an increasing share of Nokia’s advertising budget, but did not give specific estimates.

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From AP

PepsiCo Inc. said Wednesday it has appointed Limited Brands’ veteran Jill Beraud to the newly-created position of chief marketing officer.

Beraud, who will develop global marketing strategies for the company’s portfolio, will report to Indra Nooyi, PepsiCo chairman and chief executive.

She was most recently chief marketing officer of lingerie company Victoria’s Secret, part of Limited Brands, and had spent 13 years with the company. She had also served as executive vice president and chief operating officer of marketing for Limited Brands’ portfolio.

The company said in a statement Beraud will be tasked with uncovering consumer insights so the company’s brands can tap into trends, developing packaging to meet consumer needs and working with research and development, finance, sales, and other aspects of the company’s business.

PepsiCo, the nation’s second-largest beverage company, is known for brands like Pepsi, Mountain Dew, Frito-Lay snacks and Quaker foods.

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From Heraldsun.au.com

JUNK food companies are collecting children’s personal details via websites to direct marketing messages to them.

New advertising regulations standards and privacy concerns have not stopped companies such as Coca-Cola, McDonald’s and Nestle obtaining children’s phone numbers, dates of birth, and even home addresses through their youth-friendly websites.

Some companies go a step further, asking children and teens to explain their personal spending habits and interests.

A new study of internet-based marketing found young people are frequently offered online rewards to supply their friends’ details to food companies, or to pass marketing messages to other people.

Study author Prof Sandra Jones, of the University of Wollongong, said few parents knew what their children were signing up for.

“I don’t think a lot of parents realise. They think it’s pretty harmless, going on a cereal or noodles website. It’s a lot of information to be collecting from a child, and these websites have pretty token methods of getting parental approval.

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