Naughty food week

Hog heaven
Milk chocolate piggy stuffed with applewood-smoked bacon. (source: Fast Company, May 2009) http://tinyurl.com/6ob4bj

You are what you drink
Most people don't realize how much impact their beverages have on their weight. Tell the Alcohol Experiment what you drank last night and it will convert brews to equivalent food items for clarity. http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/alcohol/2008/calories.shtml

Makin' it
M&C Saatchi's "Reacting to Recession" study has identified 6 consumer coping mechanisms:
Crash dieters (26%): Cutting all non-essentials. Pay cash.
Scrimpers (13%): Trading down to maintain lifestyle while saving.
Abstainers (15%): Putting off big purchases to maintain lifestyle. Interested in free credit, but not coupons.
Balancers (9%): Tweaking the budget here and there to make it all work without too much sacrifice.
Treaters (12%): Crash dieters who can't stick to the plan. Reward themselves for frugal behavior.
Justifiers (12%): Still happy to spend, but need a good reason, like a new model or a limited-time offer.
Ostriches (9%): What recession? Credit card debt is ok by us.
Vultures (4%): Looking for bargains to take advantage of others' misfortunes.
(source: Center for Media Research, 6/3/09)

Foods that make you go hmmm
Healthy? Not healthy? Just plain scary? Your kids may still get hopped up, but they won't be stopped up. Apple Jacks now has 3 grams of fiber per serving. According to Kellogg's, fiber is the top-ranked things parents are asking them to add to their cereal. And, the number of consumers who check fiber content on nutrition panels grew to 52% last year vs. 42% in 2006. (source: USA Today, 6/4/09)

Who's following whom?
A Harvard study shows that unlike the rest of the woman-centric social networking world, on Twitter men follow men, women follow men, and men follow the men who are following them. Are there just more men? No, they're only 45% of users. The researchers say men are more driven to collect followers while women have more stringent criteria for follower reciprocation. (source: Christian Science Monitor, 6/5/09)

TCHO delicious
SF chocolatier TCHO's confections aren't ready until the public says they're ready. They beta test everything, altering the mix as often as every 36 hours. TCHO 1.0 went through 1,026 iterations before it was deemed ready for retail. http://www.tcho.com/ (source: Trendwatching, 6/1/09)

Gaining the recession 15
81% of US adults are trying to cut their grocery bills. 40% are eating less nutritious foods to do it. Here's what they're eating more of:
pasta/macaroni (44%)
sandwiches (39%)
soup (36%)
eggs (36%)
cold cereal (36%)
bread (29%)
peanut butter (28%)
tuna (27%)
beans (26%)
hot dogs (22%)
Weight Watchers down 35% over last year; McDonald's up nearly 3% in February alone.
NYTimes columnist Frank Rich refers to the recession's big winners-Big Macs, Spam, Hershey's chocolate, and Campbell's soup as "the four food groups of the apocalypse." (source: Iconoculture)

You will be on top in bedroom again
In May, 90.4% of the world's email was spam. (source: eMarketer)

Miami loves ballet flats
Zappos' new map feature shows you who's buying what where.

I am special
94% of Americans think their lives serve "an important purpose." (source: Harper's, March 2009)

Counting pennies with the Mouse
If Disney knows one thing, it's making money. So it's not all that weird that they've partnered with T. Rowe Price to create "The Great Piggy Bank Adventure," an exhibit that teaches kids and parents the basics of financial management and planning. If your piggy's not fat enough to get you to EPCOT, you can play the game here http://piggybank.disney.go.com/media/ap/piggybank /index.html (source: Iconoculture)

Now with 50% less copy
Mountain Dew has been rebranded Mtn Dew.

Sustainable kosher
Look for this new symbol on packaging. It represents adherence to standards in wages and benefits; health, safety and training; environmental impact; product transparency; and corporate transparency viewed through the lens of kashrut. Mintel says that because of concerns about food quality, healthfulness, and safety, sales of kosher foods have grown astronomically and that only 14% of people buying them cite religion as the reason. (source: Iconoculture)

Old card, new life
http://www.cardsofchange.com/ (source: Christian Science Monitor, 6/4/09)

Transformer
Cold Stone Creamery is introducing an ice cream that when left at room temperature doesn't melt, but turns into pudding. A nifty food chemistry collaboration with JELL-O. (source: QSR Magazine, 6/3/09)

Joe Cheese
I love the way this copy repositions "boring old Cheddar." The ad is on the IFC of the summer '09 issue of Culture, a high-end cheese magazine, and is brought to you by the Wisconsin Cheese Marketing Board.