When Miracle Whip first debuted their “snappier” new image with a series of commercials last year, people started paying attention.

The mayo magnate is continuing to spread the message… and in the most interesting arenas. A first glimpse of the new packaging came in the much-hyped recent Lady Gaga/Beyoncé ‘Telephone’ video, and advertising is also integrated into EA’s upcoming ‘Skate 3′ video game.

Women can be fickle. That’s nothing new.

The latest attempt by the opposite sex to evolve and meet those ever-changing needs comes in the form of a new, crowdsourced fragrance (and accompanying campaign) by Unilever’s Axe. Traditionally known for their tawdry, sexy advertisements that feature women regressing into sex-crazed vixens at first sniff, the men’s fragrance developers charted a new course with their latest product debut.

Twist is a new fragrance, co-created by consumers and the brand. The first ad shows a robot repeatedly making over a guy over the course of a date night, supposedly to keep the object of his affection interested.

But perhaps even more relevant than its commentary on the intricacies of dating, is what this new campaign says about the rise in co-creation and the need for two-way conversations between brands and their consumers. The marketing landscape has changed, in large part due to social media and the shift from top-down sales techniques to two-way conversations. It’s nice to see that advertisers are evolving to meet these needs. Women aren’t the only fickle ones, it turns out.

Read more about the campaign here.

Honda and Ford have been at the forefront of the social media marketing shift lately, proving that the auto industry—albeit struggling—has its finger on the pulse.

Case in point: Honda’s ‘Social Experiment’ recently netted 2 million Facebook fans. This cross-platform push urged people to join as fans and also to learn how they are connected to other owners, friends, and fans around the world. It would appear that “Everybody Knows Somebody Who Loves a Honda,” but the real question is: will it sell more cars?

And let’s not forget Ford’s Fiesta Movement. This grassroots social media campaign gave 100 social “agents” the keys to the new Fiesta model and encouraged their feedback through blogs, Twitter, video and events. All without spending a dime on traditional media.

While both Honda and Ford have turned out impressive numbers, the jury is still out on what this will mean for the revival of the auto industry. Perhaps the more important implication here is the extent to which social media is overtaking traditional ad dollars and making more sense when it comes to brand marketing.

An app that helps guys “get lucky” with 24 different types of women had Pepsi serving up a mea cola yesterday, but consumers aren’t buying it.

The app, released to promote Pepsi’s AMP energy drink, presents guys with 24 types of girls, including such clichés as “Rebound Girl,” “Women’s Studies Major,” “Cougar,” and “Twins.” The app assures guys that it will be a “roadmap to success with your favorite kinds of women,” lets them create “Brag Lists” of girls they’ve gotten lucky with, and even encourages them to flaunt their conquests via social networking.

Pepsi’s half-hearted apology has left many customers cold and even instigating a boycott of Pepsi goods.

Let’s hope the men out there are scoring with this app, because Pepsi sure isn’t.

 
Say you’re releasing a new version of the iconic Australian snack, a Vegemite-cream cheese blend, and you need a name. You want it to be fun, appeal to young consumers, and yet still pay homage to the original, beloved yeast-based spread that everyone knows and loves. What do you do?

Well, if you’re Kraft Foods, you look to crowd-sourcing and run a naming contest. Sounds innovative and resourceful, right? Could be.

In what has subsequently been called the lamest name ever, iSnack 2.0 somehow won out over 48,000 entries. Submitted by a Perth IT designer, the name was presumably chosen by Kraft in an effort to appeal to the hip, tech-savvy iPod generation.

Just five days later, after being called “disastrous,” and an “epic fail,” Kraft has dropped the controversial name. And once again, Kraft is looking to the public for a new, more suitable option.

Some have called the debacle a marketing failure of New Coke proportions, and indeed the fury over iSnack has provided endless fodder for bloggers and brand analysts alike. Which begs the question: is any publicity good publicity? Perhaps this remains to be seen, but the public has spoken loud and clear.

Hey Kraft: can’t you hear, can’t you hear the thunder? You better run, you better take cover.

Meerkat. Cravat-wearer. Internet Icon.

VCCP has launched a viral campaign starring this Russian-inflected meerkat. Everyone’s favorite mongoose has gotten quite a large share of the spotlight lately, starting with the Discovery channel’s popular show, Meerkat Manor.

But can the popularity of meerkats be leveraged into success for a website about market comparison?

It would appear so, initially, judging by his 570,000+ Facebook fans. And you know you’re famous when you have your own blooper reel.

Read more about this charming meerkat here, here, and here.

 

CNET asks, “Can the Twitterati help sell your soda pop?” The answer, it appears, is a resounding yes.

@mtn_dew's Twitter feed

The folks at PepsiCo, parent company of Mountain Dew, took to a bowling alley in a hipster-heavy Brooklyn neighborhood to promote their newest product release. Mountain Dew Ultraviolet was mixed with vodka and distributed to the alley chock full of Twittering partygoers.  INSTA-TWITTER-TASTE-TEST! And not without incentive: random tweets with the designated hashtag were eligible for prizes like an HDTV or a casino weekend package.

Results? A shocking lack of negative responses and a whole lot of buzz…Or should we say fizz?