Gatorade Planning Another Facelift, New Products in 2010

Gatorade is looking to innovate itself out of a sales slump and will spend some $30 million on product and packaging development to do so.

The company plans to offer three types of products, including two new beverages. New products will include Prime, which will be sold in 4-ounce pouches and come in three flavors. Prime is meant to be consumed just before exercise and includes carbohydrates, sodium and potassium. Recover, another new product, is meant to be used after exercise and will be sold in 16.9-ounce bottles, with three flavors and 16 grams of whey protein. Products to be consumed during exercise include the existing Thirst Quencher and G2 beverage lines.

“The whole sport-drink category was invented by Gatorade. The time has come for us to get back to meaningful innovation for the category,” said Massimo d’Amore, CEO of PepsiCo’s Americas Beverages group

http://adage.com/article?article_id=141086

New VA patients younger, more often women

 

Hospitals, clinics geared to older men scramble to adjust to changing needs

Since I am no stranger to this issue I thought it very fitting to discuss it. I have been in the VA system since 2003, and have gone through the gauntlet of questioning that includes: where is your husband or is he coming or are you a dependent? I used to get very upset or angry when I heard this out of administration people at the VA hospitals I was assigned to for treatment. Do they not see younger people besides Vietnam and WWII vets? The looks from older men in therapy and questions also used to get on my nerves but I had to be patient with their preconceived notions and the VA’s.  I want to hit their foreheads and say DUH! Women serve alongside you.  I have been doing research for a year and I have been shocked by the firsthand accounts besides my own of how women veterans, who happen to be younger, are treated differently than older men which comprise the population for treatment in earlier days. One day hopefully we will all be equal.  

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34418592/ns/health-health_care

“KS”

say goodbye to the communion cup…

 

http://www.chicagocatholicnews.com/2009/12/swine-flu-fears-changing-church.html

http://www.suntimes.com/lifestyles/religion/1938249,communion-swine-flu-church-121409.article

Chicago churches are taking away the comminion cup in serveral areas due to the swine flu. They  instated this around November and have chosen to continue with the rule by the time Easter rolls around. Tey take precautions to sanitizing all items and enforce handwashing along w sanitizer for all parish members and actives. I wonder what other things we have had the privelage for will be taken away due t H1N1….(LZ)

Woods’ woes continue…

On Saturday, Tiger Woods announced he was going to be taking an indefinite leave of absence from golf in order to take care of his personal problems and issues with his family.  That same day, Gillette announced it was going to phase out its marketing campaigns featuring Woods.  Gillette, a division of Proctor and Gamble, issued this statement: “As Tiger takes a break from the public eye, we will support his desire for privacy by limiting his role in our marketing programs.” 

On Monday, Accenture, a global consulting firm, announced it was going to cut ties with Woods because the pro golfer “is no longer the right representative.”  AT&T is said to be “evaluating its relationship” with Woods as well.

But two of Woods’ sponsors are sticking with him.  Nike and Tag Heuer publicly announced Monday that their respective relationships with Woods would remain unchanged.  Nike said the scandal will be a “blip” in the context of his whole career and life.  Tag Heuer said they don’t care about his personal life and that he remains the best golfer in the world.  

I think taking a break from golf has ruined some of his endorsements and could still ruin more potential sponsorships in the future.  Having said that, maybe taking some time to repair his personal relationships and issues will help get other opportunities in the future, provided his golf game doesn’t suffer.  None of this would matter if he wasn’t the best at what he does.  Taking an extended leave could also hurt his career if his golfing ability suffers in the end.  (mb)

Read all about it:

http://sports.espn.go.com/golf/news/story?id=4735593

http://sports.espn.go.com/golf/news/story?id=4736735

http://sports.espn.go.com/golf/news/story?id=4740543

http://sports.espn.go.com/golf/news/story?id=4739219

The good days at Chuck E. Cheese’s

Everyone should know that Chuck E. Cheese is known as a place where multiple fights break out… a lot. Even more are now hitting the newspapers and media. What does this say for their image? Nothing good. Customers don’t know what to expect anymore when they throw their child a party at this place of “fun.” Recently, a mother went after her brother-in-law with a metal napkin holder. These aren’t just ordinary fights. Some stores have stopped selling liquor because of these outbreaks. Spokewoman Hollaway, down plays the severity of these fights, saying “it’s just a small problem we have.” If your reputation has been changed due to this “problem” it’s not so small. They need to communicate with the media about this issue if they want to change their image back to “good wholesome fun.” Also, some internal communication needs to take place to help prevent these fights from happening time and time again. (gk)Diasters at Chuck E. Cheese\’s

Pee-Wee Herman makes a comeback

Yes, Pee-Wee Herman is set to make a comeback by means of a stage production in Los Angeles. Being a lifelong fan of Pee-Wee (minus, arrests and what not..), I cannot wait to see how this evolves. According to an article on CNN.com, his affiliates are hoping for another movie or production tour.

I saw him on Conan Thanksgiving night and was surprised to see he was just as entertaining as ever. Jovial, enthusiastic, and full of life.

But, what I am wondering about is: if his past will create an uproar with parents, or if his endorsers will criticized for supporting him as a man, not a character. If this happens, employees of such companies will need to be trained on how to communicate with the media.

(KNE)

Foxy Knoxy gets 26 years

Amanda Knox was supposed to be having the best time of her life…until she was put in jail for the murder of her Italian roommate and sentenced to 26 years in Italian jail.

I just can’t help but feel bad for the girl. How scary? Although there was no direct DNA evidence linking her to the crime; her DNA was found throughout the apartment. (she did live there)sd

When Barack Obama became president, he promised a “new era of openness.” After almost a year of a media diet that seemed to be all-Obama, all-the-time that concluded in a reality-program couple crashing a state dinner at the White House, I’d be O.K. with the kimono closing a bit.

Interesting article on how the constant stream of non-news media from the White House (talk shows, Iron Chef, the Salahis, etc.) diminishes the president’s respect as the leader of our country. There’s a backlash to being “one of us”, that we feel justified in being vocally disappointed and critical with the administration.
I think there’s some kernel of truth to this, although the benefits surely outweigh some of the disadvantages. Representative Joe Wilson would never have shouted You Lie at a commander-in-chief ten years ago, and I often find myself watching news coverage (coughfoxnewscough) and thinking, for god’s sake, he’s the PRESIDENT. (jt)

Companies Struggle With “Integration and Coordination”

“Twenty-first century business models are more dependent than ever on complex, cross-company collaboration for business innovation, product and service delivery and customer satisfaction,” said Liz Miller, vice president of the BPM Forum and CMO Council. “Developing and extending information systems, business processes and corporate cultures to succeed in a global networked economy will become increasingly critical for global businesses.”

CNN article, http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/marketwire/0566620.htm, says “only 8 percent of executives believe their companies are highly effective in the way they integrate and optimize these business networks”

Even in a difficult economic environment, the vast majority of companies — some 73 percent of respondents — are investing in programs and systems to optimize the way they collaborate with partners.

More: http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/marketwire/0566620.htm

(MN)

Dirty Drinking Water

More than 20 percent of the nation’s water treatment systems have violated key provisions of the Safe Drinking Water Act over the last five years. That law requires communities to deliver safe tap water to local residents. But since 2004, the water provided to more than 49 million people has contained illegal concentrations of chemicals like arsenic or radioactive substances like uranium, as well as dangerous bacteria often found in sewage. Studies indicate that drinking water contaminants are linked to millions of instances of illness within the United States each year. Water pollution has become a growing concern for some lawmakers as government oversight of polluters has waned. There is significant reluctance within the E.P.A. and Justice Department to bring actions against municipalities, because there’s a view that they are often cash-strapped, and fines would ultimately be paid by local taxpayers,” said David Uhlmann, who headed the environmental crimes division at the Justice Department until 2007.

Clean drinking water should be a major priority for law makers and treatment plants need to be punished for cutting corners. Local tax payers should not be responsible in any way for paying off the fines these companies accumulate when they don’t follow the rules and regulations. People are getting sick because of this. There needs to be a system that requires more accountability so this stops happening.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/08/business/energy-environment/08water.html?pagewanted=1&ref=us

(KZ)