Cup of Java

Just an old fashioned frog pond

There are some days an afternoon nap would just make my whole day. And "research shows napping improves visual skills, learning and alertness". In her study released last month, researcher Sara Mednick discovered that 60 to 90 minutes of rapid-eye-movement sleep allowed the same improvement in visual learning as six hours of shut-eye. "Nappers could actually make their workday more effective," says Ms. Mednick, who recently started work at the Salk Institute. But even she won't bed down until she proves she's not a slacker. Naps just get a bum rap despite the fact that we all grew up with nap time. Every father knows how naps can soften the patricidal edge of his toddler. Studies show adults also feel it makes them less cranky. But you apparently have to be a napper on the level of legendary bunkers Da Vinci, Churchill, Einstein and Edison to feel secure in doing it." But dang it, I missed National Workplace Napping Day! Hopefully I'll catch it next year. "National Workplace Napping Day will fall on April 5, 2004. Because of the loss of one hour's sleep the night before due to the return of daylight savings time, everyone in the country will be more sleep deprived than usual—and therefore more nap ready. National Workplace Napping Day is designed to make more people aware of the health and productivity benefits of napping. It is the perfect day for workplace nappers to lie down and be counted."

Pot Noodle uses scents in their POP ads to get out their new flavor The Sizzler. A canister on the shelf is squeezed by the consumer and the aroma of bacon is released. It's definitely different and interesting, but I wonder if it will work.

Thank Bob! Dion to take backseat as Chrysler moves from branding to products in ads. "The Chrysler group's new sales chief will stress products in Chrysler brand advertising and de-emphasize brand building. That tactic might have given the 2004 Chrysler Pacifica a stronger start, says Joe Eberhardt, who took over as Chrysler group executive vice president of global sales, marketing and service on June 1. In recent months, Grammy winner Celine Dion has been the centerpiece of a high-profile brand-building campaign for the Chrysler brand. The company is trying to use her image and music to move the brand upscale." Although they may retain her screechy voice in the background music. Dammit.

Tweens are spending early and often. "They found that tweens have plenty of cash, from allowances, gifts from grandparents . . . and considerable influence on their parents' buying decisions on everything from cereal to cars.
Once marketers discovered this gold mine, they went to work in unprecedented ways. Although marketers know that teens and tweens may be cynical about advertising, studies suggest that knowing advertising is false does not affect tendencies to buy, said Susan Linn, an instructor in psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. Linn said that the advertising industry has funded dozens of studies on children to learn how to sell more effectively to them. USA Today reported recently that grade schools in Connecticut accepted $5,000 from a company to interview 10-to 12-year-olds in classrooms after school."

Playtex reshapes it's brand image through some new TV spots.