Q&As

Mentos maker Perfetti Van Melle USA this week launched a contest that capitalizes on a pop-culture fad that could shoot brand awareness sky-high. Someone, somewhere figured out that dropping a Mentos mint into a 2-liter bottle of pop makes the beverage …

Cingular Wireless has dialed up a sweepstakes to support its sponsorship of NASCAR car No. 31, driven by Jeff Burton of Richard Childress Racing. Cingular’s Race Talk sweeps is part of the wireless company’s on-air polling program that airs through …

Sara Lee Food & Beverage is reprising its Sensational Sandwich Search contest dangling a grand-prize trip to “The Sandwich Islands”: Hawaii. The August-September contest is timed to make the most out of back-to-school season and National Sandwich Month, …

Today’s mobile phones are tomorrow’s e-commerce mediums, according to Forrester. In a study of consumers and technology, the firm found that Generation Y uses its phones for a lot more then making calls – which means that once it has some serious money to spend, it’ll be comfortable with this channel. Will you?

Call it a case of cosmic coincidence: A Jewish organization is about to launch a viral campaign that touts the value of forgiveness. This occurs just after actor Mel Gibson made an initial pass at apologizing to the Jewish community for anti-Semitic comments he uttered while being arrested for speeding and drunk driving.

The party goes on.

Do-Re-Me & You! is the latest direct sales firm to sign up for IMN’s Party Pulse e-zine service. Its 1,000 consultants, who sell children’s storybooks and other learning products in home sales parties, can now communicate with customers through e-mail newsletters.

As far as we know, there are no degree programs for how to create e-mail newsletters. But it’s an art that should be studied.

In their eagerness to get their sales message across, many firms ignore basic design and technical rules.

Here are some e-mail tips from Geoff Smith, managing director of online product develop for Prism Business Media, the publisher of this e-zine.

Marketers: Wary of associating with the uncertainties of blogs and unruly bloggers? Why not leapfrog directly to podcasting? At least that’s the advice offered by several advertisers at an Ad:Tech Chicago session on RSS and podcast advertising.

Esquire Innovations is using Web demos to close sales.

Dr. Miracle’s is using direct response print, television, the Web and unconventional advertising wisdom to make a name for itself. And it seems to be working: The Brooklyn, NY company, which markets hair-care products to the African-American community, has grown from $1 million two years ago to $10 million for the just-ended fiscal year.