When I was living in Chicago, someone once told me that Cleveland was Detroit without the glitz. Being a Cleveland native, I was not amused, but I did understand. They were both once proud lakefront cities that rose up during the great industrial revolution, thrived mightily through the manufacturing base that settled there and are now mere shadows of their past...

You are looking at the future of lighting – LED light bulbs.  GE will be launching their  Energy Smart LED bulb sometime in late 2010 or early 2011 for $40-50. Sooner than later we will all be using LED lights in our homes, offices, malls, etc.

The brilliant illustrator Rob Sheridan created Cereal Mascot Reunion a few years ago to show that "things are never as good as they used to be."Apparently Rob is a bit of a psychic.

Just this month Sears Holding Company launched a test for a new retail drive-through concept called MyGofer.com.  The concept is simple and feeds off American’s need for fast and convenient.

The battle to ban corn syrup is succeeding – not in proving that corn syrup is bad for our health; there is actually little proof of that at all – but in scaring consumers and causing manufacturers to buckle under at the first sign of adversity.

Clorox and Method are in a heated battle over the use of a daisy, that Clorox claims it owns.  On March 10, Clorox sent a letter to the president and CEO of Method Products claiming that a recent use of a yellow daisy on a Method brand multi-surface cleaner bottle “violates Federal and State anti-dilution laws”.  This is because Clorox’s “flower design” featured its Green Works line is trademarked and “has become famous to millions of consumers and represent some of the most valuable properties owned by Clorox.” Since I don’t have a law degree, I’m not going to attempt to determine who is right or wrong in this case.  However, rather than being afraid of Clorox and removing the daisy quietly, Method has turned the cease and desist letter into an opportunity to gain the public’s support on this issue.

According to an article in Forbes this week, some pretty major marketers believe consumers need to turn the corner on the recession and start spending their money again."New ad campaigns suggest marketers are eager to shake off the gloom of tough economic times--and they hope consumers will do the same.