D’Agostino, the iconic grocer with stores in Rye Brook, Cross River and Chappaqua, is sponsoring a contest for students to create a new, greener version of its familiar D’Ag Bag grocery bag.

Contestants must be students. Entry forms, rules and templates are available at D’Agostino’s Web site (www.dagnyc.com). Entry deadline is Jan. 30.

The winning design will be featured on recyclable D’Ag Bags, to be sold at D’Agostino stores in Manhattan and Westchester. First prize also includes a $1000 scholarship and a $500 D’Agostino gift certificate.

Kraft Foods Inc. is pushing ahead with a campaign to remake its iconic Maxwell House brand by reformulating the coffee, changing the packaging and embarking on a new advertising campaign.
The changes affect one of the key brands that Kraft manages at its beverage unit in Tarrytown.

The advertising campaign, under the theme, “It’s A New Morning. Brew Some Good,� includes national television spots and print advertisements, product sampling at major retailers and online promotions at www.brewsomegood.com.

In addition, Kraft said that its representatives will give away nearly 1 million cups of hot coffee at the Palisades Center in West Nyack and 14 other malls nationally through Sunday in a three-day promotion over the Thanksgiving Day weekend.

The ad campaign “furthers Kraft’s commitment to contemporize even our most iconic brands for a new generation of consumers,� said Lorraine Hansen, senior vice president and general manager of coffee at Kraft. “This is by far our best coffee ever. For years, Maxwell House has been an important part of America’s homes and communities.�

Kraft’s attempt to remake Maxwell House comes several months after the billionaire investor Nelson Peltz of Mount Kisco advocated that Kraft pump up a lackluster stock price by selling the Maxwell House and Post cereal business to focus on stronger brands. On Nov. 15, Kraft announced the $2.6 billion sale of Post to Ralcorp Holdings Inc., a major player in the market for private-label cereals and baked goods. Kraft managed Post from Tarrytown as recently as 2004 but the brand has since been moved to the company’s snacks and cereals unit in East Hanover, N.J.

In a key change at Maxwell House, Kraft said it will now offer a range of coffees made completely from Arabica beans that “are known for their superior quality, rich aroma and distinctive taste.�

The reformulated coffee is scheduled to be available in stores nationally this fall. The largest sizes also will include revamped packaging with a flavor-lock lid and a handle that is easier to use.

Kraft employs about 600 workers in Tarrytown. Most work in research and development and the beverage unit that also oversee such brands as Maxwell House, Country Time, Kool-Aid and Crystal Light.

In the promotion this weekend, two Maxwell House coffee kiosks will offer samples of hot coffee in the Palisades Center this morning and Sunday morning until about noon. The kiosks will be in front of The Cheesecake Factory and Lord & Taylor on the first floor of the mall.

Trump Plaza in New Rochelle has unveiled a “rent to own� program at the new 40-story condominium tower.

Under the “Rent Today, Own Tomorrow Program,� buyers can lease a Trump Plaza condo for one year with an option to buy at today’s prices.

All the monthly rent will be applied to the purchase price. Average rent for a two-bedroom unit at Trump Plaza is $3,600 a month. Tenant-buyers have access to all amenities. The 194 units are now priced within the mid-$500,000 to $1.7 million range.

The development is 70 percent sold, and more than 50 residents have moved in since the recent grand opening, spokesmen said.

Chappaqua-based Reader’s Digest Association and its online recipe site, Allrecipes.com, have created the Food Advertising Network RDA. The network is designed to serve small and medium-sized companies that want to advertise in the online food category. The network includes the food sites Allrecipes.com, TasteOfHome.com, RachaelRayMag.com and ChefsCatalog.com. Allrecipes.com has 15 million annual visitors. The new network features a technology called AdWizardRDA, a self-serve advertising service. Companies can create their own display ads by selecting from ready-made templates or uploading their own creative content. AdWizard allows advertisers to target ads geographically, which is desirable for regional brands that only sell their products in a few areas of the country.

ANC Sports Enterprises LLC, a full-service marketing company based in Purchase, announced that the signage it created for State Farm Insurance is behind the backboards of 15 teams in the National Basketball Association this season.

The signage appears on the basket stanchion arm and is designed to be visible to television audiences. The idea of putting advertising here was conceived by David Bialek, president of ANC Sports Marketing.

“It’s the real estate that’s innovative,� said Bialek, a Chappaqua resident who grew up in Spring Valley. “At the end of the day, a sign is a sign; it’s where you put it that’s impactful.�

He said he got the idea when Read more of this entry »

The Rockland Business Association signs up its 1,000 member this afternoon, reports the organization’s President and Chief Executive Officer Al Samuels.

Member 1,000 is the Old 76 House, a Tappan restaurant housed in a historic 17th tavern.

The RBA has nearly tripled its membership during the seven years that Samuels has been at the helm of the organization, which has its offices at the
Blue Hill office complex in Pearl River.

Samuels attributed the rise to a three-pronged approach that includes attracting members from outside the county and the establishment of subsidiary groups within the RBA.

The organization also broadened its mission beyond being a business-networking group, Samuels said.

“Public policy and economic development became primary focus,� he said. “And I think that has attracted a lot of the membership.�

The RBA, the county’s chamber of commerce, reached its 1,000-member goal just a month after celebrating its 40th year in business.

Westchester Community College had awarded Karen Spencer Design Inc. of Armonk, a creative services firm, a two-year contract as its lead design firm. The company will design such publications as the student handbook, a parents’ guide to the college, the admissions application, and will consult on the general design of the college Web site.

Blue Chip Public Relations Inc., which specializes in providing PR and media-relations services for financial companies, announced that it has been retained by Horizon Wealth Management LLC.

Horizon, based in Baton Rouge, La., is an independent financial advisory firm that provides advice to business owners, individuals and professional athletes. It also has offices in North Carolina, Florida, Ohio and Tennessee.

Clients of Blue Chip (www.bluechippr.com), which also has an office in Greenwich, Conn., include financial advisors, private money managers, mutual funds and other financial-service providers. Horizon chose Blue Chip based on its strong ties with premier financial and trade publications, extensive knowledge of the financial services industry, and proven media results, Horizon partner Pete Bush said in a written statement.

Blue Chip Public Relations Inc., which specializes in providing PR and media-relations services for financial companies, announced today that it has been retained by Horizon Wealth Management LLC.

Horizon, based in Baton Rouge, La., is an independent financial advisory firm that provides advice to business owners, individuals and professional athletes. It also has offices in North Carolina, Florida, Ohio and Tennessee. Horizon chose Blue Chip based on its strong ties with premier financial and trade publications, extensive knowledge of the financial services industry, and proven media results, Horizon partner Pete Bush said in a written statement.

Clients of Blue Chip, which also has an office in Greenwich, Conn., include financial advisors, private money managers, mutual funds and other financial-service providers.

Heineken Premium Light is now available in a slim can designed to convey elegance, differentiate it from Heineken lager and other beers and make it possible to drink in more places, White Plains-based Heineken USA announced today. Previously Premium Light was available only in a bottle.

“Particularly in the summer months, beer drinkers look for ways to enjoy their favorite beverages in outdoor locations that may not allow glass packaging,â€? Heineken brand director Andy Glaser said in a statement. The new … can now enables them to enjoy a light beer with Heineken’s image and cachet, no matter what the setting.â€?

It holds 12 ounces like the standard beer can.

Eric Shepard, executive editor of Beer Marketer’s Insights, a trade newsletter based in West Nyack, said beer makers have had incentive to find more innovative packaging to regain some of the edge they’ve lost to spirits. In addition to the traditional can for its lager, Heineken has a can that’s shaped like a keg.

“Spirits people have been a little more innovative in terms of packaging, so there’s a little more attention paid in the last year or two to any kinds of innovations in packaging that will make beer slightly different,â€? he said. “You have more flexibility if you’re selling an $80 bottle of vodka (than) a six-pack of beer. I mean, there’s so much money you can put into that and make it still be profitable, so they’ve been seeking ways to create some sort of packaging innovation within a tighter cost structure. … This kind of makes sense, you have a slimmer can for a lighter beer.â€?

A new TV spot will premier this week, followed by aggressive advertising leading up to the Fourth of July weekend. The “Irresistible� campaign will include full-page ads in USA Today, inserts in men’s magazines and spots on key Web sites.

Premium Light was introduced in March 2006. Its success has generated interest in the niche of imported light beers, which historically have occupied a much smaller portion of the market than domestic lights, which have half the market, Shepard said.

“Heineken had resisted for years putting out a light version. They were concerned it would hurt the mother brand, but it didn’t,� he said. “In fact Heineken itself had a very good year, and they came in with this new brand which immediately jumped into the top 10 of import brands.

It seems to establish and support the notion that, yeah, there is a market for imported light beers.�

Mountain Dew, one of Purchase-based PepsiCo Inc.’s soft drink brands, is introducing Green Label Art, a limited-edition series of aluminum bottles.

The products feature designs created by artists who were given a plain, 16-ounce aluminum bottle to create their image of Mountain Dew. The artists responded with a range a range of ideas, including tattoo design, cut-and-paste materials, paint, charcoals and computer graphics.

The company said it is the first time that a soft drink will be sold in an aluminum bottle in the United States.

The drinks will be sold from May through October in selected U.S. markets, starting in eastern Virginia.

Pepsi-Cola North America is introducing a new ad campaign this week, with a new design for its Diet Pepsi cans and a series of commercials that tout the brand’s “more cola taste� slogan with light-hearted humor.

Pepsi-Cola, a unit of Purchase-based PepsiCo, said the campaign is based on the findings of an independent research firm that found that more than half of consumers in blind taste tests “chose Diet Pepsi as the brand with more cola taste than the competition.�

The campaign, created by DDB New York, uses pop-culture trends and icons. One pokes fun at the pressure to be politically correct by “asking consumers to not be rude about the fact that Diet Pepsi has more cola taste than the competition,� Pepsi-Cola said in a news release. Another uses characters from the popular show “Beverly Hills 90210� to demonstrate how Diet Pepsi “separates the cool kids from the rest.�

The can’s design, meanwhile, features a new type style, logo and color scheme. “It’s a modern, slightly more masculine look that helps the brand appeal to emerging Diet Pepsi drinkers from Generation X while staying true to its loyal fans of all ages,� Pepsi-Cola said.

As a promotion, Intelligent Energy will be offering two months of free natural gas to up to residential consumers in New York and New Jersey. The company said its offer is for up to 50,000 natural-gas customers who use Con Edison or its Orange & Rockland Utilities subsidiaries and various other utilities in New York and New Jersey.

At the end of trial period, customers can choose to remain with Intelligent Energy at the regular monthly deregulated rate, lock in a fixed rate, or return to purchasing gas from their own utility with no penalty, the company said. Customers interested in the offer can call 877-483-4684 or visit the company’s Web site (www.IntelligentEnergy.org/freegas).

Intelligent Energy, a gas reseller based in Gainesville, Fla., started doing business in New York two years ago. The company said it serves more than 60,000 residential, commercial and government-agency consumers in New York, New Jersey, Georgia and Florida.

Pernod Ricard USA, which last year acquired the marketing and distribution rights for Stolichnaya, will emphasize the Russian history of the vodka in its first major advertising push for the brand.

The Purchase-based producer, importer and marketer of spirits and wines, said the multimillion-dollar advertising rollout will be the first worldwide campaign for Stolichnaya.

The ads, which will debut in the May issues of Rolling Stone, In Style and GQ, will harken to a Russian art style that celebrates the industrial structures of the early 20th century, which was when Stolichnaya was created. The headline will be: “The Mother of all Vodkas, from the Motherland of Vodka.�

The campaign was created by Pernod Ricard’s London-based Stolichnaya Brand Organization Ltd. and Marcel Republique, a Paris-based boutique advertising agency owned by Publicis Groupe.

Banking customers of JPMorgan Chase & Co. may soon notice a new look as the New York-based company nears the completion of extensive remodelings at 800 branches in the Tri-state area.

The branch remodelings include new automated-teller machines, new signs, new furnishings, new carpeting, new color schemes and fresh coats of paint.

“It will be brighter and more customer friendly,� said Chase spokesman Michael Fusco.

Chase showed off the new look yesterday as the Chase signs officially went up at 339 branches that the company picked through a deal with the Bank of New York. The new signs followed the conversion of the former Bank of New York branches to Chase’s computer system last month.

“Now that our branches are under one computer system and brand, we can fully serve our customers both where they live and work,� said Charlie Scharf, head of retail financial services for Chase.

After the addition of the Bank of New York branches, Chase has a total of 106 branches in Westchester County and 30 in Rockland County. The number of Putnam County branches was not immediately available.

In addition to the Bank of New York conversions, Chase has been gradually updating its existing branches in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut and expects to complete that work by the end of April. It is replacing the navy-and-red color scheme with the new, bright blue logo. The cost of the remodelings was not available.

The company also has opened 74 new Tri-state branches in the last three years and extended its hours at most locations. Typical branches are now open from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturdays.

In two weeks, Chase is scheduled to start a multi-million dollar advertising campaign in the Tri-State area, called “Tap into the Chase Glow,� that highlights the changes.

Ganesh Rathnam, an analyst at Morningstar, said the bank’s remodelings make sense because some branches had outdated appearances. Chase operates more than 3,000 branches and 8,500 ATMs in 17 states.

“We believe J.P. Morgan could make improvements at the retail bank to extract more value,� Rathnam said in a research report. “It has a formidable presence, boasting the second-largest deposit base in the U.S., and it is the number-one bank by market share in key cities like New York and Chicago.�

PepsiCo Inc., the Purchase-based soft drink giant, said it will allow a consumer to design one of its beverage cans for the first time in its 109-year history. Under the company’s “Design Our Pepsi Can� promotion, the design from the winning consumer will be showcased on 500 million Pepsi cans nationally.

The winner also will be awarded a $10,000 prize.

Beginning this week, consumers may enter the promotion by going to http://www.designourpepsican.com. Once registered, participants can choose to use their own design software or tools available on the site to develop their can designs.

The top designs will be selected by a panel at PepsiCo and posted on designourpepsican.com. Consumers will then vote for the winner.

MasterCard Inc., the credit card giant based in Purchase, will introduce a new ad in its well-known “Priceless� campaign Sunday during the 79th Annual Academy Awards on ABC.

The 60-second spot called “Ella Phant� will promote MasterCard PayPass payment technology that consumers use to make purchases by swiping cards over payment terminals.

The new ad features an elephant that cares for an under-the-weather zookeeper by tapping a PayPass card to make purchases of soup, cold medicine and a blanket to help the caretaker feel better.

The ad was directed by Jim Sheridan, a movie director and producer with film credits that include “My Left Foot,� “In America,� and “In the Name of the Father.�