A Jar of Vegemite, a Window on Kraft†

Wall Street Journal, September 30, 2009 — The recipe for Vegemite, a salty brown yeast spread famous in Australia, remained unchanged for more than 80 years. Then Irene Rosenfeld became chief executive of Kraft Foods Inc.

This summer, a milder version of Vegemite appeared on store shelves across Australia. Ms. Rosenfeld had almost nothing to do with the reformulated taste, its new packaging or its rollout — which says a lot about how she has tried to transform Kraft since taking over as the food giant's CEO in 2006.

No Recession at OXO

OXO's housewares have been selling well during the downturn. Now, the company is moving into office supplies and products for babies and toddlers

BusinessWeek, September 21, 2009 — OXO's kitchen and household products are winners with consumers, from its rubber-gripped potato peelers to its no-leak travel cups. The eye-catching designs have been featured in museum exhibitions and, despite premium prices, have continued selling well during the recession. OXO's parent company, Helen of Troy (HELE), reported an 11% bump in revenue from housewares in its spring quarter.

Having exhausted much of its original market, OXO is now branching out to office supplies, medical devices, and baby products.

Tide Turns 'Basic' for P&G in Slump†

Wall Street Journal, August 6, 2009 — Procter & Gamble Co., under assault by penny-pinching consumers, has quietly rolled out a version of Tide detergent that the company freely admits isn't "new and improved."

The product, Tide Basic, is currently for sale in about 100 stores throughout the South. It lacks some of the cleaning capabilities of the iconic brand — and costs about 20% less. Its very existence is one of the most telling signs to date of how the sour U.S. economy is forcing mass marketers to shift course.

Restaurants Take Trip to Store†

Chains Tout Branded Products in Supermarket Aisles

Wall Street Journal, June 10, 2009 — Restaurant chains are reaching out to consumers in an unexpected place: supermarket aisles.

As the economy has soured, many consumers have ditched going out to eat for a trip to the grocery store, and restaurant chains are following.

Starbucks Corp., which has seen traffic to its stores decline, in April launched a line of coffee-flavored ice cream in supermarkets. Last month, the company began handing out coupon books to its coffee-shop patrons containing such grocery-store deals as $1 off ice cream and $1 off 10-ounce packages of Starbucks brand coffee.