Rember's Early Success
The drug called Rember (methylthioninium chloride) is receiving substantial press in the news and medical world for its success in slowing the progress of mental deterioration associated with Alzheimer’s disease. The Alzheimer's drugs currently available {Aricept, Exelon, Razadyne (previously Reminyl), Cognex, and Namenda} have been said to only ease the symptoms of the mind-robbing disease.
Developed by Singapore-based TauRx Therapeutics, Rember is an experimental drug that takes a new approach to treating the disease by targeting the build up of a specific protein in the brain called Tau. Tau causes tangles that accumulate inside memory cells, and destroys them during the process. Rember is designed to target these Tau tangles, therefore leading to positive results for reducing mental decline.
If clinical trials continue to be successful and sustainable, this is ground-breaking news for the medical industry and for individuals battling with this debilitating disease. The name itself is memorable (no pun intended), straightforward and distinctive. In today's regulatory environment, getting a name like this approved signifies a major homerun for the company.
No Free Lunch
The recent litigation between POM Wonderful and Purely Juice makes me question the correlation between marketing and nutrition labels.
According to Brandweek, Purely Juice claimed that one of its products was "100% pure pomegranate juice" and contained "no added sugar or sweeteners." Seven different labs showed found that the product contained trace amounts of pomegranate juice and a healthy dose of high-fructose corn syrup -- a fairly clear case of false advertising and misleading the consumer into believing the product is healthier than it actually is. But aren’t we as consumers surrounded by these “claims” every day? “Calorie-free” sodas can actually contain up to 5 calories per serving. A product with the word “light” on its package only has to have 1/3 fewer calories than the original, but we’re assuming that the original calories aren’t off the charts to begin with.
Working with many consumer companies, we’ve had to tread lightly on using words like “fresh” or “healthy” in product naming to avoid making false claims on what the product actually delivers. Here’s a breakdown of what you can expect in your packaging versus your nutrition label:
Employee Feature: Bill Lippincott
Name: Bill Lippincott
Job Title and Company:Vice President & Consultant for Addison Whitney
1. On a road trip, my staple convenience store purchase is: Peppermint BreathSavers & Diet Coke
2. If I could have a super power, it would be: flying (you didn’t think I’d choose XRay vision, did you?)
3. What's playing in my iPod right now: Hopefully nothing, as it is at home. Classical Music for working, if it was here.
Economic Marketing
With the “R” word looming and gas prices soaring, it’s easy to get caught up in the economic frenzy. Watch your gas usage. Don’t spend your money. Put your savings in a coffee can under your bed like our grandparents did. While I think it’s good for us as a society to conserve our resources (from both a financial and environmental perspective), it’s hard to move the economy forward without injecting some cash into the system.
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No more rain ...
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"St. Swithun's day, if thou dost rain,
For forty days it will remain;
St. Swithun's day, if thou be fair,
For forty days 'twill rain na mair."
The outlook for today: sunny with a high of 90. Too bad for our lawns and water restrictions, since today is Saint Swithun’s Day, which forecasts 40 days and 40 nights of rain if it rains today.
According to BBC, Saint Swithin’s remains were unearthed and relocated to a shrine in the cathedral. The removal was accompanied by violent rain storms that lasted 40 days and 40 nights, which is reported to indicate the saint’s displeasure at being moved.
Dog-Gone Marketing
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Man’s best friend has become a marketer’s dream. It’s no longer simply designer carriers and rhinestone-studded leashes. Today’s pups are surrounded by as many luxury labels and fashion trends as the rest of us. With clever brand names to boot.
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Employee Feature: Enrique Porras
brand salsa is pleased to feature some of our finest … each week we’ll randomly select an inVentiv employee to showcase on the blog. Wanna get your mug online? Just shoot me an email and I’ll tell you how much … I mean, how.
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Name: Enrique Porras
Job Title and Company:Account Manager for Addison Whitney; I work directly under a Sr. Vice President.
1. "What's in your Netflix / Blockbuster Queue right now?" Lions for Lambs
2. "What's playing in your iPod right now?" The Good Life by Kanye West
3. "True or false: Elvis is really dead.” False, Tupac is the one who is still alive.
Word of the Day: Antonomasia
antonomasia (an-tihn-uh-MAY-zha)
noun
Latin word, from the Greek antonomazein, meaning “to name instead”
anti- {instead of} + onomazein{to name (from onoma, name)}
1. The substitution of a title or epithet for a proper name, as in calling a judge "Your Honor."
2. The substitution of a personal name for a common noun to designate a member of a group or class, as in calling a traitor a "Benedict Arnold."
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Employee Feature: Trista Thielker
brand salsa is pleased to feature some of our finest … each week we’ll randomly select an inVentiv employee to showcase on the blog. Wanna get your mug online? Just shoot me an email and I’ll tell you how much … I mean, how.
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Your Name: Trista Thielker
Job Title and Company: Project Manager- Jack of all Trades for Addison Whitney :)
Fill in the blank: If I could have a super power, it would be: to fly.
Employee Feature: Meredith Badinelli
brand salsa is pleased to feature some of our finest … each week we’ll randomly select an inVentiv employee to showcase on the blog. Wanna get your mug online? Just shoot me an email and I’ll tell you how much … I mean, how.
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Your Name: Meredith Badinelli
Job Title and Company: Research Analyst (aka - number cruncher) for Addison Whitney
Fill in the blank: On a road trip, my staple convenience store purchase is: Coke Slurpees