Q&As

Before last week’s Direct Marketing Days New York conference, I would have sworn that “convergence” was a dead-and-gone term. But when one breakout session after another spent valuable time and oxygen trying to define it, I realized that, like a villain attempting to kill James Bond, the trick is not to talk about it before putting a bullet into it.

Consumers who take to the road this summer may be in for some free gasoline thanks to a $30 million marketing campaign launched by Shell Oil Products U.S. The campaign, which is aimed at driving traffic to Shell gas stations, includes a sweeps, P-O-P materials and ads that appear across several channels.

Warner Bros. Pictures is hyping up its upcoming release of Superman Returns with a buzz-marketing campaign around the superhero’s iconic “S” shield days before the film hits theaters nationwide June 28.

Federated Department Stores will sell its 48-store Lord & Taylor chain to NRDC Equity Partners for $1.195 billion.

Kellogg Co. will extend its Special K brand into fitness categories this fall with a line of protein-fortified products.

Because of saturated markets and the dominant power of the buyer—distributors, retailers, and consumers—it is no longer enough to deliver a well-engineered, functional product or package.

Disney plans to unleash a new category of licensed goods that are sure to appeal to four-legged creatures and their owners, alike—pet care products.

Best known for its Mr. Potato Head property, Hasbro’s Playskool brand is trying its hand at something new for its young audience—bottles and diapers to be exact.

AOL Latino, with sponsor Mercury Mariner, is giving Hispanic filmmakers the opportunity to showcase their short films to millions of consumers online as part of El Festival De Cine Corto.

MGA Entertainment is taking its fashion friendly Bratz brand beyond the toy aisles into books and even movie theaters.