A report in the China Daily states that McDonald's (MCD) is slashing its prices amid cutthroat competition in China. Additionally, the fast-food titan is accepting competitors' coupons as part of a month-long promotion meant to woo Chinese consumers from rivals such as KFC and Burger King (BKC).

Specifically, Mickey D's has dropped the price on its McWings from 7 yuan to 5 yuan, and it's offering an extra 10% off to any customer who presents a coupon for fried chicken wings from any competing restaurant. Company spokesman Ren Yuan said the aggressive promotion is the first of its kind since McDonald's landed on the Chinese mainland in 1990.

Continue reading McDonald's Cuts Prices to Stay Competitive in China

McDonald's Cuts Prices to Stay Competitive in China originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 26 Feb 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Jason Sadler made a whopping $85,000 wearing T-shirts! Yes, you heard right, wearing T-shirts.

Jason is way out there where imagination rules. He dreamed up the idea of wearing a different T from a different company each day. Simple idea. But there's more.

Just getting paid a few dollars to wear a T shirt doesn't add up to $85,000. Now comes Jason's marketing genius. He charges for wearing the T-shirts based on the day of the year. For example, on January 1 he charges $1.00, on the second $2.00 and so on up to $365 for December 31.

Continue reading Way out there marketing: Getting paid six figures to wear a T-shirt

Way out there marketing: Getting paid six figures to wear a T-shirt originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 01 Dec 2009 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Investing in yourself: Effective strategies for getting a raise originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 24 Mar 2008 15:13:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Taco Bell trots out stolen base promotion for World Series

Taco Bell trots out stolen base promotion for World Series originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 23 Oct 2007 13:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

It's not every person who can be satisfied by just hanging around in their same old job. Some of us folks are continually driven to seek more and better situations for ourselves. So how do you speed your trek up the ladder of success? What are the secrets to upward mobility? How can an ordinary person get extraordinary results, especially when there are forces that seem to be working against you?

I'll give you some tips that may help you up that ladder of success. These principles are tried and true strategies that you can accomplish yourself, and that may help to open up the ladder above you.

• First and foremost, be good at what you do. Work results stand for themselves and quality will reap success faster than volume will. It's never enough just to get the job done. Get it done right and make things easier for those who follow up on you. Shoddy work will hold you out of the game.

• Make it known to your bosses that you consider making them successful as part of your job description. If your boss wants some improvement in income and status, then it's in his or her best interest to serve you. Leaders of employees are motivated by success just like everyone else. Show your bosses how you can make life better for them.

Continue reading Invest in yourself: Double stepping up the ladder of success

Invest in yourself: Double stepping up the ladder of success originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 28 Jul 2007 09:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Unilever (NYSE:UL) has got some nerve in continuing to keep Fabio employed as spokes-hunk -- the company's word -- for I Can't Believe It's Not Butter!.

There are plenty of other deserving "C" level celebrities who deserve the job. The company should get a DVD of any season of VH1's "The Surreal Life" if it's stuck for ideas.

Fabio wore out his 15 minutes of fame about two hours ago. Unlike other fading celebrities, it's tough to miss the romance novel model because he never seems to go away. But if you are a Fabio fan -- and I pity you if that's the case -- then have I got a contest for you.

In order to promote its new I Can't Believe It's Not Butter! spread with olive oil, Unilever is giving away a luxurious vacation on an island in the Mediterranean, according to a press release.

"One lucky winner and six companions will be whisked away for a week of luxury to a private, 32,000 square-foot villa set on an island in the Mediterranean, where, with the ring of a bell, a five-star Mediterranean chef will prepare mouth-watering cuisine and a staff of 27 is at your every beck and call," the Anglo/Dutch conglomerate said. "A captain will sail you and your guests around the clear blue waters, a driver will chauffeur you around to the best white sand beaches, and a personal masseuse will take all your tension away 24/7."

Contestants have to guess where the island from clues provided by Fabio specially marked packages of "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter!" and on the Web site http://www.tasteyoulove.com. I never thought I would write Fabio's name and "taste" in the same sentence.

Unilever keeps Fabio from enjoying the oblivion he so richly deserve originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 10 Jan 2007 14:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

We parents of young children love to rail and rant at Disney and its Princesses, going so far as to hail the New York Times when it did an exposé of sorts on the cult of princess. Not only do the princesses create all kinds of stereotypical, feminine-victim role models, goes the theory, but also they promote unhealthy products! The scourge of every grocery store shopping trip is the begging for Disney Princess cereal, or fruit snacks, or (as I encountered last week at Walgreen's, and I don't even have a little girl): Disney Princess gummy bracelets. I do not lie. In fact, I even ate one.

Well, I may have to begrudgingly thank The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS), who has finally decided to be a little more circumspect about the products its princesses, and the rest of the company's characters, push like so many barely nutritional drugs over the supermarket counter. According to the Wall Street Journal today [subscription required], Disney's CEO, Robert Iger, introduced guidelines to ensure that "its name and characters only will be used on kid-focused products that meet certain guidelines in terms of calories, fat, saturated fat and sugar."

Hurray! Parents of little girls (and princess-loving boys, like mine) can finally venture into the grocery stores again. Well, not so fast: Disney will be bound by its existing contractual agreements for as long as two years, and the campaign will take "several years" to roll out internationally. As PR moves go, it's wonderful and I honor Iger for his foresight. Incredibles instant oatmeal? Incredible!

However. The impact of this move will be slow and the brand damage has already been done. I mean! Disney Princess gummy bracelets! Can Disney recover?

Disney Princesses to push healthful products: thank you Disney? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 16 Oct 2006 15:53:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Indra Nooyi isn't even officially begun her new role as CEO of PepsiCo, Inc. (NYSE:PEP), and already she's shaking things up. On Friday Pepsi announced Nooyi would be promoting John Compton to CEO of PepsiCo North America, effective immediately. The promotion is only part of a reorganization that morphs Pepsi into two separate divisions, both reporting directly to Nooyi: PepsiCo International and PepsiCo North America.

Bank of America analyst Bryan Spillane likes Compton in the role, but according to the Wall Street Journal [subscription required], said that Pepsi's "talent glut" might mean other executives would begin to grumble about their relative paucity of promotions and responsibilities.

Compton's background is notable for his ability to manage disparate organizations; he was responsible for the integration of Quaker Oats into PepsiCo following the 2001 merger. Nooyi won't be officially his boss until October 1, when she takes over from outgoing CEO Steven Reinemund.

Pepsi's new CEO starts in on change creation originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 17 Sep 2006 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.