The Doritos brand today announced that its consumer-created Doritos commercial "Free Doritos," which aired for the first time nationally during yesterday's Super Bowl XLIII broadcast, ranked No. 1 in USA TODAY's annual Super Bowl Ad Meter.
The tortilla chip brand is now giving Batesville, Indiana native, Joe Herbert, the ad's talented creator, a $1 million payout for claiming the coveted title many ad pros strive to attain each year.
Joe and his co-creator brother Dave Herbert, returned to meet the newly raised stakes of the third annual Doritos "Crash the Super Bowl." From shattering a vending machine full of Doritos with a snow globe to throwing the "crystal ball" at the Boss, the inspiration for their commercial is based on ideas the brothers felt would evoke laughter and emotion from the audience at different points of the commercial.
"To have 'Free Doritos' exposed on the Super Bowl stage was already amazing enough," exclaimed Herbert. "But, to now claim No. 1 on the USA TODAY Ad Meter and win $1 million is unbelievable and affirmation that we can and will fulfill our dreams. This means so much to my brother and I. We are very thankful to Doritos, our friends, our family and everyone else who supported us and believed in us."
Nationwide consumer votes put "Free Doritos" in the Super Bowl limelight from amongst nearly 2,000 entries and five finalist ads in the third annual Doritos "Crash the Super Bowl" program. Now, too, in the Super Bowl spotlight is finalist Eric Heimbold. Doritos surprised viewers by also airing his commercial "Power of Crunch," which placed No. 5 in the USA TODAY ad meter.
"We've said it before and we'll say it again, Doritos goes big or goes home," said Ann Mukherjee, group vice president, marketing, Doritos. "We knew Joe could take on the pros and now he has the financial resources to pursue his dreams. We are extremely proud of Joe's accomplishment and believe this is the best million dollars the Doritos brand has ever spent."
The brand also announced that it will continue to give control of its broadcast advertising air time to its fans. Doritos will also air all five finalist commercials as its national Doritos TV campaign to continue to shine the spotlight on their makers and their budding careers. In addition to "Free Doritos," the other finalists' ads that will be at the center of Doritos' TV advertising campaign are: "Power of the Crunch," "The Chase," "Too Delicious," and "New Flavor Pitch."
"We believe in our fans and will continue to provide them with opportunities to be discovered and live out their dreams," adds Mukherjee. "Doritos feels, as a brand, it should break the rules for it fans so they can make the impossible become possible."
The Doritos brand put two of its talented fans in the limelight when it surprised a worldwide audience by airing two consumer-created Doritos commercials during the Super Bowl XLIII broadcast -- "Free Doritos" and "Power of the Crunch."
The USA TODAY Super Bowl Ad Meter tracks the second-by-second responses of a panel of viewers to ads during the national broadcast of the Super Bowl and ranks them favorite to least favorite. Created in 1989, USA TODAY's Ad Meter has been regarded as the most influential Super Bowl ad rating in the advertising industry.
Eric Heimbold, a graduate of the film department at Pasadena Art Center College of Design, was hoping to challenge himself as a film-maker when he rallied old friends from school to create a Doritos ad that told a sexy, Super Bowl-worthy story. "Power of the Crunch" is a comedic take on the idea that people are corrupted by ultimate power. In less than 30 seconds, his main character spirals through a series of extreme indulgences and ultimately self-destructs. For Eric, this was a great opportunity for him to do something that is of meaning to him personally and appreciated in a well-structured public forum.
The "Crash the Super Bowl" campaign is the evolution of the Doritos brand allowing consumers to be in control. In 2007, the Doritos brand aired its first consumer-created commercial during Super Bowl XLI, as part of the first Doritos "Crash the Super Bowl" challenge. That same day, the brand aired a second commercial to kick-off the first-ever consumer-created Doritos brand television ad campaign, in which all five of the Doritos "Crash the Super Bowl" finalists' ads aired on national television. Last year Doritos launched the music career of one of its talented fans by airing her original song in a music video during its Super Bowl XLII air time as part of its second annual "Crash the Super Bowl" program.
In addition to the Doritos "Crash the Super Bowl" challenge, in 2007 the brand put consumers in control with programs such as Doritos "Fight for the Flavor," which invited Doritos fans to determine which of two new flavors survived on store shelves and which one was pulled. Then, the brand launched the Doritos "X-13D Flavor Experiment," where consumers had a chance to name a new mysterious flavor of Doritos tortilla chips, followed by "Unlock Xbox," which empowered fans to design the first-ever consumer-created Xbox LIVE(R) Arcade game.
In 2008, "THE QUEST" campaign gave Doritos lovers a unique opportunity to choose how and when to get engaged in a multi-faceted program that had online and real world challenges. Fans were in control of how they participated in "THE QUEST" in everything from guessing a mystery flavor to solving virtual puzzles and competing in real-life adventures. In addition, Doritos put control into the hands of its consumers through a programming partnership with MTV.
Frito-Lay North America is the $11 billion convenient foods business unit of PepsiCo, which is headquartered in Purchase, NY. In addition to Frito-Lay, PepsiCo business units include Pepsi-Cola, Quaker Foods, Gatorade and Tropicana.
Monday, February 2, 2009
Newspaper Executives Launch New Campaign to Promote the Power of Newspapers
The Newspaper Project, a new grassroots organization started by a small group of newspaper executives to support a constructive exchange of information and ideas about the future of newspapers, launches today.
It features new print ads, online ads and a dedicated Web site at www.newspaperproject.org. This multimedia effort has been created to help provide a more balanced perspective on what newspaper companies can do to survive and thrive in the years ahead.
"We acknowledge the challenges facing the newspaper industry in today's rapidly changing media world," says Donna Barrett, President and CEO of Community Newspaper Holdings, Inc. and President of Southern Newspaper Publishers Association.
"However, we reject the notion that newspapers -- and the valuable content that newspaper journalists provide -- have no future."
Other members of the group include Randy Siegel, President and Publisher of Parade Publications, Brian Tierney, CEO and Publisher of Philadelphia Media Holdings, and Jay Smith, former President of Cox Newspapers. Ads will run starting today in Advertising Age, The New York Times, The Washington Post and more than 300 other newspapers across the country. To learn more and download the ad, visit www.newspaperproject.org.
It features new print ads, online ads and a dedicated Web site at www.newspaperproject.org. This multimedia effort has been created to help provide a more balanced perspective on what newspaper companies can do to survive and thrive in the years ahead.
"We acknowledge the challenges facing the newspaper industry in today's rapidly changing media world," says Donna Barrett, President and CEO of Community Newspaper Holdings, Inc. and President of Southern Newspaper Publishers Association.
"However, we reject the notion that newspapers -- and the valuable content that newspaper journalists provide -- have no future."
Other members of the group include Randy Siegel, President and Publisher of Parade Publications, Brian Tierney, CEO and Publisher of Philadelphia Media Holdings, and Jay Smith, former President of Cox Newspapers. Ads will run starting today in Advertising Age, The New York Times, The Washington Post and more than 300 other newspapers across the country. To learn more and download the ad, visit www.newspaperproject.org.
Mayo Clinic Study Finds Younger Men With Erectile Dysfunction at Double Risk of Heart Disease
Men who experience erectile dysfunction between the ages of 40 and 49 are twice as likely to develop heart disease than men without dysfunction, according to a new Mayo Clinic study.
Researchers also found that men with erectile dysfunction have an 80percent higher risk of heart disease.
"The highest risk for coronary heart disease was in younger men," says researcher Jennifer St. Sauver, Ph.D. The study was published in the February 2009 issue of Mayo Clinic Proceedings. The results suggest that younger men and their doctors may need to consider erectile dysfunction a harbinger of future risk of coronary heart disease -- and take appropriate steps to prevent it, says Dr. St. Sauver.
"The importance of the study cannot be overstated," writes Martin Miner, M.D., in an editorial in the same issue of Mayo Clinic Proceedings. The results "raise the possibility of a 'window of curability,' in which progression of cardiac disease might be slowed or halted by medical intervention," writes Dr. Miner, who practices at the Men's Health Center, Miriam Hospital, Providence, R.I.
Erectile dysfunction is common, and prevalence increases with age. It affects 5 to 10 percent of men at age 40. By age 70, from 40 to 60 percent of men have the condition.
Dr. St. Sauver says researchers wanted to learn more about the connections between age, cardiovascular disease and erectile dysfunction. Two previous studies, both published in 2005, laid groundwork for the Mayo Clinic study. One found that erectile dysfunction predicted an increased risk of heart disease, but the erectile dysfunction of the study participants was not assessed with an externally validated questionnaire and cardiac events were not subjected to standardized review for diagnostic accuracy [Thompson et al, JAMA, 2005]. The second predicted that future cardiovascular disease would be higher in younger men with erectile dysfunction, but wasn't able to follow the men to determine if heart disease developed.
For the Mayo Clinic study, the investigators identified 1,402 men who lived in Olmsted County, Minn., in 1996 and did not have heart disease. Every two years for 10 years, these men were assessed for urological and sexual health.
Answers to questions from the Brief Male Sexual Function Inventory, a statistically validated questionnaire, were used to determine erectile dysfunction. The baseline prevalence of erectile dysfunction in study participants was: 2.4 percent in men aged 40-49; 5.6 percent in men aged 50-59; 17 percent in men aged 60-69 and 38.8 percent in men 70 years and older. Those initial data and the increasing incidence of erectile dysfunction over time were linked to data from a long-term study of heart disease in Olmsted County residents, led by Veronique Roger, M.D., Mayo Clinic cardiologist.
Over 10 years of follow-up, researchers found that men with erectile dysfunction were 80 percent more likely to develop coronary heart disease compared to men without erectile dysfunction. The highest risk of new heart disease was seen in the youngest study participants who had erectile dysfunction. In men 40 to 49 years old when the study began, the number of new cases in men with erectile dysfunction was more than 50-fold higher than in men without erectile dysfunction. Statistically, that's a cumulative incidence of 48.52 per 1,000 person years in those with erectile dysfunction compared to 0.94 per 1,000 person years in those without erectile dysfunction.
In men in their 50s, 60s and 70s, the total incidence of new cases of heart disease also was higher in those with erectile dysfunction. However, the differences were not as striking as those seen among the 40- to 49-year- olds.
"In older men, erectile dysfunction may be of less prognostic importance for development of future heart disease," says Dr. St. Sauver.
This study did not determine reasons for the increased risk of heart disease among men with erectile dysfunction. Some have theorized that erectile dysfunction and coronary artery disease may be different manifestations of the same underlying disease process. A buildup of plaque that can block arteries around the heart may plug the smaller penile arteries first, causing erectile dysfunction. Alternatively, arteries may lose elasticity over time, contributing to heart disease. This arterial stiffening may affect the smaller penile arteries first.
Other Mayo Clinic researchers were: Brant Inman, M.D.; Debra Jacobson; Michaela Mc Gree; Ajay Nehra, M.D.; Michael Lieber, M.D.; Dr. Roger; and Steven Jacobsen, M.D., Ph.D.
A peer-review journal, Mayo Clinic Proceedings publishes original articles and reviews dealing with clinical and laboratory medicine, clinical research, basic science research and clinical epidemiology. Articles are available online at www.mayoclinicproceedings.com.
Researchers also found that men with erectile dysfunction have an 80percent higher risk of heart disease.
"The highest risk for coronary heart disease was in younger men," says researcher Jennifer St. Sauver, Ph.D. The study was published in the February 2009 issue of Mayo Clinic Proceedings. The results suggest that younger men and their doctors may need to consider erectile dysfunction a harbinger of future risk of coronary heart disease -- and take appropriate steps to prevent it, says Dr. St. Sauver.
"The importance of the study cannot be overstated," writes Martin Miner, M.D., in an editorial in the same issue of Mayo Clinic Proceedings. The results "raise the possibility of a 'window of curability,' in which progression of cardiac disease might be slowed or halted by medical intervention," writes Dr. Miner, who practices at the Men's Health Center, Miriam Hospital, Providence, R.I.
Erectile dysfunction is common, and prevalence increases with age. It affects 5 to 10 percent of men at age 40. By age 70, from 40 to 60 percent of men have the condition.
Dr. St. Sauver says researchers wanted to learn more about the connections between age, cardiovascular disease and erectile dysfunction. Two previous studies, both published in 2005, laid groundwork for the Mayo Clinic study. One found that erectile dysfunction predicted an increased risk of heart disease, but the erectile dysfunction of the study participants was not assessed with an externally validated questionnaire and cardiac events were not subjected to standardized review for diagnostic accuracy [Thompson et al, JAMA, 2005]. The second predicted that future cardiovascular disease would be higher in younger men with erectile dysfunction, but wasn't able to follow the men to determine if heart disease developed.
For the Mayo Clinic study, the investigators identified 1,402 men who lived in Olmsted County, Minn., in 1996 and did not have heart disease. Every two years for 10 years, these men were assessed for urological and sexual health.
Answers to questions from the Brief Male Sexual Function Inventory, a statistically validated questionnaire, were used to determine erectile dysfunction. The baseline prevalence of erectile dysfunction in study participants was: 2.4 percent in men aged 40-49; 5.6 percent in men aged 50-59; 17 percent in men aged 60-69 and 38.8 percent in men 70 years and older. Those initial data and the increasing incidence of erectile dysfunction over time were linked to data from a long-term study of heart disease in Olmsted County residents, led by Veronique Roger, M.D., Mayo Clinic cardiologist.
Over 10 years of follow-up, researchers found that men with erectile dysfunction were 80 percent more likely to develop coronary heart disease compared to men without erectile dysfunction. The highest risk of new heart disease was seen in the youngest study participants who had erectile dysfunction. In men 40 to 49 years old when the study began, the number of new cases in men with erectile dysfunction was more than 50-fold higher than in men without erectile dysfunction. Statistically, that's a cumulative incidence of 48.52 per 1,000 person years in those with erectile dysfunction compared to 0.94 per 1,000 person years in those without erectile dysfunction.
In men in their 50s, 60s and 70s, the total incidence of new cases of heart disease also was higher in those with erectile dysfunction. However, the differences were not as striking as those seen among the 40- to 49-year- olds.
"In older men, erectile dysfunction may be of less prognostic importance for development of future heart disease," says Dr. St. Sauver.
This study did not determine reasons for the increased risk of heart disease among men with erectile dysfunction. Some have theorized that erectile dysfunction and coronary artery disease may be different manifestations of the same underlying disease process. A buildup of plaque that can block arteries around the heart may plug the smaller penile arteries first, causing erectile dysfunction. Alternatively, arteries may lose elasticity over time, contributing to heart disease. This arterial stiffening may affect the smaller penile arteries first.
Other Mayo Clinic researchers were: Brant Inman, M.D.; Debra Jacobson; Michaela Mc Gree; Ajay Nehra, M.D.; Michael Lieber, M.D.; Dr. Roger; and Steven Jacobsen, M.D., Ph.D.
A peer-review journal, Mayo Clinic Proceedings publishes original articles and reviews dealing with clinical and laboratory medicine, clinical research, basic science research and clinical epidemiology. Articles are available online at www.mayoclinicproceedings.com.
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Friday, January 30, 2009
White House Task Force on Middle Class Working Families
White House Task Force on Middle Class Working Families: The Task Force is a major initiative targeted at raising the living standards of middle-class, working families in America. It is comprised of top-level administration policy makers, and in addition to regular meetings, it will conduct outreach sessions with representatives of labor, business, and the advocacy communities. The Task Force will be chaired by Vice President Joe Biden. The Vice President and members of the task force will work with a wide array of federal agencies that have responsibility for key issues facing the middle class and expedite administrative reforms, propose Executive orders, and develop legislative and policy proposals that can be of special importance to working families.
Members of the Middle Class Task Force include: Vice President Biden, Chair; the Secretaries of Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Commerce, as well as the Directors of the National Economic Council, the Office of Management and Budget, the Domestic Policy Council, and the Chair of the Council of Economic Advisors.
Goals of the task force:
Expanding education and lifelong training opportunities
Improving work and family balance
Restoring labor standards, including workplace safety
Helping to protect middle-class and working-family incomes
Protecting retirement security
We’d like to hear from you. Over the upcoming months, we will focus on answering those concerns that matter most to families. What can we do to make retirement more secure? How can we make child and elder care more affordable? How do we improve workplace safety? How are we going to get the cost of college within reach? What can we do to help weary parents juggle work and family? What are the jobs of the future that we can begin to create? Please share your story with us and give us ideas for how to get the middle class going again.
Transparency: The Task Force will operate in a transparent fashion, in an open, two-way dialogue directly with the American people. Any materials from meetings or reports produced will be made available to the public at www.AStrongMiddleClass.gov.
Members of the Middle Class Task Force include: Vice President Biden, Chair; the Secretaries of Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Commerce, as well as the Directors of the National Economic Council, the Office of Management and Budget, the Domestic Policy Council, and the Chair of the Council of Economic Advisors.
Goals of the task force:
Expanding education and lifelong training opportunities
Improving work and family balance
Restoring labor standards, including workplace safety
Helping to protect middle-class and working-family incomes
Protecting retirement security
We’d like to hear from you. Over the upcoming months, we will focus on answering those concerns that matter most to families. What can we do to make retirement more secure? How can we make child and elder care more affordable? How do we improve workplace safety? How are we going to get the cost of college within reach? What can we do to help weary parents juggle work and family? What are the jobs of the future that we can begin to create? Please share your story with us and give us ideas for how to get the middle class going again.
Transparency: The Task Force will operate in a transparent fashion, in an open, two-way dialogue directly with the American people. Any materials from meetings or reports produced will be made available to the public at www.AStrongMiddleClass.gov.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Illinois can forgetaboutit when it comes to money
The state of Illinois can forgetaboutit when it comes to money from the government. There is a paragraph in the $819 billion stimulus package which passed the House Wednesday--without the aid of Republicans--which excludes the state of Illinois from receiving any stimulus package funds while Rod Blagojevich is governor. Good thing the impeachment hearings are on going.
Editor's Note: Yes, Mr. President holds all the trump cards and he is running a Boston.Here is the link. You can read it for yourselves.
1 SEC. 1112. ADDITIONAL ASSURANCE OF APPROPRIATE USEThis action lets you know where the President stands in this whole situation. So for you people who feel sorry for Mr. Blagojevich, understand where your loyalties lie because they are not with the President of the United States of America, Barack Obama. (or the state of Illinois, apparently.)
2 OF FUNDS.
3 None of the funds provided by this Act may be made
4 available to the State of Illinois, or any agency of the
5 State, unless (1) the use of such funds by the State is
6 approved in legislation enacted by the State after the date
7 of the enactment of this Act, or (2) Rod R. Blagojevich
8 no longer holds the office of Governor of the State of Illi
9 nois. The preceding sentence shall not apply to any funds
10 provided directly to a unit of local government (1) by a
11 Federal department or agency, or (2) by an established
12 formula from the State.
Editor's Note: Yes, Mr. President holds all the trump cards and he is running a Boston.Here is the link. You can read it for yourselves.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
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