Vodafone&rsquo;s much talked about Zoozoos were in the news again. This time round it was thanks to a merchandising tie-up with Shoppers Stop. Now Zoozoo fans had the opportunity to bring the fictional, winsome characters back into their lives, as a part of their apparel and attitude. Thinking back to the release of the Vodafone Campaign during the IPL, the response and stir created seemed almost unprecedented. By the time the first few ads were on air, Zoozoos had mutated from television screens to laptop wallpapers, editorial features, mobile screen savers and facebook wall posts and fan pages. The campaign managed to convert consumers into fansumers, i.e. endorsers and subscribers to the brand.

Resurgence of the brand mascot

Business Standard

Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo slash console prices, bundle free games too.

The games companies play to 'console''consumers

It&rsquo;s simply impossible not to have heard about Facebook. For over five years, this highly successful social networking site has become the definitive place for young adults to upload details about their day-to-day life.

Facebook, for those who came in late

Did you know that cybercrime has now become a much bigger problem than even drug trafficking? In fact, if studies are to be believed, an identity is stolen every three seconds somewhere around the world. This unabated rise in cybercrime is mostly on account of unsafe computer use.

Better safe than sorry

    This fictional character is a $5-billion cash cow for its company. But its popularity seems to be waning and the company has plans to rebrand its personality by moving away from its clean image. The first project for this exercise has been code named Super Secret. Name the character.

Answers to last week&#39s quiz (#125)

    Fill in the blanks and identify the company from this ad: &ldquo;In 1969 space pioneers Armstrong, Aldrin and Collins set out to bring the moon a little closer. In 1969 our founders ___, ___ and ____ set out to make the world a little smaller.

The Strategist Quiz (#126)

THE MONEY CULULTURE
Author: Michael Lewis 
Publisher: Penguin 
Price: Rs 796
ISBN: 0140173188.
TESTED ADVERTISING METHODS
Authors: John Caples and Fred E Hahn 
Publisher: Prentice Hall Direct 
Price: Rs 843
ISBN: 0130957011.
ALL THE RIGHT MOVES
Author: Janis Landis 
Publisher: iUniverse 
Price: Rs 843
ISBN: 0595001092.
RED-HOT COLD CALL SELLING
Author: Paul S Goldner
Publisher: Amacom Book Division
Price: Rs 997
ISBN: 0814478808.
ECONOMICS EXPLAINED
Authors: Robert Heilbroner and Lester Thurow 
Publisher: Simon &amp; Schuster 
Price: Rs 796
ISBN: 0684846411.
BUFFETOLOGY
Author: Mary Buffett 
Publisher: Simon &amp; Schuster 
Price: Rs 796
ISBN: 0684871718.
KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT IN THE NEW ECONOMY
Author: Rick Blunt 
Publisher: iUniverse 
Price: Rs 843
ISBN: 0595167241.
THE WEALTH OF NATIONS
Authors: Adam Smith and Andrew S Skinner
Publisher: Penguin
Price: Rs 795
ISBN: 0140436154.
GENDERSELL
Author: Judith C Tingley 
Publisher: Simon &amp;

The top 10 business bestsellers

The market for fashion jewellery has changed significantly &mdash; the industry dynamics and consumer behaviour patterns are different than a few years ago.

KIT: The Indian market for imitation/fashion jewellery

Reliance Communications has started to offer SMS at one paisa per message. This is way below the existing rates which vary from 50 paisa to Rs 1.50. Like the one-paisa schemes for calls, the rock-bottom SMS tariff could soon get replicated by other operators. But this does not seem to bother Reliance Communications. It is targeting not one but two ends with the new scheme.

Reliance Communications: Paisa power

Bacardi-Martini India and Hungama Digital Media have launched a music and video download website called Bacardi Mixxology (mixbacardi.com) to promote the Bacardi white rum brand in the country. Similar to iTunes, the internet storefront allows users to download music, videos, ringtones, mobile wallpapers at a reasonable price of Rs 10 a download or Rs 99 for unlimited downloads for a month, both on PCs and mobile handsets.

Bacardi-Martini India: Digital engagement

Environmental think tank Teri wants to commercialise its technologies. Here&rsquo;s how.

Teri Inc

India is the toughest beer market in the world. The regulatory web is complex and stifling, mass-media advertising is not allowed and over three-fourths of the market is with two companies, United Breweries and SABMiller. Several smaller players who entered the market have either had to shut shop or sell out to one of these two. Into this tough-as-hide market has stepped Carlsberg. It has put out three brands: Carlsberg and Tuborg in the mild segment, Palone in the strong segment. All the three brands have begun to sell over a million cases each. But there is still a long way to go. How has Carlsberg planned its India innings? Carlsberg India Managing Director Pradeep Gidwani tells Bhupesh Bhandari.

'Quality is our key differentiator'

GlaxoSmithKline has rolled out another health drink, Asha from Horlicks, this time targeting the lower end of the market.

Horlicks' new hope

GM will unveil its third small car for India next month.

Can you feel the beat?

You could call it the clash of the titans. Tata Sky&rsquo;s innovative use of its brand ambassador Aamir Khan as a ventriloquist, aging taxi driver, family man and puppet (remember the actor&rsquo;s man-woman act in the first of his commercials for the DTH operator last year) has indeed made rivals sit up and take notice of it.

Khan versus Khan

After the price war, snacks makers have made the &lsquo;health&rsquo; platform their new battleground. While PepsiCo recently positioned cracker brand Aliva as a health food, Parle Products has gone a step ahead with Monaco Smart Chips, which the company claims, is not fried &ndash; a first in the chips segment.

Monaco's healthy but tasty route

The predictions for next year by a leading forecaster of advertising spending will have the India&rsquo;s ad fraternity smiling.

TV dominates, print a close second

These timepieces spell elegance, luxury and class. They come dazzlingly studded with precious stones, and in designs which merge the classic with the trendy. Abhilasha Ojha on what your wrist should wear this festive season.

Must watch

Dressing in Canali suits (Rs 54,000 upwards) and Satya Paul ties (Rs 1,500 upwards) always has Jyoti Narula of Genesis Colors at his best. He says, &ldquo;Satya Paul ties are my all-time favourite to express my mood, while Canali suits are the easiest way to dress up for any occasion.&rdquo; We won&rsquo;t disagree. Narula has proudly added a pair of Tie Rack cufflinks to his wardrobe recently, which he picked out of a collection that he calls &ldquo;Wow!&rdquo; (Rs 4,500).

A fine cut

GELFAND AND Ponomariov have drawn game one in the four-game World Cup finals. At stake is a spot in the Candidates. Top seed Gelfand has had a much smoother passage to the finals. Seventh seeded Ponomariov had to fight harder. In the semis, Gelfand beat Sergein Karjakin, 2-0 in nomal time while Ponomariov won a hair-raising tiebreaker after losing the first game to Vladimir Malakhov.

Chess #617

Think of Madonna &mdash; the pop star, not the Mother of God &mdash; and then think of your first association after the triangular breasts.

Second life

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