Consumers are spending less money, so companies are using increasingly aggressive advertising techniques to compete for dwindling dollars. Does bashing your competitors help or hurt? Advertising consultant Cindy Gallop joins The Takeaway to describe the fierce ad climate.

This Domino's commercial is an example of the battle of the brands. Take a look.

For high quality video, click the "HQ" button.

You can't get swine flu from eating pork. (And it’s not even called swine flu anymore—technically it’s H1N1 Influenza A.) Nonetheless, the pork industry can’t be happy about having its product associated with a frightening illness, even if that association is completely imaginary. Advertising consultant Cindy Gallop (who's never actually worked for the pork industry) joins The Takeaway with her creative suggestions for resuscitating a product that's been sullied by circumstances.

Curious about the pork industry's response to the flu? Check out our conversation with Mike Faga from Iowa Select Farms, the largest pig producer in Iowa, in Pork producers push back at H1N1 fears.

Today is the Part Two of The Takeaway’s series “The Color of Money.” We’re exploring how the financial crisis is affecting people of color in the United States, perhaps differently than it affects their white peers. Today we are taking a close look at how financial services are marketed by black Americans to black Americans. For example, “rush cards" — no-credit-check, pre-paid credit cards with $200 credit limits and $50 a year in fees. We’re joined by Boyce Watkins, professor of finance at Syracuse University and founder of YourBlackWorld, to discuss access to credit, the failings of financial institutions, and the changing American Dream.

Listen to Part One of The Takeaway's Color of Money series, Debtors' Prison: It lives in the 21st Century.

Here is the ad for Russell Simmons' "Rush Card":



And here is a conversation about that Rush Card from the Young Guns Now (some harsh language):

This week marks the start of the 15th anniversary of the Rwandan genocide in which an estimated 800,000 ethnic Rwandan Tutsis were killed by ethnic Rwandan Hutus. The genocide destroyed Rwanda’s economy and infrastructure. Today, the Rwandan capital of Kigali is a place of cafes with wi-fi and gourmet coffee even a shopping mall. The Takeaway talks to Jeff Chu, Senior Editor at Fast Company magazine. His story Rwanda Rising, in this month’s issue explores Rwanda President Paul Kagame's aggressive attempts to bust traditional aid models, court western investors, and to turn Rwanda from an impoverished nation into a powerful, popular brand.

After you read his article, be sure to read Jeff Chu's interview with Rwanda's President in Fast Company.

In trying economic times, even the most popular brands fade away. In the UK the famous American brand Woolworth's has all but shuttered its windows, save for one store that's survived by re-inventing itself. Can American businesses take a lesson? The Takeaway talks with Woolworth's owner, that is, Wellworth's owner Claire Robertson of Dorchester, England and with branding expert Elizabeth Talerman about what it takes to make or break a brand in tough economic times.

When it comes to Super Bowl Sunday, who turned out the best commercial is almost as newsworthy as who won the game. This year companies forked out a record $200 million for a slice of the Super Bowl advertising pie. With the economy in shambles, consumer confidence at a 30-year low and the GDP shrinking at an alarming rate, these ads need to get a serious bang for their buck. To assess if this year’s batch of commercials did what they needed to do to motivate reluctant consumers, we turn to Behavioral Economist Dan Ariely. He is the James B. Duke Professor of Behavioral Economics at Duke University and author of Predictably Irrational.

Missed the ads? Watch some highlights here:
• Drink Sobe
• Drink Bud Light
• Buy an Audi
• Go to Cars.com
• Drink Pepsi
• Drink Coke
• Use H&R Block
• Get a job on Careerbuilder.com
• Freak yourself out with Etrade.com

When an economic downturn hits, everyone starts pinching pennies. Advertisers are keenly aware of this fact and quickly start altering their ads to emphasize value, fuel efficiency and economy over taste or style. Cindy Gallop, former chairman of the ad agency BBH now consultant, explains how advertising changes during a recession.

President Bush's approval rating has dipped below 30 percent and the Republicans got pummeled during this election cycle. It's clear that enthusiasm in the GOP base has eroded. To help get the elephant back on its feet, The Takeaway turns to advertising guru Jeff Goodby. He's the advertising mastermind behind the popular (and long-running) 'Got milk?' campaign.

You may not know Bob Jump's face. But you probably know his voice. Jump is the man behind many of the Republican Party’s political ads, along with more conventional product advertising. He's voiced ads for John McCain, Ron Paul and dozens of Republican candidates from across the country.

As the campaign season progresses, a new type of attack is emerging. Ads targeting Barack Obama have been produced by political action committees that are not connected to John McCain. They're showing up in very specific areas in battleground states and playing on racial fears.

Soaring oil prices, coupled with climate change, is making commercial aviation not only unpopular but maybe impossible. Is the mile-high club about to end for good?

Are you a brand-loyal consumer? Are you a cookie-eater? If so, you may have noticed a void at the supermarket these past five years. The crème-filled Hydrox cookie disappeared from shelves in 2003, but, with a huge marketing push, is being revived by the Kellogg Company at stores this week—sans trans fat. Which brands would you bring back?

McDonald's is asking MySpace users to create a new jingle for its signature Big Mac sandwich. Will the new tune find a place among these classics?

A London-based advertising campaign, aimed at generating gay travel to the United States is selling South Carolina as “so gay.” South Carolina officials are saying “no way.” The Takeaway talks to the ad man behind this controversial campaign.

Joss Whedon ("Buffy the Vampire Slayer") and Seth MacFarlane ("Family Guy"), two of television's most powerful showrunners, are taking their brands online. Whedon's "Dr. Horrible" will be an on-the-cheap supervillain musical. MacFarlane's "Cavalcade of Cartoon Comedy" will be distributed by the advertising juggernaut Google, who just might be reinventing TV...