Kraft Canada (NYSE: KFT) has embarked on a clever piece of marketing recently. On Queen Street in Toronto, the company has opened up a Maxwell House coffee shop. Titled the "Optimism Café," the food juggernaut hopes to increase brand awareness for its number one home-made coffee franchise.
The location only has limited weekday hours, and for now, is only planned to be open for the month of July. Early signs, however, are revealing that the concept is a success. Already receiving free press (including this article), and positive reactions from a number of customers.
Part of the reason for the shops early success is its touting of free Wi-Fi Internet, dog biscuits, cookies for kids, and Kool-Aid Jammers. Other immediate plans include book signings and live music. The new Maxwell House coffee shops are part of an overall "optimism" marketing strategy that includes "feel-good" messages and commercials that give the impression to the public that the glass is "always half-full" with the company.
So far, Kraft says that they have "got a lot more out of the café than we put into it — worth every penny and more.”
For the Intelligent Investor, this is a sign of an innovate company that is in touch with the public and able to utilize fresh marketing to increase sales. Maxwell House sales, for instance, have been up 10 percent since the start of the campaign.
Happy Investing, and be sure to give Kraft a look as a conservative part of your portfolio.
For more information:
http://www.thestar.com/business/article/1021588--the-toronto-cafe-where-the-coffee-is-free
General Electric could be well on its way to becoming a dividend aristocrat again. Having once paid a dividend of 31cents per quarter, the company was forced to slash its dividend to 10cents during the height of the financial crisis. MarketWatch, among others, have begun reporting that the company is poised to raise its dividend again.
GE, (NYSE: GE), has now boosted its dividend for the last three quarters and it now stands at a healthy 15cents per share. Half of what it once was, but rising quickly. The CEO, Jeff Immelt, noted that the company's financial health is back on track, and that he hopes to have GE back to issuing annual dividend increases... something the Intelligent Investor should look for.
The company has a much simpler group of businesses than it did pre-recession, having downsized its financial wing, and spun off its entertainment division into a joint-venture. On the horizon is big growth in its energy infrastructure unit, which has been making key strategic acquisitions during recent years. So, to include some dividend growth in your portfolio, and help you diversify away from your Canadian bread and butter, take a look at General Electric.
For more information:
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/investors-look-for-dividend-hikes-from-general-electric-and-3m-this-earnings-season-2011-07-04?reflink=MW_news_stmp
Happy Investing.
