Marketer's Brief: No, Tide is not getting into the wine business

Welcome to the latest edition of Marketer's Brief, a quick take on marketing news, moves and trends from Ad Age's reporters and editors. Send tips/suggestions to eschultz@adage.com. Bodyarmor, the upstart sports drink brand that is going after Gatorade, just inked a major sports sponsorship deal. Find out more about that below, along with how Smirnoff is injecting some buzz into Christmas decorating. But first, Tide is in the news again, and it has nothing to do with cleaning. Not Franzia Tide's Eco-Box seemed innocent enough when Procter & Gamble Co. introduced it during its investor day last week. The box, for e-commerce shipping, comes with a spigot, uses 30 percent less water and 60 percent less plastic than ordinary Tide liquid detergent packages, and saves energy by maximizing how much can be packed in a truck. But, prompted by the Tide Pods Challenge earlier this year, some people think that, except for the big Tide logos, it looks like boxed wine. A P&G spokeswoman warns that the Eco-Box, like all detergents, should be kept out of reach of children. Maybe boxed wine should be, too. Will Fido notice? Petco is barking up a new ingredient list for its food and treats. The retailer announced Wednesday that it will no longer sell consumable products containing artificial colors, flavors and preservatives for dogs and cats by May 2019. "Some may question whether this makes good business sense, but putting pets' health first has always been the right thing to do for Petco," said CEO Ron Coughlin in a statement. The San Diego-based retailer released a new logo to support the move—the graphic illustrates dogs turning their back on artificial food. Woof. Bodyarmor subs for Powerade Upstart sports drink Bodyarmor has made another big league marketing move. The brand, which touts healthy ingredients like coconut water and potassium, has supplanted Coca-Cola Co.-owned Powerade as an official NCAA sponsor. The deal means Bodyarmor's logo will be prominently featured on coolers, cups and water bottles at NCAA championships, including March Madness and the Final Four. Bodyarmor, whose backers include Kobe Bryant, has used its advertising to aggressively target PepsiCo-owned Gatorade. Coca-Cola will still have a foothold with the NCAA because it acquired a minority stake in Bodyarmor earlier this year. What's baking? Just in time for the holidays, Bloomingdale's is set to start selling appliances and TVs. The Macy's Inc.-owned retailer is planning a store-within-a-store concept with LG Signature at its uptown Manhattan flagship that's set to open later this month. New products for sale include refrigerators, washers and dryers, TVs, ovens and dishwashers. Have a boozy little Christmas Stressed by the holidays already? Maybe you need more vodka. Smirnoff is making it easier to sneak a few holiday sips near the Christmas tree with new bottles shaped like ornaments. One version carries a warning: "Don't get lit. Drink Responsibly." Would you buy this? One of the latest and more fascinating things from P&G's Ventures group is DS3—travel-friendly cleaning and personal care products (including shampoo, hand soap and household cleaners) without water. They're packed in bamboo cases, springing into action when you add water. Available for now only on Indiegogo, 10 of the personal-care product packs are left as of deadline. Number of the Week 50 percent: That's by how much Amazon Prime members increase their average monthly spending on Amazon during the holiday season, more than double the industry average, according to Bain & Co. Tweet of the week We've gone too far pic.twitter.com/q1KqrJhHUc Comings and goings Melinda Welsh took on a new title to add to her chief marketing officer role at Chase Auto. Welsh is now tasked with leading the direct lending business for the company that shortened its name from Chase Auto Finance earlier this year. Fashion resale site Poshmark has hired its first CMO. The San Francisco-based company tapped Steven Tristan Young, who was most recently at GrubHub. Contributing: Adrianne Pasquarelli, E.J. Schultz, Jack Neff

Marketer's Brief: No, Tide is not getting into the wine business

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