Gluten-Free Hot Pockets

Today, Glutenfreeda tweeted a photo of their newest product, which looks like a Hot Pocket! The product line is called Pizza Wraps, and they will be revealing it at Expo West in March. This photo shows the new Italian Sausage Pizza Wrap. I can't wait to try it! 

Funny Celiac Video with Melinda Dennis

Melinda Dennis and One World Video made this funny viral video about celiac disease. The seven minute video is a little long, but it is a great and humorous conversation about celiac disease. Melinda Dennis and Daniel Leffler wrote Real Life with Celiac Disease.

Are Blog Giveaways a Good Strategy for All Companies?

Positive blog reviews are great cheap marketing for companies. The only cost involved is the shipping of free products. Of course, a negative blog review on a popular blog can be problematic. Often, bloggers will also do giveaways, but are they a good strategy for your company?

If your company is considering a blog giveaway, ask one very important question. Can most of the blog readers buy our products in stores? If the answer is yes, then do the giveaway. However, if your product can only be ordered online and there are shipping charges, it may not be your best option. It could be better to offer the blog readers a coupon code for ordering online.

As a company, you want potential customers to read a review and then immediately click to buy your products. When you do a giveaway, people will enter the giveaway instead of buying immediately. Will the interested people who don’t win the giveaway remember to come back and order your products later, especially after thinking more about the shipping costs? Probably not.

You may be missing out on selling to your target audience, the blog subscribers. However, in the future, new readers will find the review through search engines and social networking sites. They may be impressed by the number of comments on the review, so it may still result in sales. What do you think?

How much is your label and packaging worth?

Each week, Phil Lempert, the Supermarket Guru, reviews five new products, which often include gluten-free ones. This week he had some praise as well as harsh words for Shabtai Gourmet in his review of their Swiss Chocolate Roll.

"Forget about this ugly package – the cake itself has a terrific chocolate coating and the inside is great, although a mite dry."

"Change the package, change the label and this could become one of the best selling gluten free products on the market."

We all know not to judge a book by its cover, but that statement doesn't apply to grocery store consumers!

Watch the entire video. It really is a must-see with unique comments to kick off the new year. It starts with the lowest scoring product ever. The last product, Crofter's South America Superfruit Spread, received a near perfect score and Phil wants the bear on the package to have a name.

Top Ads on YouTube in 2010

What are the ingredients for making a top commercial? The most-viewed ads on YouTube in 2010 have little in common. Humor, famous athletes, or drama could be the secret ingredient.

Topping the list is the Old Spice guy, with over 24 million views. Isaiah Mustafa, the Old Spice guy, mentioned his vegan gluten-free diet to Jay Leno on The Tonight Show in this clip.




View all 12 top commercials here. The catchy Swagger Wagon advertising the Toyota Sienna is my favorite. Watch it now and discover what appeals to over 7 million viewers.

Tips for Making Viral Videos

Are you considering making a viral video to promote your company, website, or blog? Looking for a way to make your video stand out from others? Scott Gerber offers eight tips on Mashable in How To: Make a Successful Marketing Video for the Web. He developed the tips from interviews with Generation Y entrepreneurs.

"The best web videos are ones that incorporate comedy. People like to share videos with their networks that are funny, inspiring or thought provoking."

Some tips include being real, keeping it less than 2 minutes, and making it simple. Have you seen a great viral video recently? Share a link to it in the comments. 

Celiac Disease Ranks High in AOL's 2010 Hot Searches

What were the top 10 health topics most searched in 2010? According to the AOL's Year End Hot Searches of 2010, celiac disease was ranked fourth, above diabetes and breast cancer! The top three health searches were bed bugs, salmonella, and BPA.  View the entire health list and explanations here. 

Chelsea Clinton's wedding was ranked ninth in top news searches, and her gluten-free wedding cake is partly responsible for the high celiac disease ranking. The Old Spice Guy, who eats gluten-free, ranked seventh in top trends. While Silly Bandz and Foursquare were included in the top trends, fortunately the gluten-free diet was not!