Wow. Mattel Inc. certainly threw the marketing world for a loop. To mark the end of X Games Los Angeles 2012, the toymaker set up a life-size, orange Hot Wheels race track, complete with a set of 60-foot-tall double vertical loops. The closing event featured two stuntmen racing real cars—speeding upside down through the loops and then over ramp jumps to the finish line.
Speaking of Mattel, I recently landed the interview of a lifetime for Prepared Foods’ online “Food for Thought” feature series (see PreparedFoods.com). I spoke with Mattel Chairman Bob Eckert, who happens to be a former Kraft Foods executive. Eckert concluded a 23-year food career in 2000, when he joined Mattel and stepped down as Kraft’s president and CEO.