Story Archives of 'Business'

According to Gary Nabhan, if you love something: chop it down and eat it. Well, sort of. Gary's gathered a list of more than 1,000 native plants and animals that were once commonly found in American kitchens, but are now endangered, or on the brink of extinction.

The solution, he says? Eat 'em up!

Whether it’s Kentucky burgoo with squirrel, Hoppin’ John with clay field peas, or pawpaw custard, traditional American foods are part of the natural and cultural history of this nation, and many are quickly dying out.

Word of Mouth host Virginia Prescott speaks with Gary Paul Nabhan, director of the Center for Sustainable Environments at Northern Arizona University, and the author of "Renewing America's Food Traditions." It’s part cookbook, part history lesson, and part call to action to revive America's diverse food traditions.

She also speaks with Stephen Wood, owner of Poverty Lane Orchards and Farnum Hill Ciders in Lebanon, NH, about his own varieties of heirloom apples.

Experts say the average person encounters up to five thousand advertisements per day. We’re constantly bombarded with messages telling us what we need to be happier and healthier. Marketers get paid to know their audience, and they craft advertising strategies that target every imaginable demographic. Marketplace reporter Andrea Gardner looks at the ways companies try to appeal to women, often through "flattery, flirtation and manipulation." Thursday on Word of Mouth, she talks with host Virginia Prescott about her book 30 Second Seduction.

TV Commercials Discussed:

Playtex
This is an example of the "Best Friend" technique -- having real women (or realistic looking actresses) talk in a very candid down-to-earth way, so as to befriend female consumers to the brand.
Click here to watch

Dawn
This is an example of the "Fence Mender" technique. The company wants to highlight its good global citizenship and show consumers that Dawn is a good guy - not an evil corporate titan.
Click here to watch

Hellmans
This is an example of "The Fan" technique -- staying on top of the trends and reflecting that reality in ads. Because it's all about authenticity with women, and the more you are in tune with the here and now, the better. The company knows that healthy eating and whole foods (no preservatives) are very much in the zeitgeist right now.
Click here to watch

Have you ever gone to a shoe store and couldn’t find a single pair of shoes you liked? Either the color was wrong, or the design just wasn’t your style?

As we consumers get more finicky, companies are trying to give us exactly what we want - letting us call the shots. In the "pimp my ride" era, you can now pimp your sneakers too, as well as all kinds of mass-produced products.

One person who’s watching this ongoing trend is Kim Hastreiter, editor of the New York-based fashion magazine Paper. She joined Word of Mouth host Virginia Prescott from her office in New York to talk about our new ability to customize just about anything from handbags to hamburgers, cars to furniture.

The design issue of Paper is on newsstands now. Click here for a peek inside.

A former Seabrook Nuclear Power Plant chemist says that he was forced out of his job for reporting an alleged problem with the plant's emergency water pumps.

NHPR Correspondent Roger Wood reports.