Irish companies that own calorie-heavy brands could face a new threat from the growing anti-obesity movement emerging from, of all places, the US.

The success of the book Fat Land (How Americans Became the Fattest People in the World) by Greg Critser has led marketing and advertising professionals to take very seriously threats, some of them legal, to brands which include saturated fats.

While the book, already a bestseller, concentrates on the US, smug Europeans should think again as the figures for this continent are not much better.

The marketing and advertising of such brands is now key based on the American experience. Retailers are also getting worried about falling sales and wondering whether the types of food they sell could be to blame.

Even Wal-Mart is forcing companies to stop supplying products that can cause obesity. The supermarket giant has plans to introduce a lite pizza. "We have a lot of customers who are becoming more health-conscious and are looking for a light alternative, and we will continue to work to provide them with the selections they're requesting," a Wal-Mart spokeswoman said.

Other giant corporations are also taking steps in a similar direction with Unilever and Kraft Foods cutting saturated fats out of their products. Kraft in particular is curtailing its marketing to children in the US.

Kraft earlier this year pulled a commercial for Oreo cookies that did not fit with its new fat-busting image. In-school marketing efforts, like poster and product sampling, will be eliminated, and, though some products will still be stocked in school vending machines, a new 10-person advisory council will determine which Kraft products are appropriate for such venues.

McDonalds and other fast food chains are also cleaning up their image on the fat issue, with the possibility of lawsuits no doubt playing a part. "The spectre of the McDonalds lawsuit spooked chains that the restaurant industry could become the next tobacco," Mr Bob Goldin, a restaurant consultant recently told Ad Age in the US.

The Sunday fight

While the Dublin Evening newspaper finally closed its doors this week, the Star hopes to expand into a seven-day product in September/October.

Editor Mr Ger Colleran told The Irish Times it was "extraordinarily silly" for the Star to turn away readers on a Sunday. With a circulation of 110,000, Mr Colleran said the paper could occupy a prominent position in the Sunday market at the premium end of the tabloid section.

He said that, while the Sunday World (owned by Independent News & Media) was an "excellent title", the decision to publish the Star on a Sunday was taken without any reference to other titles. "I take my hat off to the Sunday World. It is an excellent paper, but we have to do our own thing regardless of other titles in the market."

"Yes it's a tight market, but that should not stop anyone who believes they have a strong product. I believe the Star and the Sunday World will flourish," he said. Because of capacity issues, the Star would not be printed by the Sunday World in Terenure, he added.

He admitted that encroachment into the Irish Sunday market by titles like People, the News of the World and the Daily Mail was a challenge, the Star's mixture of news, celebrity, show business and sport would prove appealing. He said about 20 extra staff would be needed for the Sunday edition.

Paper shuffle

Ireland on Sunday, owned by the Daily Mail group, has made some changes in its advertising department. Mr Rob Atkinson is the new advertising director. He has just left a position as head of commercial trading at the Mail on Sunday in Britain.

Mr Atkinson will be responsible for upping the presence of Ireland on Sunday in the Irish market. While circulation gains have been impressive, the company wants to compete with the Sunday Independent for advertising revenue after a patchy first half of the year for most titles.

Mr Atkinson takes over as advertising director from Mr Simon Davies, who has been appointed advertising director with the Mail on Sunday.

Dublin licence race

Less than a week after the BCI (Broadcasting Commission of Ireland) announced it would be seeking expressions of interest for four new radio services in Dublin, speculation is already intense about who might be interested.

UTV, which already owns Lite FM, has indicated it would like to get its hands on the licence for Dublin city and county. With a potential audience of more than 1.1 million listeners, this is the licence likely to attract the most interest. Phantom FM's Mr Simon Maher also told The Irish Times his station would be interested in one of the licences, but he expressed concern about the process taking too long.

One person who is believed to be interested is Mr Al Dunne, a former director of Lite FM and programme director at the station which was sold last year to UTV. Before Lite FM, Mr Dunne was programme director of Atlantic 252 for three years. Last year, he spearheaded the Lite FM/Radio Kerry joint bid for the Kildare radio licence.

Mr Dunne is believed to be part of a well-resourced consortium which will be bidding for one of the licences. The consortium is preparing to conduct in-depth research on different radio formats. When contacted, Mr Dunne declined to comment on the speculation, saying: "I'm always very excited about new radio opportunities and the possibility of extending the spectrum for radio listeners in Dublin."

Bring back Stelios

According to London-based media/advertising title, Brand Republic, the success of Ryanair has caused its bitter no-frills rival EasyJet to review its advertising strategy.

The review could see the former chairman of EasyJet, Mr Stelios Haji-Ioannou, back in the airline's adverts. This week EasyJet admitted its passenger growth in the second half of this year would be about 21 per cent - compared with Ryanair's expected 60 per cent growth.

Mr Haji-Ioannou has not appeared in an EasyJet ad for 18 months. But sales and marketing director Mr Mike Cooper told Brand Republic: "Stelios represents some very positive values."

Any media, marketing or advertising news can be emailed to Emmet Oliver at eoliver@irish-times.ie