Tag: marketing | Page 3 | Shiny Bits of Life

November 9, 2009October 31, 2009

No steps forward

yelo-pgs-logos-2

Remember the slogan, “Let your fingers do the walking”? That was for an ancient concept called the yellow pages.

As many have noted, phone books are redundant, if you have access to the internet. (Or in Nairobi, Kenya, they are just simply bad. About 90% of the time, the phone book didn’t have the number I was looking for.) So I am basically offended at the waste of trees and ink and delivery gasoline that it takes to bring me a new phone book about once a month or so.

Anyhow, this latest phone book came in a plastic bag that had these two logos on it (without my editorial comment in the middle!). The swoopy one is the newer one. They lost most of the connection with the original concept. Seen on its own, I’m not sure anyone could figure out what it means. (Two feathers floating down from space? A futuristic alien runner?)

They did not run it by enough people before they clicked “go”.

November 6, 2009October 31, 2009

What do you NOT need to say?

noneed2say This Frontier Airlines mini-billboard had no words. It didn’t need any. Larry the Lynx is familiar enough to frequent flyers that he speaks for himself. Without words, in this case.

What message is Frontier giving us? I dunno. Even though I rarely watch regular TV, I have seen their funny commercials with talking animals. They must be betting that Larry will give us enough subtle warm feelings that we’ll book our next flight with Frontier.

Takeaway: What do you NOT need to say in your next communication? Consider giving your customers, clients and friends more credit for what they probably already know.

October 23, 2009October 17, 2009

Too spread out

puck-coffee Wolfgang Puck made a mistake.

He published his first cookbook in 1981. He opened Spago, an exclusive restaurant in Beverly Hills in 1997. At some point he started selling canned soup alongside Campbell’s.

When did he go wrong? I’m not sure at what point this happened, but as is true for any company or human, when you spread yourself too thin, something suffers. Quantity is not my measure of success. I’d guess that Spago serves just as fine a meal as it did in 1997, but if I were a moth to the latest-hottest restaurants in LA, I’d probably not go there. In the back of my head would lie the knowledge that I would be eating a meal that could have come out of a can.

(By the way, the photo is from an instant coffee vending machine that bears his name. I didn’t try any.)

October 14, 2009October 4, 2009

It was really good, but I’m not rich

metromint

I admit. I’m a sucker for new products.

So Metromint was an easy one for me to try – I like mint, and I don’t like sugary drinks (very often). Plus, it was on sale for about a third off the list price.

Verdict? Good. Nice clean taste. The bottles said “-6 degrees” (Spearmint) and “-8 degrees” (Peppermint). That’s a bit confusing – are you supposed to chill them to that temperature for maximum enjoyment? (If you were, there would have to be some anti-freeze ingredient.)

Final verdict? Don’t buy. Why?

1. The bottled water problem of your having to dispose of or recycle the bottle and the environmental costs of transporting the water to your store. (Pipes do it cheaper – if you live in North America, anyhow.)

2. Try my much cheaper version here. Not as cool-looking, but it does taste good.

October 12, 2009September 27, 2009

Apple vs. Office Depot

apple-st-09-sep Have you ever tried to use a computer at an Office Depot (or Office Max, Best Buy or Staples)? They have them locked up with some marketing screen saver. Even if you can start to use it, most of the time they are not connected to the internet.

Go to an Apple Store. Aaahh! Any computer is ready for you to – well – actually use it. If you scout around the store, you will probably find a model that has your favorite program already loaded on. (Well, sorry to say – none will have Windows Movie Maker or Real Player loaded.)

Just more evidence that Apple means for humans to use their computers.

October 8, 2009September 27, 2009

Secure in themselves

alfa-spread

Car manufacturers need to take a lesson from Alfa Romeo. This Italian car company offers the Mito, at about the cost of a Honda Fit – and the 8C Roadster, at $300,000.

How can they span such a wide spectrum in their offerings? Because they are not afraid of their image. They 8C shows the public what they can do when money is no object. The Mito shows what they can do when money is constrained. More of the adoring public can have the Mito – while dreaming of driving an 8C.

It used to be that you could buy a BMW or a Mercedes in Europe with wind-up windows, while the same cars in the States were offered with only power windows. Why? In Europe, those cars are more “normal”. In America, they are luxury brands. My contention would be that if BMW and Mercedes offered a cheaper range of cars here, it would not tarnish their image – only improve it. When an entry-level buyer bought their first BMW, it would whet their appetite for a more expensive model, when in the future, their budget allowed.

(The only thing I object to about my story is that my last point buys into that “american dream” thing – we always need more, bigger and better. That’s a bad way to live your life!)

September 11, 2009August 30, 2009

Who is the mascot?

rapids

Ben (our 13-year-old) and I had a great Sunday afternoon bonding experience. We were given tickets to a Colorado Rapids soccer game.

The seats were very close to the opponent’s goal, during the second half. We had the pleasure of seeing the only goal from very close. That made me glad we were in a country that does not value soccer (“football”, for the rest of the world). If we had been in England or Benin, it would have been difficult to be that close to the action.

So anyways – Ben and I noticed that the Rapids have no clear mascot. Roughly seven different “animals” were seen in costumes around the edge of the field. Time to get a real mascot, I say.

Takeaway: If you live in Colorado, going to a Rapids game is a great way to see a live sporting event without taking out a second or third mortgage. If you live near another major North American city, check our your city’s soccer team. You might enjoy a fun (and different) outing!

September 2, 2009September 1, 2009

A bridge too far

hubby-hubby

Ben & Jerry’s just introduced this new flavor – Hubby Hubby.

Normally I’m for freedoms, but I can’t really go along with this particular celebration of that particular freedom.

Just from a marketing standpoint, I think they’re making a mistake – they may alienate some of their client base. (Then again, militant members of the GLBT community may make it a best-seller.)

August 18, 2009August 13, 2009

Simple is better, part 2

back2nature-cereal

I bought this cereal because it was half price.

I like the “natural” cereals because they are sometimes less sweet than the mainstream brands. (I can’t stand that ultra-sweet stuff, though ironically I love some pastries.)

I also liked the fact that the packaging was simple – few inks, unbleached cardboard and a good view of the actual product. I would love it if package designers and marketing people “de-escalated” the in-your-face-ness of all the bright colors and brashness in most normal food product packaging. Simple can be better.

Sadly, Back to Nature was pretty sweet. Also sadly, it’s too expensive for me to buy for normal consumption.

August 13, 2009August 8, 2009

Free fun fact

great-receipt-marketing

I actually looked at the bottom of my receipt. There was an interesting fact that had nothing to do with selling.

What a great idea… provide service for your customer that doesn’t directly relate to asking them to spend more money. You will leave them with warm feelings toward you – and produce loyalty.