WebLog

'Open Happiness' (Week 10)

2009-01-18T16:29:00.003-08:00

Coca-Cola to Uncap 'Open Happiness' Campaign
New Ad Push, Which Seeks to Tap Consumers' Longing for Comfort and Optimism, Bears Stamp of CEO Kent
January 15, 2009
By Besty McKay and Suzanne Vranica

Coca-Cola is launching a new ad campaign in the upcoming weeks. The goal of this campaign is to appeal to consumers' yearning for comfort and optimism. This is especially important during the current state of the economy, which has had an effect on soft-drink sales.

The new campaign is anticipated to feature the slogan "Open Happiness." Coke's new chief executive, Muhtar Kent, and Joe Tripodi, the company's global chief marketing officer, are at the head of the campaign. Planning began six months ago.

In addition to uplifting consumers, the campaign is Kent's effort to increase the efficiency of Coke's marketing. Allen Adamson, managing director of WPP's branding consultancy Landor Associates, seems to think Coke has succeeded their marketing goals. "Coke finally cracked the code and got its voice, look and tone right," says Adamson. "Once you get it right, you don't want to muck with it too much."

A History of Coke Slogans
1886 - Drink Coca-Cola
1904 - Delicious and Refreshing
1929 - The Pause That Refreshes
1963 - Things Go Better With Coke
1969 - It's the Real Thing
1976 - Coke Adds Life
1979 - Have a Coke and a Smile
1982 - Coke Is It!
1993 - Always Coca-Cola
2006 - The Coke Side of Life

I don't think Coke really needs to advertise all that much. They always have cute commercials but they are the type of product that is known everywhere by everyone. What is it--Coke and the word "ok" are the two most globally recognized things? The only things Coke needs to advertise are sales and new flavors like Coke Zero or Vanilla Coke. Even then, the overall Coke brand name will draw people in to try new flavors.

Coke v. Pepsi: no need to advertise for this competitive battle. Either you like Coke or you like Pepsi. You can't be bought by advertisements.

Coke can advertise all it wants and try to lift spirits, but I don't think they NEED to put so much effort into it.

Whopper Sacrifice (Week 9)

2009-01-18T16:29:00.001-08:00

Burger King Cancels Facebook Ad Campaign
January 15, 2009
Andrew LaVallee

Burger King Holdings, Inc. released a new ad campaign on January 5 through Facebook. Burger King is known for its advertising shenanigans, and this particular one didn't fall short of expectations.

The campaign entitled "Whopper Sacrifice" was asking Facebook members to "de-friend" 10 people in their friend list in exchange for a coupon for a free Whopper. The campaign featured tag lines such as "Friendship is strong, but the Whopper is stronger.” Every friendship that was terminated was posted on both Facebook walls--the person who de-friended and the person who was de-friended.

“We encourage creativity from developers and companies” using the site, a Facebook spokesman said in a statement, “but we also must ensure that applications meet users’ expectations.” The de-friending announcements posted on both people's walls were against Facebook's protocol.

Facebook was willing to discuss making changes to the ad campaign and allowing it still to be on the site. “While Facebook was a great sport, they did ask for changes that would have resulted in a different approach to our application, counter to what we developed,” a Burger King spokeswoman said in a statement.

Burger King decided not to make changes, and instead, they pulled the entire campaign. A Burger King Web site, Whoppersacrifice.com, says, “Facebook has disabled Whopper Sacrifice after your love for the Whopper sandwich proved to be stronger than 233,906 friendships.”

No need to worry if you participated in this campaign; if you submitted your mailing address before the Facebook application was disabled, you still qualify for a free Whopper.

I saw this campaign and thought it was awesome. However, I was unwilling to participate because I didn't want to hurt the feeling of the 10 people I would de-friend. I have plenty of friends who I don't even know but still I couldn't bring myself to exchange them for a Whopper . . . maybe for a McFlurry and fries, but not a Whopper.

Coke v. Advocacy group (Week 8)

2009-01-18T14:47:00.000-08:00

Vitaminwater Marketing Prompts Suit
January 16, 2009
By Anjali Cordeiro

A consumer advocacy group has issued a class-action lawsuit against Coca-Cola Co. for making misleading claims about its Vitaminwater product. A 20 oz. bottle of raspberry-apple Vitaminwater has a total of 125 calories, but the bottle is 2.5 servings. This consumer advocacy group says Coke markets its Vitaminwater as a healthful alternative to pop. Coke also claims this drink can reduce the risk of chronic disease and support immune function.

"The idea that you can improve your immunity by drinking one of these Vitaminwater drinks is nonsense," David Schardt, a senior nutritionist for the nonprofit group, said. The group's nutritionists also say the drink contains enough sugar to cause obesity, diabetes, and other health problems.

Coke's response: "Glaceau Vitaminwater is clearly and properly labeled and shows the amount of vitamins and calories in the product," Coke spokeswoman, Diana Garza Ciarlante, said. She also called the lawsuit "ridiculous."

My response: Everything is bad for you. Fruits have too much sugar. Meat causes high cholesterol. Pasta and bread have too many carbs. Fish has mercury. Some vegetables turn immediately into sugar once they're in you. The trick is to eat a little bit of everything in moderation. Just drink half the bottle of Vitaminwater.

About the misleading claims: Everything is a little misleading. I don't think Coke is guilty of blatantly lying about Vitaminwater. It's called advertising. Nutritionists are not afraid of smudging the truth a little to promote their products . . . NutriSystem only provides meals for 5 or 6 meals a week. What about the other 1 or 2 days people need to eat? Nutritionists also seem to completely ignore genetic factors when they say, "Eat this, this, and this and you'll lose weight." Food is not the only factor when it comes to health.

The bottom line: The goal of advertising is to sell a product. Coke has to have some sort of research to back up their Vitaminwater claims. They can't just make that stuff up. I'm going go ahead and say this advocacy group will not win the lawsuit and Coke will continue with its current marketing.

Google Art (Week 7)

2009-01-15T14:43:00.000-08:00

Google Earth Is Zooming In On Spain's Art
January 13, 2009
Associated Press

Google Earth has partnered with Spain's Prado Museum to bring images of its major works to people all over the world. A total of 14 of the museum's paintings will be available for global viewing. This is the first project of its kind--uniting an art museum with the world.

"There is no better way to pay tribute to the great masters of the history of art than to universalize knowledge of their works using optimum conditions," Prado director Miguel Zugaza said.

The images are now available online, which show details that are barely noticeable to the human eye when standing in front of the painting. They are 1,400 times as clear as what could be seen using a 10-megapixel camera.

"With Google Earth technology it is possible to enjoy these magnificent works in a way never previously possible, obtaining details impossible to appreciate through first-hand observation," Google Spain director Javier Rodriguez Zapatero said.

I have been to this museum and viewed these paintings. Though I was only in eighth grade and I didn't appreciate it as much as I should have, I don't think viewing these works on a computer screen could ever replace first-hand observation. As fantastic as this opportunity is for people who are unable to visit the museum, it cannot possibly be better than the real thing.

There's so much more to visiting a museum than just seeing art. It's about the atmosphere, the people around you, the feel of people's reactions to the images, the history, and in this case, the experience of being in a foreign country. All of these things are lost if you're not actually standing in the museum, in front of the painting.

The closer you zoom in on brush strokes, the further you get from seeing the big picture. Instead of getting close and analyzing technical aspects, people need to remain behind the velvet ropes and see the picture as the artist intended.

Great idea. Not a great experience compared to visiting the museum.

Touch Screen PCs (Week 6)

2009-01-14T12:33:00.001-08:00

Microsoft Betting Big on 'Touch'
Software Giant Invests in Touch-Screen Technology for Personal Computers
January 12, 2009
Nick Wingfield

Microsoft Corp. is toying with new technology--touch screens for personal computers. They are anticipating that this new computer screen will eliminate the need for a mouse. This touch screen craze began two years ago when Steve Jobs revealed the iPhone at Macworld.

Microsoft is gambling that consumers will eventually prefer to control their computers with finger motions, instead of using a point and click mouse. It is not expected that the touch screen will replace keyboards. Certain PC applications require entering text, which is not easily done using a touch screen. Instead, Microsoft is hoping that consumers will use touch screens to browse libraries of photos, music, and videos with just a swipe of the finger. Other promising applications of touch screens are in the architecture and engineering fields. Architects and engineers could mold simulated objects with their hands using this technology.

We all understand the basic functions a touch screen can provide. So I'm not going to go into much more detail from the article. The point is that PCs are coming off the production line with touch screens. Mice will soon be a thing of the past . . . assuming you're able to use a touch screen.

From my experience playing with iPhones and iPod Touches, I doubt I will ever prefer a touch screen to a mouse. Touch screens use the pad of your fingers, which makes perfect sense and seems easy enough until you ask a woman with long nails to navigate. My efforts to make a call or change the song are useless unless I have freshly cut nails. The touch screens do not register the touch of a finger nail. I don't understand this, especially since they recognize touch from a stylus. If touch screens are to replace mice, they need to register finger nail touch.

I would really like to test drive one of these things to see how well it works. It looks awesome in commercials, but what doesn't? I would be surprised if Microsoft released a touch screen product that worked better than an Apple touch screen product. Because of this, my hopes aren't too high for this first round of touch screen PCs. However, I'm not against the idea and I'm sure I'll have one within a few years assuming I don't have to cut my nails before each use.

Also, what about touch screen laptops?

A New Year's Revelation (Week 5)

2009-01-10T07:07:00.000-08:00

Does Paying for a Gym Make You a Dumbbell?
January 8, 2009
Neal Templin

This article is short and to the point. Templin comments on the amount of money people spend each year on memberships to gyms compared to the number of times they actually go to the gym. A personal example from him was when his wife purchased a $79 six-month gym membership in 1982 and only went to the gym three times before it expired. Her excuse? "She didn't feel comfortable going to the gym until she got in better shape."

This, of course, makes perfect sense to me. I hate working out in front of other people, especially all the skinny, muscular people who over-populate the gym. Where are all the other people like me who should be there?

Templin says there is an easy, less expensive solution. Instead of going to the gym, just work out at home. That doesn't seem too hard, but still some 41 million Americans are health club members. A full 12% of these memberships are signed in January when Americans "make the commitment" to lose weight.

Instead of making a New Year's resolution to lose weight, I had a New Year's revelation. I plan on walking (maybe jogging) outside on a regular basis and eating healthier. The revelation is that I don't need an expensive gym membership or special meal plan like NutriSystem. I can have the same results using free resources and regular food from a grocery store. However, Ohio is no place to commit to walking outside, and college is no place to commit to eating healthy. BUT, I'm promising myself this will start in two months when I live in Florida . . . unless, of course, Florida presents its own obstacles.

Bottom line--It's free to walk outside. I won't be wasting money if I decide not to use the resource.

Silly dogs. Beds are for people . . . not anymore. (Week 4)

2008-12-12T09:06:00.000-08:00

The Rise of Beds, and Falls of Dogs
As mattresses get thicker and thicker, more canines struggle to get on them; introducing the staircase for pets
December 12, 2008
Kevin Helliker

This article talks about the new trend of doggy staircases and gives a logical explanation for it. Until about 10 years ago, eight inches was the standard thickness for both a mattress and a box spring. Now, mattress thickness is growing along side consumer preference for a thicker mattress. Mattresses today are as thick as 20 inches.

This doesn't pose a problem for humans, but it sure does for their tiny tag-alongs . . . dogs. For years, pet retailers have sold products that prohibit pets from jumping on furniture. But somehow pets have managed to snuggle their way back onto furniture. According to the article, about 40 percent of American households have dogs. In 2006, a study showed that nearly 40 percent of those dogs slept in an adult bed and 7 percent slept in a child bed.

Combine this thicker mattress trend with the increasing number of pets (specifically smaller breads of dogs) sleeping in human beds and you get a few problems--elbow and shoulder arthritis, hip dysplasia and degenerative disk disease in dogs. "For a little dog to take a flying leap off a bed that's five to six times higher than he stands is an act of courage, and a recipe for injury," says Stephen Crane, an academic animal doctor and diplomat of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons.

Pet retailers have quickly recognized a new demand from consumers. Instead of selling products to prevent dogs from jumping on furniture, retailers are selling tiny staircases to take the jump out of getting on a bed. According to the article, pet staircases are one of the fastest growing categories at pet retailers. These tiny stairs range anywhere from $40 to $535 for a designer model.

The whole idea of providing your pet with a mini staircase to get into bed does seem a little silly. But to a tiny dog owner like myself, it makes perfect sense. I have a Maltese that struggles to jump up and down from the bed. However, my family didn't splurge on a $40 staircase; Lizzy was forced to settle for cardboard boxes. Beside each of our beds sits a little box with a blanket draped over it. Twenty years ago, that would have been the dog's bed. But now it serves as a stepping stone to get to a bigger and better bed.

Call me crazy for allowing my dog this luxury, but it's better than having to roll over and pick her up off the floor a hundred times a night. Yes, she has a cage and she sometimes sleeps in it. But Lizzy is the size of a cat so why not let her sleep with us? No one has a problem with cats sleeping in human beds.

(Please note: My parents started babying this dog. I have been forced to follow suit. Lizzy runs our house and there's nothing anyone can do about it now.)

Christmas spirit or children being selfish? (Week 3)

2008-12-12T07:59:00.000-08:00

Santa Needs a Bailout, Too: Kids Sell Old Toys to Raise Cash for New Ones
December 12, 2008
Jennifer Saranow

This article describes the phenomenon of children offering to sell their old toys in order to have money for new toys. With the economy in its current state (tired of hearing that yet?), parents are being forced to say no to their children's many requests for new, expensive toys for Christmas.

The majority of these old toys are being sold online on Web sites such as craigslist.com and eBay.com. According to the article, the number of postings for "games/toys for sale" has more than doubled. In November of last year, there were 190,157 postings on craigslist in the "games/toys for sale" category. November of this year brought 396,197 postings in the same category.

According to the article, the parents of these entrepreneurial children said the primary motive behind selling old toys is to earn money for new toys . . . for themselves. And I use the term "earn" loosely. Sure, the idea of finding a different way to get what you want is great. Smart kids. But why do these parents seem so proud of this?

I get that they figured out a way to make some money. Great. But this money isn't for charity. Most of it isn't even to buy gifts for their siblings, friends, or parents. The entire purpose behind these children selling old toys is so they can get new, better toys. What has happened over the past 20 years or so that children, teens, and even people my age can't be satisfied? We've grown up with the mentality "Ask and you shall receive." As painful as it is to admit, parents should say no more often.

To the new wave of entrepreneurial children, take a break from "gimme, gimme, gimme." Relieve the monetary pressure on your parents. Sure, keep selling your old junk online but reevaluate what you do with the money. Replacing your one-year-old iPod with the latest and greatest won't help you much in the future . . . but college certainly isn't getting any cheaper.

A final note about gift-giving during Christmas . . . what happened to giving something with meaning or love or thought? If the shortage of money should teach us anything, it should be that gifts don't have to be expensive or top-of-the-line. Gifts should come from the heart, not the wallet (cheesy but true). Doesn't anyone remember the Cratchit family?

A Bag is a Bag is a Bag (Week 2)

2008-12-09T14:54:00.000-08:00

Bagging Holiday Shoppers
With customers' moods black, retailers' gift bags are a riot of color; Saks's snowflakes
November 22, 2008
Jennifer Saranow

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122730915056249231.html

This article is about how retailers are hoping festive shopping bags will offer motivation to consumers during this slow shopping season. Stores such as Bloomingdale's, Saks, and Barneys New York are not cutting back on fancy shopping bag costs, but pushing forward stronger than ever. Bags are adorned with images of snowy streets, snowflakes, Christmas trees, and a Volkswagen Beetle with the saying "Peace + Love: Have a Hippie Holiday."

"We would like the bag to inspire people to go out and buy something at whatever price range they can afford," says Lina Kutsovskaya, vice president of advertising for Barneys New York. Elaborate bag decorating began in the early 1950s. These first bags featured realistic Christmas images that were similar to Norman Rockwell's style.

In addition to keeping with the tradition of fancy Christmas bags (fancy enough that some people actually collect them), some retailers are also trying to get with the current push for "going green." Many of these decorated bags are completely recyclable.

That's the gist of the article. At first I was interested in the topic, but then I realized it was not important to me at all. The decorations on shopping bags have no impact on what or how much I purchase. Sure, the Victoria Secret bags are nice, but I don't buy items from there just to get the bag.

I just finished my Christmas shopping today. Every single bag I received was the standard, plastic bag that cuts into your arm until it has stretched to its limit. The bag doesn't matter to me, and it certainly isn't going to lift my spirit or make me spend more. In the end, I just throw it away. I, unlike retail stores, have not jumped on the recycling bandwagon.

Holiday Target: Men (Week 1)

2008-12-02T18:16:00.000-08:00

Counting on Guys to Buy
Retailers hope fashion sales to men will salvage the troubled holiday season
November 29, 2008
Ray A. Smith

Article Link: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122790986698265333.html

This article reported that retailers are counting on men to keep sales up this holiday season. In an effort to cater to men, stores have expanded, remodeled, and added new products to their men's departments. This strategy of switching the focus to men is based on data provided by MasterCard SpendingPlus, a service that tracks all spending no matter the payment type (i.e. credit card, cash, debit, etc.). The most important statistic reported by MasterCard SpendingPlus states, "For the first nine months of the difficult retail-calendar year that began Feb. 3, sales of men's apparel have risen 1% to $4.3 billion from year-earlier levels . . . " Sales of women's apparel have decreased 6 percent.

I understand that consumers are cutting back on spending and retailers are doing all they can to alleviate these losses. However, remodels, expansions, and new products seem pretty drastic for only a 1 percent increase. The cost of these changes most likely will not be covered by profits from the men's department.

Obviously retailers have conducted more research than me and have constructed a business plan that supports this idea--but the data presented in this article would not convince me to make such severe changes in business just before the holiday season.

On a more personal note--None of the men I know enjoy shopping. They can't be relied upon to shop during great economic times, let alone during our current economic crisis. I am blown away that retailers are putting this much faith in men . . . and their ability to shop.