MarketingBlurb: May 2006 Archives

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May31	Marketing to Online Avatars Rich Ottum May 31, 2006 Know More: Online Marketing Marketing Blurb discusses in-game marketing from time-to-time, and we have even speculated that in the future, everyone will have an online avatar. And if you believe Marketing Blurb, it only makes sense that smart companies should market to avatars. Paul Hemp, senior editor at the Harvard Business Review is responsible for this idea—and no—he is not crazy. In fact, in an interview with Advertising Age Digital, Hemp builds a credible case that marketing to avatars would be a great way to advertise to one person, two potential customers. If you are a gamer who maintains an avatar you already understand what this means. If you are puzzled, get with the program—because virtual people still spend real money. Posted at 2:35 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
May31	Google Preparing TV Search Engine Rich Ottum May 31, 2006 Marketing Blurb already alerted readers that Google will likely enter the arena to sell television advertising. And it only makes sense, of course, that Google should prepare a television search engine. According to The Business Online, Google is prepping a... Continue Reading Posted at 2:28 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	College Kids Hit the Road with Dodge Caliber Rich Ottum May 31, 2006 Beginning next week, Dodge is sponsoring a promotion road trip for three teams of college students. Each team boards a new Dodge Caliber in the college town and rides to Miami to promote the vehicle and raise money for charity.... Continue Reading Posted at 2:23 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Movie Tie-in Promos Morph Rich Ottum May 31, 2006 It used to be that fast food restaurants and junk food manufacturers loved to jump about movie tie-in promotions. But concern about childhood obesity is opening the doors for other advertisers to consider movie tie-in deals. Marketing Blurb already alerted... Continue Reading Posted at 2:16 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Wither Gross Rating Points? Rich Ottum May 31, 2006 In most marketing textbooks, there is still an explanation of GRP, or gross rating points. GRP is usually defined as reach times frequency, and measures the relative market share of mass media properties like television shows. By the GRP model... Continue Reading Posted at 2:13 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
May30	Charge this Mercedes to my Visa—thanks! Rich Ottum May 30, 2006 It seems that auto makers are always looking for some new angle. Here’s one we just learned about from The Wall Street Journal. If you are a hold of a Visa Card from DaimlerChrysler Financial Services, you can collect points... Continue Reading Posted at 4:21 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Mars Promotion from Mars? Rich Ottum May 30, 2006 Mars Masterfoods, the producer of the ubiquitous Snickers candy bar is teaming up with the Black Eyed Peas for a funky online super hero promotion. Members of the band adopt super hero personas and appear in five webisodes (called digi-sodes)... Continue Reading Posted at 4:14 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Not all Marketers Buying into New Media Rich Ottum May 30, 2006 If you read the general business press these days, you might get the impression that advertisers are wildly embracing new media ad buys like video game placements and social network banners. But according to Forrester Research (as reported by Adweek)... Continue Reading Posted at 4:06 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Listen to Your Sugar Mama Rich Ottum May 30, 2006 Let’s say that you’re at teenager, and Mom is footing the cell phone bill. If you go over your minutes, you are screwed. Ah, but help is on the way, forget Mom, and turn instead to your Virgin Mobile Sugar... Continue Reading Posted at 3:57 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Maytag Repairman to Retire? Rich Ottum May 30, 2006 At one time, the Maytag appliance brand was at the top of their game. They produced a quality product which readily fostered brand loyalty and company evangelism. But their quality slipped, and their relationship with consumers soured. And before Maytag... Continue Reading Posted at 3:52 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
May29	Video Game to Dispense Candy? Rich Ottum May 29, 2006 We just heard a very tasty rumor, one we wish we could substantiate. We are not a regular reader of a very popular blog called Blogging Baby, but this headline of theirs did pop up in Topix.net, a news source... Continue Reading Posted at 9:23 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Advertising During the Fifth Inning Stretch Rich Ottum May 29, 2006 NY Yankees fans who watch the season via television can grab a longer break at the end of the fifth inning. Yes network, the company that broadcasts the Yankees has just introduced a new 90-second spot at the end of... Continue Reading Posted at 8:05 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Perplexing Volvo Pirates Promotion Rich Ottum May 29, 2006 Back in March, Marketing Blurb told you at the Volvo Trucks promotion tied to Disney’s upcoming Pirates of the Caribbean movie. We didn’t really understand the connection, and we continued to be perplexed by Volvo cars jumping onto the same... Continue Reading Posted at 6:48 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
May28	Please Don’t Play B 17,000 Rich Ottum May 28, 2006 Chances are you don’t think much about jukeboxes these days. Your favorite bar likely plays dribble from some unknown source, and you cannot even locate the speakers. Jukeboxes that spin real records or even CDs are novel antiques these days.... Continue Reading Posted at 6:37 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Digital Throw-away at CVS Rich Ottum May 28, 2006 CVS Pharmacy caught our attention with a circular page for their digital photo services. Mind you, we would never print our photos at CVS, but if you act now, in-store or online, prints are only $ .19. On the same... Continue Reading Posted at 3:06 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Battle of the Memorial Day Circulars Rich Ottum May 28, 2006 The Sunday paper weighted an extra pound this morning with every merchant and their dog including Memorial Day circulars. Best Buy assumes we want a wide screen TV every week, and will keep featuring their selection until we buy. Most... Continue Reading Posted at 3:01 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Chocolate Bigger than Your Head Rich Ottum May 28, 2006 If you love chocolate, more chocolate is better than less chocolate. And if you are reading Marketing Blurb from Canada, maybe you have seen this billboard which features a Cadbury milk chocolate bar bigger than your driveway. Yes, we realized... Continue Reading Posted at 2:57 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
May27	Video Dope for Grocery Shopping with Kids Rich Ottum May 27, 2006 Grocery shopping is already a hassle, but grocery shopping with children can be a hassle squared. But fortunately, more and more grocers are providing haggard parents with help. Meijer and Wal-Mart, for example, are testing video player enabled TV-carts for... Continue Reading Posted at 7:09 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Marketing Incentive Rich Ottum May 27, 2006 Marketing research has changed dramatically over the years. Traditional print or telephone surveys are now online, and observing actual consumer behavior, if possible, is probably your best bet. But if you are working with a highly targeted niche, and seeking... Continue Reading Posted at 4:23 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Gourmet Dirt Rich Ottum May 27, 2006 My wife wants to pot the geraniums she bought for our garden. But at the garden store, she couldn’t find any potting soil. Okay, so there was in fact potting soil—but only branded gourmet dirt she explained to me. There... Continue Reading Posted at 4:21 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Baking up an Opportunity Rich Ottum May 27, 2006 Now you might wonder why Marketing Blurb is writing about the search for Jimmy Hoffa. Well—this is not really a post about Hoffa, but rather about cup cakes. It seems that an enterprising bakery in Milford Township near the search... Continue Reading Posted at 8:41 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Mall Guerilla Marketing Rich Ottum May 27, 2006 If you try to avoid shopping at the mall these days, you are not alone. In most regions of the country, mall shopping traffic is down. This trend started before high gasoline prices, and will likely continue until mall management... Continue Reading Posted at 8:38 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
May26	Random Acts of Cone-ness Rich Ottum May 26, 2006 Most of country has experienced a mild Spring this year. But yesterday and today in the Ohio Valley, the weather was plain hot. So our thoughts turned to an ice cream cone. But lo—we had no cones! Fortunately, Ben and... Continue Reading Posted at 3:12 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Pepsi Helps Superman Catch Lex Luthor Rich Ottum May 26, 2006 While Superman is saving the world this summer, Marketing Blurb will be spending another day at the keyboard saving consumers from marketing. But Superman’s task is certainly more exciting that ours, so we will tell you that Pepsi is sponsoring... Continue Reading Posted at 2:39 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Muffins and Scones at McDonald’s? Rich Ottum May 26, 2006 We already told you that McDonald’s has gone uptown with their premium brewed coffee. And we would hate to waste the brew on a life-threatening McGriddle Breakfast Sandwich. Instead, we would prefer a scone with our coffee. And Ronald is... Continue Reading Posted at 2:17 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Sara Lee to Spin-off Apparel Brands Rich Ottum May 26, 2006 When we think of Sara Lee, we think cake. This is a problem for a diversified company that also sells shoe polish, bras and underwear. And as such, it makes sense that Sara Lee decided to spin off their $... Continue Reading Posted at 2:13 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Marketers Groom Metrosexuals Rich Ottum May 26, 2006 It has been almost four years ago now that we talked about metrosexuals to our marketing students. The term was fresh back then (and trendier, too) and we though it would prove useful in a discussion of psychographics and product... Continue Reading Posted at 2:10 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
May25	Dell to Pilot Retail Stores Rich Ottum May 25, 2006 We love to share the story of Dell Computer with our marketing students. Dell turned the retail PC industry on its ear with their made to order direct to consumer business. But expanding into consumer electronics has taken a toll... Continue Reading Posted at 3:18 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Real Men Eat Beef (if prepared by Mom) Rich Ottum May 25, 2006 Now you might think that real men eat beef, but the answer is only maybe. As it turns out, men over 45 years old are more likely to have grown up with stay at home mothers who prepared dinner. These... Continue Reading Posted at 3:04 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Why Johnny Can’t Think Rich Ottum May 25, 2006 The Kaiser Family Foundation just released a report on children’s media habits, and we are afraid, very afraid. Commenting on the report, Advertising Age says: “Kaiser found that 43% of children under 2 watch TV every day and 18% of... Continue Reading Posted at 3:01 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Snapple to Dominate WFNX Boston Rich Ottum May 25, 2006 Most everyone is familiar with Snapple, the product line of teas and juice drinks marketed by Cadbury Schweppes. And if you live in Boston, you are likely to hear more about these beverages. We learned from The New York Times... Continue Reading Posted at 2:59 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Women Packin’ Iron Rich Ottum May 25, 2006 Marketing Blurb does not own a firearm. We believe our two killer attack dogs are sufficient protection from occasional burglars. For more dangerous situations, say an invasion by a foreign army, we are not worried either, because our neighbor is... Continue Reading Posted at 2:54 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
May24	Bluffing our Way through The World Series of Poker Rich Ottum May 24, 2006 Marketing Blurb used to play poker in college, before the game made the big leagues. We were only a so-so player, so fortunately, we did not bet our tuition and we retired before graduation. But these days, Poker is a spectator sport.... Continue Reading Posted at 7:43 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Zappin’ Prestone Bug Wash Rich Ottum May 24, 2006 You know the Prestone antifreeze folks. They do not spend much money on advertising, but then again, there are few brands names in this category anyway. But Prestone has other products as well, including Bug Wash, a solution for removing... Continue Reading Posted at 7:27 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Hasbro Abandons Pussycat Dolls Rich Ottum May 24, 2006 Marketing Blurb can’t stay on top of the pop music scene, so we are not sure whether or not we should be embarrassed we have never heard of the female music group known as the Pussycats Dolls. But the group... Continue Reading Posted at 7:06 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	McDonald’s World Cup Burger Rich Ottum May 24, 2006 We have already told readers that the upcoming World Cup Soccer Tournament is huge. And now we can tell you just how huge. In the UK, McDonald’s is celebrating the event with a limited edition World Cup Burger. This burger... Continue Reading Posted at 6:46 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Live Theatre Advertising Rich Ottum May 24, 2006 Marketing Blurb does not go to the movies. We stopped attending years ago for a number of reasons. First, movie theatre audiences are loud and rude. Next, movie theatres run commercials, and we don’t want to see those. Finally, the... Continue Reading Posted at 6:39 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
May23	Consumer Electronics Vending Machines Rich Ottum May 23, 2006 If you are Federated Department stores, you want to participate in the consumer electronics gold rush, but at the same time, you don’t want to loose you shirt in a category where you have little experience. But hey—Macy’s found a... Continue Reading Posted at 2:47 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Nike Shoes Talk to iPod Rich Ottum May 23, 2006 Marketing Blurb does not ask much from our shoes. We expect them to fit properly, and feel comfortable when we walk. We expect our athletic shoes to provide comfort and support when we use the treadmill. We never ask our... Continue Reading Posted at 2:26 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Pop-Tarts Sponsors American Idols Live Tour Rich Ottum May 23, 2006 Marketing Blurb hates to sound self-righteous, but we believe that Pop-Tarts sponsoring the American Idols Live Tour is a promo marriage made in heaven. We believe this because those consumers likely to eat Pop-Tarts are the same people with the IQ necessary to watch... Continue Reading Posted at 2:07 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Are Magazine Ads Engaging? Rich Ottum May 23, 2006 Marketing Blurb loves print advertising more than the next pundit. We believe that reading print copy is more engaging that passively drooling over a mindless television commercial. But maybe we are wrong. For years, magazines have sold print media buyers... Continue Reading Posted at 1:59 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Nike and Google Team for Soccer Social Networking Rich Ottum May 23, 2006 Most sports fans consider soccer an also-ran sport in the US. But world-wide, soccer makes NFL football seem like a sandlot pick-up game. The World Cup Soccer Tournament begins next month, and advertisers consider this serious business. Adidas is spending... Continue Reading Posted at 1:53 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
May22	Gamers Grow Older Rich Ottum May 22, 2006 Marketing Blurb is obviously behind the times when it comes to gaming. We just reported that Cadillac product placements will appear on the Microsoft Xbox360 online gaming channel. But what we didn’t know is that the drivers are 33 years... Continue Reading Posted at 1:38 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Cadillac Joins Xbox 360 Online Games Rich Ottum May 22, 2006 Marketing Blurb has commented on numerous occasions, that videogames are a promising medium for advertisers. Games are more interactive than television, and the editorial consequences of product placement are more subtle, flexible, and credible. Cadillac believes this as well, and... Continue Reading Posted at 1:35 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Priceless Hurricane Preparedness Rich Ottum May 22, 2006 Every night on the evening news, we hear someone reminding us that Hurricane season begins next week. Thankfully, we do not live in a hurricane zone, and tornadoes are scary enough. But we can say we are pleased that MasterCard... Continue Reading Posted at 1:32 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Marketing to Chinese Yuppies Rich Ottum May 22, 2006 The folks at Nielsen Media Research just altered readers of The Wall Street Journal (paid subscription required) than Chinese consumers boosted their first quarter spending 25% over last year. Spending associated with the February handoff of the upcoming Winter Olympic... Continue Reading Posted at 1:26 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Content Wrap Commercials Take Center Stage Rich Ottum May 22, 2006 There are a number of advertising and television industry pundits who boldly claim that no one is watching commercials anymore. Marketing Blurb believes people are watching, but just not paying attention. But no matter, because a new network called CW... Continue Reading Posted at 1:23 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
May21	Banking Uptown Rich Ottum May 21, 2006 Marketing Blurb does not visit the bank very often. We manage our financial affairs online. (We used to take our dogs to the drive through window, because a spunky 20-something would always give us dog treats with our deposit receipt.)... Continue Reading Posted at 7:22 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Wired Gadget Lab Catalog Rich Ottum May 21, 2006 Tipped inside our new issue of Wired magazine is a mini catalog for the Wired Gadget Lab. The cover promises the coolest and weirdest gizmos in the universe. But the real purpose of the catalog is to serve as a... Continue Reading Posted at 6:57 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Columbus Agency GSW Snares Tamiflu Account Rich Ottum May 21, 2006 Marketing Blurb would like to recognize advertising agency GSW, one of our Columbus neighbors, for winning the Roche Holdings creative business for Tamiflu. Tamiflu is a flu-prevention drug. But more importantly, Tamiflu is likely the government’s best response to a possible... Continue Reading Posted at 9:19 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Crazed Gold Rush Reality TV Rich Ottum May 21, 2006 If there is one thing Marketing Blurb deems worse than television, it is reality television. So we have not paid much attention to the pending Gold Rush reality show. But since the show has an online component, we might as... Continue Reading Posted at 9:16 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Hardee’s Sandwich a Mouthful Rich Ottum May 21, 2006 We don’t talk about television commercials often, because we believe there are more productive ways to spend an advertising budget. But it seems that savvy companies are taking commercials, posting them online, and encouraging that product enthusiasts pass them along.... Continue Reading Posted at 9:12 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
May20	Eat Fresh, but be Suspicious Rich Ottum May 20, 2006 You’ve heard Subway’s imperative slogan to eat fresh, and if you frequent the chain, you might have ordered their Grilled Chicken Breast and Baby Spinach Salad. But we just learned from the June issue of Fast Company, that their grilled... Continue Reading Posted at 6:45 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Sampling Munchies at Wrigley Field Rich Ottum May 20, 2006 When we teach marketing, our students quickly learn that television advertising (except for direct response TV) is generally a waste of money. Sorry about the broad brush strokes here. We tell students instead that point-of-sale marketing and sampling is far... Continue Reading Posted at 8:59 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	On the Road with The Wild Kingdom Rich Ottum May 20, 2006 If you are old enough to remember The Mutual of Omaha Wild Kingdom show on television, you are probably too old to read this blog. But that aside, Mutual of Omaha has decided to resuscitate the program from the 1960s... Continue Reading Posted at 8:41 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Of Boycotts and Omelets Rich Ottum May 20, 2006 Marketing Blurb is not a movie critic. This is a good thing, because haven’t set foot inside a movie theatre in five years, and you really don’t know care what we think. So we are going to discuss The Da... Continue Reading Posted at 8:08 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	FTC Probes VocalPoint Disclosure Rich Ottum May 20, 2006 Marketing Blurb readers are already familiar with VocalPoint, the women’s buzz marketing network established by Procter & Gamble. The network provides women with product samples, a newsletter and coupons to help buzz new products in their circle of friends. Marketing... Continue Reading Posted at 7:42 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
May19	Sprite Tries a New Approach Rich Ottum May 19, 2006 Marketing Blurb does not drink Sprite (or any other soft drink for that matter,) but we always liked their “Obey your thirst” tagline. We tell our marketing students this is a fine example of a convincing and easy to understand... Continue Reading Posted at 4:12 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Pabst Blue Ribbon Finds an Audience Rich Ottum May 19, 2006 Pabst Blue Ribbon is another of those domestic beers too easy to forget. But it seems that a new generation of young urban professionals has rediscovered the brand, and they love the cheap—ahem—inexpensive brew. According to Eric Shepard, executive editor... Continue Reading Posted at 2:59 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Mini Cooper Goes Green Rich Ottum May 19, 2006 The advertising agency for the Mini Cooper believes they are very clever. And yes, their print work is fun and effective (and reminiscent of the original Think Small campaign for the Volkswagen Beetle.) Our Fast Company magazine arrived in the... Continue Reading Posted at 2:34 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Eurostar Da Vinci Code Quest Rich Ottum May 19, 2006 Unless you are a European traveler, you might not have heard of Eurostar, the transportation consortium that runs the trains under the English Channel. Well, Eurostar wants to boost their recognition with American travels, and as such, has decided to... Continue Reading Posted at 2:15 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Land’s End Swimsuit Issue Rich Ottum May 19, 2006 Back in February, we told you how Sports Illustrated was morphing their famed annual swimsuit issue into a multimedia extravaganza. But guys, if you will read another post for a minute, we need to talk to our female readers. According... Continue Reading Posted at 2:01 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
May18	Surfing on the Job Rich Ottum May 18, 2006 Every now and then, you are certain to read a survey that office workers use the Internet for personal surfing during office hours. This started years ago, before broadband connections were commonplace at home. In a recent such survey by... Continue Reading Posted at 7:52 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Radio Shack to Sell Flat Panel TVs Rich Ottum May 18, 2006 When people think consumer electronics, Radio Shack is rarely the first retailers that comes to mind. But when your 30 year old Sony amplifier does not have enough inputs jacks to accommodate a second-hand PlayStation, you know that Radio Shack... Continue Reading Posted at 6:41 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Burger King Texas Double Whopper Rich Ottum May 18, 2006 Those of you who follow the financial news must know that Burger King completed the IPO, and traded today on the NYSE. And yes, despite the scary King, they actually closed up about a dollar. We are not a financial... Continue Reading Posted at 5:13 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Hershey's Wants Your Take 5 Commercial Rich Ottum May 18, 2006 Back in March, Marketing Blurb told you about Hershey’s effort to use buzz marketing for Take 5, the Greatest Candy Bar Ever. Well, the campaign is now underway, and we urge you to visit their website to see the execution.... Continue Reading Posted at 3:22 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	What Teens Want Rich Ottum May 18, 2006 If you are a company marketing to teens, you are probably frustrated by their fickle taste, lack of brand loyalty, and screwy media consumption habits. Other than that, you love teens, and which they would buy your product. Teens spent... Continue Reading Posted at 3:18 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
May17	Should Desperate Housewives Fear Footballer Wive$? Rich Ottum May 17, 2006 If you think Desperate Housewives is steamy, get ready for Footballer Wive$ from BBC America. This a UK import about to hit US television screens next month. According to a BBC America Press Release, US critics are primed: “Footballers Wive$... Continue Reading Posted at 1:25 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Sparkle and Shine with PowerBar Pria Rich Ottum May 17, 2006 Sometimes we feel tired and weary, sick of trying and racked with pain. But fortunately, we discovered how to escape, and the secred it Nestle’s PowerBar Pria. Yes, the bar is targeted to women, but we figure if we eat... Continue Reading Posted at 12:55 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	NextMedium Platform for Branded Entertainment Ad-Buys Rich Ottum May 17, 2006 We talk about product placement and branded entertainment often, because traditional television advertising is on the wane. But placing branded entertainment on top television shows is a time-consuming pain without rules, regulations and standards. (Think behind the scenes smoozing instead.)... Continue Reading Posted at 8:32 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	State Attorney Generals Urge Stricter Alcohol Ad Regulations Rich Ottum May 17, 2006 According to Ad Age, (free registration required) 20 state attorney generals are urging the Federal Trade Commission to tighten advertising regulations for alcoholic beverages. At issue is limiting alcohol advertising to media in which only 15% of the audience is... Continue Reading Posted at 7:55 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Meow Mix Reality TV for Cats Rich Ottum May 17, 2006 We knew this had to happen. Popular dry cat food marketer Meow Mix is creating a reality TV show for cats. Here’s the deal. Ten felines, called cat-testants, will be selected from shelters across the country, and sent to New... Continue Reading Posted at 7:52 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
May16	Superman Returns to the small Screen Rich Ottum May 16, 2006 USA Today reminds us that movie studio normally depend upon television advertising to pitch new movies. But as Marketing Blurb always cautions advertisers--television (unless it is direct response television) is a so-so branding medium, and a zero sales medium. Movie... Continue Reading Posted at 3:24 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	ConAgra Foods Sports and Entertainment Rich Ottum May 16, 2006 Marketing Blurb likes to believe the best way to advertise food is product sampling. When product sampling is not practical, we urge companies to consider advertising which emphasizes taste. But, most packaged foods companies would just as soon sponsor a... Continue Reading Posted at 3:04 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	P&G to Kill Ivory Soap? Rich Ottum May 16, 2006 Now you might think that a bar soap that is so pure that it floats would be protected by the US Constitution, an Act of Congress, or some other kind of proclamation, but you would be wrong, naturally. According to Brandweek,... Continue Reading Posted at 11:46 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Online Video Spot for Microsoft Office Live Rich Ottum May 16, 2006 It is very easy for marketing pundits to slam Microsoft for their historically lame advertising campaigns. But we just encounter an online video vignette for Microsoft Office Live we would like to praise. The campaign is called fightinvisibusiness.com, and features... Continue Reading Posted at 11:32 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Junk Food Wars Continue Rich Ottum May 16, 2006 We have commented several times on advertising and childhood obesity. We take the simple position that parents, not marketers, are responsible for what children eat. But the debate does not end with our simple pronouncement. We discovered a dandy item... Continue Reading Posted at 11:14 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
May15	Cadbury Schweeppes Challenged on All-natural Claim Rich Ottum May 15, 2006 Just last month, Marketing Blurb told you about “all-natural” lemon-lime beverage 7 Up. We were somewhat skeptical, and now it seems, the Center for Science in the Public Interest considers the claim misleading as well. We are not chemists, but... Continue Reading Posted at 2:17 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Online Jewelry Sales Dazzle Rich Ottum May 15, 2006 Marketing Blurb loves diamonds. We can’t afford them, so we try to keep our wife and our girlfriend distracted with less costly perishable items like chocolate or flowers. But we were not surprised to learn from eMarketer.com that online jewelry... Continue Reading Posted at 12:24 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Pedigree Site for UK Dogs Rich Ottum May 15, 2006 Dog websites are serious. business. We know this, because we built a website for our dogs in the early 1990s before Netscape was even founded and made the site easily accessible. But moving forward to today, we learned that the UK... Continue Reading Posted at 9:38 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	JC Penney De-emphasizes Catalog Rich Ottum May 15, 2006 Back in February, Marketing Blurb altered you to Walt Disney’s decision to dump their print catalog in favor of online sales. We knew then that other catalogers would follow suit. JC Penney is not suspending their print catalog, but at... Continue Reading Posted at 7:25 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Do Teens Know Old Media Networks? Rich Ottum May 15, 2006 We were cruising through the news this morning, and a brief item jumped out at us from MediaPost Publications (free registration required.) It seems that Bolt Media, a popular teen content and networking site, asked 417 of their users to... Continue Reading Posted at 7:21 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
May12	Google to Sell TV Advertising? Rich Ottum May 12, 2006 You already know that Marketing Blurb is not especially keen on traditional television advertising. Direct response television, on the other hand, makes perfect sense, because advertisers can measure results directly. But what if the whole world of television advertising were... Continue Reading Posted at 3:27 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Calling Paris Hilton at E3 Rich Ottum May 12, 2006 Every week or so, we feel compelled to include a post regarding celebrity endorsements, and today, Paris Hilton came to our rescue with her appearance at E3, the Electronic Entertainment Expo. Now you might wonder why Paris Hilton is attending... Continue Reading Posted at 3:00 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Wal-Mart Advertises in Vogue Rich Ottum May 12, 2006 You need to evolve to survive in retailing. And after they have already squeezed all the cost out of their business, Wal-Mart is still experiencing sluggish same store sales. So they are stocking new, higher-margin merchandise, and trying to lure... Continue Reading Posted at 9:21 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Thinking Inside the Box Rich Ottum May 12, 2006 Marketing Blurb loves computers, but we’re just too busy to geek around with our desktop or laptop these days. We keep reading Walt Mossberg’s column at The Wall Street Journal, and we know we should really have a Mac. But... Continue Reading Posted at 8:37 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	New P&G Coffee for Sensitive Stomachs Rich Ottum May 12, 2006 Boomers love coffee, but it seems that an estimated 35 to 40 million Americans have reduced the amount of coffee they drink due to stomach irritation. Fortunately, Procter & Gamble is introducing a new blend of coffee called Folgers Simply... Continue Reading Posted at 8:21 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
May11	Nationwide Puts Your Name in Lights Rich Ottum May 11, 2006 Cruising through the news online tonight, we discovered the familiar blue box logo for Nationwide, and their popular Life Comes at You Fast campaign. This particular online ad features a burst of themed photos surrounding life events like marriage and... Continue Reading Posted at 7:52 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Critics Not Gorilla for Tarzan Rich Ottum May 11, 2006 Marketing Blurb is not a theatre critic. We love Broadway, but don’t visit the Great White Way much anymore. But because we are always interested in following the marketing exploits of entertainment giant Disney, we decided to find out what... Continue Reading Posted at 7:25 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	DVD Pirates Beware Rich Ottum May 11, 2006 The entertainment industry loses millions of dollars every year to the illegal copying and distribution of pirated CDs and DVDs. So the MPAA, Motion Picture Association of America, has decided to bite back. According to the IDG News Service, “the... Continue Reading Posted at 7:08 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Buy American, Buy Toyota Sienna Rich Ottum May 11, 2006 Marketing Blurb doesn’t drive an American car. We haven’t for years. This is not a political statement on our part, just a simple preference for better vehicles. We’re game to drive an American vehicle, but we’re not motivated. We do... Continue Reading Posted at 5:39 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	The Marketing Blurb 500 Rich Ottum May 11, 2006 We just told you about Crown Royal Whiskey’s clever promotion to name a NASCAR event as the Your Name Here 400. We really do not intend to enter the promotion, but we can say with pride, we just won the... Continue Reading Posted at 4:04 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
May10	Whole Foods Market Goes Downscale Rich Ottum May 10, 2006 Marketing Blurb loves to grocery shop. We don’t shop often, which is a good thing, because we are not really disciplined enough to avoid seriously wasting our money on frivolous items. We would like to shop at Whole Foods Market,... Continue Reading Posted at 7:12 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Sega As Big as Your Head Rich Ottum May 10, 2006 Tonight as usual, we were watching the evening news and reading The Wall Street Journal at the same time. (And if you must know, WSJ editorial beats the local news every time!) We were particularly captivated by a four-page full-color... Continue Reading Posted at 6:55 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Adverting on School Buses Rich Ottum May 10, 2006 You knew this had to happen sometime. With school systems strapped for cash, why not sell advertising on school buses? We can think of dozens of reasons why this is not a good idea, but two towns in Michigan are... Continue Reading Posted at 6:32 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Fuel System Cleaning for Dummies Rich Ottum May 10, 2006 Everyone is familiar with the famous series of For Dummies books which make complicated chores more accessible to normal people. Since the series is so successful, why doesn’t someone license the concept for products, and not just books? Ah—well someone... Continue Reading Posted at 5:16 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Parents Television Council Criticizes McDonald’s and Staples Ad Buys Rich Ottum May 10, 2006 Marketing Blurb does not watch much television. But we do know from the show promos that run during the evening news, that we are missing serious fun from heinous sex crimes. So we are not surprised that if you advertise... Continue Reading Posted at 3:53 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
May 9	Starbucks in France Rich Ottum May 9, 2006 Marketing Blurb has not traveled in Europe for years, but we do know this much. The French appreciate a good cup of coffee more that the next European, and the French don’t need Americans to brew or serve them coffee.... Continue Reading Posted at 8:58 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Bad News Tequila Promotion Rich Ottum May 9, 2006 Marketing Blurb likes Tequila as much as the next pundit. But we are distressed to hear about a Jose Cuervo promotion to launch their new flavored premium tequilas. First, real men don’t drink flavored tequila—but that is not our beef.... Continue Reading Posted at 8:03 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Brewers Shun Industry Image Pitch Rich Ottum May 9, 2006 Back in January, we told you that Anheuser-Busch decided that members of the Beer Institute should join together in a campaign to improve the image of beer drinkers. (The problem was perceived to be wine and women, both of which... Continue Reading Posted at 7:49 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Driving in the Right Direction Rich Ottum May 9, 2006 Marketing Blurb is not an eco-pundit, so we generally avoid the debate over gasoline prices and hybrid vehicles. But we feel we should report that the Alliance of Auto Manufacturers is launching a new multi-million dollar advertising campaign to increase... Continue Reading Posted at 3:21 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Racin’ in the Marketing Blurb 400 Rich Ottum May 9, 2006 Marketing Blurb is always on the lookout for clever promotions, and here’s what just crossed the finish line. Crown Royal whiskey will name a NASCAR race after one of its customers. The promotion is called the Your Name Here 400... Continue Reading Posted at 2:58 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
May 8	Dazzle Her/Him with Eco Lips Rich Ottum May 8, 2006 You might be wondering how to keep the flame in your umpteen year old marriage. Or maybe you need to score big on your first date. Either way, Marketing Blurb just discovered the solution, called Eco Lips Energy. Eco Lips Energy is an... Continue Reading Posted at 7:24 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Dining for Bowling Rich Ottum May 8, 2006 Marketing Blurb doesn’t frequent Denny’s restaurants, and we’re always confusing them with Big Boy, which we avoid as well. But if we did order any Denny’s American Dinner Classic entrée this summer, we would receive a coupon for a free... Continue Reading Posted at 7:13 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Fat Gets Between Disney and McDonald’s Rich Ottum May 8, 2006 Perhaps this is a sign of the end of times, but Walt Disney Company is ending its 10-year relationship with McDonald’s as a supplier of Happy Meal premiums. Disney is reportedly concerned about associating itself with childhood obesity, and as... Continue Reading Posted at 4:09 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Plugging in to the Electronic Entertainment Expo Rich Ottum May 8, 2006 If you enjoy a quiet and peaceful existence, just skip this post. You don’t want to know about E3, the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in LA this week. E3 is the industry venue where videogame companies showcase their new releases... Continue Reading Posted at 3:35 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Gamers Watch Less Television Rich Ottum May 8, 2006 Marketers are enamored of Gen X, Gen Y consumers because they are more fun than their boomer parents. But these same marketers often turn to television commercials, where this audience is missing in action. The Seattle Times tells us that... Continue Reading Posted at 2:26 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
May 7	Animal Parts in Happy Meals? Rich Ottum May 7, 2006 Every now and then, we try to use a provocative title to see if readers are paying attention. We learned from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, that Build-a-Bear Workshop Inc. will be supplying mini stuffed animals for McDonald’s Happy Meals. The... Continue Reading Posted at 9:09 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Wal-Mart to Hawk Build-it-Yourself PCs Rich Ottum May 7, 2006 Marketing Blurb is fortunate to live near the headquarters of MicroCenter, a computer super center. We love to visit, and kick the tires on the new PCs. (We no longer kick the printers, because they break.) But these days, real... Continue Reading Posted at 8:45 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Superhero Reality TV Rich Ottum May 7, 2006 Marketing Blurb loves comic books. We don’t actually read comic books anymore, because each issue cost about the same as our annual subscription to Business Week. But we do have fond memories of reading the exploits of countless caped DC... Continue Reading Posted at 8:42 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Go Ahead—Eat More Lay’s Potato Chips Rich Ottum May 7, 2006 Back in 2003, snack food giant, Frito-Lay, bowed to public-health advocates and consumer groups, and eliminated trans fats from its snack chips by converting Cheetos, Doritos and Tostitos to corn oil. But in more crunchy news, Frito-Lay is preparing a... Continue Reading Posted at 7:28 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Gap Tries Clothes Madewell Rich Ottum May 7, 2006 Marketing Blurb does not worry much about fashion. But if our job depended on suppling what women want, we would be panicked. And the folks at Gap are nervous too, because their three largest brands, Gap, Old Navy, and Banana... Continue Reading Posted at 7:25 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
May 5	Abercrombie & Fitch Invades Great Britain Rich Ottum May 5, 2006 When we teach marketing, our students used to talk about the provocative Abercrombie & Fitch catalogs. Students assume that complaints forced the company to tone down their steamy photos. (In reality, unpopular styling and sagging sales forced the company to... Continue Reading Posted at 7:50 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	McDonald’s Make-over Rich Ottum May 5, 2006 We just learned from Business Week that McDonalds has decided to launch a more contemporary restaurant design. For the first time in 30 years, the chain will undertake significant remodeling and new architecture. There is not yet a single design... Continue Reading Posted at 7:24 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Clever Business Cards Rich Ottum May 5, 2006 Whenever Marketing Blurb attends one of those small business networking events, we exchange business cards with other like-minded souls or prospects. Our business card is simple--just our logo and contact information on a white background. But according to The Wall... Continue Reading Posted at 7:08 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Disney Launches Wondertime Magazine Rich Ottum May 5, 2006 Some folks are still brave enough to launch new magazines these days. And one of those publishers is Disney, who recently announced the pending publication of Wondertime magazine. The target reader is a well-educated woman in her mid-thirties with a... Continue Reading Posted at 5:34 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
May 4	Can HP Products Match HP Advertising? Rich Ottum May 4, 2006 Marketing Blurb used to like HP home and small business printers. Our relationship with HP was simple. We expected the printer to work, and it did. We even opened the case from time-to-time and cleaned the parts. HP printers used... Continue Reading Posted at 8:54 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	New Viagra Commercial Rich Ottum May 4, 2006 Marketing Blurb has not yet seen the new Viagra television commercial. But according to Pfizer, all of their ED advertising will only air during age-appropriate programs with at least 90% adult viewership and after 8 PM. While we applaud this... Continue Reading Posted at 8:12 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Shakira Oral Fixation Tour Rich Ottum May 4, 2006 Okay, at the risk of huge embarrassment, Marketing Blurb is going out on a limb to admit we have never heard of pop singer Shakira. The five-time grammy award-winner travels with a different crowd than we do. But we know... Continue Reading Posted at 6:50 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Where Music Lives Rich Ottum May 4, 2006 The school tax levy in your district probably failed again, maybe for the third time in as many years. And yes, schools are cutting back. Students at many schools must pay to participate in extra-curricular activities. And when sports teams... Continue Reading Posted at 6:39 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
May 3	Ask.com to Advertise on TV Rich Ottum May 3, 2006 In the world of search engines, there is Google, and well, everyone else. Google commands almost 43% of all web searches, with Yahoo in second place at 28%. MSN is third, and Ask.com queries tally only about 6% of online... Continue Reading Posted at 7:49 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	On the Cover of Rolling Stone 1000 Rich Ottum May 3, 2006 Marketing Blurb has never appeared on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine. While we are disappointed, we are delighted that the magazine decided to celebrate their 1000th issue with a special 3D cover. The cover photograph pays homage to the... Continue Reading Posted at 6:41 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Promoting Mother’s Day Rich Ottum May 3, 2006 Marketing Blurb will be one of countless people reminding you that Mother’s Day is, um—sometime this month. And as it turns out, 75% of small businesses are planning promotions to remind you to honor mom. But unlike in years past,... Continue Reading Posted at 6:25 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Ford Bold Moves? Rich Ottum May 3, 2006 Marketing Blurb multi-tasks by reading while we watch the evening news. In The Wall Street Journal (or maybe it was Newsweek or Business Week) we skimmed an article about Mary Lou Quesnell, marketing director of Ford, and her new Ford... Continue Reading Posted at 6:10 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Advertisers Discover Social Networking Rich Ottum May 3, 2006 Marketing Blurb has resisted talking much about social networking. (If you must know more, visit The eStrategyOne Buzz.) But sites like MySpace and Facebook are about to take over the world. These sites are filled with sketchy consumer-generated content, and... Continue Reading Posted at 5:13 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
May 2	Feds Joins Childhood Obesity Outcry Rich Ottum May 2, 2006 Marketing Blurb needs your attention, so we are standing on our soapbox for a few minutes to share this important quote from an article entitled in Brandweek entitled Feds to Kids' Food Marketers: Shape Up: "NEW YORK – The Federal... Continue Reading Posted at 7:40 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	31 Days of Pain (relief) Rich Ottum May 2, 2006 Drug maker Bayer is running a novel advertising campaign for their popular Aleve pain reliever. Rather than run the same tired commercial over and over again, Aleve is featuring 31 new commercials for each day of May, which coincides with... Continue Reading Posted at 7:04 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Promotion Impossible Rich Ottum May 2, 2006 Marketing Blurb keeps a low media profile, and as such, we thankfully miss an overdose of celebrity nonsense. But even with out reading-centric entertainment habits, we can’t seem to avoid Tom Cruise and his girlfriend what’s her name, and their... Continue Reading Posted at 5:38 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
May 1	Starbucks Looking for Entertainment Deals Rich Ottum May 1, 2006 Marketing Blurb loves Starbucks more than the next pundit. We really don’t visit that often, but when we do, we skip all the weenie foamy stuff and go right for the black gold that makes us feel great for the... Continue Reading Posted at 6:55 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Do Real Men Drink Green Tea? Rich Ottum May 1, 2006 Trend spotters have already announced that Green Tea is the next big thing. Various companies are bagging the leaves or bottling the juice. And here’s the deal. According to Little Grasshopper of Kung Fu, this stuff is honestly good for... Continue Reading Posted at 6:36 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Advertisers Dancing to Happy Feet Rich Ottum May 1, 2006 Warner Brothers will release a new animated movie in November called Happy Feet. The movie features Emperor Penguins in Antarctica, which means there is not much opportunity for product placement. This is a family-friendly film, and a number of advertisers including... Continue Reading Posted at 6:03 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	TV Guide Downloads Rich Ottum May 1, 2006 In a kinder, gentler time, no one needed TV Guide magazine. You could read program listings from the local newspaper. But with the advent of cable and satellite TV, there are now hundreds of channels broadcasting thousands of programs 24... Continue Reading Posted at 5:05 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Advertise Your Message Instantly Rich Ottum May 1, 2006 Marketing Blurb was an early adopter of Instant Messaging. We use the proprietary IM client on CompuServe before Al Gore invented the Internet. We used the first AOL IM client to communicate with AOL HQ when we used to be... Continue Reading Posted at 3:15 PM \| Permalink \| Comments

« April 2006 | Main | June 2006 »

May31	Marketing to Online Avatars Rich Ottum May 31, 2006 Know More: Online Marketing Marketing Blurb discusses in-game marketing from time-to-time, and we have even speculated that in the future, everyone will have an online avatar. And if you believe Marketing Blurb, it only makes sense that smart companies should market to avatars. Paul Hemp, senior editor at the Harvard Business Review is responsible for this idea—and no—he is not crazy. In fact, in an interview with Advertising Age Digital, Hemp builds a credible case that marketing to avatars would be a great way to advertise to one person, two potential customers. If you are a gamer who maintains an avatar you already understand what this means. If you are puzzled, get with the program—because virtual people still spend real money. Posted at 2:35 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
May31	Google Preparing TV Search Engine Rich Ottum May 31, 2006 Marketing Blurb already alerted readers that Google will likely enter the arena to sell television advertising. And it only makes sense, of course, that Google should prepare a television search engine. According to The Business Online, Google is prepping a... Continue Reading Posted at 2:28 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	College Kids Hit the Road with Dodge Caliber Rich Ottum May 31, 2006 Beginning next week, Dodge is sponsoring a promotion road trip for three teams of college students. Each team boards a new Dodge Caliber in the college town and rides to Miami to promote the vehicle and raise money for charity.... Continue Reading Posted at 2:23 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Movie Tie-in Promos Morph Rich Ottum May 31, 2006 It used to be that fast food restaurants and junk food manufacturers loved to jump about movie tie-in promotions. But concern about childhood obesity is opening the doors for other advertisers to consider movie tie-in deals. Marketing Blurb already alerted... Continue Reading Posted at 2:16 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Wither Gross Rating Points? Rich Ottum May 31, 2006 In most marketing textbooks, there is still an explanation of GRP, or gross rating points. GRP is usually defined as reach times frequency, and measures the relative market share of mass media properties like television shows. By the GRP model... Continue Reading Posted at 2:13 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
May30	Charge this Mercedes to my Visa—thanks! Rich Ottum May 30, 2006 It seems that auto makers are always looking for some new angle. Here’s one we just learned about from The Wall Street Journal. If you are a hold of a Visa Card from DaimlerChrysler Financial Services, you can collect points... Continue Reading Posted at 4:21 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Mars Promotion from Mars? Rich Ottum May 30, 2006 Mars Masterfoods, the producer of the ubiquitous Snickers candy bar is teaming up with the Black Eyed Peas for a funky online super hero promotion. Members of the band adopt super hero personas and appear in five webisodes (called digi-sodes)... Continue Reading Posted at 4:14 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Not all Marketers Buying into New Media Rich Ottum May 30, 2006 If you read the general business press these days, you might get the impression that advertisers are wildly embracing new media ad buys like video game placements and social network banners. But according to Forrester Research (as reported by Adweek)... Continue Reading Posted at 4:06 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Listen to Your Sugar Mama Rich Ottum May 30, 2006 Let’s say that you’re at teenager, and Mom is footing the cell phone bill. If you go over your minutes, you are screwed. Ah, but help is on the way, forget Mom, and turn instead to your Virgin Mobile Sugar... Continue Reading Posted at 3:57 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Maytag Repairman to Retire? Rich Ottum May 30, 2006 At one time, the Maytag appliance brand was at the top of their game. They produced a quality product which readily fostered brand loyalty and company evangelism. But their quality slipped, and their relationship with consumers soured. And before Maytag... Continue Reading Posted at 3:52 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
May29	Video Game to Dispense Candy? Rich Ottum May 29, 2006 We just heard a very tasty rumor, one we wish we could substantiate. We are not a regular reader of a very popular blog called Blogging Baby, but this headline of theirs did pop up in Topix.net, a news source... Continue Reading Posted at 9:23 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Advertising During the Fifth Inning Stretch Rich Ottum May 29, 2006 NY Yankees fans who watch the season via television can grab a longer break at the end of the fifth inning. Yes network, the company that broadcasts the Yankees has just introduced a new 90-second spot at the end of... Continue Reading Posted at 8:05 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Perplexing Volvo Pirates Promotion Rich Ottum May 29, 2006 Back in March, Marketing Blurb told you at the Volvo Trucks promotion tied to Disney’s upcoming Pirates of the Caribbean movie. We didn’t really understand the connection, and we continued to be perplexed by Volvo cars jumping onto the same... Continue Reading Posted at 6:48 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
May28	Please Don’t Play B 17,000 Rich Ottum May 28, 2006 Chances are you don’t think much about jukeboxes these days. Your favorite bar likely plays dribble from some unknown source, and you cannot even locate the speakers. Jukeboxes that spin real records or even CDs are novel antiques these days.... Continue Reading Posted at 6:37 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Digital Throw-away at CVS Rich Ottum May 28, 2006 CVS Pharmacy caught our attention with a circular page for their digital photo services. Mind you, we would never print our photos at CVS, but if you act now, in-store or online, prints are only $ .19. On the same... Continue Reading Posted at 3:06 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Battle of the Memorial Day Circulars Rich Ottum May 28, 2006 The Sunday paper weighted an extra pound this morning with every merchant and their dog including Memorial Day circulars. Best Buy assumes we want a wide screen TV every week, and will keep featuring their selection until we buy. Most... Continue Reading Posted at 3:01 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Chocolate Bigger than Your Head Rich Ottum May 28, 2006 If you love chocolate, more chocolate is better than less chocolate. And if you are reading Marketing Blurb from Canada, maybe you have seen this billboard which features a Cadbury milk chocolate bar bigger than your driveway. Yes, we realized... Continue Reading Posted at 2:57 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
May27	Video Dope for Grocery Shopping with Kids Rich Ottum May 27, 2006 Grocery shopping is already a hassle, but grocery shopping with children can be a hassle squared. But fortunately, more and more grocers are providing haggard parents with help. Meijer and Wal-Mart, for example, are testing video player enabled TV-carts for... Continue Reading Posted at 7:09 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Marketing Incentive Rich Ottum May 27, 2006 Marketing research has changed dramatically over the years. Traditional print or telephone surveys are now online, and observing actual consumer behavior, if possible, is probably your best bet. But if you are working with a highly targeted niche, and seeking... Continue Reading Posted at 4:23 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Gourmet Dirt Rich Ottum May 27, 2006 My wife wants to pot the geraniums she bought for our garden. But at the garden store, she couldn’t find any potting soil. Okay, so there was in fact potting soil—but only branded gourmet dirt she explained to me. There... Continue Reading Posted at 4:21 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Baking up an Opportunity Rich Ottum May 27, 2006 Now you might wonder why Marketing Blurb is writing about the search for Jimmy Hoffa. Well—this is not really a post about Hoffa, but rather about cup cakes. It seems that an enterprising bakery in Milford Township near the search... Continue Reading Posted at 8:41 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Mall Guerilla Marketing Rich Ottum May 27, 2006 If you try to avoid shopping at the mall these days, you are not alone. In most regions of the country, mall shopping traffic is down. This trend started before high gasoline prices, and will likely continue until mall management... Continue Reading Posted at 8:38 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
May26	Random Acts of Cone-ness Rich Ottum May 26, 2006 Most of country has experienced a mild Spring this year. But yesterday and today in the Ohio Valley, the weather was plain hot. So our thoughts turned to an ice cream cone. But lo—we had no cones! Fortunately, Ben and... Continue Reading Posted at 3:12 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Pepsi Helps Superman Catch Lex Luthor Rich Ottum May 26, 2006 While Superman is saving the world this summer, Marketing Blurb will be spending another day at the keyboard saving consumers from marketing. But Superman’s task is certainly more exciting that ours, so we will tell you that Pepsi is sponsoring... Continue Reading Posted at 2:39 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Muffins and Scones at McDonald’s? Rich Ottum May 26, 2006 We already told you that McDonald’s has gone uptown with their premium brewed coffee. And we would hate to waste the brew on a life-threatening McGriddle Breakfast Sandwich. Instead, we would prefer a scone with our coffee. And Ronald is... Continue Reading Posted at 2:17 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Sara Lee to Spin-off Apparel Brands Rich Ottum May 26, 2006 When we think of Sara Lee, we think cake. This is a problem for a diversified company that also sells shoe polish, bras and underwear. And as such, it makes sense that Sara Lee decided to spin off their $... Continue Reading Posted at 2:13 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Marketers Groom Metrosexuals Rich Ottum May 26, 2006 It has been almost four years ago now that we talked about metrosexuals to our marketing students. The term was fresh back then (and trendier, too) and we though it would prove useful in a discussion of psychographics and product... Continue Reading Posted at 2:10 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
May25	Dell to Pilot Retail Stores Rich Ottum May 25, 2006 We love to share the story of Dell Computer with our marketing students. Dell turned the retail PC industry on its ear with their made to order direct to consumer business. But expanding into consumer electronics has taken a toll... Continue Reading Posted at 3:18 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Real Men Eat Beef (if prepared by Mom) Rich Ottum May 25, 2006 Now you might think that real men eat beef, but the answer is only maybe. As it turns out, men over 45 years old are more likely to have grown up with stay at home mothers who prepared dinner. These... Continue Reading Posted at 3:04 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Why Johnny Can’t Think Rich Ottum May 25, 2006 The Kaiser Family Foundation just released a report on children’s media habits, and we are afraid, very afraid. Commenting on the report, Advertising Age says: “Kaiser found that 43% of children under 2 watch TV every day and 18% of... Continue Reading Posted at 3:01 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Snapple to Dominate WFNX Boston Rich Ottum May 25, 2006 Most everyone is familiar with Snapple, the product line of teas and juice drinks marketed by Cadbury Schweppes. And if you live in Boston, you are likely to hear more about these beverages. We learned from The New York Times... Continue Reading Posted at 2:59 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Women Packin’ Iron Rich Ottum May 25, 2006 Marketing Blurb does not own a firearm. We believe our two killer attack dogs are sufficient protection from occasional burglars. For more dangerous situations, say an invasion by a foreign army, we are not worried either, because our neighbor is... Continue Reading Posted at 2:54 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
May24	Bluffing our Way through The World Series of Poker Rich Ottum May 24, 2006 Marketing Blurb used to play poker in college, before the game made the big leagues. We were only a so-so player, so fortunately, we did not bet our tuition and we retired before graduation. But these days, Poker is a spectator sport.... Continue Reading Posted at 7:43 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Zappin’ Prestone Bug Wash Rich Ottum May 24, 2006 You know the Prestone antifreeze folks. They do not spend much money on advertising, but then again, there are few brands names in this category anyway. But Prestone has other products as well, including Bug Wash, a solution for removing... Continue Reading Posted at 7:27 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Hasbro Abandons Pussycat Dolls Rich Ottum May 24, 2006 Marketing Blurb can’t stay on top of the pop music scene, so we are not sure whether or not we should be embarrassed we have never heard of the female music group known as the Pussycats Dolls. But the group... Continue Reading Posted at 7:06 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	McDonald’s World Cup Burger Rich Ottum May 24, 2006 We have already told readers that the upcoming World Cup Soccer Tournament is huge. And now we can tell you just how huge. In the UK, McDonald’s is celebrating the event with a limited edition World Cup Burger. This burger... Continue Reading Posted at 6:46 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Live Theatre Advertising Rich Ottum May 24, 2006 Marketing Blurb does not go to the movies. We stopped attending years ago for a number of reasons. First, movie theatre audiences are loud and rude. Next, movie theatres run commercials, and we don’t want to see those. Finally, the... Continue Reading Posted at 6:39 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
May23	Consumer Electronics Vending Machines Rich Ottum May 23, 2006 If you are Federated Department stores, you want to participate in the consumer electronics gold rush, but at the same time, you don’t want to loose you shirt in a category where you have little experience. But hey—Macy’s found a... Continue Reading Posted at 2:47 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Nike Shoes Talk to iPod Rich Ottum May 23, 2006 Marketing Blurb does not ask much from our shoes. We expect them to fit properly, and feel comfortable when we walk. We expect our athletic shoes to provide comfort and support when we use the treadmill. We never ask our... Continue Reading Posted at 2:26 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Pop-Tarts Sponsors American Idols Live Tour Rich Ottum May 23, 2006 Marketing Blurb hates to sound self-righteous, but we believe that Pop-Tarts sponsoring the American Idols Live Tour is a promo marriage made in heaven. We believe this because those consumers likely to eat Pop-Tarts are the same people with the IQ necessary to watch... Continue Reading Posted at 2:07 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Are Magazine Ads Engaging? Rich Ottum May 23, 2006 Marketing Blurb loves print advertising more than the next pundit. We believe that reading print copy is more engaging that passively drooling over a mindless television commercial. But maybe we are wrong. For years, magazines have sold print media buyers... Continue Reading Posted at 1:59 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Nike and Google Team for Soccer Social Networking Rich Ottum May 23, 2006 Most sports fans consider soccer an also-ran sport in the US. But world-wide, soccer makes NFL football seem like a sandlot pick-up game. The World Cup Soccer Tournament begins next month, and advertisers consider this serious business. Adidas is spending... Continue Reading Posted at 1:53 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
May22	Gamers Grow Older Rich Ottum May 22, 2006 Marketing Blurb is obviously behind the times when it comes to gaming. We just reported that Cadillac product placements will appear on the Microsoft Xbox360 online gaming channel. But what we didn’t know is that the drivers are 33 years... Continue Reading Posted at 1:38 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Cadillac Joins Xbox 360 Online Games Rich Ottum May 22, 2006 Marketing Blurb has commented on numerous occasions, that videogames are a promising medium for advertisers. Games are more interactive than television, and the editorial consequences of product placement are more subtle, flexible, and credible. Cadillac believes this as well, and... Continue Reading Posted at 1:35 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Priceless Hurricane Preparedness Rich Ottum May 22, 2006 Every night on the evening news, we hear someone reminding us that Hurricane season begins next week. Thankfully, we do not live in a hurricane zone, and tornadoes are scary enough. But we can say we are pleased that MasterCard... Continue Reading Posted at 1:32 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Marketing to Chinese Yuppies Rich Ottum May 22, 2006 The folks at Nielsen Media Research just altered readers of The Wall Street Journal (paid subscription required) than Chinese consumers boosted their first quarter spending 25% over last year. Spending associated with the February handoff of the upcoming Winter Olympic... Continue Reading Posted at 1:26 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Content Wrap Commercials Take Center Stage Rich Ottum May 22, 2006 There are a number of advertising and television industry pundits who boldly claim that no one is watching commercials anymore. Marketing Blurb believes people are watching, but just not paying attention. But no matter, because a new network called CW... Continue Reading Posted at 1:23 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
May21	Banking Uptown Rich Ottum May 21, 2006 Marketing Blurb does not visit the bank very often. We manage our financial affairs online. (We used to take our dogs to the drive through window, because a spunky 20-something would always give us dog treats with our deposit receipt.)... Continue Reading Posted at 7:22 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Wired Gadget Lab Catalog Rich Ottum May 21, 2006 Tipped inside our new issue of Wired magazine is a mini catalog for the Wired Gadget Lab. The cover promises the coolest and weirdest gizmos in the universe. But the real purpose of the catalog is to serve as a... Continue Reading Posted at 6:57 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Columbus Agency GSW Snares Tamiflu Account Rich Ottum May 21, 2006 Marketing Blurb would like to recognize advertising agency GSW, one of our Columbus neighbors, for winning the Roche Holdings creative business for Tamiflu. Tamiflu is a flu-prevention drug. But more importantly, Tamiflu is likely the government’s best response to a possible... Continue Reading Posted at 9:19 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Crazed Gold Rush Reality TV Rich Ottum May 21, 2006 If there is one thing Marketing Blurb deems worse than television, it is reality television. So we have not paid much attention to the pending Gold Rush reality show. But since the show has an online component, we might as... Continue Reading Posted at 9:16 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Hardee’s Sandwich a Mouthful Rich Ottum May 21, 2006 We don’t talk about television commercials often, because we believe there are more productive ways to spend an advertising budget. But it seems that savvy companies are taking commercials, posting them online, and encouraging that product enthusiasts pass them along.... Continue Reading Posted at 9:12 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
May20	Eat Fresh, but be Suspicious Rich Ottum May 20, 2006 You’ve heard Subway’s imperative slogan to eat fresh, and if you frequent the chain, you might have ordered their Grilled Chicken Breast and Baby Spinach Salad. But we just learned from the June issue of Fast Company, that their grilled... Continue Reading Posted at 6:45 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Sampling Munchies at Wrigley Field Rich Ottum May 20, 2006 When we teach marketing, our students quickly learn that television advertising (except for direct response TV) is generally a waste of money. Sorry about the broad brush strokes here. We tell students instead that point-of-sale marketing and sampling is far... Continue Reading Posted at 8:59 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	On the Road with The Wild Kingdom Rich Ottum May 20, 2006 If you are old enough to remember The Mutual of Omaha Wild Kingdom show on television, you are probably too old to read this blog. But that aside, Mutual of Omaha has decided to resuscitate the program from the 1960s... Continue Reading Posted at 8:41 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Of Boycotts and Omelets Rich Ottum May 20, 2006 Marketing Blurb is not a movie critic. This is a good thing, because haven’t set foot inside a movie theatre in five years, and you really don’t know care what we think. So we are going to discuss The Da... Continue Reading Posted at 8:08 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	FTC Probes VocalPoint Disclosure Rich Ottum May 20, 2006 Marketing Blurb readers are already familiar with VocalPoint, the women’s buzz marketing network established by Procter & Gamble. The network provides women with product samples, a newsletter and coupons to help buzz new products in their circle of friends. Marketing... Continue Reading Posted at 7:42 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
May19	Sprite Tries a New Approach Rich Ottum May 19, 2006 Marketing Blurb does not drink Sprite (or any other soft drink for that matter,) but we always liked their “Obey your thirst” tagline. We tell our marketing students this is a fine example of a convincing and easy to understand... Continue Reading Posted at 4:12 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Pabst Blue Ribbon Finds an Audience Rich Ottum May 19, 2006 Pabst Blue Ribbon is another of those domestic beers too easy to forget. But it seems that a new generation of young urban professionals has rediscovered the brand, and they love the cheap—ahem—inexpensive brew. According to Eric Shepard, executive editor... Continue Reading Posted at 2:59 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Mini Cooper Goes Green Rich Ottum May 19, 2006 The advertising agency for the Mini Cooper believes they are very clever. And yes, their print work is fun and effective (and reminiscent of the original Think Small campaign for the Volkswagen Beetle.) Our Fast Company magazine arrived in the... Continue Reading Posted at 2:34 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Eurostar Da Vinci Code Quest Rich Ottum May 19, 2006 Unless you are a European traveler, you might not have heard of Eurostar, the transportation consortium that runs the trains under the English Channel. Well, Eurostar wants to boost their recognition with American travels, and as such, has decided to... Continue Reading Posted at 2:15 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Land’s End Swimsuit Issue Rich Ottum May 19, 2006 Back in February, we told you how Sports Illustrated was morphing their famed annual swimsuit issue into a multimedia extravaganza. But guys, if you will read another post for a minute, we need to talk to our female readers. According... Continue Reading Posted at 2:01 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
May18	Surfing on the Job Rich Ottum May 18, 2006 Every now and then, you are certain to read a survey that office workers use the Internet for personal surfing during office hours. This started years ago, before broadband connections were commonplace at home. In a recent such survey by... Continue Reading Posted at 7:52 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Radio Shack to Sell Flat Panel TVs Rich Ottum May 18, 2006 When people think consumer electronics, Radio Shack is rarely the first retailers that comes to mind. But when your 30 year old Sony amplifier does not have enough inputs jacks to accommodate a second-hand PlayStation, you know that Radio Shack... Continue Reading Posted at 6:41 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Burger King Texas Double Whopper Rich Ottum May 18, 2006 Those of you who follow the financial news must know that Burger King completed the IPO, and traded today on the NYSE. And yes, despite the scary King, they actually closed up about a dollar. We are not a financial... Continue Reading Posted at 5:13 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Hershey's Wants Your Take 5 Commercial Rich Ottum May 18, 2006 Back in March, Marketing Blurb told you about Hershey’s effort to use buzz marketing for Take 5, the Greatest Candy Bar Ever. Well, the campaign is now underway, and we urge you to visit their website to see the execution.... Continue Reading Posted at 3:22 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	What Teens Want Rich Ottum May 18, 2006 If you are a company marketing to teens, you are probably frustrated by their fickle taste, lack of brand loyalty, and screwy media consumption habits. Other than that, you love teens, and which they would buy your product. Teens spent... Continue Reading Posted at 3:18 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
May17	Should Desperate Housewives Fear Footballer Wive$? Rich Ottum May 17, 2006 If you think Desperate Housewives is steamy, get ready for Footballer Wive$ from BBC America. This a UK import about to hit US television screens next month. According to a BBC America Press Release, US critics are primed: “Footballers Wive$... Continue Reading Posted at 1:25 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Sparkle and Shine with PowerBar Pria Rich Ottum May 17, 2006 Sometimes we feel tired and weary, sick of trying and racked with pain. But fortunately, we discovered how to escape, and the secred it Nestle’s PowerBar Pria. Yes, the bar is targeted to women, but we figure if we eat... Continue Reading Posted at 12:55 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	NextMedium Platform for Branded Entertainment Ad-Buys Rich Ottum May 17, 2006 We talk about product placement and branded entertainment often, because traditional television advertising is on the wane. But placing branded entertainment on top television shows is a time-consuming pain without rules, regulations and standards. (Think behind the scenes smoozing instead.)... Continue Reading Posted at 8:32 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	State Attorney Generals Urge Stricter Alcohol Ad Regulations Rich Ottum May 17, 2006 According to Ad Age, (free registration required) 20 state attorney generals are urging the Federal Trade Commission to tighten advertising regulations for alcoholic beverages. At issue is limiting alcohol advertising to media in which only 15% of the audience is... Continue Reading Posted at 7:55 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Meow Mix Reality TV for Cats Rich Ottum May 17, 2006 We knew this had to happen. Popular dry cat food marketer Meow Mix is creating a reality TV show for cats. Here’s the deal. Ten felines, called cat-testants, will be selected from shelters across the country, and sent to New... Continue Reading Posted at 7:52 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
May16	Superman Returns to the small Screen Rich Ottum May 16, 2006 USA Today reminds us that movie studio normally depend upon television advertising to pitch new movies. But as Marketing Blurb always cautions advertisers--television (unless it is direct response television) is a so-so branding medium, and a zero sales medium. Movie... Continue Reading Posted at 3:24 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	ConAgra Foods Sports and Entertainment Rich Ottum May 16, 2006 Marketing Blurb likes to believe the best way to advertise food is product sampling. When product sampling is not practical, we urge companies to consider advertising which emphasizes taste. But, most packaged foods companies would just as soon sponsor a... Continue Reading Posted at 3:04 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	P&G to Kill Ivory Soap? Rich Ottum May 16, 2006 Now you might think that a bar soap that is so pure that it floats would be protected by the US Constitution, an Act of Congress, or some other kind of proclamation, but you would be wrong, naturally. According to Brandweek,... Continue Reading Posted at 11:46 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Online Video Spot for Microsoft Office Live Rich Ottum May 16, 2006 It is very easy for marketing pundits to slam Microsoft for their historically lame advertising campaigns. But we just encounter an online video vignette for Microsoft Office Live we would like to praise. The campaign is called fightinvisibusiness.com, and features... Continue Reading Posted at 11:32 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Junk Food Wars Continue Rich Ottum May 16, 2006 We have commented several times on advertising and childhood obesity. We take the simple position that parents, not marketers, are responsible for what children eat. But the debate does not end with our simple pronouncement. We discovered a dandy item... Continue Reading Posted at 11:14 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
May15	Cadbury Schweeppes Challenged on All-natural Claim Rich Ottum May 15, 2006 Just last month, Marketing Blurb told you about “all-natural” lemon-lime beverage 7 Up. We were somewhat skeptical, and now it seems, the Center for Science in the Public Interest considers the claim misleading as well. We are not chemists, but... Continue Reading Posted at 2:17 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Online Jewelry Sales Dazzle Rich Ottum May 15, 2006 Marketing Blurb loves diamonds. We can’t afford them, so we try to keep our wife and our girlfriend distracted with less costly perishable items like chocolate or flowers. But we were not surprised to learn from eMarketer.com that online jewelry... Continue Reading Posted at 12:24 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Pedigree Site for UK Dogs Rich Ottum May 15, 2006 Dog websites are serious. business. We know this, because we built a website for our dogs in the early 1990s before Netscape was even founded and made the site easily accessible. But moving forward to today, we learned that the UK... Continue Reading Posted at 9:38 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	JC Penney De-emphasizes Catalog Rich Ottum May 15, 2006 Back in February, Marketing Blurb altered you to Walt Disney’s decision to dump their print catalog in favor of online sales. We knew then that other catalogers would follow suit. JC Penney is not suspending their print catalog, but at... Continue Reading Posted at 7:25 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Do Teens Know Old Media Networks? Rich Ottum May 15, 2006 We were cruising through the news this morning, and a brief item jumped out at us from MediaPost Publications (free registration required.) It seems that Bolt Media, a popular teen content and networking site, asked 417 of their users to... Continue Reading Posted at 7:21 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
May12	Google to Sell TV Advertising? Rich Ottum May 12, 2006 You already know that Marketing Blurb is not especially keen on traditional television advertising. Direct response television, on the other hand, makes perfect sense, because advertisers can measure results directly. But what if the whole world of television advertising were... Continue Reading Posted at 3:27 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Calling Paris Hilton at E3 Rich Ottum May 12, 2006 Every week or so, we feel compelled to include a post regarding celebrity endorsements, and today, Paris Hilton came to our rescue with her appearance at E3, the Electronic Entertainment Expo. Now you might wonder why Paris Hilton is attending... Continue Reading Posted at 3:00 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Wal-Mart Advertises in Vogue Rich Ottum May 12, 2006 You need to evolve to survive in retailing. And after they have already squeezed all the cost out of their business, Wal-Mart is still experiencing sluggish same store sales. So they are stocking new, higher-margin merchandise, and trying to lure... Continue Reading Posted at 9:21 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Thinking Inside the Box Rich Ottum May 12, 2006 Marketing Blurb loves computers, but we’re just too busy to geek around with our desktop or laptop these days. We keep reading Walt Mossberg’s column at The Wall Street Journal, and we know we should really have a Mac. But... Continue Reading Posted at 8:37 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	New P&G Coffee for Sensitive Stomachs Rich Ottum May 12, 2006 Boomers love coffee, but it seems that an estimated 35 to 40 million Americans have reduced the amount of coffee they drink due to stomach irritation. Fortunately, Procter & Gamble is introducing a new blend of coffee called Folgers Simply... Continue Reading Posted at 8:21 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
May11	Nationwide Puts Your Name in Lights Rich Ottum May 11, 2006 Cruising through the news online tonight, we discovered the familiar blue box logo for Nationwide, and their popular Life Comes at You Fast campaign. This particular online ad features a burst of themed photos surrounding life events like marriage and... Continue Reading Posted at 7:52 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Critics Not Gorilla for Tarzan Rich Ottum May 11, 2006 Marketing Blurb is not a theatre critic. We love Broadway, but don’t visit the Great White Way much anymore. But because we are always interested in following the marketing exploits of entertainment giant Disney, we decided to find out what... Continue Reading Posted at 7:25 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	DVD Pirates Beware Rich Ottum May 11, 2006 The entertainment industry loses millions of dollars every year to the illegal copying and distribution of pirated CDs and DVDs. So the MPAA, Motion Picture Association of America, has decided to bite back. According to the IDG News Service, “the... Continue Reading Posted at 7:08 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Buy American, Buy Toyota Sienna Rich Ottum May 11, 2006 Marketing Blurb doesn’t drive an American car. We haven’t for years. This is not a political statement on our part, just a simple preference for better vehicles. We’re game to drive an American vehicle, but we’re not motivated. We do... Continue Reading Posted at 5:39 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	The Marketing Blurb 500 Rich Ottum May 11, 2006 We just told you about Crown Royal Whiskey’s clever promotion to name a NASCAR event as the Your Name Here 400. We really do not intend to enter the promotion, but we can say with pride, we just won the... Continue Reading Posted at 4:04 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
May10	Whole Foods Market Goes Downscale Rich Ottum May 10, 2006 Marketing Blurb loves to grocery shop. We don’t shop often, which is a good thing, because we are not really disciplined enough to avoid seriously wasting our money on frivolous items. We would like to shop at Whole Foods Market,... Continue Reading Posted at 7:12 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Sega As Big as Your Head Rich Ottum May 10, 2006 Tonight as usual, we were watching the evening news and reading The Wall Street Journal at the same time. (And if you must know, WSJ editorial beats the local news every time!) We were particularly captivated by a four-page full-color... Continue Reading Posted at 6:55 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Adverting on School Buses Rich Ottum May 10, 2006 You knew this had to happen sometime. With school systems strapped for cash, why not sell advertising on school buses? We can think of dozens of reasons why this is not a good idea, but two towns in Michigan are... Continue Reading Posted at 6:32 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Fuel System Cleaning for Dummies Rich Ottum May 10, 2006 Everyone is familiar with the famous series of For Dummies books which make complicated chores more accessible to normal people. Since the series is so successful, why doesn’t someone license the concept for products, and not just books? Ah—well someone... Continue Reading Posted at 5:16 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Parents Television Council Criticizes McDonald’s and Staples Ad Buys Rich Ottum May 10, 2006 Marketing Blurb does not watch much television. But we do know from the show promos that run during the evening news, that we are missing serious fun from heinous sex crimes. So we are not surprised that if you advertise... Continue Reading Posted at 3:53 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
May 9	Starbucks in France Rich Ottum May 9, 2006 Marketing Blurb has not traveled in Europe for years, but we do know this much. The French appreciate a good cup of coffee more that the next European, and the French don’t need Americans to brew or serve them coffee.... Continue Reading Posted at 8:58 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Bad News Tequila Promotion Rich Ottum May 9, 2006 Marketing Blurb likes Tequila as much as the next pundit. But we are distressed to hear about a Jose Cuervo promotion to launch their new flavored premium tequilas. First, real men don’t drink flavored tequila—but that is not our beef.... Continue Reading Posted at 8:03 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Brewers Shun Industry Image Pitch Rich Ottum May 9, 2006 Back in January, we told you that Anheuser-Busch decided that members of the Beer Institute should join together in a campaign to improve the image of beer drinkers. (The problem was perceived to be wine and women, both of which... Continue Reading Posted at 7:49 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Driving in the Right Direction Rich Ottum May 9, 2006 Marketing Blurb is not an eco-pundit, so we generally avoid the debate over gasoline prices and hybrid vehicles. But we feel we should report that the Alliance of Auto Manufacturers is launching a new multi-million dollar advertising campaign to increase... Continue Reading Posted at 3:21 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Racin’ in the Marketing Blurb 400 Rich Ottum May 9, 2006 Marketing Blurb is always on the lookout for clever promotions, and here’s what just crossed the finish line. Crown Royal whiskey will name a NASCAR race after one of its customers. The promotion is called the Your Name Here 400... Continue Reading Posted at 2:58 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
May 8	Dazzle Her/Him with Eco Lips Rich Ottum May 8, 2006 You might be wondering how to keep the flame in your umpteen year old marriage. Or maybe you need to score big on your first date. Either way, Marketing Blurb just discovered the solution, called Eco Lips Energy. Eco Lips Energy is an... Continue Reading Posted at 7:24 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Dining for Bowling Rich Ottum May 8, 2006 Marketing Blurb doesn’t frequent Denny’s restaurants, and we’re always confusing them with Big Boy, which we avoid as well. But if we did order any Denny’s American Dinner Classic entrée this summer, we would receive a coupon for a free... Continue Reading Posted at 7:13 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Fat Gets Between Disney and McDonald’s Rich Ottum May 8, 2006 Perhaps this is a sign of the end of times, but Walt Disney Company is ending its 10-year relationship with McDonald’s as a supplier of Happy Meal premiums. Disney is reportedly concerned about associating itself with childhood obesity, and as... Continue Reading Posted at 4:09 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Plugging in to the Electronic Entertainment Expo Rich Ottum May 8, 2006 If you enjoy a quiet and peaceful existence, just skip this post. You don’t want to know about E3, the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in LA this week. E3 is the industry venue where videogame companies showcase their new releases... Continue Reading Posted at 3:35 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Gamers Watch Less Television Rich Ottum May 8, 2006 Marketers are enamored of Gen X, Gen Y consumers because they are more fun than their boomer parents. But these same marketers often turn to television commercials, where this audience is missing in action. The Seattle Times tells us that... Continue Reading Posted at 2:26 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
May 7	Animal Parts in Happy Meals? Rich Ottum May 7, 2006 Every now and then, we try to use a provocative title to see if readers are paying attention. We learned from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, that Build-a-Bear Workshop Inc. will be supplying mini stuffed animals for McDonald’s Happy Meals. The... Continue Reading Posted at 9:09 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Wal-Mart to Hawk Build-it-Yourself PCs Rich Ottum May 7, 2006 Marketing Blurb is fortunate to live near the headquarters of MicroCenter, a computer super center. We love to visit, and kick the tires on the new PCs. (We no longer kick the printers, because they break.) But these days, real... Continue Reading Posted at 8:45 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Superhero Reality TV Rich Ottum May 7, 2006 Marketing Blurb loves comic books. We don’t actually read comic books anymore, because each issue cost about the same as our annual subscription to Business Week. But we do have fond memories of reading the exploits of countless caped DC... Continue Reading Posted at 8:42 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Go Ahead—Eat More Lay’s Potato Chips Rich Ottum May 7, 2006 Back in 2003, snack food giant, Frito-Lay, bowed to public-health advocates and consumer groups, and eliminated trans fats from its snack chips by converting Cheetos, Doritos and Tostitos to corn oil. But in more crunchy news, Frito-Lay is preparing a... Continue Reading Posted at 7:28 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Gap Tries Clothes Madewell Rich Ottum May 7, 2006 Marketing Blurb does not worry much about fashion. But if our job depended on suppling what women want, we would be panicked. And the folks at Gap are nervous too, because their three largest brands, Gap, Old Navy, and Banana... Continue Reading Posted at 7:25 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
May 5	Abercrombie & Fitch Invades Great Britain Rich Ottum May 5, 2006 When we teach marketing, our students used to talk about the provocative Abercrombie & Fitch catalogs. Students assume that complaints forced the company to tone down their steamy photos. (In reality, unpopular styling and sagging sales forced the company to... Continue Reading Posted at 7:50 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	McDonald’s Make-over Rich Ottum May 5, 2006 We just learned from Business Week that McDonalds has decided to launch a more contemporary restaurant design. For the first time in 30 years, the chain will undertake significant remodeling and new architecture. There is not yet a single design... Continue Reading Posted at 7:24 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Clever Business Cards Rich Ottum May 5, 2006 Whenever Marketing Blurb attends one of those small business networking events, we exchange business cards with other like-minded souls or prospects. Our business card is simple--just our logo and contact information on a white background. But according to The Wall... Continue Reading Posted at 7:08 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Disney Launches Wondertime Magazine Rich Ottum May 5, 2006 Some folks are still brave enough to launch new magazines these days. And one of those publishers is Disney, who recently announced the pending publication of Wondertime magazine. The target reader is a well-educated woman in her mid-thirties with a... Continue Reading Posted at 5:34 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
May 4	Can HP Products Match HP Advertising? Rich Ottum May 4, 2006 Marketing Blurb used to like HP home and small business printers. Our relationship with HP was simple. We expected the printer to work, and it did. We even opened the case from time-to-time and cleaned the parts. HP printers used... Continue Reading Posted at 8:54 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	New Viagra Commercial Rich Ottum May 4, 2006 Marketing Blurb has not yet seen the new Viagra television commercial. But according to Pfizer, all of their ED advertising will only air during age-appropriate programs with at least 90% adult viewership and after 8 PM. While we applaud this... Continue Reading Posted at 8:12 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Shakira Oral Fixation Tour Rich Ottum May 4, 2006 Okay, at the risk of huge embarrassment, Marketing Blurb is going out on a limb to admit we have never heard of pop singer Shakira. The five-time grammy award-winner travels with a different crowd than we do. But we know... Continue Reading Posted at 6:50 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Where Music Lives Rich Ottum May 4, 2006 The school tax levy in your district probably failed again, maybe for the third time in as many years. And yes, schools are cutting back. Students at many schools must pay to participate in extra-curricular activities. And when sports teams... Continue Reading Posted at 6:39 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
May 3	Ask.com to Advertise on TV Rich Ottum May 3, 2006 In the world of search engines, there is Google, and well, everyone else. Google commands almost 43% of all web searches, with Yahoo in second place at 28%. MSN is third, and Ask.com queries tally only about 6% of online... Continue Reading Posted at 7:49 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	On the Cover of Rolling Stone 1000 Rich Ottum May 3, 2006 Marketing Blurb has never appeared on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine. While we are disappointed, we are delighted that the magazine decided to celebrate their 1000th issue with a special 3D cover. The cover photograph pays homage to the... Continue Reading Posted at 6:41 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Promoting Mother’s Day Rich Ottum May 3, 2006 Marketing Blurb will be one of countless people reminding you that Mother’s Day is, um—sometime this month. And as it turns out, 75% of small businesses are planning promotions to remind you to honor mom. But unlike in years past,... Continue Reading Posted at 6:25 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Ford Bold Moves? Rich Ottum May 3, 2006 Marketing Blurb multi-tasks by reading while we watch the evening news. In The Wall Street Journal (or maybe it was Newsweek or Business Week) we skimmed an article about Mary Lou Quesnell, marketing director of Ford, and her new Ford... Continue Reading Posted at 6:10 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Advertisers Discover Social Networking Rich Ottum May 3, 2006 Marketing Blurb has resisted talking much about social networking. (If you must know more, visit The eStrategyOne Buzz.) But sites like MySpace and Facebook are about to take over the world. These sites are filled with sketchy consumer-generated content, and... Continue Reading Posted at 5:13 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
May 2	Feds Joins Childhood Obesity Outcry Rich Ottum May 2, 2006 Marketing Blurb needs your attention, so we are standing on our soapbox for a few minutes to share this important quote from an article entitled in Brandweek entitled Feds to Kids' Food Marketers: Shape Up: "NEW YORK – The Federal... Continue Reading Posted at 7:40 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	31 Days of Pain (relief) Rich Ottum May 2, 2006 Drug maker Bayer is running a novel advertising campaign for their popular Aleve pain reliever. Rather than run the same tired commercial over and over again, Aleve is featuring 31 new commercials for each day of May, which coincides with... Continue Reading Posted at 7:04 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Promotion Impossible Rich Ottum May 2, 2006 Marketing Blurb keeps a low media profile, and as such, we thankfully miss an overdose of celebrity nonsense. But even with out reading-centric entertainment habits, we can’t seem to avoid Tom Cruise and his girlfriend what’s her name, and their... Continue Reading Posted at 5:38 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
May 1	Starbucks Looking for Entertainment Deals Rich Ottum May 1, 2006 Marketing Blurb loves Starbucks more than the next pundit. We really don’t visit that often, but when we do, we skip all the weenie foamy stuff and go right for the black gold that makes us feel great for the... Continue Reading Posted at 6:55 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Do Real Men Drink Green Tea? Rich Ottum May 1, 2006 Trend spotters have already announced that Green Tea is the next big thing. Various companies are bagging the leaves or bottling the juice. And here’s the deal. According to Little Grasshopper of Kung Fu, this stuff is honestly good for... Continue Reading Posted at 6:36 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Advertisers Dancing to Happy Feet Rich Ottum May 1, 2006 Warner Brothers will release a new animated movie in November called Happy Feet. The movie features Emperor Penguins in Antarctica, which means there is not much opportunity for product placement. This is a family-friendly film, and a number of advertisers including... Continue Reading Posted at 6:03 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	TV Guide Downloads Rich Ottum May 1, 2006 In a kinder, gentler time, no one needed TV Guide magazine. You could read program listings from the local newspaper. But with the advent of cable and satellite TV, there are now hundreds of channels broadcasting thousands of programs 24... Continue Reading Posted at 5:05 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Advertise Your Message Instantly Rich Ottum May 1, 2006 Marketing Blurb was an early adopter of Instant Messaging. We use the proprietary IM client on CompuServe before Al Gore invented the Internet. We used the first AOL IM client to communicate with AOL HQ when we used to be... Continue Reading Posted at 3:15 PM \| Permalink \| Comments

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