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Sep30
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If you are Chrysler, you are worried that you do not have a suitable vehicle to compete in the new sporty subcompact market. Toyota Yaris, Honda’s Fit and Nissan’s Versa are ready to eat your lunch with styling, function and pricing that works for first-time or cost-conscious auto buyers. But Chrysler does have a plan—they are talking to China’s Chery Motors about importing their b-class Hornet vehicle. Auto industry pundits have  mixed opinions regarding a possible Chrysler/Chery partnership. First, Chrysler does need a vehicle like this one to compete in the category. But Toyota, Honda, and Nissan all manufacture their subcompacts in the US with a superior margin to importing from elsewhere. And then there is the issue of quality and perception. While a Chinese-made car be perceived of sufficient quality to compete in the category. Could the novelty value give the car cult status? Marketing Blurb has simple advice for Chrysler. Let Gen Y women drive this puppy and tell you what they think.
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Sep30
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Now you might think if you are 38 years old you are on the top of your game—but not necessarily. A company called Real Age Incorporated of San Diego runs health tests on individuals which include weigh, cholesterol count, stamina,...
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Chances are good the readers of Marketing Blurb missed the "Focalyst Executive Forum: Innovations and Insights in Reaching Boomers and Older Consumers," a joint venture of AARP Services and Kantar Research. But if you had attended, you would have heard...
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Shopping for toys can be a minefield for grandparents who are not regular caregivers for their out-of-town grandchildren. And with so many crazy items to chose from, the odds of selecting just the wrong toy are rather high. Fortunately, retailers...
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Now you might wonder what department store Kohls, food packager Sara Lee, and microchip manufacturer AMD all have in common, and so do we. But we learned from Media Post Publications (free registration required,) that the answer is all three...
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Sep29
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No, Six Flags is not really promoting cockroaches. But the theme park is drawing national attention from a bizarre promotion that offers patrons a chance to move to the front of the line if they eat a live Madagascar hissing...
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Once again, we caution readers that Marketing Blurb is not a fashion pundit. But we will say that we favor Talbot clothing because we never see drunk or cocaine-sniffing celebrities wearing their threads in the tabloids. So we were delighted to...
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You remember patriot John Hancock, right? He signed the US Declaration of Independence with bold oversized script to make sure King George III could read his name. Any you certainly know John Hancock Financial Services, that stalwart American—ah—make that—stalwart Canadian...
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Marketing Blurb loves Marie Callender. We don’t eat her food actually, but we love the faux home movie commercial where she spoils her grandchildren with cookies before their dinner of homemade chicken pot pie. We know the sad truth that...
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Now you might think that your brand is sweet, but truth is, Lyle’s Golden Syrup is sweeter still. We learned from the UK Daily Mail that the famous spread is officially recognized by the Guinness World Record as the oldest...
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Sep28
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Back in July, we told readers that Radio Shack was planning a fall promotion with the Rolling Stones, the boomer-aged bad boys of rock and roll. Back then, we know Radio Shack intended to hype LG large-screen televisions, which proved...
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October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. You will no doubt encounter various promotions to support the noble cause of breast cancer research--but we wanted to draw your attention to the Pink Tag effort by Kroger Stores. Beginning October 1st, Kroger...
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Sometimes, old brands never die. Sales may decline, but certain brands, like Bromo Seltzer, remain bubbling in the cultural psyche. Bromo Seltzer dates back to 1888. Developed by Newmark Laboratories, the brand peaked under the ownership of Warner-Lambert, creators of...
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The next revolution will not just be televised—the next revolution will also be simulcast to your cell phone. Whether you like it or not (and we do not) Nokia is determined to turn your cell phone into a mini multimedia...
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While retailers tend to shy away from overt political posturing, 7-Eleven decided now would be a good time to end their 20-year relationship with Citgo gasoline. Citgo is a subsidiary of Venezuela’s state-owned oil company, and you’ve probably heard the...
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Sep27
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Back in the 1960s when women were women and soap was soap, Ivory soap had a famous advertising campaign featuring a grandmother, mother, and child. All three generations used Ivory soap for young-looking skin, and they appeared in television and...
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Marketing Blurb loves supermarket in-store promotions. Without them, shopping is just a chore. In fact, we believe point-of-purchase advertising is far superior to television. Of course metrics are always superior to opinion, so a consortium of major marketers is backing...
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Marketing Blurb does not have much time to watch the Food Network—we are too busy eating. Our son knows all the food network shows and celebrities because he watches everything on television. But we do know that cooking on television...
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Now you might think it takes a bucket of money to launch a new beverage brand, and your would be wrong—naturally. The folks at Redux Beverages in Las Vegas launched a new brand called Cocaine Energy Drink with a $...
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Now you might think that Halloween is a simple enough holiday that doesn’t really merit much of your attention, and you would be wrong—naturally. As it turns out, Halloween is the second-largest decorating holiday after Christmas. This year, an estimated...
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Sep26
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Marketing Blurb loves pasta more than the next pundit. Of course that’s because our wife often makes pasta and sauces by hand, which we enjoy in sensible portions in our own kitchen. But for those who need a more serious...
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Marketing Blurb advocates business blogging to all our clients. We think blogs are a great vehicle for businesses to reveal their human side. Blogs are also a great way to open a dialog with company customers and prospects. Of course,...
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In our long and distinguished business career, Marketing Blurb has enjoyed unquestioned expense reports and scrutinized expense reports. We have been able to tell a pricey travel agent to book us a toney downtown location, and we have been ordered...
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Marketing Blurb cannot save the US auto industry, but we can save the industry some money. We learned from our friends at Advertising Age (free registration required) that Chrysler will more than double what it spent in advertising during the...
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Last April, we told you about the launch of Vital Radiance, a new line of Revlon cosmetics targeted to boomer women over 50. We love boomer women, (with or without make-up) and pronounced the launch a great idea. Then in...
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Sep25
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Like most everyone, Marketing Blurb loves Coach Leather. We do not own many of their products, but we admire them from afar for their elegance and yes, for their aroma. But despite their stellar brand reputation, Coach realized years ago...
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Marketing Blurb loves soup more than the next pundit. Of course, our wife cooks umpteen different intoxicating soups from scratch using a cornucopia of common and exotic ingredients. We secretly pine for winter just to enjoy the soups. But for...
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Readers of Marketing Blurb are probably too young to remember actress Audrey Hepburn. But trust us; Audrey was a beautiful and intriguing celebrity. As such, we are not at all surprised that clothier Gap decided to resurrect footage of Audrey...
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We often ridicule US auto makers because their products and marketing gaffes are low-hanging fruit. But today, we need to praise GM for their initiative in hydrogen vehicles. You probably already know that hydrogen vehicles are pollution free, and that...
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You’ve seen the television commercial with the two college women. One is bloated and irregular. The other eats Activia from Dannon containing Bifidus Regularis which is guaranteed to regulate your digestive system in two weeks. Every time we see this commercial,...
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Sep24
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If you are seated at the computer reading a marketing blog, you probably have too much time on your hands, and you might be overweight. (No need to adjust the webcam, we are just making a sweeping generalization.) You want...
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Okay, this post is not really about bathing in Mondavi wine—or evening drinking Mondavi wine. This post is about dunking your head in Mondavi wine—almost. We learned from Media Post Publications (free registration required,) that wine maker Carlos Mandavi has...
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Marketing Blurb loves raisins more than the next pundit. We keep a vat of raisins available year around for grazing by the fist-full. We also try to sneak raisins into every recipe possible. As such, it isn’t really necessary for...
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Boomers are happier than younger folks, because they can dress as they please and not feel as self-conscious as their children. This does not mean that boomers lack fashion, it simply means than boomers have a more important agenda. And...
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Our October issue of Wired magazine arrived in the mail yesterday. We can always count on wired for provocative editorial and noteworthy advertising. This month, Apple computer tipped in an accordion-fold booklet explaining why you will love a Mac. The...
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Sep23
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Marketing Blurb could use a cruise. We need to feel the sunshine, the wind, and gaze upon the rolling blue waters disappearing off to the horizon. We don’t need to climb a rock wall, swim in a pool, play the...
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Now you might think that your neighborhood Doctor has a stable practice, and you would be wrong—naturally. As it turns outs, doctors, hospitals, and clinics are anxious regarding the emergence of retail health clinics like MinuteClinic. MinuteClinic, recently acquired by...
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Real men must eat beef jerky, because jerky packager Jack Link of Minong, Wisconsin has decided to sponsor a football-themed contest called Eat Big Win Big. Marketing Blurb believes every contest we’ve encountered this year is a waste of time—but...
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Now you might think that all extended-stay hotels are pretty much the same, and you would be right, naturally. But Westin Hotels has decided to change that perception with a new extended-stay hotel concept called Element. While still under construction,...
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Like most young adults, our son is the master of the television remote. He can watch six to eight television programs simultaneously by channel hopping during the commercials. The moment a commercial hits, he’s off to another program. But we...
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Sep22
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Even in the home town of the Ohio State Buckeyes, high school football is huge. We like to believe that real-life HS football is drama enough without a new television show to spotlight teenaged angst, jocks and babes, geeks and...
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Marketing Blurb already told readers about JC Penney’s aggressive back-to-school advertising campaign. We’re not convinced that teens fell for the hype, but mom probably dragged them kicking and sulking into the store anyway. But now, JC Penney is preparing to...
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When we teach marketing, we tell our students that television advertising (with the exception of direct response television) is a waste of money. Sometimes, television advertising is a colossal waste of money—to the tune of about $ 700,000 for 30 seconds on...
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Marketing Blurb loves spinach. We love fresh spinach, cooked spinach, or spinach dried and rolled for smoking (we’re kidding on that last one.) But like everyone else, our diet is sans spinach until after the US Food and Drug Administration...
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Marketing Blurb used to love Life magazine. We loved the oversized format, the glossy pages and photo essays. We are old enough to remember when the majority of the content black and white (except for the advertising.) Our father appeared...
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Sep21
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If you are like many homeowners, you have a garbage disposal unit under your kitchen sink. That unit is likely the InSinkErator brand, but to you--a garbage disposer is a garbage disposer. At least until the sucker breaks down, and...
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These days, you gotta have a white smile. And if brushing your teeth with Crest with pumice and sandpaper bits doesn’t do the trick, you need to try their Whitestrips. Now don’t get us wrong—Marketing Blurb loves white teeth as...
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If you must eat breakfast at McDonald’s, you will be tempted to scarf down one of their famous McGriddles breakfast sandwiches. Depending upon which sandwich you choose, these puppies include a fluffy folded egg, tender sausage patty, and slice of...
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You know you should eat breakfast, because your mother told you so. There is no excuse to miss breakfast, actually. Even when you’re running late, you can quickly cop a bowl of cereal. Okay, but if you’re out the door...
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In a famous “duh” moment, at the General Motors Annual Dealers Meeting in Vegas this week, the automaker decided they need to focus on Toyota. According to Media Post Publications (free registration required,) the marching orders were simple: “We are...
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Sep20
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Regular readers know that Marketing Blurb does not eat at McDonald’s. We prefer dining venues without plastic seats, sticky floors, red and yellow décor and clowns. Yes, McDonald’s is remodeling some of their locations, and the results are decidedly more...
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Marketing Blurb always has a simple branding lesson for our marketing students. Companies do not own their brands—their consumers own the brand. Take New Coke, for example—please! Do not screw around with your brand unless you are prepared to alienate...
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Now you might think there is little reason to change a Mrs. Fields cookie the size of a salad plate with chocolate chips bigger than your thumb, and you would be right—naturally. While the cookies are fine as is, the...
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After a hard day of working as a marketing pundit, Marketing Blurb often needs to repair our complexion at night. We are not really the target audience for Estee Launder’s Advanced Night Repair Concentrate anti-aging treatment, but we do think...
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The entertainment business is a jungle, and to survive, you constantly need remind viewers what you want them to watch. Of course, television is the primary vehicle to advertise its own programming. But we just learned from Media Post Publications...
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Sep19
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In a former life, Marketing Blurb turned the sleepy wallpaper industry on its ear by launching an in-store stocking program for mass merchants and home centers. The product was Borden Home Wallcovering, and the pitch was “buy it today, hang...
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Marketing Blurb believes hands-on activities are a fine way to learning the marketing trade. You cannot learn point-of-sale merchandising for example, without getting your hands dirty stocking a retail display. And as it happens, a Citi Stop convenience store in...
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In the dog-eat-dog pet food business, you gotta have a gimmick. So Del-Monte has decided to mount a 33-city road show for their Pup-Peroni dog snacks. The Pup-Patrol Mobile Marketing Tour will stop at retailers, dog parks, festivals and local...
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Marketing Blurb believes in supporting charitable causes, and as such, we agree in principle with Share Our Strength, an organization dedicated to fighting childhood hunger and poverty. But we are less keen on this organization’s decision to partner with ABC...
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Marketing Blurb enjoys a mixed drink as much as the next pundit. We believe it’s a simple enough exercise to select a glass, add ice, and use a shot jigger to achieve the perfect cocktail for guests or ourselves. As...
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Sep18
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Now you might think that Jenna Jameson is an adult film star, and you would be wrong, naturally. Jenna Jameson is an adult film star who is also a pop culture crossover star. Jenna has decided to license her—ah—name to...
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Marketing Blurb does not expect much from hot dogs. What usually determines the value of your basic generic dog is whether or not it is consumed at a ball game with a faithful companion like your son. But as it...
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When we teach marketing, we are never satisfied with the textbook treatment of branding. While textbook authors have laudable definitions and real-world examples, branding is not really a static concept. So we were pleased to discover an excellent article from Fortune...
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Just last month, we told readers that DaimlerChrysler should dump chairman and CEO Dieter Zetsche, as their commercial spokesperson. Face it, the guy has a dynamite mustache and smile, but it takes more than a German accent to sell a car...
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Chances are good your dishwasher, washing machine, drier, refrigerator, or stove is preparing to self destruct at any moment. You will search the yellow pages for appliance repair, make a phone call or two, and discover the cost of a...
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Sep17
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Marketing Blurb wants the US auto industry to retool and survive. But as we often remind our readers, advertising is not the path to salvation. We do wish, however, that the auto industry would craft messages suitable for their target...
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Marketing Blurb loves the state of Arizona as much as the next pundit. While we have not visited for years, we still appreciate the state’s unique Indian culture, beautiful terrain, distinctive cuisine, and sunshine. We even like the name Arizona....
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Marketing Blurb hates to dispel the bold claims, but the secret ingredient in sports energy drinks is relatively simple—they contain caffeine. We drink coffee, and feel like an athlete every morning. But despite ingredients and benefit claims, energy drink giant...
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Procter & Gamble is smarter than you are. They stay on top of their game by constantly taking the pulse of their target audience, and adjusting both their products and marketing communications to match subtle or overt behavioral changes in...
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Now you might think the White House offers enough palace intrigue to fill the pages of The Wall Street Journal and Business Week, and you would be wrong, naturally. The story making headlines in both publications this weekend has more...
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Sep16
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Marketing Blurb avoids McDonald’s like the plague, so we missed the introduction of their new single-serving milk jugs. These re-sealable 8-ounce plastic jugs are selling like crazy at McDonald’s, Burger King, and Wendy’s. Subway is testing the containers as well....
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Sep15
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Okay sport fans, get ready for a dandy Super Bowl gimmick from our friends at Frito-Lay. The salty snack juggernaut just announced the “Create Your Own Super Bowl XLI Commercial” contest for their Doritos. According to Promo Magazine, “The winning...
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Back in April, Marketing Blurb told readers that Nintendo was preparing a next generation kick-ass game machine called Revolution. That was the pre-launch code name, and the product was recently released as Wii. (We don’t name these puppies, we just...
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Marketing Blurb often jokes about “real men,” because there just happens to be a resurgence of interest in this 1980s concept of machismo. Perhaps marketers have grown weary of the so-called metrosexual movement, which actually exceeded its fifteen minutes of...
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