Table for 2 To Go?
Ok, the good just got better. I love the gourmet food truck craze that has been taking the streets by storm (especially in LA). From London’s doubledecker Root Master, serving hoards of hungry Brits on...
View ArticleFlying the Friendly Skies Or Not
What does it take to get a seat assignment these days? Booking a flight for my college daughter to return home from the West coast for the holidays on United has been unfriendly to say the least. Now...
View ArticleHonesty is the Best Policy
“It seemed like a good idea at the time,” is likely what William Devereaux told his bosses. William was the Senior Director of PG&E’s $2.2 Billion SmartMeter program that is, until he decided to...
View ArticleWhat’s in a name?
Read an article today and was stopped dead in my marketing-geek tracks. And it wasn’t because of the content of the article. It was one simple line: “…The others aren’t brands, they’re just the names...
View ArticleBe a Big Baby.
I like shopping in Target, not as much as Costco, but more than WalMart. Their stores are easy to shop, with good merchandise at fair prices, and they do a lot of good for the local communities where...
View ArticleTweet for a Seat
This one is great. Because of a ‘bet’ on twitter, a group of people from the Netherlands persuaded the Dutch airline KLM to add a direct flight to Florida this coming March over spring break 2011 for...
View ArticleAn Airline With a Heart.
What a difference 12 minutes can make. 12 minutes is the amount of time a Southwest pilot held a flight so a grieving grandfather could make his connection to see his dying 2-year old grandson in...
View ArticleA New Year, Go For It.
So it is almost a month into New Year’s resolutions and just how are yours going? I recently read that 45 percent of people usually set New Year’s resolutions, yet only 8 percent of people are...
View ArticleHelp Wanted… No Really.
I’m a HUGE TV fan. But I find it really hard to accept that my most expensive *utility bill* is my cable bill so, I decided to see what other service providers were out there. One of the first sites …...
View ArticleA Royal Sweepstakes?
I admit, I am a total groupie for all things British Royal, being introduced to the “repositioned brand” through Princess Diana over the years of her public life. Followed every detail and “scoop” as...
View ArticleA Shrink and a Chardonnay
Every industry has to constantly redefine itself to keep growing… how intuitive is this example: A company in England has launched Shrink Parties, get-togethers for women — either at home at specified...
View ArticleBig Brother is Watching…You Shop
Focus groups let us talk to consumers in a controlled setting. Intercepts allow us to get consumer input right where the buying decision is being made. But wouldn’t it be great to be a “fly on the...
View ArticleA Bank With A Lot of Interest…In It’s Customers!
In a quest to be profitable these days it seems like companies are cutting back on everything from product quality to customer service. Interestingly, a regional bank in the Pacific Northwest, has done...
View ArticleFan Fever Now A Full Time Job…Home Run for the Team!
Back in late February with Opening Day just 8 weeks away the Cubs longtime PA announcer decided to take another job elsewhere. Rather than quickly scrambling to hire a “professional,” the Cubs turned...
View ArticleBring on the heat!
So, as we experience 2011′s first heat wave, Ben & Jerry’s is extending their 2010 Free Ice Cream tour. Here’s the “scoop”: this summer, B&J’s Ice Cream trucks will be cruising through Los...
View ArticleAnother final chapter
Borders Group Inc. recently announced that it would liquidate and close all stores, resulting in the layoffs of over 10,000 employees. Like many, I would imagine, I was saddened by the demise of my...
View ArticleGot PMS? Whooops.
We all know that talking about politics and religion are off limits when it comes to topics you can safely discuss, and now, it appears that you can add PMS to that list. The California Milk Processors...
View ArticleHard to Believe
Sure you have seen the Nivea print ad encouraging African-American men to “re-civilize” themselves, now appearing in September’s issue of Esquire magazine, the one that has created a firestorm of...
View ArticleWhen Giving Back Falls Apart at the Seams.
What’s all the rage over Tom’s shoes? My daughter and my niece, both in their teens, were coveting Tom’s shoes during our recent back-to-school clothes shopping. Having heard so much about their...
View ArticleFighting Back with the Power of Social Media.
Recently when Bank of America began implementing monthly fees to debit card holders, a 22 year-old recent college graduate decided to fight back. Molly Katchpole of Washington DC was so mad she started...
View ArticleCoke’s White Christmas… Should’ve been Dreaming in Red!
Oops. Once again, an over-zealous quest to be “bold and attention-grabbing,” a marketer (a BIG ONE) didn’t keep how real people might perceive things front and center. Coke’s current “oops” with its...
View ArticleOld Dogs Can Learn New Tricks.
Kudos to a brave step recently taken by Ladies Home Journal, or should I say Ladies Home JOURNAL? Starting with their March issue, they will be showcasing much (how much?) of their content...
View ArticleNobody’s Perfect…And That’s A Good Thing!
Consumers are on to marketers and they are becoming more and more distrustful. Seems as if we all have flaws, and with social media, it’s almost impossible to hide them. But consumers don’t expect...
View ArticleActions DO Speak Loudest
Well, our country has spoken, and it’s 4 more years for President Obama. Whatever your politics are, GW Hoffman Marketing says WELL DONE to all who forged out, braved the lines, and VOTED. Obama said...
View ArticleAre you more?
Could not think of a more appropriate sentiment to begin a new year than that expressed by one of my favorite bloggers, Seth Godin. He asks quite simply, if you have made progress over the course of...
View ArticleDigital Democracy
Love this phrase! In a virtual world/platform that essentially gives every rant, rave and negative nasty comment equal “airtime” with the proactive, positive counterparts, I found the concept...
View ArticleCan Don’t?
How perfect given we are facing the start of summer, and a highly unofficial beer-drinking season! Starting May 6th, Budweiser was available in a new “Bow-Tie-Shaped” can. Harkening back to their...
View ArticleCustomer Still King.
Imagine a hotel that has so many effusively glowing reviews that it actually has jumped in rankings to the #1 spot in TripAdvisor’s review algorithm– for the country it resides in AND is ranked in the...
View ArticleIs Sympathy Marketing Sincere?
When undergoing hardship of any kind, it’s natural for people to feel better when they receive sincere empathy from others. And so was created “Sympathic Pricing!” Also known as “Passionate Pricing”...
View ArticlePull Up Your Damn Pants!
And no, I’m not talking about the inexplicable way some young men wear their jeans these days. Of course, I’m talking about that Trivago guy. But thank god, it seems I’m not the only one. I had to...
View ArticleReturn To Sender.
You’ve no doubt heard of Apple’s giveaway of U2′s latest album “Songs Of Innocence” and the controversy it caused. Apparently, even though everyone wants something for nothing, there are some people...
View Article
