Habanero and lime delight

Trader Joe's Habanero & Lime salsa is insanely good. I don't know why I never tried it before. I bought a jar on a whim the other day and spread it on Trader Joe's non-dairy veggie burritos (of which I've consumed a multitude over the years). Good lord! It's got this delicious, unique tanginess going on. I woke up today thinking about it. I'm going to have some on a burrito. For breakfast. Right now.

One thing: it's not spicy enough. (Nothing is every spicy enough for me.) But that's easily remedied by stirring in a little hot sauce.

Trader Joe's is like Apple -- it's one of those brands that inspires rabid customer loyalty. I've always been curious about why this is, and maybe I'll get some answers soon. One of the teams in my brand management class will be studying the Trader Joe's brand this quarter.

Tags: Habanero and lime salsa Trader Joe's brand

I'm not a woman

But Gmail seems to think that I am. These are the ads currently popping up for me (the topmost ad is particularly disturbing, is it not?):

Why am I seeing these? I'm not sure. I guess there's not enough manly talk in my emails.

A year ago, I wondered here whether other people were as curious about Gmail ads as me. Interestingly, 88% of poll respondents said that they, too, discuss Gmail ads with their friends.

Tags: Gmail online advertising ads

Can The Simpsons improve your mental health?

I was researching connections between The Simpsons and health for today's blog post on The Healia Blog, and I ran across this story:

Simply acknowledging mental health on such a popular television show might help 'normalise' the illnesses, say Australian trainee psychiatrist Dr Hannah Mendelson and director/cinematographer Gil Poznanski from Melbourne.

This idea is not without its detractors, however.

I'm not sure what to think about this question. On the one hand, if something is suppressed and kept under the carpet, there's an argument for bringing it out into the light. On the other hand, it's possible to go too far and make people feel belittled. Has The Simpsons done that? I don't think so.

After reading about the brilliant marketing campaign over the past few weeks (The Seattle Kwik-E-Mart is a sight to behold), I'm looking forward to watching the movie and seeing if it lives up to the hype.

Tags: The Simpsons movie mental health

Giant red pushpins in Seattle

I was walking by B&O Espresso recently -- a spot I've been going to for almost 15 years now (the foul is excellent). I couldn't help but notice the giant red thing protruding from the roof. I thought it was some sort of ominous symbol portending B&O's impending close (which may or may not be happening). Actually, it's part of a rather interesting marketing campaign by Microsoft to promote Live Search Maps. It's called The Pushpin Project. The giant pins can also be found sticking out of Mama's Mexican Kitchen and Garage Billiards.

Tags: pushpin project Microsoft Seattle marketing Live Search Maps

Pondering product placement

I was recently discussing Knocked Up with a friend. We both agreed that it paled in comparison with The 40 Year Old Virgin (a film that left me exhausted from two hours of continuous laughter). But what really bothered my friend about Knocked Up was all the product placement.

Product placement? I told him that I didn't recall any. He reminded me of the scene with Ravenswood wine, and about how the E! Network is featured prominently throughout. One blogger comments:

The overflow of product placement makes the head spin. Occasionally, the characters even turn their chests forward, the better for us to see the labels on their designer/thrift t-shirts.

None of this distracted me as I watched the film. So perhaps I have become completely inured to integrative advertising techniques (or my mind was mush a few days after finishing the academic quarter). Truth be told, if it's sufficiently subtle (which I'd argue is the case with Knocked Up), product placement doesn't really bother me. What do I mean by sufficiently subtle? Well, not this.

How about you? Think back to the films you've seen over the past few years. Has the product placement seemed excessive to you?

Is there too much product placement in current films?
	Yes - much too much.
	Well...there's a little too much.
	It's ok as is. I wouldn't want to see any more, though.
	Nah. There could be a bit more and it wouldn't bother me.
	No!! Spanish TV doesn't even sound excessive to me.
pollcode.com free polls

Tags: advertising Knocked Up product placement

A necessary disclaimer?

Earlier this week, I noticed an ad in the Wall Street Journal, pictured at right. It's for the legal firm Nixon Peabody. Not pictured is the accompanying text, which includes a disclaimer:

The person in this ad is an actor depicting a fictional scene.

I can't imagine why this disclaimer is necessary. Who would look at the ad and think otherwise?

And for the 0.01% of the population that thinks this ad is "real life" ... so what? Is there a possibility that someone might sue over this? The odds must be infinitesimally small.

Perhaps Nixon Peabody is showing that it's a legal firm that covers all its bases -- even those freak possibilities -- and will do the same for you.

Or maybe I'm missing something here.

Tags: marketing Nixon Peabody disclaimer

Open your snack hole

A few blocks from where I live, the McDonald's "Open Your Snack Hole" billboard graces my neighborhood.

What can I say? It's just a dag-nasty ad, no matter which way you slice it. Local blogs that have noticed it tend to agree. I've blogged criticisms of McDonald's marketing efforts in the past, and I must add this to the list.

Readers outside of Seattle: have you seen this ad in your community? I ask because this appears to be a Seattle-only pilot campaign.

I was so curious about this that I asked my marketing professor. His response (excerpts thereof):

all I can say is 'Wow.' Or, more precisely (and please excuse the profane referernce) 'WTF?' The execution seems unlikely to work for most sets of customers. Too icky, too gross, too obscenely disgusting... Of course, I may not be the target audience.

My guess is that McDonald's is thinking: hey, bloggers will eat this up and it will turn into an awesome viral marketing campaign! And yes, that's happening, and I'm helping out with that. But as I learned over the last quarter in marketing class, merely raising awareness about your product is just part of what successful marketing accomplishes. You also need to cultivate a positive brand association--people should, you know, feel good about your product. So they'll go out and buy it.

Does this campaign do that? What do you think?

Tags: marketing McDonald's

Bad Technorati. Bad.

My opinion of Technorati has dropped. Precipitously. I'm in the library at moment and when I visited Technorati just now, an ad started talking, loudly. Everyone around me heard it as I raced to shut down my browser.

Internet ads that immediately produce audio--without the user's consent--are absolutely the worst sort imaginable. Worse than the most godawful blinking flash banners. I don't care how much extra revenue these ads produce for Technorati; they demonstrate an utter lack of respect for their customers.

God Bless American Apparel

American Apparel is offering a 15% discount to folks who show proof that they voted tomorrow.

I like this.

Tags: business American Apparel marketing

In other news

A couple months back, I confessed to finding Gmail ads fascinating, and going so far as to bring them up as objects of discussion. According to today's Wall Street Journal (subscription req'd), I'm not alone in this.

In other news, it's suddenly turned chilly in Seattle. This morning I wore the scarf my sister gave me for the first time in seven months or so.

In other news, we have a midterm in microeconomics today. We're allowed to bring in a one-page cheat sheet, and I believe I've set a new personal record for fitting a plethora of tiny text and graphs onto a page. Our instructor warns us that many of us will find this exam difficult, cheat sheet or no. The experience has certainly been building an in-the-trenches camaraderie amongst my classmates.

In other news, happy Halloween!

Tags: Gmail marketing ads

Keep your eye on Second Life

Three Minds @ Organic reports that Reuters and Sun have both joined the growing list of companies that have established a presence in Second Life.

If you haven't heard about Second Life yet, this this article provides a good primer. Basically, it's a rapidly growing virtual world that's worth paying attention to.

I'd elaborate further, but I need to finish this stats assignment.

Tags: Second Life marketing

Not a good idea, McDonald's...

In a move that runs counter to the green zeitgeist currently brewing in America, McDonald's and Hummer have launched a joint marketing campaign. Marketing Shift puts it well:

In a match made in -- well, some place other than heaven -- McDonald's has teamed up with Hummer to give away toy versions of the SUVs along with happy meals.

Over the past few years, McDonald's seemed to be getting smart about sniffing out the direction of popular public sentiment: they phased out their Supersize menu items and introduced salads, agreed to stop Amazon deforestation for soya farming, and started selling organic coffee in select restaurants.

So this latest decision from the McDonald's marketing staff is rather mysterious. Did they feel that their company's image had simply moved too far in a "blue state" sort of direction? It's hard to say.

A parody site has already emerged. At Ronald McHummer, you can make your own McDonald's readerboard (it's pretty fun, actually), and send a message to McDonald's with your thoughts about the Hummer marketing campagin.

Via Autopia

Tags: marketing McDonald's Hummer

Gmail ads: worthy of discussion?

If you have a Gmail account, you've doubtless become accustomed to the Gmail text ads that appear in the right-hand column. For me, the novelty hasn't worn off: I continue to find those ads fascinating. It's interesting to see how closely the ads relate to the content of my email discussion. Sometimes the ads are right on target; other times, they're about something completely different.

Also, I find it interesting how sometimes my ads are different than those of my email correspondent's. For example, a recent email thread with my girlfriend included the word "Ulysses" (the name of one of her new pet rats) and a few references to the show Lost. My ads were all about Lost; my girlfriend's ads were about James Joyce.

How do I know this? Because we discuss what our ads are about! I'm sure Google would be thrilled that we have such an active interest in our ads. I wonder: does this make us bizarre? Does anyone else actually go so far as to talk about their Gmail ads?

Do you ever discuss Gmail ads?
	Yes...I'm weird that way, too!
	No. I notice them but don't discuss them.
	I don't even notice the ads.
	I don't use Gmail.
Free polls from Pollhost.com

I'll post poll results in a few days!

Tags: Google Gmail marketing advertising text ads

Ford's new-fangled marketing campaign

Three Minds @ Organic posted a positive review of the Ford Bold Moves site, which, after browsing through for a bit, I tend to agree with. It's a fascinating ad campaign that incorporates a blog and online documentary videos (currently at episode 9). What interests me is how Ford is inviting customers (or anyone who's interested) to participate in a strategy dialog.

Today's media audiences favor reality TV. They prize authenticity and eschew an obvious PR spin. In light of these facts, I think Ford's got the right idea here.

I'll get really excited when Ford starts producing truly energy-efficient vehicles. In the meanwhile, they're using energy-efficient furnaces. It's a start.

You can read another take on the Ford Bold Moves site here.

Tags: marketing Ford reality TV

Blog of the week: Aidal Ad Reviews

This week, my blog tenant is Aidal Ad Reviews. This blog evaluates ads (some current, some historical) based on four characteristics (awareness, interest, desire, action) and bestows yearly "aidal" awards to the winning ad. It's all done in a very tongue-in-cheek way, and the posts are a lot of fun to read.

Classic Television Commercials from 1948

Take a peek at nine entertaining minutes of various television commercials from 1948.

The second commercial -- for "Strips and Spots" Band-aids -- seems suspiciously inspired by a "fun" state of mind. LSD was introduced into the US in 1948. Coincidence?

Via Digg

MySpace as a promotion vehicle

The ever-informative blog Micro Persuasion features a great link list today, including a link to this news story about young entrepreneurs doing business on MySpace. It's a very smart way to launch a marketing campaign. Indeed, considering the fact that MySpace has become the most popular site on the Internet, it's unwise for a business not to have a presence there. It doesn't cost anything to set up a promotional profile, and MySpace users can quickly spread the word about your business (see the Wikipedia entry on viral marketing).

If MySpace works for business and bands, why not political campaigns? It's already happening, as this article in BusinessWeek describes. In my area, the 43rd district in Washington, state congressional candidate (and friend of mine) Stephanie Pure is using this approach. See her MySpace profile here: http://www.myspace.com/peopleforpure. Using MySpace is a very smart campaign strategy in the young, urban, web-savvy region I live in.

Use of MySpace as a promotion vehicle -- for a growing variety of causes -- will undoubtedly increase.

Tags: MySpace marketing political campaign

Four interesting developments

Four interesting developments to watch:

• Solar-powered marketing. A simple but compelling marketing concept used by McDonalds and the ad agency Leo Burnett.


• Speaking of marketing, now there's avatar-based marketing: advertising in virtual worlds such as Second Life. See this post in Towering Flat for a nice fleshing-out of this concept. In his book The Singularity is Near, Ray Kurzweil predicts (correctly, in my opinion), that avatars will become an increasingly important part of our lives.


• And speaking of Ray Kurzweil, he's gone and invented another handy gadget, a scanner-reader for the blind. It snaps a quick digital photo of printed material, scans it, and reads it out loud a few seconds later with a synthesized voice. James Gashel says that he thinks this is "the hottest new technology to be developed for blind people in the last 30 years."


• Denver's mayor has announced a Greenprint Denver plan. It's a sustainability roadmap for Denver that includes measures such as converting city cars to hybrid and biodiesel.

Tags: marketing avatar Ray Kurzweil blind scanner-reader denver