How to Save Money...Use Your Phone

From the Wal-Street Journal - Seeking to marry a ubiquitous device with a time-tested marketing technique in a sour economy, Unilever plans to begin a trial run Sunday of a new technology that lets consumers redeem digital coupons by having a supermarket cashier scan their cellphones.

The test, being conducted at a ShopRite store in Hillsborough, N.J., will include discount offers for some of the Anglo-Dutch packaged-goods company's most popular brands, including Breyers ice cream, Dove soap, Hellmann's mayonnaise and Lipton tea. Samplesaint, a Chicago mobile-technology firm, developed the system.

"This has been a Holy Grail thing that people have been trying to figure out," says Marc Shaw, director of integrated marketing at Unilever, the first major marketer to test such a service in the U.S. "I think this is on target for where consumers' heads are at right now."
To get the coupons, customers must visit the Web site Samplesaint.com, from which they can transmit the Unilever discount offers to an Internet-enabled cellphone. At checkout, the cashier scans the bar code on the phone's screen, redeeming the coupon and deleting it from the phone. The test will run for four weeks, and Mr. Shaw says he hopes to see it extended to other stores after that. Click here to read the entire article

Do you think the mobile coupon is a good idea for consumers. What is the opportunity cost of finding coupons on newspaper and online versus having them sent to you?

How much will old technology hold them back because the coupon may not scan correctly?

Will this increase the redeem rate, and how could it have mutual benefits for both consumers and retail business.

Ugly Betty just got uglier to some...

Would you stop watching this if this aired in the US? Is this really about sophisticated and unsophisticated markets? Is this too far over the line? Do you agree or disagree with the man in the videos explanation?

Who has the better plan?

Wal-Mart's low-price message and emphasis on necessities are helping the world's largest retailer grab new customers around the globe in a recession, while Target — with greater emphasis on trendy merchandise — has been struggling to hold on to its shoppers and is now turning to groceries for growth."Target is clearly making steps in the right direction," said Craig R. Johnson, president of consulting group Customer Growth Partners. "Meanwhile, Wal-Mart continues to raise the bar."According to the companies' recent annual reports, here's a breakdown of sales by merchandise categories for the latest fiscal year:—

Wal-Mart:

• Revenue for year ended Jan. 31: $405.6 billion
• Groceries: 49 percent
• Entertainment: 13 percent
• Furniture and electronics: 12 percent
• Apparel: 11 percent
• Health and wellness: 10 percent
• Home: 5 percent

Target:

• Revenue for year ended Jan. 31: $64.9 billion
• Consumables, including groceries and health and wellness: 37 percent
• Electronics, entertainment, sporting goods and toys: 22 percent
• Apparel and accessories: 20 percent
• Home furnishings and decor: 21 percent

So is it better to have all of your eggs in one basket such as Wal-mart or is it better to be diversified in sales such as Target.

Did this idea miss the Star Ship Enterprise???

On our way back home from a great holiday weekend we had a very difficult decision to make. Where can we stop to eat? Since my daughter loves Macaroni and Cheese the obvious stop had to be Burger King.

So we ordered our kids meal and I noticed something that seemed odd. The kids meal promotional toy was for the new Star Trek movie. Using movies for kids meals has been a long standing practice in the quick serve industry. What I do not get is the new Star Trek Movie is rated PG-13 and by creating toys for kids meals you are ultimately promoting this to kids under 13 who legally can not go to this movie. Besides is the target market really kids or is it the older generation who have grown up with this. Further more do they (the TM) even buy kids meals or would they be more willing to purchase a "Trek-Tastic" Whopper

Is this is a waste of money for Star Trek? Is BK the new "Treky" hang out?

How do you spell Harmony...Prius

Does this remind me of the lollipop kids...yes

Does this commercial make me want to watch it over and over hoping to find something new every time...yes.

I get how this commercial could creep people out but talk about a great ad that will have a long run as well as will win tons of advertising awards.



Do you love it? Do you hate it? Tell me why or why not.

"Chuck" another product placement up for Subway

NBC's televison show Chuck was on the verge of cancellation, fans banded together for a Subway-related stunt that involved watching the season two finale, buying a sandwich and registering love for Chuck on Subway comment cards.

The idea sprang from a recent product integration in the show, where one character bribed another with a chicken teriyaki sandwich and soda, Subway logos blazing, all while singing the "$5 foot-long" jingle. The result? NBC picked up the show as part of its 2009-10 season, rolled out this week to advertisers, and Subway will have a recurring role in the dramedy.

Chuck's girlfriend Sarah, who's an undercover CIA agent with a penchant for part-time jobs, might become a sandwich artist. There will also be traditional promotional tie-ins.

NBC execs said the fan response—including a Facebook page, Twitter campaign and YouTube videos—made them take another look at the show, but it was obviously the sponsor heft that tipped the scales

Is it better to only run ads or to pay for placement as seen in the video below?

If you were a CMO for lets say Best Buy, would you step up and pay for product placement. They already work at a store that resembles BBY.

The Buns Are Off!!!

With summer around the corner it is time for a good wiener related deceptive advertising story. Sara Lee Corp. is suing Kraft Foods for false advertising. The specific issue here is Kraft's claim in a full-page USA Today ad that Oscar Mayer Jumbo Beef Franks beat Ball Park and ConAgra Foods' Hebrew National hot dogs in a national taste test. Which sounds like it beat all hot dogs made by the latter two companies, when in fact, in fine print, Kraft admits it only compared its dogs to "leading beef hot dogs" made by its rivals. Apparently, someone does read the fine print.

Play the role of judge, is Kraft acting reasonably and if not what should their penalty be? In other words who is the winner and who is the... ( sorry had to :) )

Is it NOW cliche?

WD-40 Co. has launched The Money-Saving Tool community. At this budding Peyton Place of cyberspace, members are encouraged to share money-saving tips and tricks—through stories, photos, videos, what have you—to show the creative ways they protect their investments and avoid paying for expensive repairs or replacement goods. According to the WD-40 Web site, the substance boasts more than 2,000 uses. As a virtual welcome wagon during the site's launch earlier this month, WD-40 offered the first 40 community residents a value pack containing its WD-40 Smart Straw can, WD-40 Big Blast can and WD-40 No-Mess Pen assortment.

I understand what they are trying to do but seriously? Are their fanatics going to go to this site often beyond the newlywed (fist couple of weeks) stage? Are creating social networking sites such as this one demonstrating the law of diminishing marginal utility?

Introducing The Hampton Blackberry's???

Click here to read an article on Jim Balsillie.

Then go to google news timeline and type in Jim Balsillie.

Three stikes and you are out? Why does this guy want to move a team to Hampton?



What is in it for him?



How does this hurt his business which makes Blackberry's?



Should the NHL allow him to move a team to Hampton?

I am going to root for the Twinkies

Can throw a strike (make that three, actually) on a baseball field? If so you can still win $1 million. That's the prize money Hostess is dangling as part of an online "Steeerike ... It Rich!" sweepstakes program, which began this week.

Hostess will randomly select one consumer, after June 26, to travel to Kansas City and enjoy a moment of fame on the Kansas City Royals' baseball field at Kauffman Stadium. Throw no strikes and you get $5,000. One strike: $10,000. Two: $15,000. Three and you're outta there with a cool $1 million.

Wouldn't you pick a team with a little more appeal than KC? Will this get you off the couch and buy a hostess product?

Figures can lie and liars can figure

Microsoft has launched an ad campaign claiming that it costs less to fill up its Zune media player with music than it does to fill up Apple's iPod. Now some analysts, like PC World magazine , are saying that Microsoft's campaign uses deceptive math to make its point.

In an ad for Microsoft's online music rental service Zune Pass, financial planner Wes Moss claims that at $1 per song on Apple's iTunes, it would cost $30,000 to fill up a 120-gigabyte iPod. Zune Pass, by comparison, costs $15 per month.



PC World's Brennon Slattery pointed out that Zune Pass does not work with the iPod, and that Zune Pass is a rental service. Zune Pass users can temporarily download an unlimited number of songs for the monthly subscription fee, but are only able to keep 10 songs per month permanently. iTunes users own all of the songs they purchase.

Ars Technica did the math and reported that at 10 songs per month, it would take 250 years and $45,000 in monthly subscription fees to own 30,000 songs permanently.

By ANTHONY BARTKEWICZ (MYFOX NATIONAL)

So will this work? Does the average consumer care? Do they both sell to the same target market? Why would a person pay $14.99 a month for a pass and can only keep 10 songs when I could pay$14.99 and have almost 15 songs? When answering these questions ignore the fact that most people still download music illegally. Pretend we always buy all of our music legally.

What is more important image or savings?

Most shoppers know that Wal-Mart's prices are lower than Target's. But is it enough to make devotees of the hometown retailer switch? Time for a price and reality check.

Fans of Target and Wal-Mart go together like Archer Farms oil and Great Value water. They don't mix well. Probably the only thing that aficionados of Target and devotees of Wal-Mart can agree on is that Wal-Mart's prices are generally lower.But as the economy has soured, many of Target's devoted legions are doing the unthinkable and spending their dollars at Wal-Mart. After years of winning the monthly same-store sales race, Target's star has dimmed while Wal-Mart shines brighter than all competitors. Many shoppers nationwide have traded in the red cart for a blue one (and Wal-Mart's recent TV ads brilliantly illustrate that), but here in Target's back yard, customers aren't switching teams. Yet.

"There is resistance to Target's local customers moving to Wal-Mart," said David Brennan, co-director of the Institute for Retailing Excellence at the University of St. Thomas. As you move farther away from Minnesota, Target stores don't do as well, he said, especially in smaller markets.In the short term, Target's customers will remain loyal as the company cashes in on its stellar reputation as a generous supporter of the local community, said Britt Beemer, chairman of America's Research Group, a consumer research firm in Charleston, S.C. "But it may not carry weight indefinitely," said Beemer.Twin Cities shoppers I spoke to at both discounters weren't budging, for now. While shopping in Wal-Mart in St. Paul, Angela Daniels of Minneapolis said, "Target is for the middle class. Its employees are stuck-up. Wal-Mart is cheaper." A mere block away at Target, Natalie Olson of Woodbury weighed in. "Wal-Mart is junky. Target is cleaner and classier," she said.

We wondered how much Target shoppers can save if they switch. According to a recent price comparison, shoppers can save 4 to 5 percent at Wal-Mart overall. That's the difference in my shopping cart of 30 items. But half of the items were only a few pennies apart.

By JOHN EWOLDT, Star Tribune April 22, 2009 - 10:15 AM

Would you rather save 4%- 5% or $4 - $5 per $100 dollars spent or have the social image associated with your store of choice?