McD's Going to McCafe

Are you traveling overseas in the near future? You will soon be able to get your caffeine fix from McDonalds. The company is planning to open hundreds McCafe's serving gourmet coffees in an effort to expand its business globally. But don't count on seeing a McCafe in your neighborhood anytime soon.

"They're going to struggle in the U.S., but they have a great opportunity abroad," said Darren Tristano, exec VP at Technomic, a food-industry research and consulting firm. "Americans are used to spending small amounts at McDonalds, and getting a 99¢ double cheeseburger and kids' meals. McCafé raises the bar. That's a sticking point. It's difficult to get Americans to spend more money because that's not part of their mind-set at McDonald's."

McDonald's is trying to gain momentum in the gourmet coffee arena. It competes against many other businesses such as Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts and Burger King vying for customers looking to wake up and eat. Now I must say that McDonalds has come a long way. In fact, McDonalds beat Starbucks in a taste test according to a post at Starbucks Gossip.

I do agree with the results to some extent. But you have to realize that Starbucks is not targeting the same consumers as McDonalds in all cases. Fortunately, I have experience with both companies products and services. McDonalds coffee is very bold and has a lot of aroma. Just add two creams, one sugar and I'm on my way! Additionally, I like its iced coffee selections. However, I give the edge to Starbucks in regards to expresso, latte's, mocha's and other specialty coffee selections.

Source: Ad Age

NFL Fantasy File

I came across a series of intriguing videos by typing "NFL Fantasy Files" at YouTube.com the other day. The videos feature several high profile NFL players performing amazing acts, which seem unreal. In fact, much of the buzz surrounding the videos pertains to fans doubting the content is real. I have my doubts about some of the videos being real also. Nonetheless, they still show NFL players performing some amazing feats.

"Sub-prime" Discussion Blasts Off

I have to apologize for not posting in a while, but I have just recently purchased my first new home and it took me a while to get things moved in and put away. Therefore, I am now a proud member of the "homeowners" club! Fortunately, I didn't let the "sub-prime" crisis scare me away from buying my first home. I am very optimistic about the housing market and feel it is a great time for buyers.

I have become increasingly aware of the "sub-prime" mortgage crisis, especially now that I own a home. Therefore, I decided to see what all the recent buzz is about. Also, I thought it would be ironic if my first posting since closing on my new home related to increasing "sub-prime" discussion.

As you all know, the financial markets are under a lot of scrutiny by consumers and the feds. Buzz regarding the "sub-prime" crisis has really taken off. The analysis below shows "sub-prime" discussion along with a few other topics financial related topics. I wanted to see if discussion about select financial institutions or investments are congruent with "sub-prime" discussion.

The analysis shows some interesting results. Distinct callouts include finding out that that online discussion Countrywide Home Loans and "hedge funds" in general correlate with "sub-prime" discussion, r = .71 and r = .72 respectively. Countrywide's discussion coincides with "sub-prime" as a result of consumers acknowledging that it began laying off employees due to the mortgage crisis in August 2007. Additionally, the fallout of several major "hedge funds" and other mortgage related securities has led to growing concerns amongst consumers online.

Feel free to contact me regarding these findings. I will continue tracking "sub-prime" discussion and update my findings as they are available.

Michael Vick Discussion

Football season is here everybody! And I wanted to give everyone an update on the Michael Vick indictment. I ran through 100 random messages and classified them accordingly (see below). Most consumers discuss a variety of issues (i.e. comparing the incident to the Duke Lacrosse team incident where the players were deemed "guilty" before the "not guilty" verdict came out. Interestingly, more than twice as many consumers feel Michael Vick should be suspended compared to those who do not.

I do feel the amount of discussion relating to consumers discontent over Clinton Portis' comments supporting dog fighting warrants attention, but I'm not sure Goodell can do a lot about it given our first amendment rights.

Topic	% of Goodell / Vick Discussion	Summary of Discussion
Other	25.2%	Consumers compare to Duke Lacrosse team incident where the players were deemed “guilty” before the “not guilty” verdict came out. Additionally, several petitions are being pass around to have Michael Vick suspended from the NFL indefinitely. Additionally, some consumers (2.8%) feel Goodell shouldn’t suspend Vick.
Repost Articles	15.9%	Consumer repost news articles covering Michael Vick’s legal woes.
Vick Should Be Suspended	14.0%	Some consumers explicitly say that Vick should be punished by the NFL regardless whether he is found guilty or not. More than twice as many consumers feel Vick should be suspended (indefinitely?) compared to who feel he shouldn’t and to let due process take its course.
General Mentions	8.4%	Consumers nonchalantly reference the Michael Vick dog fighting issue.
Clinton Portis’ Comments	8.4%	Some consumers are discontent over Clinton Portis’ comments supporting dog fighting.
Goodell and Art Blank receiving letters	6.5%	Consumers mention Roger Goodell and Atlanta Falcons owner Art Blank receiving letters from Rev. Al Sharpton, Russell Simmons and PETA.
“IF” Vick Discussion	5.6%	Consumers discuss what will happen “IF” Vick is convicted (i.e. go to jail).
Goodell’s Reaction to Clinton Portis	4.7%	Discussion pertains consumers’ opinions that Roger Goodell has done more to address Clinton Portis regarding his support for dog fighting than Michael Vick.
Expect Vick Won’t Be Suspended	4.7%	A small percent of consumers discuss their expectations about whether Vick will be suspended.
Vick is Innocent Until Proven Guilty	4.7%	Only a small percent consumers feel that Vick should be considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

Feel free to leave any comments if you have questions or concerns regarding my analysis.

Do Bottled Water Containers Hurt the Environment?; Are Critics Merely "Following the Money?"

Recent Discussion About Bottled Water Mirrors Recycling

Correlations:
Bottle Water and Recycling: .93
Aquafina and "Tap Water" = .88
Dasani and "Tap Water" = .93
Aquafina and recycling = .89
Dasani and recycling = .94

There has been a huge spike in the amount of discussion about bottled water since mid-June 2007. Interestingly, discussion about bottled water correlates highly with discussion about recycling [see above]. Additionally, there is a rise in media coverage relating to this issue. For example, there was an article at CNN on Friday, July 27, 2007. Some key themes mentioned in the article which mirror consumers’ discussion about bottled water include:

1. New Aquafina labels saying that bottled water made with tap water
2. Maker Pepsi says it's reasonable to say where water comes from
3. Critics of bottled water say containers are wasteful
4. Many buyers say bottled water is more convenient

I ran a few correlations which turned out to be extremely high. Interestingly, consumers discussion about bottle water correlates rather high with recycling. This is mostly due to consumers expostulating over that fact that bottled water containers (i.e. plastic bottles) are extremely wasteful. And while I agree that water containers are wasteful, I do not feel critics arguing are looking at all the facts. Soda, milk and beer are also sold in plastic containers among others. Therefore, I ask two questions.

1. Why is all the recent hype about bottled water only?
2. Why are Pepsi (Aquafina) and Coca-Cola (Dasani) brought up most within media coverage and consumers discussion online?

Personally, I feel their are a lot of critics taking aim at Pepsi and Coca-Cola since they feel the companies are making a lot of money selling tap water. A co-worker of mine brought up a similar situation that occurred in the late 80's/early 90's which makes a lot of sense to me. The cardboard/paperboard industry started attacking plastic milk jugs as "health hazards" because they claimed that see-through milk containers (plastic) made vitamins leach out of the milk quicker than if milk came in cartons, which protected milk from sunlight/exposure by not being see-through. The first waves of PR/media coverage were about the "negative health effects of plastic containers for milk," but it wasn't until someone dug deeper that it became apparent the cardboard/paperboard industry was behind the campaign. They were trying to convince milk producers to keep using cardboard when everybody was switching to plastic. My co-worker went on to say, "Who's behind this one attacking plastic containers again? Aluminum can companies? Just a thought ("follow the money" is always a good ideas when these sorts of things hit)." And I couldn't agree more.

Consumers complaining about negative effects of plastic containers on our environment should do more to push things that better our environment such as recycling, alternative fuels and solar power. Consumers like to be motivated. Unfortunately, helping the environment is not important to a lot of people. Many consumers find it expensive and inconvenient. For example, recycling centers are few and far between where I live. I have to drive 20-30 miles out of my way to drop off recyclable goods. Additionally, it costs extra money to sign up for recycling services where I live (which I pay by the way). My point is that critics and consumers looking to improve the environment should lobby for reasons to get people excited about helping the environment (i.e. incentives, tax benefits, etc). I think we are moving in the right direction. Owners of hybrid vehicles are now able to get tax benefits. Likewise, consumers and businesses should be reward for doing other things to help the environment (i.e. installing solar power panels on a home or business instead of using electricity, volunteering in a community clean up project, ride share, etc...). And don't get me wrong, big business has a certain amount of social responsibility to help keep the environment safe and clean. However, going after businesses should not be only recourse. We should all be "thinking green" and "doing our share for cleaner air."

Professional Sports Leagues Face Major Issues

The NFL, NBA and MLB are all in the midst battling issues which have huge implications. Michael Vick has given the NFL a huge bone to chew over allegations that he is involved in a dog fighting ring. MLB is hampered by steroids discussion magnified by Barry Bonds passing Hank Aaron for the most sacred record in all of sports, the home-run record. And finally, the NBA is being bombarded by negativity around organized gambling and game fixing schemes.

The graph above shows a discussion timeline for some of the hot topics currently being talked about in pro sports. The Michael Vick dog fighting issue tops the list. Despite receiving more buzz, sports fans don't feel Michael Vick's dog fighting woes puts NFL commissioner Roger Goodell in the worst situation. A poll on ESPN's Sportsnation reveals most sports enthusiasts feel David Stern is in the worst position among commissioners in charge of pro sports leagues.

I do believe the NBA is in the worst position among the pro sports leagues since accusations of referee Tim Donaghy fixing games questions the integrity of the sport. However, the NFL and MLB both have issues they must attend to on their own. Also, do not forget that cheating and scandals have been a part of sports in the past. The Chicago White Sox supposedly threw the 1919 World Series which led to a victory for my beloved Cincinnati Reds. And do not forget Pete Rose betting on the game. Baseball overcame similar issues in the past. Likewise, the NBA will recover, but it has to deal with it in the present. Similarly, I feel all three leagues will recover, but not overnight.

Can Online Discussion be used to Predict Interest in Exchange Traded Funds (ETF's)?

A co-worker of mine came to me a few days ago and asked whether exchange traded fund (ETF) discussion has trended down and if so, would that be a leading indicator that ETF popularity will be decreasing. Therefore, I set up a small project to see whether a correlation between online buzz and trading volume existed. The results are very surprising.

First I wanted to see how online discussion about ETF's in general was trending. Discussion rose significantly from October 2006 to April 2007. However, discussion started to level off, then pick up again in early July 2007.



Second, I wanted to see how trading volume for specific ETF's trended over time compared to online discussion. Therefore, I looked at two ETF's, PowerShares Gldn Dragon Halter USX China (PGJ) and iShares MSCI Malaysia Index (EWM). Interestingly, there seems to be some correlation between online discussion and trading volume for ETF's. PGJ's average trading volume has a .79 correlation with online discussion about the fund while EWM's average trading volume has a correlation of .84 with online discussion. Overall, these are rather impressive.

Now I am not a finance guru by any stretch of the imagination. However, I do think this analysis provides some insight. Discussion volume and trading volume for both ETF's peak between January and March. Interestingly, share prices for both began to flatten.

I am not saying that online discussion should be used when evaluating whether to purchase an ETF, but it does warrant some attention. Typically, higher trading volumes indicate that more investors are buying (stock price goes up) or selling (stock price goes down) a particular stock.

I have yet to determine the cause and effect relationship between online buzz and trading volume for ETF's. However, I'm sure it is possible if I am able to review "real time" information about how people are talking. For example, Apple shares plunged $8.00 on Tuesday, July 24, 2007 when the first wave of "activation" numbers came through. I could have speculated increased trading volume would follow if consumers were saying things like "I'm going to be selling my Apple stock since iPhone sales were disappointing." In contrast, increases in trading volume may cause online discussion if investors discuss the transaction after the fact (i.e. "I sold my Apple stock today since iPhone sales were lower than expected").

* Average trading volume information came from Yahoo finance historical information for EWM and PGJ.

On a separate note, I'm sorry for not leaving a post in a while. I have been very busy trying to complete the purchase of my first home. I close on August 21, 2007. Feel free to send an e-mail to www.conceptsmarketingresearch@hotmail.com or leave a comment regarding anything I've posted today or in the past.

Live Earth Gives iPhone a Run For Its Money

I found an some interesting information at Pete Blackshaw's blog, Consumergeneratedmedia.com. He says "The buzz jury is still out, but there's just no question the Live Earth global concert is giving iPhone buzz a run for the money. Whether it's sustainable (pun intended) or not will take time to determine, but the concert does appear to have succeeded in generating a significant, and growing, global conversation on the global warming issue.

Personally, I think it will be interesting to see how long the iPhone maintains high buzz levels. Buzz has lowered considerably since its official release. Also, the iPhone is receiving negative buzz regarding its battery replacement. Negative word-of-mouth concerning battery replacement and distribution (i.e. availability through AT&T / Cingular only) may actually keep the iPhone from becoming as popular as many hope.

Shawn Drops iPhone in Houston

I came across a video titled “Shawn drops iPhone in Houston” on YouTube. It posted on June 29, 2007 and has more than 547,366 views and 970 comments. Consumers commenting feel the video is funny since someone dropped their new iPhone. They make comments such as “omg thats funny” and “wow that guy has butter fingers lol it's probably broken now”. Shawn, the person who drops their iPhone, essentially shakes it off saying the iPhone should be ok since it has a plastic covering.



Interestingly, I came across some other videos [below] at YouTube from consumers critiquing Shawn for dropping his iPhone. One person does not understand why people find the video titled “Shawn drops iPhone in Houston” so funny. Another consumer feels Shawn is an "idiot" for dropping his iPhone.



I do not know about you, but I think the guy in the above video may have some issues. Additionally, I hint a bit of jealousy. Perhaps he was waiting in line for 12+ hours for an iPhone only to find out his local vendor was out-of-stock. I guess that would drive me insane enough to complain about someone else's misfortune (i.e. Shawn dropping his iPhone).

I wish I could meet the guy in this video because I would seriously tell him to Lighten Up, figuratively and metaphorically. This video is so dark it would scare Darth Vader!



The girl in this video needs to "chill out." And who is she calling an "idiot?" She is over-reacting more than Shawn. Shawn is the one who dropped the iPhone, not her.

Unfortunately, Shawn is not getting a lot of love from consumers online. However, that should not be of any concern to him. He has an iPhone and they do not. Go Shawn!

Videos like the two above lead me to have more sympathy for the consumers critiquing Shawn rather than Shawn himself. And Shawn is the one who dropped the iPhone. Some of these consumers just need to get a life, or a job. Afterwards, they can afford to buy their own iPhone and drop it so others can post videos about them on YouTube. Seriously, I have yet to meet someone who has never dropped something. I do not feel dropping something is worth being overly-criticized for, even if it is an iPhone.

I have heard that Shawn was able to replace his dropped iPhone for a new one. However, I cannot confirm this. Therefore, I am asking all of my readers to give me the "inside scoop" as to whether Shawn was able to replace it. Please provide a link to a source confirming that Shawn's iPhone was indeed replaced if possible. Also, is Apple doing anything to capitalize on good Public Relations (PR) if the iPhone was replaced? Any information on these two questions would be greatly appreciated.

The video titled "Shawn drops iPhone in Houston" on YouTube is becoming fairly viral. I have a few tips for Apple if they want to capitalize this incident.

1). Hold a press conference or post a formal video on YouTube letting consumers know what they are doing to help Shawn (i.e. replacing the iPhone). I understand there may be some legal issues since Apple will not want to let people know that they will replace every iPhone simply because it is dropped. Apple's legal department will be able to tackle this issue though.

2). Shawn could be the spokesperson for the new iPhone. I feel this may be beneficial for both Apple and the general public. Shawn is the subject of much ridicule online, but he did respond positively in the video by talking about the positive attributes of the product such as the plastic covering. Personally, I do not feel it is a bad thing when a lemon can be made into lemonade.

3). Apple should use this incident to encourage consumers to purchase products (i.e. plastic coverings, holders) and services (i.e. insurance plans) to protect their new iPhones. The iPhone is not cheap and I'm sure more consumers are sure to drop theirs.

Mickey Mantle Pepsi Card

Pepsi recently ran a promotion that included three special Topps baseball cards in each 24-pack of Pepsi. Upon opening one pack, I found a 2007 Topps baseball card that had Edgar Renteria on the front, and Mickey Mantle's stats on the back.

A unique error on a baseball card is a rare find and any true collector knows that. I immediately called Pepsi's customer service at 1-800-433-2652 to report the error and find out if was going to be corrected. I reached a customer service representative who immediately forwarded my request to Pepsi's promotions department.

I am pleased to say that someone from Pepsi's promotions department called me back within a thirty minutes after my initial call. I received a corrected Mickey Mantle card in the mail several days later. I commend Pepsi for their quick response to the situation. This is yet another great example why I feel Pepsi is an outstanding brand.

I've been trying to find out the value of the corrected Mickey Mantle card. It is currently selling on eBay for about $50, which is not a bad return-on-investment (ROI) for a 24-pack of Pepsi. I feel the value of the corrected version may go up as more people find out about the rare card.

An eBay screenshot along with a picture of the Mickey Mantle card are shown below.

Hillary Clinton Sopranos Spoof

Hillary Clinton's latest video is a teaser encouraging voters to go to Hillary Clinton's website to see which song she will be using for her campaign.

I find this ending to be similar, yet better than the last episode of Sopranos. The commercial goes blank at the very end, then text appears encouraging voters find out the winning song by visiting her website. I wonder if the final episode of Sopranos would have went over better with viewers had its producers created a special website encouraging viewers to visit it for more details. Instead, the screen went blank during the final episode of Sopranos. This caused millions of viewers to search for their remote controls or call their cable/satellite providers to may sure there were no technical difficulties.

Personally, I feel Hillary Clinton does a great job taking a page out of the Sopranos book and improving it for this teaser video. It posted on June 19, 2007 and has more than 86,000 views and 340 comments.

I Love Obama Video

Here is a Consumer Generated Media (CGM) video about presidential candidate Barack Obama. This is another great example how social media will impact the 2008 presidential election. It was posted on June 15, 2007 and already has 10,000 views and 49 comments.

Consulting Services

I'm currently assisting a few small businesses, USA BABY Cincinnati and Milford Dental Excellence (MDE) with their marketing needs. I'm am performed some market research studies for both small companies during fall 2006. Since then, I have been assisting them with a variety of marketing efforts.

I am helping USA BABY spend its marketing dollars wisely. USA BABY is looking to get away from traditional marketing activities (i.e. commercials) since they are not as effective as they would like. Therefore, I'm helping them find new methods to reach their target market, first time parents with household incomes greater than $40,000. I am currently assisting USA BABY run Pay Per Click (PPC) ads in Google. Additionally, I have been monitoring the ads and it appears they are having some success. I hope to find some other cost effectives ways to promote USA BABY Cincinnati.

I am also working with MDE to improve its search engine optimization. I have had some success improving their rankings by updating text, H1 headers, titles and meta tags. We are now in the process of building a link campaign. Additionally, I am assisting MDE create a company blog.

Unfortunately, I'm not getting paid to do this work. However, I am learning a great deal that I would not get otherwise. I hope this "extra" work ultimately helps me in my career. I really do enjoy marketing activities (i.e. marketing research and marketing strategies).

Feel free to let me know if you need some market research performed. I can be reached via e-mail at www.conceptsmarketingresearch@hotmail.com.

Consumer Contests Driving Summer Buzz

I've been trying to keep everyone up to date about new contests where companies seek consumer interaction. Doritos X-13D seems to be the clear winner at this point. It is receiving the most buzz in the blogosphere.

*Kodak's Thinklikeryan.com just launched officially June 27, 2007. You can find more information about it by reading Kodak's press release.

I've compiled a list of several companies using social media in 2007.

1. Doritos X-13D
2. Heinz TopThisTV
3. Kodak's Thinklikeryan

Geico's Big Spending Pays Off

Ad Age reports Geico getting ahead with big advertisement spending. The auto insurer with the multiple spokescharacters has increased its ad spending a whopping 75% since 2004. Geico, with its cavemen and gecko, has been the main driver of this skyrocketing spending. The category's next-biggest spender is Progressive, which spent $265 million in 2006, up from $201 million in 2004, according to TNS Media Intelligence.

As for brand image, the study says, "Geico occupies unique terrain in the auto-insurance space as a relatively inexpensive carrier that is fun. State Farm and Allstate, on the other hand, occupy more traditional territory (expensive and serious)." I find this strategy similar to WAMU (Washington Mutual). It is trying the shed the image of being a stodgy bank.

The trend graph below shows buzz levels for Geico, State Farm and Progressive in the blogosphere. Overall, Geico receives the most buzz followed by state farm. Geico receives the most discussion due to consumers frequently mentioning its commercials featuring the gecko and caveman.


Personally, I have experience with State Farm, Progressive and Geico. I was with State Farm during my teens and early twenties. I was involved in one accident (not my fault) but found myself covering the deductible since the person who rear-ended me was uninsured. I had to contact a local news station to report on the issue before I getting my deductible back from State Farm. Afterwards, I switched to Progressive. I feel their rates are very competitive. Additionally, I am able to contact them 24-7. My wife and I thought about switching car insurance companies recently. And of course, Geico to was "top of mind." Unfortunately, we did not go with them since they could not save us any money. I am still with Progressive.

I feel Geico's advertising is effective. As I mentioned, they were "top of mind" when I first decided to switch car insurance companies. I would have went with them had their rates been more competitive.

I would really advise Geico to make sure it really can save each consumer hundreds of dollars before getting them to inquire. Otherwise, Geico may end up with more people complaining about them online rather than blogging and posting messages about its commercials.

Doritos X-13D

Doritos introduced its "Crash the Super Bowl" contest in Fall 2006. Consumers were encouraged to submit their own commercial to be aired during the Super Bowl. That promotion was deemed a huge success. Interestingly, Doritos has done it again! They have found a way to create yet another intriguing marketing promotion involving consumers. Doritos has recently introduced X-13D NAME THE FLAVOR contest.

Doritos X-13D chips have a bold, new, mysterious flavor. Doritos encourages everyone to taste them and let their mouth decide. 100 lucky people who submit a name will become Doritos Flavor Masters.

I came across the chips while going back and forth between the aisles at a local Wal-Mart. I came to the chips aisle and immediately noticed an interesting black and white Doritos bag titled "X-13D." I decided to check them out.

At first, I thought the chips tasted like a Burger King Whopper. I like Whoppers, so that was a good thing. I continued eating away. Meanwhile, I was reading the information on the bag. I found out that I could text the name of the flavor I wanted to submit to 24477. Therefore I did.

I feel this promotion will be very successful. Doritos has a lot of experience implementing marketing initiatives deriving from consumers input. I only wish more companies would look to involving consumers.

I've compiled a list of several companies using social media in 2007.

1. Doritos X-13D
2. Heinz TopThisTV
3. Kodak's Thinklikeryan

Feel free to let me know if I've missed any. I'll do some analysis to see which company's social marketing initiatives are receiving the most buzz. I'll report my findings later this summer.

Kodak's Thinklikeryan.com Car Contest

Kodak's newest marketing effort is a contest to paint NASCAR driver Ryan Newman's car. You can find out more information about this contest at Thinklikeryan.com. Participants will be able to create and submit a design. The winning design will be painted on Ryan Newman's car and featured in an upcoming NASCAR race.

Personally, I think this is a great ideal. A lot of companies have had incorporating Consumer Generated Media (CGM) into their marketing efforts. Doritos and General Motors (GM) both incorporated social media aspects in their Super Bowl promotions. Those were deemed a success. Additionally, Kodak has some prior experiences launching interactive contests. For example, KODAK Easyshare Gallery launched a photo contest in support of Olympics in November 2005. Overall, I feel Kodak's contest to paint Ryan Newman's car will go over well, especially with NASCAR fans.



The trend graph above compares online discussion from bloggers about Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Gordon and Ryan Newman. Discussion about Ryan Newman primarily took place prior to the Daytona 500, Kobalt Tools 500 and Food City 500 races. Discussion about Ryan Newman in the blogosphere is currently trending downward. In contrast, discussion about Dale Jr. has been rising. It peaked on June 13, 2007 when Dale Earnhardt Jr. announced his decision to race for Hendrick Motorsports.

Unfortunately, I can't provide a lot of information about this contest just yet. I haven't found much on Kodak's website since the contest has not officially launched. Additionally, the only link that comes up when I Google "thinklikeryan" is Kodak's contest website, Thinklikeryan.com. I encourage everyone to check the site themselves or visit my blog again. I am interested to see if there will be an interactive element such as internet voting incorporated with this contest. I will post more information about the contest as it becomes available.

The graph below shows search results for "thinklikeryan." Amazingly, Google only returned one result which was a link to Thinklikeryan.com. That is a first!

Growing Without Wal-Mart

AdAge reports companies are beginning to shift their focus from Wal-Mart as it plans to scale back its huge expansion plans. Wal-Mart is a huge retailer which provides the majority of sales for some companies and their products. It is currently adding about 200 Supercenters annually and provides more gross sales than its three nearest rivals -- Costco, Target and Kroger Co. -- combined.

There is no question that Wal-Mart is a key driver of sales for companies and their products. However, companies are finding that more sales do not necessarily mean higher profits. Therefore, they are looking out other outlets (i.e. Supermarkets and drug store chains) to pick up the slack.

Although it gets 26% of its sales from Wal-Mart, Clorox CEO Don Knauss said his company gets a third of its volume and a higher share of its profit from the supermarket channel. AdAge also reports that Procter & Gamble Co. and PepsiCo, already have shifted their strategies toward faster-growing or higher-potential accounts such as drug chains, Costco, Target and some faster-growing regional supermarkets.

Companies are becoming increasingly aware of the fact that they do not want be dependent on Wal-Mart for their sales. They want to find new ways to grow their business profitably.Interestingly, P&G has, through acquisitions and growth in emerging markets, driven its share of sales from Wal-Mart down to 15% from 18% the past four years. Even Clorox Co., which gets 26% of its sales from Wal-Mart, seems to be paying more attention to other retailers, specifically supermarkets.

I have a few tips for companies looking to grow without Wal-Mart below:

1). Re-position products - A lot of companies position their products as "bargain" brands. It is tough to make a product stand out from the crowd if everyone else is saying their price is the lowest. Instead, position your product as a top-of-the-line item shifting the focus from price to quality. However, you may want to narrow down the number of retailers who carry your product if you intend to do this.

2). Selective Distribution - Selective distribution channels will help make your product exclusive and unique. Only make your product available at specific retailers. Paul Mitchell has done a great job using this strategy to promote its line of hair products.

3). Target a particular demographic/niche - You may want to consider partnering with retailers who specifically reach your target market. For example, you may want to develop a relationship with retailers like Gap, Old Navy or Macy*s if you are trying to reach the 25-34 crowd. In contrast, you may want your products to be exclusively sold through Bloomingdales or Nordstrom if you want to reach consumers living in households with annual incomes greater than $100,000.

I hope that some of my advice may be useful. Feel free to leave a comment or suggestion regarding anything I've written.

How About Some Dr. Pepper on Your Chicken?

I love Pepsi, but it may be going to far with this. Needing a revenue boost, Cadbury and Pepsi are beginning to license their brand names. So far, No. 3 beverage giant Cadbury Schweppes has been the most aggressive. Last year, it expanded its partnership with Jelly Belly Candy Co. with the Jelly Belly Soda Pop Shoppe collection. And it already has relationships with Unilever's Good Humor for frozen novelties, Popsicle for sugar-free pops and Breyer's for an A&W-branded root-beer-float ice cream.

It appears that Pepsi is ready to follow suit as Dr. Pepper barbecue sauce, Aquafina skin-care products and Mountain Dew smoothies are all in the works. However, I’m not sure if I totally agree with this since it may dilute the brand equity for some of Pepsi's leading products. Look at what happened to Arm & Hammer in its attempt to become all things to all people(i.e. Arm & Hammer Detergent, Toothpaste, cleaning products, etc...). Now Arm & Hammer is not positioned to attract any particular market segment. Anyways, this is just my opinion. The bigger question relates to whether YOU want Dr. Pepper on YOUR chicken. Do you?











Source: Adage

'The 4-Hour Workweek': A Case Study in DIY Marketing

Steve Rubel at Adage reports on the recent success of Timothy Ferriss' best-seller, "The 4-Hour Workweek." Rubel says "Unlike other monster bestsellers, "The 4-Hour Workweek" has had almost no marketing or PR support. Ferriss has not been on Oprah, nor does he have any splashy ads running in business magazines. (He does have a catchy title and an alluring too-good-to-be-true premise that resonates with many in our caffeinated, always-on world.) But more importantly, he reached this orbit by personally getting to know online influencers and being in the right place at the right time."

Additionally, Rubel goes on to say,"There are three tangible lessons in Tim's story: 1) Go where bloggers are. 2) Be there with a message and a story that will appeal to their interests, not yours. 3) Nurture the relationships online and off. Agencies can replicate this success. The challenge is to do so while maintaining margins."

You can find out more about who bloggers are and where they talk by reading my post, Do Marketers Know Who Blogs? How Can They Find Out?

Source: Adage