B2

Sailing Away

Fri, 05 Mar 2010 09:56:11 -0500

It hardly received nary a mention, but the America's Cup was held a couple of weeks ago in Valencia, Spain. Call it the race of the billionaires. Oracle Corporation founder Larry Ellison was victorious in BMW Oracle over the defending champion, Alinghi, led by Swiss entrepreneur Ernesto Bertarelli. You had to look far and wide to find any coverage, an average of about five lines of agate type in local newspapers.

Good for Women. Good for Men?

Thu, 25 Feb 2010 12:03:23 -0500

Out of a myriad of ads that I've seen recently, one especially caught my attention - Dove Men+Care http://content.dove.us/mencare/TV.aspx. Set to the tune of the William Tell Overture, the premise is about men getting comfortable with who they are, i.e., in their own skin. The spot certainly grows on you both on TV and radio. The question is will it make a connection with the male audience?

Dinner Time Is Family Time

Thu, 18 Feb 2010 09:11:56 -0500

Having grown up in the 60's and 70's, family dinner was just that - dinner. Everything revolved around dinner in the Field household. We ate at a certain time, and as children we were called in by a ship's bell mounted on the back porch. You could hear that bell from anywhere in the neighborhood. God help you if you were late. Many of my best, and also many not so fond memories, were of dinners at home. You felt protected and secure in that setting.

There's Gravy in Sauce

Thu, 11 Feb 2010 10:55:34 -0500

You never know where inspiration for a blog topic is going to come from. Listening to Newsradio 88 out of NYC last week, there was a report that actor Paul Sorvino is bringing out a line of pasta sauces - both marinara and vodka. It makes great marketing sense. Sorvino starred in "Goodfellas". He's likable and has a strong Italian heritage. According to industry sources, the sauce is decent and has made initial shelf penetration in the Northeast. It's an accomplishment, considering that breaking into the pasta sauce aisle is tougher than the families who inspired the love of Italian food in this country. Barilla owns the pasta aisle, but is a secondary player in pasta sauces.

Alphabet Soup

Tue, 02 Feb 2010 10:52:50 -0500

It sure is getting crowded in the C-Suite these days! The conference rooms and board rooms probably aren't big enough to accommodate all the new C-title influences that are roaming around the corridors of the corporate world today. They're everywhere you look and across every job competency you can imagine.

Business on the Big Screen

Tue, 26 Jan 2010 15:00:50 -0500

Maybe it is the economy, stupid, but it seems like there is renewed interest in depicting 'business' in the motion picture industry. Very seldom is business portrayed in a positive light, in whatever medium. Business is at the very epicenter of what we do and who we are. Many people make the mistake of judging people based on what they do rather than who they are. Face it, business and business careers are a fabric of the American psyche.

Doing Good is Good Business

Tue, 19 Jan 2010 10:41:39 -0500

Giving back has taken on new meaning over the past week. The outpouring of support from all segments of the corporate world for Haitian relief has been nothing short of incredible. The reach of the support for Haiti far outpaces the tsunami relief programs of six years ago.

Readers are Leaders

Wed, 13 Jan 2010 10:40:28 -0500

It is fascinating to watch product/sales categories emerge and die, especially if you're a marketer. One story is playing out daily - the e-reader and eBook category. It dominated the book world over the holidays. It is redefining all the accepted norms of product life cycles. As a voracious reader, I find it compelling. I don't want hard cover books to die, but I might not have a choice!

Amway - Is It the American Way?

Mon, 04 Jan 2010 10:21:45 -0500

There once was a time when Amway was a household name in product marketing and branding circles. It seems as if Amway disappeared from my brand consciousness over the past decade or so. That is why I was so curious about the multitude of Amway commercials that I saw over the holidays. They dominated sporting events from NCAA Bowls, the NBA, and ESPN's ubiquitous SportsCenter.

What Next for Tiger, Inc.?

Mon, 21 Dec 2009 09:45:48 -0500

As a marketer and brand strategist, it has been fascinating to watch the complete unraveling of the Tiger Woods brand. You would be hard pressed to find a more disastrous brand case history equivalent in size and scope. Maybe Tylenol back in the eighties would rival it for speed of brand dissent. All the brand pillars and tenets of Tiger have proven to be as phony as he is as a person.

Kitchens - The Ultimate in Form over Function

Mon, 14 Dec 2009 09:42:02 -0500

It struck me last week during a wonderful benefit Holiday House Tour in New Canaan that kitchens are getting bigger and bolder with extreme design touches everywhere you look. It makes sense, given that the kitchen is at the epicenter of a family. Statistics bear that out. According to the National Kitchen and Bath Association, 80% of most people's time is spent in the kitchen. Why not make it as comfortable and functional as possible?

The Marketing Puppeteer

Mon, 07 Dec 2009 09:03:41 -0500

It is often said that logos are what we see and brands are what we feel. Face it, brands are an extension of who we are and what we want people to think about us. They control us in many ways, both emotionally and rationally. It's all about reaching both the heart and the mind. The greatest example of exercising power over our collective psyches and wallets is Nike.

Copycats?

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 08:02:51 -0500

If you've been in this business long enough, you're bound to have come across a look-alike and/or sound-alike advertising campaign from competing brands. In fact, many times the creative ideas and concepts are almost identical. It's as if the same creative teams worked on them. It happens in all product categories. It is especially noticeable in categories that are intensely competitive with huge media dollars behind them.

Cash for Cons

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 08:40:29 -0500

There is big money to be made with convicts today, not just by attorneys, but also consultants who are living the age-old adage of following the money. Based on the surge of convictions for federal crimes over the past decade, a new consultant niche is upon us - prison consultants.

Book Battle Royale

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 08:45:12 -0500

A fascinating war is shaping up in the retail book selling category. The stakes are being raised as the prices fall just as far. The bidding is bold and fast - the price for pre-ordered bestsellers is now $8.98 at Wal-Mart. Amazon matched the original $9.00 price tag, but Wal-Mart, always low-price leader, dropped it to $8.99. Target entered the fray, matching the $8.99 price. Wal-Mart countered with $8.98. It was like watching gas station wars in the 1970's, stations dueling by being a penny lower. All of this follows the fanfare of $9.99 eBooks for your Kindles and Sony Readers.