coo coo ka choo

Courage
When Walmart approached Deep River Snacks about carrying their products, Deep River's owner said, no thanks. He turned down Stop & Shop, too. The mega-retailers simply aren't the right fit for the all-natural, gluten-free, kosher, gourmet munchies. For now, they're sticking with the independent health-food stores that have served them so well so far. (source: Hartford Courant, 6/16/09)

Love hate
Whether spam or perfectly targeted, relevant-to-me email marketing pieces, Forrester says we'll all be getting at least twice as many-on average 9,000 a year-by 2014. It's a $2billion market this year, but survey says at least $144million will be wasted due to poor list hygiene and overzealous filters. BTW, those things at left are acai berries. They grow like grapes on a particular palm tree. After a few thousand emails, it was time to look them up. (source: Ad Age, 6/16/09)

iBetter
Hey all you iPhoners, here's some ego candy for ya. Forrester says you're younger, richer, better educated, and more productive at work than people who use other smart phones. You also spend a lot more time online via your phone. (source: Apple Insider, 6/12/09)

Brand at retail bits
Though the recession has 2/3 of shoppers making lists of what kinds of food to buy, 60% of the time they don't know what brands of food they'll buy until it's staring at them from the shelves. What kinds of in-store materials persuade them?
- 70% say they're engaged by end-aisle signs
- 62% merchandising displays
- 58% department signs
- 55% shelf strips
- 50% shelf blades
And the messaging?
- Nearly 50% want product-comparison info, esp. Gen-X and Gen-Y
- Product quality info is more important to men than women overall as well as to middle-income earners
- 70% are influenced by price reductions
- 47% are influenced by everyday-low-price messages (this one's been weakening)
(sorce: Miller Zell/Brandweek, 6/18/09)

A little bit recession-proof
That's what a new Brookings Institute study has to say about the Rochester metro area, which it ranks among the top 20 healthiest economies in the country. Albuquerque is numero uno. (source: 10nbc.com, 6/17/09)

XBOX360, the movie
An impressive animated short to introduce their new game. I've watched it 9 times so far. I want to see it at IMAX. http://attitude.adforum.com/top5/2009/06/16/the-beatles-rock-band-the-beatles-passion-picutres/ (source: AdForum, 6/16/09)

Queen of the SMS
Who's got the fastest-and most accurate-thumbs in the US? Kate Moore, 15, of Des Moines, IA, won $50K and a spiffy trophy at the 3rd Annual LG US Texting Championship. Kate, who sends around 14K texts a month, defeated 250K entrants and 22 finalists in events like texting while blindfolded and running on a treadmill. (source: The Christian Science Monitor, 6/17/09)

Summer in the city
Men prefer plain ice cream like vanilla or chocolate while women look for varieties that mix it up with chocolate or candy bits. Both like the other's favorites even if they don't seek them out. Nobody likes fruit flavors much. (source: Mintel/Progressive Grocer, 6/10/09)

Random acts of Hyatt
Did somebody just pay your bar tab? Either you're really cute, or you're a Gold Passport member. Hyatt has empowered their employees to surprise members with benefits they won't find in the brochure, to "make a difference in their lives and make them feel more than welcome." (source: Springwise, 6/17/09)

WeRANT
According to the 4th annual AutoVantage "In the Driver's Seat" survey, Atlanta is #4 in the nation for road rage. NYC bumped Miami from the #1 spot this year. The least ragey city is Portland, OR. (source: Atlanta Business Chronicle, 6/16/09)

Ink
As we city dwellers know all too well, a Sharpie marker isn't just a back-to-school tool. It's also a great, and very permanent, way to express yourself anywhere. Taking its cue from taggers, Sharpie's new campaign shows people personalizing their sneakers, jeans, just about anything. Do something cool-and legal--with your Sharpies? Share here http://www.sharpieuncapped.com/default.aspx (source: Marketing Daily, 6/12/09)

Something delicious from the Highlands
Ann McAllister shared this yummy blog with me. The keeper is a Scottish art-teacher-recipe-writer-amateur-photographer with a lot of talent. Even her dog is perfect. http://aweebitofcooking.co.uk/

How not to be stupid
The American Advertising Federation held a competition asking college students to create a campaign to solve the problem of college-age drinking. The winning solution, from SI Newhouse at SU, puts it bluntly: Laws and abstinence messages are pointless. What students need is help learning to be responsible drinkers. Their think-different campaign, "The Stupid Drink," is worth reading more about http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=108198

Striving for five
Rochester is the #10 metro for using salad dressing. Way to eat your veggies! (source: MRI)

CEOs that don't suck
Giovanni LiDestri just gave all 700 of his employees an extra week's pay to celebrate his induction into the Rochester Business Hall of Fame. LiDestri started as a teenager with a part-time job at Ragu Foods, then worked his way up through Cantisano Foods, finally buying the company, which makes salsa, dip, and sauce for brands like Wegmans and Newman's Own. When the bonus checks went out, he told his people: "No, we did not have a computer glitch. ... You do all the hard work." Janie Sanchez (pictured at left), a worker at the company's California facility, smiled and cried when she received her surprise. It seems generosity is in LiDestri's nature. The Sicilian immigrant celebrates July 4th with bonuses, too--$4 for every month an employee's worked at the company. (source: Democrat and Chronicle and The Fresno Bee, 6/19/09)