OATUS

Out of sight, out of business
According to a new Adology Research study, more than 48% of US adults believe that a lack of advertising by a retail store, bank, or auto dealership during a recession indicates the business must be struggling. Conversely, a vast majority perceives businesses that continue to advertise as being competitive or committed to doing business. (source: Center for Media Research, 5/25/09)

Robo-composter
$900, 30lb Samu pet poop processor. Load the load and a proprietary bag of something (the bacteria?), then push the button. Up to a pound of garden-ready good stuff per day. Sorry cats: it looks like a dog because it's only for dog. (source: Iconoculture)

Too late for Mother's Day
But still a nifty idea. Go to prioritymail.com, hold the object you want to ship in front of your webcam, and the Post Office's 3D imaging software will help you figure out what standard box is the right size for your object. Papa John's and GE are using this same technology in their marketing to create interactive experiences for consumers. (source: Wall Street Journal, 5/26/09)

MOS
Don't know what your kids are saying to each other? Or just want to get hip to the script? LG's new detexter can translate to and from standard English. www.LGDTXTR.com (source: Marketing Daily, 5/28/09)

Miller time, UK style
http://attitude.adforum.com/top5/2009/05/27/strongbow-bowtime-st-lukes-london/

Who's networking at the office

No break from shopping
College wasn't even out yet, but in early May, Bed Bath & Beyond already had its "Equip Your Space" back-to-college POS up in their stores. Perhaps they just want this year to be over as quickly as possible. (source: Instoremarketer)

The psychology of credit cards
- The minimum payment actually causes consumers to pay an average of 43% less than they would if the amount were totally up to them.
- Young and inexperienced consumers subconsciously believe that a high credit limit is predictive of future earnings power. In other words, they believe it is OK to max out the credit line because future earnings would cover the bill.
- "Creditworthiness" is a quality that can be detected subconsciously by a lender looking at pictures of a potential borrower. There is a direct correlation between faces deemed "creditworthy" and actual loan performance, so P2P loans aren't as iffy as you might think.
- Experts say that a powerful sense of guilt and obligation drives a higher rate of repayment when it's money between friends or family members.
- Consumers will spend more if they're using a credit card versus paying cash. When McDonald's allowed people to use credit cards instead of cash, the average sale went up from $4.75 to $7.
(source: many studies via Iconoculture)

Integration should include legal
To save $31million in UK taxes, Pringles' legal group tried to make it a fact of law that their product isn't potato chips. Of course the details of their lawsuit slipped out, and for their effort the company got a lot of negative publicity, spent a lot of money on both the legal proceeding and trying to mop up the resulting PR mess. And now everybody knows, whether they want to or not, what Pringles really are-42% potato with wheat flour, corn flour, fat, emulsifiers, and flavoring making up the other 58%. Oh, and they lost their suit. Majority ingredients to the contrary, they are legally potato chips. But will anybody want to eat them now? (source: Ad Age, 5/25/09)

Wii want to pong
Wii drinking games. (source: Iconoculture)
http://www.wiiaredrunk.com/

Quote of the week
"Advertising is the price you pay for having an unremarkable product or service." -- Amazon.com CEO Jeff Bezos at the online retail giant's annual shareholders meeting. Remember this when he needs help selling Kindle vs. the competitors, and just say "no." (source: Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 5/29/09)

The day Apple took over
The New York Times homepage. In case you missed this edition.
http://adage.com/brightcove/lineup.php?lineup=24208108001&title=24262944001

Think there's life down there?
Scientist are using this photo of Earth taken by Voyager 1 from over 4 billion miles away to help them discover the markers for large surface features, like oceans and continents, on very distant planets. Earth is the teeny white speck inside the circle. (source: Christian Science Monitor, 5/27/09)

What will Benedict sell?
Established in 1931, Vatican Radio, the voice of the Pope worldwide, has never aired ads--until now. Beginning July 6, spots from ENEL, an electricity multinational, will be the first advertiser. It costs the Church $30 million a year to run the broadcasts. They're currently looking for more advertisers who can pass stringent moral scrutiny. The Meat Wagon need not apply. (source: BBC, 5/26/09)

Probably not bunnies
Playboy Enterprises is looking for a buyer. If you've got $300 million to spare, you too can live the vida Hefner. Triplet girlfriends not included. (source: MediaDailyNews, 5/27/09)

But maybe these
American Greetings has a new line of faith-based, all-purpose cards featuring inspirational missives from best-selling author and speaker Pastor Joel Osteen. They can be found at Walmart. Proceeds go to Mercy Ministries of America, a Christian counseling program for young women. (source: Drugstore News, 4/9/09)