Even today, what people buy is less about the money than you may think. The importance of perceived value is up 20%. So even though Starburys can be had for 20 bucks, Nike with its $150 kicks is still rated number one in the battle of the athletic shoe price-value equation. Tylenol and Zyrtec beat generics. Allstate beat Geico. Yet Dunkin’ Donuts and McDonald’s beat Starbucks. So more expensive isn’t always considered a better value. (source: Brandweek, 2/28/09)
Ingmar Bergman does shampoo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IoIocOjtliM
Bless me father for I have mail
People check their email:
In bed in their pajamas: 67%
From the bathroom: 59%
While driving: 50%
In a bar or club: 39%
In a business meeting: 38%
During happy hour: 34%
While on a date: 25%
From church: 15%
(source: AOL eMail Addiction Survey)
Follow that tuna
Mostly cheap and tasty, the casserole is back. Americans now dine on them 3-5 times a week. They make up 7 of the 10 most popular recipes on
Give the people what they don’t know they want
Turns out ad people aren’t the only people who love ads. A new study shows that most TV viewers actually prefer their shows with ads than without. It’s a long story, but in essence, the interruption prolongs the enjoyment of the program. People who DVR tend to create their own interruptions, like phone and fridge breaks. (source: NY Times, 3/2/09)
(source: http://thisiswhyyourefat.com/ )
Speaking of eating crap
At the Modern Toilet restaurant in
(source: Time courtesy of Mike Governale, 2/2/09)
Got substance?
88% of Americans agree: What a company stands for is more important than what it sells. (source: Ad Week Media, 2/9/09)
Millennial update
Trying matters, performance does not. 1/3 of college students expect Bs for attending lectures and 40% think they deserve a B for completing the required reading. 2/3 think if they tell their professor they’re trying hard, their effort should factor into their grade. Can’t wait to work with these folks. Yeee-ha. (source: UCal research/New York Times, 3/1/09)
Charge it
Buddy owe you for that last hand? Selling stuff at the flea market? No need for cash. With the Process Away app and an iPhone, anybody can accept Visa and MasterCard, but not American Express. (source: Springwise, 3/5/09)
The man in the Chippendale mirror
Michael Jackson, the ultimate shopaholic. And now his can be yours. Neverland Ranch is throwing a garage sale. Gilded throne, arcade games, perhaps his original nose. Check out the catalogs. http://www.juliensauctions.com/auctions/2009/michael-jackson/index.html (source: Very Short List, 3/2/09)
Meat wagon
Vegan hotel and spa, jewel-encrusted collars, psychotherapy. Alpo thinks it’s stupid. They want to give Fido his canine dignity back, one can at a time. http://www.quickgetthatdogsomealpo.com/ (source: Ad Week, 3/2/09)
Oh to work on Nike
If just for the music. Tiger Woods returns at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24HyZfGwPnk
CEOs that don’t suckTired of the Lays and Madoffs of this world? Meet Lynn Tilton, a corporate raider with a heart. Instead of retiring, at 40, after a very successful Wall Street career, she started buying companies on the edge, and doing what she terms, “turning dust into diamonds.” Her turnarounds include Rand McNally, Isotoner, and MD Helicopters, a company she ran herself after firing a succession of CEOs. According to Tilton, “Making money and making the world a better place don’t haveto be mutually exclusive objectives.” Her 25% average annual ROI is proof of that pudding. She says her ultimate legacy would be to keep people from going home and telling their families they’re unemployed. (source: LA Times, 3/2/09)
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