Month: February 2011

A recent visit to Elaine Williamson’s blog has reinforced my perception of M&Ms. I personally think M&Ms are a classic. They’re simple, and quirky and they sell! which is why they’ve been around for so long. Another brand that’s also been around for a while, but are not by any means my favourite is Kraft.

Kraft’s has a lot of products, mostly on the lower-end of the quality spectrum and here they’ve launched a new gum product to attract different demographics and build their brand with the everyday consumer.

Drum roll please…. da da da duunnnn~

What did you have for lunch today? Did you follow a recipe from Kraft?

Kraft is all about delivering healthy eating at inexpensive prices. So, to reach out to younger people who are always on the go and may need an energy boost, Kraft has developed a vitamin-fortified gum.

But is this really compatible to the North American lifestyle? So many products (including yogurt, cereal, and Red Bull) being sold are enriched with “_____” or fortified with “_____”. How much extra of the “good stuff” can the average American consume before it becomes too much?

Trident Vitality seems to be a hit with consumers who are concerned with wellbeing, but how many of them actually know if they really need the extra nutrients offered? More isn’t always better. I think this is a great route for Kraft to go, but launching such a product in less developed countries may better benefit those consumers because those are probably the people that need the vitamin fortification.

As Si Chen Liu mentioned in her blog, people love excuses to go out and buy things (sometimes at outrageous prices) that they might not need or use a second time and Valentine’s Day is no different. And to some extent, I do agree that Valentine’s is all about marketing.

Roses are red, violets are blue, sugar is sweet, and so are you! But I bet I could sweeten you up even more with a box of Godiva’s decadent Valentine’s chocolates priced at $100.

Godiva’s gourmet chocolate indulgences are more than premium chocolates. For most, they’re an expression of love… and for others, they’re also a measure of love. Just how much is your sweetheart worth? Love is all about small little things in everyday life, but sometimes it’s OK to splurge and spoil that special someone, right? Godiva’s a genius at appealing psychologically to gift-givers and potential recipients by positioning their product as more than a mouth-watering sweet. This chocolate is a treat, but is also a status symbol and a way to make people feel special, hence the extravagant prices.

Why look like this:

…when you can feel like this with Godiva?

Mass-produced chocolate and Godiva are both chocolate, but Godiva is about quality, luxury, and making an artisan enjoyment out of chocolate, not just satisfying that sweet-tooth we all have. Not everyone can afford, or would consider spending upwards of $50 for a box of sweets. But when you walk by the elegant establishment that is a Godiva store, many will feel the magnetic pull that is Godiva’s advertising saying that you should treasure and treat that special someone just that little bit more and invest in an expensive affectionate gesture on at least that one special day of the year.

On their website, NetFlix advertises: “For only $7.99 a month, Netflix members can instantly watch unlimited movies & TV episodes streamed to their TVs and computers.”

Sounds like a sweet deal, until usage-based billing crashed the party. An hour of Netflix works out to be a GB of bandwidth. “Unlimited movies & TV” isn’t so unlimited when your Internet service provider tells you that for every GB you go over your limit, it’ll cost you about CAN $2.

Yes, I can see it, goodbye loonies and toonies, and large bills too – that is unless I curb my Internet consumption.

Woah, Netflix, what are you going to do? Your target market – the tech savvy, internet-embracing consumer – will be watching their internet activity because the perceived benefit of your good just took a major undermining.

The officials say the reason for UBB is to conserve capacity, but Netflix’s (potential) loss is certainly Bell’s gain. Not only will Bell have a greater profit margin on its Internet service, but Canadians will be discouraged from watching TV and videos online. Bell also wins if the viewer ratings  on CTV (which it now owns) increases. Will this be the revival of the couch potato that sits in front of the TV and not the computer screen? Advertisers may reconsider purchasing more TV air time to play their commercials.