Month: January 2011

Categories
Marketing YouTube

The Snuggie Phenomenon

Let me preface the negative statements-to-come by admitting something: I love my Snuggie. This defies logic, considering the product’s poor quality and relative uselessness, but there it is. In an attempt to decode the mystery of the Snuggie Phenomenon, which has captivated more than 20 million people in America alone, I considered their marketing mix:

Product: The blanket with sleeves, designed to combine ease of movement with comfort. One size is supposed to fit all; I’m 5”3’, and my Snuggie pools around my feet. But is it as “ultra-soft” as the commercial attests? Not so much. The material is coarse and loses its warmth retention after one wash.

Price: $19.95 plus the cost of shipping and handling – a steep price to pay for what is essentially a backwards-worn bathrobe.

Place: Available since 2009, the Snuggie can be purchased from online retailers like Amazon.com, as well as through infomercial call-ins and specialty stores.

Promotion: The nauseatingly cheesy, overly cutesy infomercial that had me – inexplicably – reaching for the phone the first time I saw it at 2am. This strangely addicting commercial was then parodied into stardom by pseudo-celebrities like Ellen Degeneres and Jay Leno. Snuggie creator, Allstar Products Group, encouraged spoofs – and the buzz generated by them – through competitions and postings on the Snuggie Fan Club website (yes, it exists). Word-of-mouth did the rest.

Competitors – the Slanket, the Freedom Blanket, the Blankoat – have arisen over time, but none can match the hype of the original. I love my Snuggie. My brother may insist on calling me “Harry Potter” whenever I wear it, but I don’t care; this brand’s quirky, silly-fun (genius?!) advertising won me over.

YouTube Preview Image
Categories
Marketing Technology

Kobo vs Kindle vs Nook: Battle of the Books

Three heavyweights enter the ring: Kobo, Kindle, Nook. Besides sharing silly – if catchy – monikers, these competitors are also the three foremost e-readers on the market. Each is backed by a big-name bookstore hoping to capitalize on current trends toward easy accessibility and technological advancements.

Let’s meet the contenders:

Kobo (an anagram of ‘book’) is the young up-and-comer, partnered with Borders. Released in July 2010 at a price of $150, Kobo was presented as a cheaper, simpler alternative to more expensive e-readers and tablets. This marketing scheme was ineffective as a sustainable competitive advantage, as competitors quickly responded with lowered prices; however, Kobo succeeded in eliciting substantial consumer interest. Realizing the importance of social media to modern consumers, Kobo recently released the first social e-reader app. The new app enables readers to keep track of their reading stats and interact on Facebook.

Kindle is the e-reader pioneer. Sleek and light-weight, the original $400 version revolutionized the way people think about books. Kindle’s main advantages are its first mover status and connection to Amazon.com, which allows readers to browse consumer-reviewed books and download them straight to their device using Amazon’s 3G “whispernet” technology.

Finally, there’s Nook, the underdog. The original Barnes & Noble Nook boosted in-store support, but received criticism due to the product’s lack of availability and suffered from comparisons to its predecessor: According to PC Magazine, “on the original Nook, page turning took twice as long as page turning on the Kindle.” A slight difference, but significant in the close-fought battle for e-reader supremacy.

It remains to be seen if Kobo will KO the competition with its emphasis on the social aspects of reading, or if Kindle and Nook’s longstanding advocates will ensure their continued domination, but one thing is certain: the Battle of the Books wages on.

Spam prevention powered by Akismet