Month: October 2010

What the buck!?

My friend Justin is a funny guy. 6’1 with the body frame of Gumby, Justin is the guy who belligerently asks the question "Do you want to fight?" to complete strangers.

He is also the guy who tells people in Irving to play Rock, Paper, Scissor with him if they want a free chair. If they win, he grants them the chair. If they lose, he keeps the chair like the cheeky son of a gun he is. Some people don’t get that kind of humour, but it’s what adds to his quirk.

Now, truth be told, Justin’s always been a larger than life kind of guy. He makes everything theatrical and when it comes to Halloween, he’s no different. Nevermind the guy who puts on a baseball cap backwards and calls himself a Rapper – that kind of costume in Justin’s mind would be considered "amateur". Oh no, when it comes to costumes, Justin thinks you have to go all out. Maybe that’s why he spent $80 this year in Halloween gear – a price I would never pay for something so trivial. And yet he did.

According to Justin, halloween costumes with all the bells and whistles are $50+. At a seasonal store called "The Spirit of Halloween" (or something similar to that title), costumes included Bert & Ernie , pilots & air hostesses, and other ridiculous outfits similar to the one Justin bought : A big fat penguin onesie, complete with a bowtie and webbed feet. You can check out this monstrosity for yourself in the picture I’ve attached.

Now, if you’re someone like me, you don’t value Halloween as much as Justin does. Hell, I’d rather pay $80 for a nice meal than a costume I’ll only wear once a year and maybe not even the year after that (let’s be honest, no one likes to have a repeat costume two years in a row!). It seems absurd that anyone would pay that much for a costume, and yet people like Justin do. And stores like "The Spirit of Halloween" know how to milk them.

Like Christmas items, Halloween items are seasonal. Obviously, there isn’t a very high demad for them throughout the year, only during the month of October. Every week leading up to Halloween, "The Spirit of Halloween" store jacks up their price to maximize what they know to be last minute buyers. The day after Halloween, these prices then drop by 50% and the store catches all the people keen for next years Halloween. To me, that’s just ridiculous. It does, however, make me think about the value of Halloween costumes. Even though I don’t value Halloween costumes to be worth the price Justin pays for his (and I’m sure I"m not alone in feeling indifferent about Halloween), the point is that there are others who do. And I think it’s smart that costume stores take advantage of this with their pricing, even if it seems unfair for the people stuck without a costume on Hallow’s eve. They’ve managed to create value for their products by selling highly original costumes, while incrementally pricing it to consumer shopping behaviour. They’re also making mad cashflow as they’re doing it. If that’s not brilliant, then I don’t know what is.

The downside in all of this, however, is the quality of these so called "original" costumes. Justin paid a solid $80 for his penguin suit, yet the right eye of his costume is crooked and deformed, giving the illusion he’s really a penguin on crack. Despite this, Justin still thinks its worth it and proudly showcases his costume anywhere he can. He also plans on returning to the same store and buying another original costume for next year. Apparently the "cool" factor of being a penguin with a bowtie exceeds the $80 cost, even though the costume was probably made in China and only cost $5 to make. In my mind, Halloween isn’t worth that $80 pricetag, but to others that is. I guess it’s another case of differentiating what different consumers value and for Justin, the originality of his costume was valued above its price therefore making it a worthy buy. I don’t understand why anyone would spend more than $30 on a costume, but hey, some people have strong Halloween spirit and who am I to criticize them for that? If there’s anything I’ve learned from this Halloween weekend, it’s that people are crazy when it comes to finding the right costume. Apparently looking like a penguin or banana (Justin’s costume last Halloween), is more important than the monetary price they pay for it. Ain’t that strange.

Marketing

i <3 ?

During the weekend I had an opportunity to clear out my closet, and you’d be amazed at what I found. Along with $30 in cash stowed away in random pockets, I somehow managed to find myself in a pile of I <3 something shirts. The shirts are universal, and even though they originated in NY, they’ve been marketed to other locations.

In total, I have six I <3 something shirts. Here’s my inventory:

– I <3 NY x 2

– I <3 SF x 1

– I <3 Bangkok x 1

– I <3 Alaska x 1 (kind of cool eh?)

– I <3 HK x 1

And after finding all these shirts, it got me curious as to how a such a simple statement could mean so much. Whenever anyone sees the I <3 NY shirts, they instantly associate it with the big city life…the sounds, the never-ending noise, the traffic etc. So then I thought I’d do some research and see where this whole idea of I <3 NY came from. After a couple minutes of wikipedia (what DOESN’T wikipedia have?!), I found out that the iconic I <3 NY originated from a cartoon that showed a bunch of tourists visiting NY wearing I <3 NY shirts. So there you go, the history of the image. And it’s strange to think it’s lasted so long.

Truth be told, I really like these shirts (why else would I have so many?!). They’re symbolic of where I’ve been and give me a sense of…traveler’s pride? Even though they’re cheap, and are sold at every stall in NY or SF or wherever, they represent something bigger for me as a consumer. These shirts tell people I’m hip and trendy (let me believe so anyway) because I’ve been to hip and trendy places. Ok granted, Alaska is not exactly hip and trendy but it says something about me. Since different cities have different vibes, in a sense, I can be a different kind of person from a different kind of place with a different kind of vibe on different days. And who doesn’t like having that kind of choice?

I suppose to get down to the jist of it, I like these shirts for the extra value they provide to me – the perceived benefit I receive. And since that’s what marketing is about (weighing costs to perceived benefits), I thought I’d blog about it. But now that I realized I’ve spent more time blogging about marketing than studying for MA, I think I better scoot. Before that, I leave you with a question though:

What do you <3?

Marketing

Misery loves company

Prop8, more commonly referred to as PropH8, was a 2008 ballot proposition and constitutional ammendment to the California constitution which denied the acknowledgment of same sex marriage. In its wake, many celebrities voiced thier opinions on the matter through fashion, social media, and interviews. The following is a video created by actors Justin Long (Dodgeball) and Mike White (The School of Rock), their own quirky take on this political hot topic:

Even though this wasn’t an “official” commercial, it still has some marketing value. Unlike other channels of political voice and opinion, their work took a new take on an old statement. By comparing a homosexual marriage to a heterosexual one and by stating that homosexuals should be able to suffer as much as the rest of us, Long, White, and the producers of this video have effectively brought awareness and perspective to a highly controversial topic. By focusing on marriage, this video is connecting with those who have experienced it, want it, and seen it . It almost seems like an inside joke, something intimate yet applicable to millions of humans who are, or who someday want to be in holy matrimony. I don’t want to argue and say that this video simplifies gay rights, but in a way it kind of does. It makes the important statement that it doesn’t matter which two people take that next big step because at the end of the day, misery loves company. I for one, love that.

Marketing

This is funny, Period.

This is an actual letter from an Austin woman sent to American company Proctor and Gamble regarding their feminine products. She really gets rolling after the first paragraph. It’s PC Magazine’s 2007 editors’ choice for best webmail-award-winning letter. This is an actual letter from an Austin woman sent to American company Proctor and Gamble regarding their feminine products. She really gets rolling after the first paragraph. It’s PC Magazine’s 2007 editors’ choice for best webmail-award-winning letter

Dear Mr. Thatcher,
I have been a loyal user of your ‘Always’ maxi pads for over 20 years and I appreciate many of their features. Why, without the LeakGuard Core or Dri-Weave absorbency, I’d probably never go horseback riding or salsa dancing, and I’d certainly steer clear of running up and down the beach in tight, white shorts. But my favorite feature has to be your revolutionary Flexi-Wings. Kudos on being the only company smart enough to realize how crucial it is that maxi pads be aerodynamic. I can’t tell you how safe and secure I feel each month knowing there’s a little F-16 in my pants.
Have you ever had a menstrual period, Mr. Thatcher? Ever suffered from ‘the curse’? I’m guessing you haven’t. Well, my time of the month is starting right now. As I type, I can already feel hormonal forces violently surging through my body. Just a few minutes from now, my body will adjust and I’ll be transformed into what my husband likes to call ‘an inbred hillbilly with knife skills.’ Isn’t the human body amazing?
As Brand Manager in the Feminine-Hygiene Division, you’ve no doubt seen quite a bit of research on what exactly happens during your customer’s monthly visits from ‘Aunt Flo’. Therefore, you must know about the bloating, puffiness, and cramping we endure, and about our intense mood swings, crying jags, and out-of-control behavior. You surely realize it’s a tough time for most women. In fact, only last week, my friend Jennifer fought the violent urge to shove her boyfriend’s testicles into a George Foreman Grill just because he told her he thought Grey’s Anatomy was written by drunken chimps. Crazy!
The point is, sir, you of all people must realize that America is just crawling with homicidal maniacs in Capri pants… Which brings me to the reason for my letter. Last month, while in the throes of cramping so painful I wanted to reach inside my body and yank out my uterus, I opened an Always maxi-pad, and there, printed on the adhesive backing, were these words: ‘Have a Happy Period.’
Are you f—— kidding me? What I mean is, does any part of your tiny middle-manager brain really think happiness – actual smiling, laughing happiness, is possible during a menstrual period? Did anything mentioned above sound the least bit pleasurable? Well, did it, James? FYI, unless you’re some kind of sick S&M freak, there will never be anything ‘happy’ about a day in which you have to jack yourself up on Motrin and Kahlua and lock yourself in your house just so you don’t march down to the local Walgreen’s armed with a hunting rifle and a sketchy plan to end your life in a blaze of glory.
For the love of God, pull your head out, man! If you have to slap a moronic message on a maxi pad, wouldn’t it make more sense to say something that’s actually pertinent, like ‘Put down the Hammer’ or ‘Vehicular Manslaughter is Wrong’, or are you just picking on us?
Sir, please inform your Accounting Department that, effective immediately, there will be an $8 drop in monthly profits, for I have chosen to take my maxi-pad business elsewhere. And though I will certainly miss your Flex-Wings, I will not for one minute miss your brand of condescending bullshit. And that’s a promise I will keep.
Always. . .
Wendi Aarons
Austin , T X

Comical hilarity aside, I think Wendi Aaron’s letter has some really valid points. In reflecting (and laughing) about her letter, I became more aware of the ways feminine hygiene companies were portraying the most dreaded time of the month. Instead of trying to empower women by making them have a more positive reaction to their monthly visitor, it almost seemed like companies were making fun of them by romanticizing something that isn’t remotely glorious. Just recently, Kotex launched a new campaign aimed at confronting these ridiculous pre-existing tampon ads and came up with the following:

I think this ad relates better to women as it’s more realistic and removes the fluff that other companies have put in their marketing schemes. It’s clear that their demographic is geared towards real women with real issues (namely that ungodly time of the month) and succesfully conveys the aggrevation women go through to men without being too graphic and inappropriate. It also provides some well-deserved justice to women like Wendy Aarons and reassures us that no blood will have to spill over the ridiculous ads of the past.