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Does this sound familiar …. Does this lead to a really cool promotion?

Friday, May 13th, 2016

Recently I have heard more and more discussions around how many steps a person has taken each day. I actually had two strangers see that I had a Fitbit on and asked me where I was for the day. A few times I even said to my friends, let me guess how many steps I think you have taken in a day. Does all this lead to the next big marketing promotion or betting trend in Las Vegas?

Are we a few months away from being able to guess how many steps Rafael Nadal took during a tennis match in Wimbledon? So basically if you asked Rafael or any tennis player to put on a Fitbit prior to a match and asked fans to text their guess and the winner would get a signed shirt, gift certificate, or whatever… I would suggest that thousands of people in the stadium or hundreds of thousands of fans watching TV would sign up for this.

If I am right, this may also lead to Vegas establishing proposition bets on how many steps were taken in a match. Yes this could apply to other sports as well like basketball, football, volleyball – the difference is it would probably be a chip instead of a Fitbit that you wear on your wrist.

Okay…

  • Am I crazy or could this really happen?
  • Wouldn’t this be a great promotion?
  • Would you text your guess and sign up?

I look forward to reading your comments.

P.S. – I think this would be such an inexpensive marketing promotion that someone should do this right away!

Posted in Advertising, Business, Life, Sports | Comments Off on Does this sound familiar …. Does this lead to a really cool promotion?

Attention researchers. Please watch this video and let me know your thoughts…..

Monday, April 25th, 2016

Over the weekend I was watching the NBA playoffs and a commercial came on that I thought would be very interesting to the research community.

Please click on the image to watch the 30 second spot.


  • Have you seen this before?
  • What are your thoughts?
  • What is going thru your mind regarding the market research industry?
  • Do you think that any type of PR (good or bad) helps our industry?

I look forward to your thoughts and comments.

Posted in Advertising, Business | Post Comments (7) »

Was the Super Bowl really SUPER?

Wednesday, February 10th, 2016

As always there was tremendous hype around the Super Bowl and millions and millions watched the big game! The question is – was it really super?

Let me start by saying I didn’t have a horse in the race. Nothing against the Panthers and Bronco’s but they aren’t the New England Patriots who are my favorite team. The game is always special to me because for 19 out of the last 20 years I am on a trip with my buddies. We started this tradition when we were much younger and hope to continue it for another 3-4 decades!

Back to the game and commercials!

To me it was a defensive battle! Neither QB played well and overall I was disappointed in the game! The commercials seemed better and more creative than the last few years so I really enjoyed that aspect.

Overall the game wasn’t super for me!

What about you?

  • Did you enjoy the game?
  • Did your team win?
  • If you didn’t care who won did you still like the game?
  • What did you think about the commercials?
  • Which one was your favorite?

    • I look forward to reading your comments.

    Posted in Advertising, Sports | Post Comments (7) »

HELP! What is this advertising telling me?

Wednesday, September 9th, 2015

Please help. A few weeks ago I was in Aruba (thanks M.D.) and saw this advertising in the lobby of the hotel. Please let me start by saying I don’t own a TAGHeuer or have anything against the company. In fact, a few of my friends have a watch and love it. I also don’t have any idea who the advertising agency is who developed the ads.

I looked at this advertising and wasn’t sure what they were saying?

#DontCrackUnderPressure

Were they saying:

  • You can take me diving and I can handle the pressure at 200 feet?
  • You can climb Mount Everest and the watch will keep ticking?

Also what does the lion tattoo on the finger represent?

  • Are they saying you can get in a fight and the watch won’t break?

Please look at the picture and let me know your thoughts. I am sure it means something and I am just missing the point.

Thanks in advance for your help.

Posted in Advertising | Post Comments (5) »

Do you go out and buy things after you see stars wearing them?

Friday, May 29th, 2015

A few weeks ago I read a story about Beyoncé wearing a pair of high-waisted skinny jeans from H&M and the next thing that happened was the store promptly sold out its entire stock.

It got me to think about do I buy things that I see on movie stars? Singers? Or Athletes? I quickly came up with a no and then really thought about it and I guess the answer is really no to clothes, no to cologne, no to cars, but yes to sunglasses and I probably would eat at a restaurant if I knew stars ate there and liked it.

What about you?

  • Have you bought any items that you favorite star wears or uses?
  • How much does celebrity endorsements sway your decision making?
  • Do your friends sway your decisions more than celebrities do?

    I look forward to reading your comments!

    Posted in Advertising | Post Comments (3) »

Check Out Jet Blue’s Word Cloud

Monday, April 13th, 2015

Last month, I flew Jet Blue with my kids and noticed the mouse pad that the customer service person was using was a word cloud. Words included on the cloud were words like:

  • Integrity
  • Passion
  • Caring
  • Safety
  • Fun

Of course, this gave me a chance to think about their airline and if I think those words are appropriate for them. I must admit, though I am not a frequent flyer of Jet Blue, I like their service, planes and amenities (especially the individual TV’s). For me, the words they use are pretty good but I probably would take out “integrity” and insert “technology” or “cutting-edge”. Not really sure what integrity references for an airline…does it mean they show integrity with their fares? Schedules? Timely delivery?

  • Do you fly Jet Blue often?
  • Are you a fan of their airline?
  • What do you think of the words they used for their word cloud?

    I look forward to reading your comments!

    Posted in Advertising, Travel | Post Comments (5) »

Time to Make Brushing Your Teeth a Little More Enjoyable!

Monday, April 28th, 2014

Convincing kids to brush their teeth is a notoriously tricky task. If your kids have a sweet tooth like my kids do, this toothpaste might be worth a try. According to an article I read a few weeks ago, there’s actually a chocolate-flavored flavored toothpaste out there that will turn brushing into somewhat of a treat.

Theodent uses rennou to help clean teeth. Rennou is made from the cacao plant and thus, tastes like chocolate! The toothpaste is fluoride free, instead, it uses theobromine, calcium, and phosphate.

Sound tasty? Well, there’s a little bit of a catch: A tube of Theodent 300 (which is the extra strength) costs $99.99. Although they also sell a regular strength Theodent, priced at $10.

So, I ask you:

  • Do your kids need to be reminded to brush their teeth?
  • Do you think this chocolate toothpaste could help?
  • Have you tried Theodent?

      I look forward to reading your comments.

      Posted in Advertising, General Comments | Comments Off on Time to Make Brushing Your Teeth a Little More Enjoyable!

Infographics – Is 2014 The Year They Really Catch On?

Wednesday, January 8th, 2014

As a season ticket holder of the Dallas Mavericks, I receive a lot of communication. Discounts, change of times and general messages have been very common in the past. This year it is a little different. Mark Cuban & the Dallas Mavericks have added a pre and post-game email. And not just any email – an infographic. It is a nice well-positioned, clean-looking graphic filled with a ton of information.

Here is an example of one of them:

I must say I really like it! Not because I don’t get enough email but because I am a fan and like a quick update. Also, I really dislike text heavy messages and feel they don’t get their point across.

This gets the point across in a very easy to read, easy to understand way! It also shows me that the Mavericks have been able to incorporate new technology into their marketing – nicely done!

  • Have you seen other sports teams use infographics?
  • Do you like what the Dallas Mavericks are doing?
  • Do you think future ads for retail stores will be infographics?
  • Have you seen a lot of companies using infographics to present data in the research industry?
  • Do you think that infographics will have a bigger place in 2014?

Look forward to reading your comments.

Posted in Advertising, Business | Post Comments (1) »

What Do You Think Of Wal-Mart’s New Ad?

Friday, June 22nd, 2012

I was reading the Sunday paper recently and I came across a Wal-Mart ad that read:

 

DID YOUR LOCAL BEST BUY JUST CLOSE?
We have the top brands and low prices.

 

The ad was a full page and highlighted a number of TVs and Xbox 360 consoles.

I must admit the ad made me pause for a minute to think about their opening line and strategy.

 

DID YOUR LOCAL BEST BUY JUST CLOSE?
We have the top brands and low prices.

 

Usually I am not a fan of a company going after their competitor. I don’t really like when they mention their competition in an ad but for me what Wal-Mart did is very tastefully done and I like the ad.

It was simple, didn’t really go after Best Buy a lot, and just stated a fact – that some Best Buy stores have closed and you might be in the need of a solution that we can provide.

  • What do you think?
  • Do you like the ad and message?
  • Do you like when an ad mentions the competition?

I look forward to reading your comments.

Posted in Advertising | Post Comments (2) »

Ok Everyone Makes A Mistake What Are Some Of The Classic Ones?

Wednesday, June 22nd, 2011

On Monday, June 13, 2011 the Miami Herald ran a Macy’s ad that said “Congratulations Miami! Celebrate the 2011 NBA Champions with official merchandise from Adidas”. Great ad – with only one small problem…the Dallas Mavericks won the NBA Championship – not the Miami Heat.

Like I said everyone and every company makes mistakes. Some of my classics that I have made were emailing a client some “interesting” comments when I thought I was emailing my internal team and of course I hit reply all and responded to 450 people with meaningless information.

  • What are some of the classics that you recall?
     
  • Are there any company classic mistakes that come to mind?

I look forward to reading your comments.

Posted in Advertising, Business | Post Comments (3) »

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