Decent Marketing

I. MUST. HAVE. THAT. MUG.

Will wonders never cease.  Apparently, Decent Marketing has been nominated as one of the best individual marketing blogs by MarketingSherpa.  Whoever nominated this blog, I thank you.

So, Decent Marketers, here's your chance to raise your voice for marketing that is good (compelling, relevant, authentic) and also good (respectful, honest, puts the consumer first).  I hope you'll consider voting for Decent Marketing here.  Winners get fame (their words, not mine), hotlinks from MarketingSherpa, an icon to post on their Blog and a special coffee mug.  I am in serious need of a new coffee mug, people.  Serious need.

Here are a few tips from MarketingSherpa:

* We've included hotlinks to the nominated Blogs so you can quickly check out the ones you don't already know.

* If your time is limited, that's ok. Just pick the category of Blogs you're most interested in and vote for the Blogs in it.  [We're in the very first category:  Individual's Weblogs on General Marketing and Advertising Topics.  By the way, we're in very good company.]

* No ballot stuffing please -- we can spot it and extra votes will be disqualified.  [Decent Marketers would never ballot stuff, now would we?]

If you have any problems getting to the link or voting, let me know.  Cheers to all of you, who help make this blog what it is!  Voting ends Wed.June 8th.

A Rockin' Good Tooth Brushin' Time

I'm speechless. Are people really standing there brushing their teeth next to strangers inside a toothpaste submarine? I have to know more.

 

Check this out from AdPulp: Link: AdPulp: Beer Breath Enters The Tube.

Tag: marketing

Death, Taxes and Chuck E. Cheese

It is said that there only two things of which we can be certain in this life -- death and taxes.  I can't help but agree, with one caveat.  There is a little known third item of certainty for those people who are parents.  You will, whether you like it or not, end up attending a birthday party held at Chuck E. Cheese.  It's inevitable, so you might as well give up all resistance and go with it.

Let me start out by saying what I like about Chuck E. Cheese -- the kids love it.  No question about it.  From my unscientific survey of the parents I know, however, many parents don't love it, including me.  First, there are way too many parties squeezed in there at once at the time, making for a very tight fit and a very high noise level.  It's not a comfortable place to hang out.  Secondly, a high number of parties means a very high number of kids who are running, screaming, flailing their arms, laughing, crying and more.  Just watch the action for a while and you'll see quite a few kids literally slam right into each other, like atoms colliding.  Thirdly, again because of the capacity crowd, every game is occupied so there is a bit of waiting involved.  It is very difficult to get a child filled to the brim with grease and sugar to be patient.  And finally, I think the food is awful.  At least, the pizza and the cake are not very good.  I haven't ventured to try any of the other items they offer.

Apparently, I'm not the only one who feels this way: see here and here.

They've got us parents in their clutches and we can't escape, because every child wants a party at Chuck E. Cheese.  The company, CEC Entertainment Inc., has 420 corporately owned and 48 franchise restaurants in 48 states and 4 countries.  (I wonder which 2 states are missing out on this experience.)  They are raking in the dough, so they must be doing something right.

I think someone (are you out there reading this right now?!) needs to come up with a more upscale version of Chuck E. Cheese.  Someone who is willing to make a little bit less than CEC, maybe, but still quite a lot, by creating a place that parents would love as much as kids.  I know I would be willing to pay quite a bit more just so that I could go home from these parties without a blinding headache.  Isn't there room for another player in this market?  What if there was a place that had better food, more comfortable seating, maybe an espresso machine, better music along the lines of, say, Laurie Berkner and Dan Zanes?  Is this all just a pipe dream?

Tag: marketing

Inspiration Sans Cheese

On Fast Company's blog, I read about these cool motivational posters designed by Right Brain Terrain.  I checked them out, and I really, really like them.  They are so much better than that stuff they sell at Successories, the place my husband and I like to call "Cheesecessories".  I have to say that whenever I see one of those posters, I just cringe.  You know the ones ...

What I really like about Right Brain Terrain is the passion that is displayed in the way they describe what they do:

AMPs [alternative motivational posters] avoid the all-too established formula of the mainstream motivational poster: color photograph, giant type, faux frame thingy, and inspirational quote on blindingly shiny paper.  RBT believes that such posters serve a purpose and a specific audience, but since they don't appeal to us we decided to create ones that do.

AMPs are subtle, loud, metaphoric, ambiguous, motivational, literal, symbolic, obvious, bright, dark, distressed, clean, colorful, black and white, surprising, predictable, unique, exciting, boring, inspiring ... There are no rules -- just gut.  The process is a visceral one that is fueled by a yearning to positively contribute to society, for the sheer love of the creative process, for the poetically stagnant nature of posters, and for the deliberate art of contemporary graphic design ...

AMPs are not intended to inspire one to get off the couch and run a marathon.  We believe they serve as subtle reminders of our imperfect nature or of our personal victories.  They can be our cheerleaders on good days and our coaches on bad ones ...

Anyway, you get the picture.  Or the poster, as it were. 

Besides which, it seems the founder, Frederic Terral went to Michigan State University.  So did I.  (Go Spartans.)

they're losin' it! (Sung to the McDonald's Theme Song)

I know I'm a little behind in commenting on the story about McDonald's offering money to rappers as an incentive to name check the Big Mac in their songs. Blame it on the fact that, as I recover from back surgery, most of what I've done for the last few weeks has involved sleeping, with a little sleeping thrown in for good measure.

Yet I can't resist sharing my sadness and deep regret with you regarding the depths to which McDonald's has fallen. This story reminds me of some poor soul having to pay a lady of the evening for sex. McDonald's is taking the "if you can't get it on your own merits, just go buy it" approach. Hello! If they're not rapping about your two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame seed bun already, perhaps it's because Big Macs are not worth rapping about. Besides, if you're going to do it, don't be like Hugh Grant and Eddie Murphy and get CAUGHT, for goodness sake!

I just love that hip hop impresario Jermaine Dupri called the whole idea cheesy! Seems McDonald's sure has gotten themselves into a pickle. :)

Going Local: Farmers Trading Cards

I came across this interesting tidbit about "going local" in the magazine InCircle entree:

"Recently the thing that's made travel easier -- globalization -- has also made it less exciting.  Luckily people are starting to realize that the big-box stores and chain restaurants only make us want to stay at home.  So everybody's starting to go local:  restaurants, hotels, even neighborhoods.  The need to be authentic, to be small, self-run, and tied to the community, has led to the 'boutiquing' of the world."

Personally, I like the boutiquing of the world.  I think businesses that have a manageable size, and that require senior management to be in constant contact with both their staff and their customers, invariably always provide better experiences.  The article offers up a restaurant in Cambridge, Massachusetts, as an example of going local.

"At Henrietta's Table in Cambridge, Massachusetts, your check comes with a trading card of one of the farmers they buy from."

I think this is a really nice touch.  The restaurant believes the cards are an interesting way to help diners learn about the people who play such a big part in bringing the meal to the table.  I believe what they are doing is humanizing their work and providing a storyline for the dining experience.

Tag: marketing

AdPulp: Cut The Crap

Check out this story over at AdPulp for another big sign that companies are moving away from big media buys and toward creating more personal experiences around their brands: AdPulp: Cut The Crap.