Friday, December 31, 2010

Ready Made New Year's Resolutions

Why bother trying to come up with meaningful (and creative!) New Year's Resolutions when you can simply choose from the company that makes a living off resolutions all year round?

Presenting the most powerful of its branding tools, the Lululemon Manifesto:


Go ahead! Pick one for 2011.

Friday, December 24, 2010

Happy Holidays Bo, the Obama Dog!

Generally, I'm not fond of email marketing.

With all the ease of personalization online, nobody still seems to have gotten the message that emails should be customized for the client, and not just one standard email blast to everybody on the mailing list. (I'm looking at you American Eagle; I don't care men's jeans are on sale; don't email me!)

But the White House emails have it right, without even having to customize.



  • They send it only about once a month or so.
  • The messages are general enough to apply to everyone. Mostly "universal" values like family, healthy lifestyles, hard work, helping each other are presented, and political agendas (where differences arise) as well as issues relating to particular groups (race agendas, senior's issues etc) are avoided.
  • They are always personally signed by Mr. or Mrs. Obama or Biden, depending on the topic. Sure, I know the President isn't sitting there, writing me an email, but it's nice to have "Barack Obama" under "Sender" in my inbox.


A nice example of this is the holiday greeting I got from them this morning:

Good morning,
The holiday season is one of my favorite times of year at the White House. The White House truly feels like the “People’s House,” as folks of all ages from across the country pass through the halls enjoying the beautiful décor and celebrating the history here at every turn. More than 100,000 visitors will come to the White House this holiday season, and we wanted to give everyone a chance to share in the magic of the White House during the holidays. This year’s White House theme, Simple Gifts, is a celebration of the simple things that bring joy during the holidays, like spending time with family and friends and serving those in need in our communities.  And it’s a reminder to us all, particularly in these trying times, that some of the greatest gifts in our lives are those that don’t cost a thing. On behalf of Barack, Malia, Sasha, and Bo, I wish you and your family a very happy and healthy holiday season. 
Sincerely,
Michelle Obama

First Lady of the United States 

Aw! Happy Holidays to you too Bo and the Obamas! And my readers of course! =)



Sunday, December 5, 2010

Stealth Up-Selling

In my vast experience as a shopper, I have seen many tricks for "upselling." Suggesting, hinting, cajoling, discounting- it goes on.

The other day at Footlocker though, really stuck with me.



We were buying a pair of running shoes. When the employee got the right size for us, he let my cousin try the right shoe on- as is.

For the left shoe on, he had already stuck on an insole (worth $19.99) while he was still in the back. He did not mention anything about it to us. But as soon as my cousin tried the left shoe on, he could FEEL the difference.

Of course, he asked why the left one felt better. The salesperson, conveniently waiting for this question, launched into an explanation of the awesomeness of the insole.


Needless to say, we bought the insoles with the shoes.

Letting the customer experience the difference- the product benefits- without acting like it is an "upsell" - can be much more effective.


Thank you http://www.footlocker.com for the photos in this post.