Monday, November 19, 2012

Non Alcoholic Whiskey?!


ArKay starting selling the world’s first “non-alcoholic” whisky a couple of months ago. My first reaction was… WHAT’S THE POINT? I’ve never known anyone to drink that bitter-throat-burning liquid to fulfill their taste palette:



But then I discovered the marketing plans behind this. In the United Kingdom (and elsewhere), they are marketing ArKay as a “halal whisky.” Muslims are not allowed to drink alcohol as it is not “halal” or not permitted. By associating themselves with this “halal” concept, they can make massive sales of the huge Muslim demographic that are currently not alcohol-buyers. 
At the end of the day though, I’m still not convinced. If I didn’t alcohol for religious purposes, I would much rather replace it with something delicious like pineapple juice, while laughing at my friends drinking what-I-imagine-gasoline-tastes-like-whisky. 

Thursday, November 15, 2012

A Receipt Full of Calories

Burgerville, a fast-food chain in Oregon, markets honesty on a daily basis with their "nutritional information-filled receipts":

While I was jumping up and down in excitement at how cool these receipts were, one of my friends brought up some very good points. Does it really make good business sense for Burgerville to do this? We all know fast-food is bad for us, but do we really need to be told that our sweet potato fries have 530 calories on our way out? Won't the guilt ruin our desire to come back for more fatty foods?

Well, I still think this is a brilliant concept:
  • It gives consumers more power and planning ability over their meals. Instead of completely avoiding burgers, we can incorporate the nutritional info into our diets easily.
  • It shows the "villainous fast-food joint" in an ethical, honest, authentic light for a change
  • As people start to order the healthier options on the menu and cut down on the not-so-healthy one, Burgerville's sales of healthier foods should go up vs. unhealthy foods, leading to the restaurant carrying more and more healthy foods...and seeing their success, all the McDonald's and Burger Kings of the world will incorporate this too and we'll have a world of healthy food...am I being too idealistic now?
What are your thoughts?  Would you want to see this receipt after your meal?