Adver-Kiosk

While reading my daily news, the following article caught my attention... Coke vs Pepsi in a modern taste test. _____________________ Coke: Buy 1 Rival, Get Our Brand Free Soft-Drink Giant's Vault Takes on Mtn Dew With Unusually Aggressive Offer By Natalie Zmuda Coca-Cola will give away a free sample of its Vault brand to anyone who buys PepsiCo's Mtn Dew. The aggressive "Don't Dew It" promotion aims to get die-hard Dew- ers to try Vault, which after three years on the market isn't just an also-ran to the Pepsi brand; it's an afterthought. According to Beverage Digest, juggernaut Mtn Dew commands more than an 80% share of the citrus segment, while Vault holds about 4%. Vault's play might be well-timed. It comes amid a name and design change for Mtn Dew that is proving unpopular with some consumers, who have expressed confusion, saying the new packaging makes the brand look like a knockoff. Those are, to some extent, the same criticisms that last ...

Below is an excerpt from a really good Ad Age article. After that, I've drafted a couple of interesting key-take-aways.... Let me know your thoughts... _________________________________ Private Label Winning Battle of Brands Marketers Face Moment of Truth As Retailers' Lines Soar to Historic Sales High By Jack Neff The unthinkable At the same time, volume is shrinking in staple categories where that once seemed impossible, with unit sales of shampoo, for example, down 7.7% last year in all channels, including Walmart . "Portion control is in," said Thom Blischok , president-consulting and innovation at IRI . "There is no previous period that exactly parallels where we are today," said Mr. Blischok , who believes consumer spending could remain weak for four to eight years and lead to a "downturn generation" that learns to scrimp and save permanently, including buying more private label. But the threat to brands goes beyond that. "Retailers have...

Couple of days ago I went to HEB specifically to buy water. As I was walking down the beverage aisle my brand options were vast. From Fiji and Panna to Hill Country (the HEB brand). Thus far I haven't really shared anything that you have not encountered... we all have a plethora of options when grocery shopping. What caught my attention this particular time was how HEB was promoting their own brand. Below is the video I took with my phone, hence all of the drastic movement, but the idea is clear. You have to give it up for HEB though... they are doing exactly what a P&G or GMI is doing, treating their Private Label brands like National Brands. Going back to my original question... how far is too far? I mean, how can National Brands compete at this level? You are playing in their own turf? As a consumer, you get to the water aisle, and though flavor is important, at the end of the day all you want is water... so you will most likely be price sensitive and go for the cheaper o...

Kevin Roberts, CEO Worldwide of Saatchi & Saatchi once said, "For great brands to survive, they must create Loyalty Beyond Reason in consumers. This is the only way they can differentiate themselves from the millions of going-nowhere 'blands.' The secret is the use of Mystery, Sensuality, and Intimacy." Austin, Texas has been my home for the last 4 1/2 years. From the moment I arrived, I felt in love with the landscaping, the environment, the vibe and of course the candidness of its people. It is a magical place where people from many different backgrounds and ages convey. I have now lived in three cities, my hometown, Mexico City, Vaxjo, Sweden and Austin, Texas. I will miss Austin the most. In Austin, you can never be bored. It is a great college town, and it is safe. It has great restaurants, night life, music scene, and many outdoor activities. Austin, will always have a special place in my heart, not only because I made several good friends, but also because...

Around the time of the inauguration my wife and I went to church and the following video was played... There is really not much too say, except WOW! The video is very well produced, has a very strong message, and leverages one of the most talked about figures in the world today. The most interesting points are that: 1) Obama could have been one of those kids that never got to see the light of day. 2) He is pro-choice, and while the Catholic church is against it, they used his life... In my opinion, a kid should be able to maximize its potential. Thoughts?!

Are we loyal to brands? Or are we loyal to satisfy our own needs? The more I think about it, the more I am convinced that, we, consumers are very difficult to understand and please. Now, why did I say that? I didn't say it just because I necessarily agree with an old marketing premise that suggests "consumers don't know what they want." No! I say it because I think we know what we want, but the problem for marketers is that sometimes they might not know when and/or how we want it. "Oh, if they were only able to read our minds." On the other hand, I do believe we may be loyal to very select group of brands. What is the secret? There is no real secret here, but rather just common sense. I think what happens is that these particularly set of lucky brands have become an essential part of our daily routine. In the absence of them, we may feel incomplete, insecure, grouchy, sad, etc. However, when a product or service doesn't play an essential role in our liv...

This past Saturday was pretty low-key for me. Did the usual, woke up, read some articles, went for a jog and before I getting to work, Back to the Future came on. Needless to say, I watched the movie and man... what a good movie!! Before going on a tangent here I couldn't help and notice all of the products/brands that were in the movie. Not too long ago (year or two ago) when Talladega Nights came out we (advertisers/marketers) kept talking about all of the product endorsements/placements this movie had. Did they have a good Marketing Return On Investment (MROI)? I sure think so. The interesting thing about Back to the Future is that the prods placements felt organic and just part of the movie... much unlike Will Farrell's movie. The following are a couple of brands that I saw in the movie... Toyota Nike Miller Lite JCPenney Delorean Calvin Klein - Purple Can you think of brands/products that you've seen in movies that have made you want to go buy them? Why? Did it make y...