512 Brewing (from Austin, of course)

A couple of months ago, we went to the Ginger Man Pub to meet up with some friends. It had been a few years since my last Ginger Man visit, and we went during the off-hours, so it wasn't too busy.

The Ginger Man Pubs always have a wide selection of beer on tap. I noticed one of the taps, and instantly knew (or thought I knew) where the brewery was from. This is what the taps looked like:

Image courtesy of thethreadaustin.com

The genius of naming their brewery "(512) Brewing" is that people instantly recognize "512" as an Austin-area area code. My favorite part of their branding process is the parentheses around the area code, to show that it's an area code.

Excellent Video about Melanoma

I recently spoke to someone whose mom is suffering from melanoma, a type of skin cancer. This made me think of one of my good friends, who lost her best friend to this disease over a year ago. I don't think that Laura even made it to her 30th birthday.

This video was created by the David Cornfield Melanoma Fund in Canada and it's quite powerful. Please take a few moments to watch this video called "Dear 16-year-old Me." It reminds me of another powerful video about Sex Trafficking.

Oreos for the Chinese Market

I found an article via NPR (National Public Radio) about the Oreo cookie and how they marketed it in China. If companies and businesses plan to bring their products to different markets or countries, they must do research.

People all over the world are driven by different goals and motivators. It's amazing when companies just assume that the American way will be the "right" way, no matter where they sell their products.

This article is a great example of how Oreo's marketing team listened to the Chinese public regarding their tastes and preferences:

http://www.npr.org/blogs/money/2012/01/27/145918343/rethinking-the-oreo-for-chinese-consumers

Casttoo - The Best Way to Make Kids with Broken Bones Smile!

I found this on Pinterest and thought it was one of the coolest things I've ever seen. I remember when I broke my wrist way back when. My cast was ugly. And white. It was summer. In Texas. And very hot.

But, how cool would it have been if I'd had something like this bad boy to show off my broken wrist?

Photo courtesy of Casttoo.com.

There's a site called Casttoo.com. All you have to do is email them a digital copy of your x-ray. They'll create an image of your break and send it to you. It looks like their cast tattoos are applied to the cast with a hairdryer. 

I wish I had come up with this idea, because it's amazing!

Casttoo.com Blog Post featuring their Broken Bone "Casttoo"

Union Jack Poo Bags

Today I went on a walk with the doggie. Strangely, I was excited about the walk because of the new poo bags that I bought for him.

Originally, I wanted to take a picture with the poo bag (doing its poo bag duty) for this blog, but, ew. My "fur"-son gets lots of fiber.

I couldn't believe that I found poo bags with the Union Jack flag. I would have expected poo bags with the French flag, because we all know that people dislike the French.

But, the British flag? When I saw them at Marshall's, first it made me laugh. Then, it made me wonder why the British flag was the flag of choice for the poo bag marketers.

I think that flags are very powerful. I love when they're used in marketing, because people identify with flags. A recent blog post showed the creative way that the Canadian flag was used in the Wendy's logo in Canada.

Black Angus Steakhouse Sign Fail

I'm sure that many people have seen this picture before, because it's hilariously amazing. There were some very special forces that aligned in the skies to make this image possible. I would like to take this opportunity to thank them.

Image courtesy of AndrewKeir.com

You know, I bet marketers never sit around thinking of these possibilities, when devising catchy names for steakhouses.

Have you ever seen anything that compares to this marketing failure?

What Caused the Shift in Consumer Preference from Bar Soap to Shower Gels?

This is something that I have often wondered about. How is it that the plain old bar soap fell out of favor with consumers? Bar soap is easier to use than shower gels, as no sponge is required.

I found a couple of articles discussing the shift from bar soaps to shower gels. I'm not really sure if an article in the UK DailyMail counts as a credible news source, but it does mention some valid points about the difference between bar soaps and shower gels.

"The great shower gel con: It's expensive...."
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2048496/Shower-gel-better-soap-It-just-wont-wash.html

and

"Liquids Move Up in the Soap Market"
http://www.happi.com/articles/2000/12/liquids-move-up-in-the-soap-market

It makes me wonder if it was simply a marketing initiative or if consumers actually prefer the liquid versions of soaps.