Season Creep

The back-to-school marketing season starts right after July 4th and Halloween marketing gears up immediately after Labor day. Christmas marketing pops up in mid-summer but really gets going during October, more than a month earlier than even a decade ago.

Do consumers buy more if the selling season is longer? I suspect we string out our purchases but spend about the same as we would if retailers didn't display merchandise earlier and earlier.

More about the season: The National Retail Federation estimates that Halloween is a $5 billion business. Those temporary Halloween stores (like Spirit Halloween) are just the thing for serious costume/decoration shopping, because they have such deep assortments.

My sister bought her grandson a skeleton costume in a Halloween specialty store, just days before the big event. Why a skeleton, rather than Spiderman or Superman? "It was the scariest costume in the store," Michael told me. Happy Halloween.

C2C Barter Meets Technology

A recent New York Times piece mentions sites where consumers can arrange to trade used DVDs, books, CDs, etc. for a very small fee. Although I usually donate my books and DVDs to the local Friends of the Library group (which holds a gigantic book sale every year), online swaps are a good use of the technology for consumer-to-consumer transactions.

Here are three of the sites--check them out:

Peerflix (DVDs)
La La (CDs)
Paperback Swap (books)

New Life For Chuckles?

Nostalgia marketing at work: Remember those pocket-size packs of Chuckles with 5 different flavored jellies? Staples of my childhood, Chuckles have been hard to find of late. But now Farley's and Sathers Candy Co. of Round Lake, Minnesota is making them under license. I rediscovered Chuckles in a Manhattan candy store just two weeks ago and hope this nostalgic brand gets wider distribution (meaning shelf space in supermarkets near me).

Farley's and Sathers has other familiar brands, including Jujyfruits and Super Bubble, that candy-lovers of a certain age enjoyed back then and might still enjoy today. Here's the URL:

http://www.farleysandsathers.com/default.htm

Everlast Fragrance?

On p. 38 of this month's Fast Company magazine is a fun feature titled "When Brand Extensions Go Bad." Everlast cologne, Sylvestor Stallone high-protein pudding, Harley-Davidson cake decorating kit--who could make this stuff up? These are not brand extensions that I'd buy or, as a marketer, would recommend.

Unlocking the PLU Code

According to Cooking Light (October issue), the Product Look Up (PLU) code on non-organic fruits and vegetables consists of four digits. Organic produce bears a five-digit code starting with 9. Genetically modified produce bears a five-digit code starting with 8. So take a closer look next time you're in the supermarket.

As a marketer, I believe consumers should be informed about how to decode these ubiquitous numbers. Of course, I also believe in open dating (so buyers can quickly determine when a product expires, for example) but apparently many manufacturers and retailers think otherwise. What do you think?

More Products Get Personal!

Sure, Jones Soda and Heinz both sell their products in personalized bottles (see http://myjones.com and http://myheinz.com). You can also order customized M&Ms (at http://mymms.com).

But did you know you can put your favorite photo on a box of Wheaties? Check it out (at http://wheatiestrophy.com).

Want a bobblehead of someone near and dear? Now it's possible (at http://bobbleheadworld.com).

Or have a few letters or your logo stamped on Texas steak (at http://www.texasirons.com). What's next?

Ads in the Movies

From Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest to Talladega Nights, the movies I've seen in theaters during the past month have been accompanied by a full ration of ads (and previews, of course).

My current favorites are the animated Coca-Cola ad in which the young man dances around doing good deeds throughout his neighborhood ("You're gonna be remembered for the things that you say and do") and the Old Navy "Fash" ads. However, I'm not the target audience for either of these ads so I'm not sure whether they miss or make the mark. Any thoughts?

Laptop Batteries--Hot Stuff

Luckily, my husband's MacBook Pro (sitting five feet away from me here in the office) doesn't have one of those potentially unsafe batteries. Does yours? Here's the Business Week story:

http://www.businessweek.com/ap/tech/D8JNDQV80.htm?chan=search

Years ago, my old Dell laptop went through one battery recall, yet I've continued to buy Dell products. Now this battery issue has become an industrywide problem and could turn out to be a PR turning point in the battle for market share. How will the big dogs handle the recall(s) and the aftermath?

Far-Out Brand Extensions

An interesting story in Business Week poses the question: How far can brand extensions go? A Harley-Davidson cake decorating kit sounds unlikely but then again, super-loyal customers will do all kinds of things.

Here are some brand extensions I don't want to see:

1. Nike nose-hair razor (not for athletes only)
2. Mountain Dew photo scanner (no caffeine jitters for my photos)
3. Starbucks plumbing service (no caffeine jitters for my pipes)
4. Amazon.com Airways
   

Say Hello to Wi-Fi Phones

Remember when cell phone technology disrupted the traditional land-line phone industry? Now Wi-Fi phones are on the way, becoming the new, new thing that will disrupt the cell phone companies that once disrupted the land-line companies.

The New York Times reports that Earthlink is building networks in Pennsylvania and California in preparation for launching Wi-Fi phone service priced at a fraction of cell phone service. Skype has several manufacturers producing Wi-Fi phones compatible with its Internet calling service.

Hello to Wi-Fi, goodbye to land-lines and cell phones? I've already cut one of my two land-lines in favor of a Vonage line . . . maybe I'll hang up on cell technology when Wi-Fi phones come calling. How about you?