Organic Growth from Earth-Friendly Books

No April Fools here. More books are going eco-friendly--sometimes in the extreme.

The colorful, award-winning kids' books from Priddy Books are going greener all the time. (This means the company's organic growth is due to going organic.) Now Priddy prints with eco-friendly soy ink, on paper that is partly recycled and partly from sustainable forests. The company extensively tests its products to be sure they're child-safe and meet strict safety standards for U.S., Europe, Australia, and New Zealand.

Barnes & Noble features a collection of earth-friendly books here, by iKids. And now on the way: iPhone and iPod versions of kids' books from iKids Play, which save paper in the extreme by going directly to the screen. Will kids be more interested in Kindles and eReaders if they learn to read on a small screen?

Brand Extensions Out on a Limb

When I saw the Disney Eggs commercial, I knew it was time for a new edition of "brand extensions beyond belief." Many companies prefer brand extensions to new-to-the-world products because of the perceived lower risk. But brand extensions (even when handled via licensing) don't always work out--and they can actually hurt the brand's identity if not handled properly.

Here are some unusual brand extensions that IMO seem too outlandish to last.

• Disney Farm Fresh Eggs. This is the real commercial, not intended as an Easter promotion. Many people (incl me) pay extra for local farm eggs or organic eggs. But Mickey Mouse eggs? What does this do for the brand or how does the brand help the eggs?
• Six Flags Roller Coaster Cuts. Sounds like fun but remember what Mom said about running with scissors? Another question: Why use the Six Flags brand when you can just call the company "Roller Coaster Cuts" and leave it at that?
• Yankee Sod. Grass seed from the same company that supplies Yankee Stadium (DeLea Sod, pictured above). Will this fly with Mets or Seattle Mariners fans? At least the benefits have some relation to the brand. Does this mean your lawn won't last till the pennant championship?
  

Please add your least-favorite brand extensions to this list.

All Aboard National Train Day

Amtrak is advertising the second annual National Train Day, "the celebration of everything train." On May 9th, Amtrak will be offering train tours and lots more at events in Washington, D.C., Chicago, New York, Philadelphia, and dozens of other cities it serves.

Why May 9? The answer is in history: On May 10, 1869, the golden spike was driven into train tracks in Utah to complete America's first transcontinental railroad.

The marketing lesson: Trainiacs (as Amtrak calls train fans) can build a brand buzz faster than a speeding locomotive. Just for good measure, Amtrak points out all the earth-friendly reasons for taking a train, too. The National Train Day web site has the same retro graphics as the print ads (such as on back cover of April's Budget Travel). This being the era of social media, Amtrak has a Facebook page with 4,200 fans. It also has a Twitter account that seems to be dormant, at least as of today. All aboard!

Blog Personality

Business Week recently mentioned Typealyzer, a site that classifies the persona of a blog writer according to personality types similar to the Myers-Briggs personality model.

I entered this blog's name and discovered that I'm classified as a Doer (see not-too-accurate illustration of Doer, from Typealyzer, at left). BW says that Bill Marriott is a Doer, as well, based on his blog. Here's the definition of Doer, from Typealyzer. What do you think?

The active and playful type. They are especially attuned to people and things around them and often full of energy, talking, joking and engaging in physical out-door activities.

The Doers are happiest with action-filled work which craves their full attention and focus. They might be very impulsive and more keen on starting something new than following it through. They might have a problem with sitting still or remaining inactive for any period of time.

Skating under the Radar

Now less than a year away, the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics seem to be running under the radar--too bad. This week would be a good time to do some promotion, as the World Figure Skating Championships are underway in LA. But since the Olympics' early ticketing process is over and the next batch of tickets won't be released for several months, promotion is very low-key--too low-key, given the opportunity to reach core skating fans in LA.

Usually the ladies' figure skating competition is one of the highlights of the Worlds and the Olympics, grabbing much of the media attention. This year, with NBC owning the rights to air the Olympics and most of the skating competitions, it's chosen only to air the ladies' long program from Worlds on NBC on Saturday night, live. The rest of the Worlds coverage will be on Oxygen at weird times.

Shame on Oxygen for not even listing the skating programming on its online schedule page. Oxygen should take a break from the usual reality TV and show some reality on ice for a change. Bet there will be some plugs for NBC's Olympics coverage during the Oxygen coverage, however. I'll be watching.

Future Magic for Merlin

If you've been to Legoland or Madame Tussaud's or the London Eye, you've been to one of Merlin Entertainment Group's attractions. After Disney, it's the world's largest operator of theme parks and attractions, welcoming 32 million visitors annually.

Looking ahead, Merlin recently bought Underwater Adventures at Mall of America and is expanding with a new Seahorse Kingdom exhibit, reports the Minneapolis Star Tribune (photo is from this news story). Merlin is also thinking about buying Busch Entertainment, which owns Busch Gardens and other U.S. amusement parks (oops, I meant theme parks).

If the economics are very good, these purchases will make magic for Merlin in the future, when shoppers start shopping again and families return to theme parks in droves. I'd like to see Disney have to compete for visitors.

Red Marketing for a Cause

Noticed those red products, red packaging, red ribbons, red credit cards in stores and online? It's time for (RED), the fundraiser to stamp out AIDS in Africa, a chance to do good by going shopping.

Here are some of the (RED) activities going on right now, linked to the JoinRed site.

In the UK, American Express offers (RED) Card. For every purchase on a (RED) Card, Amex donates to the Global Fund.Apple offers special PRODUCT (RED) iPods, iTunes gift cards, and other products. A portion of the purchase price is donated to the Global Fund. Put some purchasing power on your Starbucks (RED) card and every time you use it to buy a latte or breakfast at Starbucks US/Canada, 5 cents will go to the Global Fund.
Also red--for a slightly different cause--was Red Nose Day, held by Comic Relief every other year to raise money to fight poverty. Local Red Nose "Funny for Money" events culminate in a seven-hour star-studded telethon that this year raised more than 57 million pounds (about $80 million) for poverty charities. Go RED!

Crocs: On Its Last Legs?

Crocs--which makes those colorful plastic shoes with the big holes--is in trouble. Not just because of rampant knock-offs, but because fashion is fickle and money is tight. The company's auditor has expressed doubt about its ability to "continue as a going concern." Here's the management discussion from the Crocs annual report.

It's not an uncommon story: Ramp up to handle high demand while in style, then sit looking at unsold inventory when demand plummets. Without new styles to feed fashion appetites, Crocs can't build revenues and profits for a healthy future; without cash or credit to fuel product development and promotion, Crocs can't survive. By April 1, the company's credit facility will expire, possibly taking the company down with it.

Crocs doesn't stand alone. Jibbitz, which makes accessory charms that fit in the holes of Crocs shoes, might have a rough time if people can't buy Crocs. Some 5,000 stores worldwide won't be carrying Crocs if the company fails. Not a happy ripple effect, especially in this economy.

Does Your Marketing Make a Difference?

Money is not the only measure of marketing success in today's challenging business climate. For peak long-term marketing performance, you actually need to set three objectives in your marketing plan:

• Financial objectives involve the use of marketing to achieve specific financial results (such as sales revenue, profitability, or ROI). The Australian luxury retailer David Jones sets objectives for sales revenue, profit margin, inventory turns, and more—and it manages to those objectives while nurturing its customer relationships.
• Marketing objectives involve the use of marketing to manage key relationships (such as customer or channel relationships) and key activities (such as product development or market share). Hormel Foods sets the market-share objective of ranking no lower than second in the product categories where it competes, as a way to build loyalty and combat private-label competitors.
• Societal objectives involve the use of marketing to achieve social-responsibility results (such as improving the natural environment or helping the local community). Timberland sets objectives for making its products greener every year and uses Green Index labels to reflect the environmental impact of each product.

It's a mistake to ignore societal objectives in your marketing planning. Why? First, customers need a good reason to choose your offering or brand when they open their wallets. If you have a moral purpose behind your marketing, that may very well tip the balance in your favor. Second, differentiating yourself on the basis of social responsibility sends a more powerful message than competing on the basis of price. And third, by aligning yourself with ideas and movements that make a real difference, you earn the attention and admiration of customers, employees, suppliers, distributors, and other groups important to your organization's success.

The New World of Bowling

Between bumpers, snazzy electronic scoring screens, fancy lighting, and clean, modern lanes, today's bowling experience is nothing like the old days of smoke-filled alleys and scoring by stubby pencil. Neither is the marketing.

Here's AMF's home page, complete with fun offers for family bowling (such as the Madagascar cartoon character bowling club). For value, there's a dollar-off coupon for hamburgers at the snack bar. And for morale purpose, there's a breast cancer fundraising event linked to league bowling.

The U.S. Bowling Congress is doing its part to promote bowling for all ages, with discount coupons, awards, and Bowl for the Cure breast cancer tie-in. There's bowlTV and pages for youngsters, high school students, college teams, coaches, and more.

The bowling balls look more hip too, as this image from Storm Bowling shows. Even without this wonderful ball, my score was 130 today!