Falalalalalalalala!

By Kellie J. Lala

 

Ok, I must admit I like the holidays. Perhaps it’s my name or that I love to shop and buy for others (and myself).  Whatever the reason, the season is sneaking up on us!  According to The Center for Media Research, 50% of consumers plan to spend the same amount during the 2012 winter holiday shopping season as they did last year.  12% plan to spend more and 54% say a total of $500 or more.  Those remaining shoppers say that with the increase in prices for food, gas and other life necessities, they are on a bit of a budget.  I must admit that I begin shopping after the holidays are over from the previous year.  I keep a running list of what I have purchased, that way I don’t double up on gifts.  This is also a great way to better budget the overall expen$e of Christmas.  I also think that consumers are savvy shoppers who compare on-line and big box prices.  Free shipping is almost expected when ordering on-line.  Recently, I was surprised that shipping for a shirt I ordered from a catalog was $12.95!  Are you kidding me?!?!?  That ate up my coupon savings and more!  

Why don’t we all make a pledge to “shop locally” this season. I know that we can’t always get everything on our list, but why don’t you try to first.  Local dollars spent help our local economy and right now there are lots of positive things happening in our community.  I hope you find everything on your Christmas list this year for those you love.   Happy shopping!

 

 

 

 

 

Branding --What Does Thinking Long Term Do for YOU?

By Julie Hein

A pal of mine, Tim Miles, had a great post on his blog today.  Tim is a Wizard of Ads Partner, so he hangs out with cool people like Roy Williams.  Tim just published a book, because he's smart.  Link to book here.  Anyway, the blog post today was great.  Maybe because he was writing in the middle of the night -- and most of the truly great ideas are waiting either in your shower or in half-awake subconscious.  Please read this and think about what branding could do for you. 

Is this heaven or an outlet mall?

By Kellie J. Lala

 

Anyone who knows me, knows I love to shop.  I also love to get something on sale.  Outlet stores and malls have certainly evolved over the years.  They have gone from overstocks and "second" merchandise to new and current season merchandise.  Contrary to popular belief, most of the goods sold in outlet stores today are new.  The days of last season’s cast offs, over-runs and past trends are virtually over.  This has come about in the past 10 years or so.  After the economy took a nose dive in 2008, the makeover of outlet stores began to rise.  In fact, outlets have been one of the fastest growing retail segments in a down economy.  Tanger’s (we have a Tanger Outlet Mall in Williamsburg that has expanded at least 3 times over the years) average shopper has a household income of $69,000.00 (which is above the nations average of $48,500.00).  Tanger is also opening new outlet malls near major cities;  Phoenix, Houston and Washington DC in order to compete with traditional malls.  Nordstrom Rack will double its stores by 2016 featuring prices 30-70% below those of Nordstrom’s.  Every woman loves to brag that she paid $300 for a $500 retail Coach bag.  The brand must equal the brand in quality and appearance in order for outlets to continue to grow.     

 

(Source:  DailyFinance.com 10/01/12)

 

 

 

 

 

The Prime Directives of Marketing Apply to All

By Glen Gardner/marketing and branding consultant

Many times when I’m engaged by a company, it’s to help figure out why a campaign isn’t working. In many cases it’s because a company or organization broke a basic marketing rule. One of those basic rules is never over-promise and under-deliver. It’s always far better to under-promise and over-deliver.

This rule has played out in a big way for Apple over the past several weeks, and it proves that even a marketing and engineering dynamo like Apple can pay a huge price when they stumble. The Guardian estimates the latest debacles involving Apple mapping technology and problems with Siri voice recognition have cost the company $30 billion in stock valuation.

Prior to the release of the iPhone 5, the Guardian reported Apple set the bar very high with the words they used to promote the new technology. “Designed by Apple from the ground up, maps gives you turn-by-turn spoken directions, interactive 3D views, and the stunning flyover feature. All of which may just make this app the most beautiful, powerful mapping service ever.”

The experience of many Apple customers has been far from the “most beautiful, powerful mapping service ever.” There have been widespread reports of glitches and mistakes that have frustrated Apple users accustomed to the buttoned-down service from Google that used to be part of the Apple offerings for iPhone.

Apple executives were quick to acknowledge the mistakes and apologize, but much of the damage had already been done and they could offer no real immediate fix. They suggested using the phone’s web browser to access Google Maps, but that doesn’t offer turn-by-turn voice nav.

The lesson to be learned is never over-promise and under-deliver. Remember, even a company as big as Apple feels the bite when they ignore the marketing basics. It could be a fatal mistake for smaller companies with fewer resources.