Ann Taylor steps it UP!

Ann Taylor is one of those classy, sophisticated stores for middle-aged career women & it seems to have been lost in the mix the past couple years. With nothing to really make it STAND OUT with designs and lines made...it's tough to stand out against rivals Banana Republic & Talbots & J Jill...who also have been hurting throughout the recession.

GOOD NEWS! Ann Taylor designs were recently seen strutting down the aisles of NY Fashion Week's runway. Here is a great quote from the Canadian Press article I found: "We've all been working really hard to reinvent the brand," Lisa Axelson, senior vice-president of design, said in an interview before the show. "We want to get the news out that Ann Taylor is changing. ... We're breaking the myth of what we used to be. A lot of the feedback we heard from market research was that the impression was that we were clothes my mom would wear. Now we're for the crazy, busy stylish working woman."

Read more @ the article in The Canadian Press & looking forward to seeing a more trendy/chic/stylish Ann Taylor soon!

goodbye vending machines...

Who knew the day would come when vending machines would be considered "so old-school"? Check out this CO company which has designed a healthy, sleek replacement for the not-so-healthy vending machines. Boulder Natural Vending has implemented a Bamboo Box & Eco Fridge which customers can store healthy, local products which he sells to their schools.

Currently it's in an elementary school in the Boulder, CO area and is hoping for expansion into other schools in the CO region. Should be interesting to see where they plan to expand this company throughout CO and the US as well as selling to companies as well as schools. Hoping this reaches the East Coast soon & best luck for success in the CO market!

Consumers Trust LESS!

Wonder why? Hmm...shall we go back to the original Enron scandel? GM? Lehman Bros? Ring a bell? It should make you realize why many consumers have lost their trust in companies today. Check out a quick video & article titled The Great Trust Offensive in BusinessWeek.

The video describes how "consumers want to know what the company is doing..." Some ways McD's has risen in the most trusted list because of tying itself to causes like GreenPeace & by not fighting its image as having unhealthy foods by posting its calorie counts in each menu item in some locations.

However not everybody is happy with every company out there... It takes some skill to improve your overall image and not something that is an instant fix. Consumers are very savy and will find ways to switch brands/retailers/options for products & services if they hear or are dissatisfied. Should be interesting to see who can improve their image & gain back the consumer trust needed for their brand to succeed!

mom-made video + Sara Lee = Mama Saga

Social media videos + product placement = brilliant! Take moms stressed out with their back-to-school kids...some product placement with Sara Lee deli meats...add a video camera on your laptop and tada!...you get MAMA SAGA!

Should be interesting to see how this connects with consumers...most likely moms with this interactive & humorous light-hearted take on the trials and tribulations of motherhood responsibilities.

Should be interesting to see if Sara Lee gets positive feedback on this program that also includes coupons available for "friending" them on Facebook & by following their Tweets!

The Way Old People Shop

You've seen senior citizens shopping but have you ever experienced shopping through the eyes & motions as one of these "old people"? WSJ writes up an interesting piece about how Kimberly-Clark is moving forward in the "next frontier in retail".

Ever thought of doing & wearing this..."glasses that blurred his vision, slipping un-popped popcorn into his shoes and adjusting tape that bound his thumbs to his palms"? Todd Vang, a Walgreens VP, explains the different shopping experience he had when shopping like a senior citizen. Check out the limitations that are explained in this article & you'll be surprised about all the problems the 65+ crowd have with everyday shopping.

It will be neat to see what K-C & other companies do to help out this aging population...looking forward to seeing different merchandising strategies implemented in the future!

SONIC in New England...shocking!!

For YEARS we have waited the arrival of SONIC in Mass and throughout New England! What is Sonic, you ask? Well if you have managed to live under a rock for the past few years, you must have been missing out on the nationwide tv ad campaign that has been driving us New England-ers nuts since there aren't any in this area of the US. Until NOW! Still not sure what it is...then here's Sonic's website.

Sonic lets costumers reminisce on the old fashioned drive-up burger joints...order, eat in the car & go! It's a ton of fun beacause of its quick, easy and affordable style of dining. Don't expect the fanciest feast here though since it is based off the idea of a burger joint but trust me, you won't be disappointed as they have a wide variety of wraps, burgers, salads, smoothies, slushies & more.

A vacation last year led me to my first Sonic in VA and it was incredible! The excitement was incredible leading up to the event & have been hoping ever since to see more break out into the New England area. Looks like the 2.5 years of advertising in this region has finally paid off! Boston Globe reports on how they had to turn away customers after they had waited over 2 hours in line. How crazy is that?

Of course there has got to be a way to tie all this back to marketing so one thing I'm wondering is if Sonic has a way to trace zip codes searched on its website to see the top hot spots in New England to consider opening up more locations. Might make for an interesting way to do marketing research...?

MEGA-Brand

BrandWeek describes it...but really the question remains - what is a megabrand? Is it something that "relates to taking a power brand and extending its equity across related product categories to drive growth and efficiencies"? Or is it just a powerful company in general? There seems to be so many large brands out there acquiring different little brands...so I wonder if technically they count as well?

Nielsen also does a nice piece on "How Can a Mega Brand Equal a Mega Success?". The key points made to keep a mega brand a mega hit revolve around the following: cross-over consumption, good practice, sustainable competitive advantage, unique relevance, persuasive actions, credibility carries clout, invest for growth, & distinct direction.

Looking forward to watching to see which companies are considered or not considered mega brands in the near future depending on which successful growth tactics they take!

the Captain has been playing some tricks!

"Calling All Captains!" How catchy is that phrase? More like sneaky if you ask me. Captain Morgan has started a new promo perfectly targeting its male 21-25 segment with free customizable voicemails to send to your male friends.

Brandweek explains more. But don't wait for your phone to ring first...be sure to prank your friends before it's too late & you get pranked first! Here's the site so be sure to test it out.