According to my BtoB daily news alert, the Postal Service is extending it's discount offerings for bulk mail. While not an immediate savings (but a rebate on postage from mailings this summer), it ought to help the USPS gain back some of the lost revenue during this recession, especially from those too lazy or incompetent to file for the rebate on time.
But with the discount rules, it sucks to be a small company with limited funding for direct mailings. I guess the USPS would rather target the companies who definitely have the money to spend on bulk mail. So we can assume Bed Bath & Beyond will continue to supply us with store coupons while the little guys continue to fade out of existence. Thus is capitalism.
May 18, 2009
May 8, 2009
Some networking reminders
10e20, an internet marketing and web development company, has some good social networking tips on its blog. They're the basic, standard strategies, but I think a lot of people focus too much on knowing the bigwigs and forget to "meet the newcomers."
The good networkers know that every introduction has the potential to create a mutually beneficial relationship. Not everyone will be useful to you immediately if at all. But if they have a need, help them in the what-goes-around-comes-around, good-karma kinda way. You never know what family they have and friends they keep.
The good networkers know that every introduction has the potential to create a mutually beneficial relationship. Not everyone will be useful to you immediately if at all. But if they have a need, help them in the what-goes-around-comes-around, good-karma kinda way. You never know what family they have and friends they keep.
May 7, 2009
Starbucks, in an act of desperation
A lot of people have already touched on the Starbucks' campaign. It would have been more timely if I had posted last week when I first saw the Starbuck's Ideas in Action blog (thanks to Ms. Hulka!). Alas, I've been busy planning my move to a new apt.
Starbucks' new ads are just terrible. While its marketers' heads are in the right place, the actual tone and message of these ads is negative, desperate. It's understandable to promote the quality of your products and your contribution to society when cheaper chains are absorbing the recession business. But getting intensely defensive only reminds people that you're battling to reverse your haughty image.
This campaign isn't going to retain its customers (the ones at this point will probably never leave) or get back those who switched to cheaper coffees. It's lecturing to those who don't believe in its quality, and I feel like I'm being yelled at for not supporting Starbucks. The ad I saw in USAToday has short sentences and lots of interjections ("and," "but," "oh," etc.). It reminds me of arguing with someone who doesn't really have a point, but thinks that throwing every possible defense into the discussion will win me over. Five points in one ad is far too chaotic.
I also dislike the way Starbucks treats its value as if the world cannot carry on without a place to buy an overpriced latte, sit on a couch very much like my own at home with people that I won't be socializing with, and hear music I can get for free from the library. The entire campaign's case does nothing to change the mind of someone like me. It should focus solely on its contribution to my world, not my coffee shop. It needs a better strategy to change it's image and lure uncertain consumers.
I could go on all day, but to end this rant, here's a line from the blog post that I find tacky: "It’s not about what’s cheapest – it’s about what’s best – for them, their families, their communities and the world around them." While it's always best to assume everyone is stupid for clarity's sake, don't treat consumers like they're naive. Sometimes, luxuries need to be compromised for self-survival---even if you support Fair Trade coffee. Because coffee is coffee in a recession.
Overall, this ad only certifies that Starbucks is for the elite, not the rest of us budgeting to stay afloat.
Starbucks' new ads are just terrible. While its marketers' heads are in the right place, the actual tone and message of these ads is negative, desperate. It's understandable to promote the quality of your products and your contribution to society when cheaper chains are absorbing the recession business. But getting intensely defensive only reminds people that you're battling to reverse your haughty image.
This campaign isn't going to retain its customers (the ones at this point will probably never leave) or get back those who switched to cheaper coffees. It's lecturing to those who don't believe in its quality, and I feel like I'm being yelled at for not supporting Starbucks. The ad I saw in USAToday has short sentences and lots of interjections ("and," "but," "oh," etc.). It reminds me of arguing with someone who doesn't really have a point, but thinks that throwing every possible defense into the discussion will win me over. Five points in one ad is far too chaotic.
I also dislike the way Starbucks treats its value as if the world cannot carry on without a place to buy an overpriced latte, sit on a couch very much like my own at home with people that I won't be socializing with, and hear music I can get for free from the library. The entire campaign's case does nothing to change the mind of someone like me. It should focus solely on its contribution to my world, not my coffee shop. It needs a better strategy to change it's image and lure uncertain consumers.
I could go on all day, but to end this rant, here's a line from the blog post that I find tacky: "It’s not about what’s cheapest – it’s about what’s best – for them, their families, their communities and the world around them." While it's always best to assume everyone is stupid for clarity's sake, don't treat consumers like they're naive. Sometimes, luxuries need to be compromised for self-survival---even if you support Fair Trade coffee. Because coffee is coffee in a recession.
Overall, this ad only certifies that Starbucks is for the elite, not the rest of us budgeting to stay afloat.
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