I have been away for a week! But I will make my return to blogging tomorrow (Tuesday!) See you then!
christian
Monday, October 29, 2007
Thursday, October 18, 2007
This Baby Is Out! - Nissan Rogue
I survived the exam and now I am back to real life. The only thing that is still the same is the hole in my pants; Yeah I am wearing those gray sweatpants again.
My romance with the Nissan Rogue grew even stronger when it debuted on national television as North America's favorite cheerleader's method of transportation in Heroes. Too bad the blond was dumb enough to have her car stolen. Coincidence? NO! I am sure this will play as a twist as the season progresses.
The first TV spot for the car is also out. Unfortunately, it does not include any of the scenes filmed in my neighborhood. This means that I will have to keep looking and you will have to keep reading.
Have a great day.
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
The "hole in my pant" theory
I have been working like a madman this past week because I have an exam tomorrow and some assignments that are due this week. The advancement of my professional career is keeping me away from the products I love to review.
The other day I had trouble remembering a theory about the "Adoption process" for new products. This is about how people choose to become regular users of a product. I was studying and I could not remember the damn set of steps. All of the sudden, I realized I had a hole in my pants. There it was, giving the pair of grey jogging pants some ventilation slightly below the zipper area. That is how the "hole in my pant" Theory was born.
The Adoption process for new products consists of 5 steps: Realization of Need, Information Seeking, Evaluation, Purchase and Post-Purchase behaviors.
As I was sitting on my chair, bearded and stressed, I realized that I had a hole in my pants and that these pants were getting old. I REALIZED that I needed new pants (Step 1)
After so much studying, I have become the champion procrastinator of the neighborhood. Therefore, I decided to go online and research Abercrombie and Hollister pants as potential replacements. I was SEEKING INFORMATION (Step 2) and PROCRASTINATING (not a necessary step)
After reading about the pants, I evaluated my options. I could fix my old pants, buy a pair of nice and sharp looking Abercrombie pants (Excuse me! Does it come with the six pack in the picture?) or settle for the decent and still very stylish, but cheaper Hollister pants. I am EVALUATING my options (Step 3) But really, I know I will not buy new pants. I am el cheapo after all.
This is where my theory reached the realm of fiction. This is the step where I would actually go and buy something. But I really will not. I will settle for the fictional pair of Abercrombies and matching six pack; I pretend to PURCHASE something (Step 4)
On the last step on the "hole in my pant" Theory, I hesitate with my fictional pair of pants. I am not sure if it was the best decision. Perhaps I should have gone for the Hollister pants and save the extra money. This is called "POST PURCHASE BEHAVIOR" or buyer's remorse (Step 5). After struggling with my decision, I decide it is best to return the fictional Abercrombie pants. All of the sudden, I am back on my chair, bearded, with a hole in my pants and even a little more stressed because I just wasted 30 min writing about fictional Abercrombie pants and matching six packs.
Wish me luck tomorrow!
The other day I had trouble remembering a theory about the "Adoption process" for new products. This is about how people choose to become regular users of a product. I was studying and I could not remember the damn set of steps. All of the sudden, I realized I had a hole in my pants. There it was, giving the pair of grey jogging pants some ventilation slightly below the zipper area. That is how the "hole in my pant" Theory was born.
The Adoption process for new products consists of 5 steps: Realization of Need, Information Seeking, Evaluation, Purchase and Post-Purchase behaviors.
As I was sitting on my chair, bearded and stressed, I realized that I had a hole in my pants and that these pants were getting old. I REALIZED that I needed new pants (Step 1)
After so much studying, I have become the champion procrastinator of the neighborhood. Therefore, I decided to go online and research Abercrombie and Hollister pants as potential replacements. I was SEEKING INFORMATION (Step 2) and PROCRASTINATING (not a necessary step)
After reading about the pants, I evaluated my options. I could fix my old pants, buy a pair of nice and sharp looking Abercrombie pants (Excuse me! Does it come with the six pack in the picture?) or settle for the decent and still very stylish, but cheaper Hollister pants. I am EVALUATING my options (Step 3) But really, I know I will not buy new pants. I am el cheapo after all.
This is where my theory reached the realm of fiction. This is the step where I would actually go and buy something. But I really will not. I will settle for the fictional pair of Abercrombies and matching six pack; I pretend to PURCHASE something (Step 4)
On the last step on the "hole in my pant" Theory, I hesitate with my fictional pair of pants. I am not sure if it was the best decision. Perhaps I should have gone for the Hollister pants and save the extra money. This is called "POST PURCHASE BEHAVIOR" or buyer's remorse (Step 5). After struggling with my decision, I decide it is best to return the fictional Abercrombie pants. All of the sudden, I am back on my chair, bearded, with a hole in my pants and even a little more stressed because I just wasted 30 min writing about fictional Abercrombie pants and matching six packs.
Wish me luck tomorrow!
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Understanding Bubble Gum
I apologize for the delay in writing. I am still around, my guts are still angry and still have lots of complaining to do.
So the other day I came across a box of Wrigley's Extra Citrus Squeeze. It caught my eye because of the packaging. The bubble gum market is obviously a very old one. In order to keep the excitement going and the sales from dropping too too much, companies need to constantly develop new ideas. This can mean new flavors, new colors, new packaging or new endorsements by superstars. Anything goes, as long as it helps the sales increase.
The Wrigley Company was founded in 1891 and it only had two products: Juicy Fruit and Wrigley's Spearmint. Today, the company is in more than 180 countries and it is constantly branching out to new areas by acquiring other smaller players in the candy industry. The brand "Extra" is one of many in their portfolio and it recently launched a new set of flavors that come packaged in small carton box with 14 pieces of gum.
Extra Citrus Squeeze comes wrapped in the same thin transparent plastic wrapping that CDs have. So the first challenge to get to your gum is to find a way to open the package. It is the same issue as with CDs, only with the added urgency to chew. It is hard to open but you'll get there. Once you open the package, you will find 14 individual gums neatly wrapped in paper. Like soldiers lined up in front of their sergeant, two lines and no one is moving. That is the next problem: no one moves. Why? Because all the gum is stuck to the bottom of the package.
My patience was gone and I decided that some inexpensive Mexican force (yes, I am Mexican and I love making Mexican jokes) was required and I ripped one of the gums off. Two other pieces came out along with some white cardboard from the bottom of the package. Out of my post traumatic consumer rage, I ate the whole three pieces of gum. The taste? It lasted about two minutes and then it disappeared. I actually spent longer opening the box than eating the damn gum, three pieces at once. This consumer innovation is brilliant, make your consumer angry so he or she eats more!
So here is a photo of a similar package but for a different product. Have a great evening.
So the other day I came across a box of Wrigley's Extra Citrus Squeeze. It caught my eye because of the packaging. The bubble gum market is obviously a very old one. In order to keep the excitement going and the sales from dropping too too much, companies need to constantly develop new ideas. This can mean new flavors, new colors, new packaging or new endorsements by superstars. Anything goes, as long as it helps the sales increase.
The Wrigley Company was founded in 1891 and it only had two products: Juicy Fruit and Wrigley's Spearmint. Today, the company is in more than 180 countries and it is constantly branching out to new areas by acquiring other smaller players in the candy industry. The brand "Extra" is one of many in their portfolio and it recently launched a new set of flavors that come packaged in small carton box with 14 pieces of gum.
Extra Citrus Squeeze comes wrapped in the same thin transparent plastic wrapping that CDs have. So the first challenge to get to your gum is to find a way to open the package. It is the same issue as with CDs, only with the added urgency to chew. It is hard to open but you'll get there. Once you open the package, you will find 14 individual gums neatly wrapped in paper. Like soldiers lined up in front of their sergeant, two lines and no one is moving. That is the next problem: no one moves. Why? Because all the gum is stuck to the bottom of the package.
My patience was gone and I decided that some inexpensive Mexican force (yes, I am Mexican and I love making Mexican jokes) was required and I ripped one of the gums off. Two other pieces came out along with some white cardboard from the bottom of the package. Out of my post traumatic consumer rage, I ate the whole three pieces of gum. The taste? It lasted about two minutes and then it disappeared. I actually spent longer opening the box than eating the damn gum, three pieces at once. This consumer innovation is brilliant, make your consumer angry so he or she eats more!
So here is a photo of a similar package but for a different product. Have a great evening.
Monday, October 8, 2007
Friday, October 5, 2007
Hope in a bottle, part II
The truth can be complicated. Sometimes lies seemed easier to believe than the actual truth. That is the contrived nature of our own being. Yeah, we are all a little stupid.
I am very excited about my new membership with a group solely dedicated to send people to do internships around the globe. I joined with the purpose of meeting people, learning something new and hopefully by next June or July, fly away to somewhere new. Who knows where I will end up, hopefully somewhere safe and with lots of alcohol. Oh yeah... and with an amazing employer that will provide me with the experience that will take my career to the next level. But I really hope the alcohol is cheap, because these internships do not pay really well. That is the truth and it is easy to believe it.
Lets try this theory again, you are in a super market waiting in line to pay for a cart full of groceries. You look at the shelves in front of you, filled with chocolates and candy that is screaming at you: "Eat me", "Buy me", "Tasty". You surrender to their demands and decide that you must have one. The line is moving and you are running out of time. You narrow your decision to a single serving of Cadbury chocolate or a bag of Mini Eggs. The chocolate costs $1.75 and the Mini Eggs cost $1.00. Which one do you think would give the grocer the most profits, the chocolate or the eggs?
A bag of Mini Eggs is one of the most profitable single serving candies in the market. This is the truth and yet I cannot believe it. Have a great weekend!
I am very excited about my new membership with a group solely dedicated to send people to do internships around the globe. I joined with the purpose of meeting people, learning something new and hopefully by next June or July, fly away to somewhere new. Who knows where I will end up, hopefully somewhere safe and with lots of alcohol. Oh yeah... and with an amazing employer that will provide me with the experience that will take my career to the next level. But I really hope the alcohol is cheap, because these internships do not pay really well. That is the truth and it is easy to believe it.
Lets try this theory again, you are in a super market waiting in line to pay for a cart full of groceries. You look at the shelves in front of you, filled with chocolates and candy that is screaming at you: "Eat me", "Buy me", "Tasty". You surrender to their demands and decide that you must have one. The line is moving and you are running out of time. You narrow your decision to a single serving of Cadbury chocolate or a bag of Mini Eggs. The chocolate costs $1.75 and the Mini Eggs cost $1.00. Which one do you think would give the grocer the most profits, the chocolate or the eggs?
A bag of Mini Eggs is one of the most profitable single serving candies in the market. This is the truth and yet I cannot believe it. Have a great weekend!
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
Christian's top three signs the US is going into recession
Here are my top three signs that the US might go into a recession sometime soon:
3) A cold housing market:
Housing is directly connected to the idea of wealth. Owning a house determines your status and it directly reflects how much money you have. So the moment the housing market goes sour, people start spending less, borrowing less and the economy starts slowing down. Furthermore, the fact that a burst in the housing market can lead to a recession is backed by historical data; housing booms and busts happened before the great depression and before the horrible Japanese recession at the end of the 1980's.
2) Job Loss:
When an economy starts slowing down, companies struggle and start cutting jobs. While nothing is simple when dealing with the economy, very few signs are a better indicator of the health of the economy than the labour market. The latest news from the US Labour Department is that 125,000 jobs have been lost since February 2007.
1) Consumer Spending:
The American economy, along with a big chunk of the world economy, depend on American people buying stuff. Let this Christmas be a sign of things to come; if sales this Holiday season are low, it will probably be the most serious indicator that the outlook is gloomy.
These are my choices for top three signs the US is going into a recession. Now, some people might speculate on the strength of the recession. There is no way of finding out how deep and long the recession will be. We can only predict how thing may look like in the future. It could be a slump or it could be a deep and lengthy recession. Only time will tell.
2) Job Loss:
When an economy starts slowing down, companies struggle and start cutting jobs. While nothing is simple when dealing with the economy, very few signs are a better indicator of the health of the economy than the labour market. The latest news from the US Labour Department is that 125,000 jobs have been lost since February 2007.
1) Consumer Spending:
The American economy, along with a big chunk of the world economy, depend on American people buying stuff. Let this Christmas be a sign of things to come; if sales this Holiday season are low, it will probably be the most serious indicator that the outlook is gloomy.
These are my choices for top three signs the US is going into a recession. Now, some people might speculate on the strength of the recession. There is no way of finding out how deep and long the recession will be. We can only predict how thing may look like in the future. It could be a slump or it could be a deep and lengthy recession. Only time will tell.
Monday, October 1, 2007
Hope in a bottle, part I
Here in North America, Coke and Pepsi seem to be fighting for number one. Fifty Fifty. There was crystal clear Coke and Pepsi clear. Cheeky cherry Pepsi and Coke. But once you move away from the North American market, you find that Coke is number one. Growing up in the third world (which after an ideological change, is now known as the developing world) I was surrounded by Coke. Red and white metal folding chairs and tables were a fixture in every local restaurant. Sitting on top of these metal tables would be red plastic napkin holders with Coca-Cola written across them. Coke was the mainstream. Pepsi not so much. For anybody growing up away from North America, Pepsi is like your best friend's brother. He looks like a little like your friend, acts similarly than your friend but some reason, he is just not as cool as your friend.
Destined to be occupying the second place, the other brother needs to find ways to distinguish himself. He wears different clothes, hangs out with different people and dances to a different tune. All in the hopes of breaking away from the "It looks like coke, it tastes like coke" attitude. It is my believe that, in the hopes of becoming a little cooler, Pepsi launched Jazz - Pepsi Diet Caramel Cream. Pepsi is inviting you to "Indulge your senses" with this new product.
In terms of the product, this is a hard sell. It is hard to find a bottle of pepsi indulging. Indulgence comes from exotic colors and flavors that stimulate our senses. A caffeinated drink in a plastic bottle is not going to cut it. People are looking for experiences. For a product to be indulging, it has to offer a whole experience to a consumer. It has to be memorable.
The first thing you will taste in Pepsi Diet Caramel Cream is caramel. It is immediately followed by that peculiar taste of sweetener. But the caramel flavor is strong enough to dominate and it manages to create a pleasant light caramel aftertaste.
The package is a strange combination of golden tones and blue. The golden color of the label and the blue on the plastic cap do not match. If the goal was to indulge your senses, the color mismatch in the bottle does anything but that. Furthermore, a golden label in a Pepsi bottle that is claiming to be indulging, is like a car salesman trying to sell me a golden Ford Focus as a luxury car. It just does not work.
After all, I can point out all the things I may not like about this product. But at the end of the day, a product like this must deliver in what is most important for people buying something to drink. It has to be tasty. And Diet Pepsi Caramel Cream is tasty. It is a little too sweet for my taste but, if you like any of the sugary drinks and you like caramel, you will like it.
Once again, the other brother is trying something new and exciting. Hoping that people will start realizing that he is not just a oddly similar version to the popular brother. Today, hope comes in a bottle with poor color combination and a taste of caramel.
Destined to be occupying the second place, the other brother needs to find ways to distinguish himself. He wears different clothes, hangs out with different people and dances to a different tune. All in the hopes of breaking away from the "It looks like coke, it tastes like coke" attitude. It is my believe that, in the hopes of becoming a little cooler, Pepsi launched Jazz - Pepsi Diet Caramel Cream. Pepsi is inviting you to "Indulge your senses" with this new product.
In terms of the product, this is a hard sell. It is hard to find a bottle of pepsi indulging. Indulgence comes from exotic colors and flavors that stimulate our senses. A caffeinated drink in a plastic bottle is not going to cut it. People are looking for experiences. For a product to be indulging, it has to offer a whole experience to a consumer. It has to be memorable.
The first thing you will taste in Pepsi Diet Caramel Cream is caramel. It is immediately followed by that peculiar taste of sweetener. But the caramel flavor is strong enough to dominate and it manages to create a pleasant light caramel aftertaste.
The package is a strange combination of golden tones and blue. The golden color of the label and the blue on the plastic cap do not match. If the goal was to indulge your senses, the color mismatch in the bottle does anything but that. Furthermore, a golden label in a Pepsi bottle that is claiming to be indulging, is like a car salesman trying to sell me a golden Ford Focus as a luxury car. It just does not work.
After all, I can point out all the things I may not like about this product. But at the end of the day, a product like this must deliver in what is most important for people buying something to drink. It has to be tasty. And Diet Pepsi Caramel Cream is tasty. It is a little too sweet for my taste but, if you like any of the sugary drinks and you like caramel, you will like it.
Once again, the other brother is trying something new and exciting. Hoping that people will start realizing that he is not just a oddly similar version to the popular brother. Today, hope comes in a bottle with poor color combination and a taste of caramel.
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