No Female Appeal

I found myself having a very mixed reaction when I first saw the AT&T 'Blanket' commercial.

On the positive side, I definitely was impressed by the visual magnificence of seeing all those buildings and bridges being covered by the orange silk and wondered - as I am sure I was meant to do - how on earth they managed to do it. Amazing! The music was also something that had a real 'feel good' quality to it and made the commercial a pleasure to watch.

However, as a female consumer, it left me cold in a couple of pretty important ways.

Firstly, the message that AT&T covers 93% of Americans made me feel like it was another classic example of the big boys not giving the little guys a chance. I know that the commercial wasn't actually saying that AT&T controlled 93% of all cell phone business, but it came across that way to me. As women, we really don't like the language of 'mine is bigger than yours' and this commercial definitely made me feel like this is what AT&T were saying.

Secondly, although I can totally see that not all women would feel this way, it felt distinctly un-environmentally friendly. In this day and age when we are all tightening our belts and trying to do our bit for the environment, it felt inappropriate to be spending thousands of dollars on creating the impression of buildings being covered by silk. Whether they actually did some of it or it was all computer generated, it certainly made you feel that they were doing it and it smacked of an enormous amount of waste.

I wished I liked it better. I would have unequivocally appreciated its aesthetic beauty and sense of achievement when I was younger, but I guess I have become a little more cynical than I used to be!

Paper Or Plastic??

I know that this is going to seem like I am splitting hairs this week but bear with me.

Having returned from a much more environmentally friendly culture this summer, I became painfully aware of how we are still not doing enough to 'be greener' over here. I mean I know that every company you can think of has jumped on the green bandwagon from an opportunistic sense, but are they putting themselves out there - or are we for that matter - to make a difference, even when it hurts our pocketbooks.

A typical case in point can be experienced at my local supermarket.

When you check out the cashier asks you 'is plastic okay?'

Not a big deal right?

However, the question is framed up very differently from 'would you prefer paper or plastic'?

The latter question allows the shopper to answer one of two ways 'plastic' or 'paper'.

The former question makes shoppers respond with a 'yes' - the easy answer - or 'no' which requires a negative response and then a follow up request for paper.

I feel that this is worth pointing out because the subtle difference in the questions leads most shoppers to say that plastic is fine which is what the store wants in the first place, because it is cheaper for them to produce.

However, it is not better for the environment which is food for thought.

Janie

Enjoy The Go?

I know I should like this advertising idea from Charmin - after all, aren't us Brits totally obsessed with bathroom humor? I don't know though - I am really struggling with this one.

I think like many women, I feel that my bathroom habits are safest behind closed doors, and I mean this literally as well as figuratively. So when a company comes along and tells me to 'enjoy the go', I feel really squeamish. I mean somethings in life are just a matter of necessity and can't be made into a good time no matter how hard you try.

Perhaps more importantly, no matter how soft the toilet paper, I am still not going to be having my own private party in the washroom - it just isn't going to happen.

Maybe I am just a little too cynical for this type of stuff, but the best it is going to get for me is that my bum will enjoy not being red and irritated.

I will be interested to see what other reactions Charmin gets to this campaign.

Back to School with a Mattress?

Okay - come on now - a back to school mattress sale?

I have never heard about a kid going back to school with a mattress - infact I was under the distinct impression that the teachers preferred to keep everyone awake at school.

I know that in this economy, almost any excuse is good enough for a sale, but surely the product has to match the occasion at least to some degree. I mean are we now going to start to see sales for carpets for Valentine's Day or Weight Watchers for Christmas?

I don't know but at least where I am concerned I like the idea of getting a good deal on something that I am actually looking to buy related to the occasion in question, and when it comes to back to school I am not usually adding a mattress to my shopping cart along with the pencils and pads.

The More Things Change, The More They Stay the Same

While this has gotten a lot of play already in the press, it was just too juicy to pass up commenting on it.

I am sure that many of you have noticed the story that recently hit the airwaves about Ann Taylor's most recent run-in with the evils of airbrushing. In case you haven't, here's the story.

Essentially the company was caught air brushing (once again) a model wearing their new Chiffon Trim Tank . Apparently, the model's image appeared on their website as photographed. And she is quite a beautiful woman. Then literally before your eyes the airbrushing occurs whittling her waist down to an impossibly small size and rendering her as something akin to a Gumby doll.

And to make matters worse, this is the second time Ann Taylor has been caught doing this type of airbrushing. The first incident was in May. In that instance, when they were caught doing it, they issued a formal apology on Twitter that said "We have been overzealous on retouching but as we go forward we'll be sure to feature more real, beautiful images. We want to support and celebrate the natural beauty of women and we apologize if in the process of retouching that was lost."

I just have to say as a woman and as a marketer, this most recent incident of presenting false images of women is just all kinds of disheartening. But I have an idea for how to make good on your promise, Ann Taylor.

It's easy. Retire the retoucher!

200% of what?

Although I pride myself on being a right brain thinker - creative, intuitive, conceptual - there are times when I find myself not being able to think creatively enough.

The latest marketing gimmick of offering a 200% guarantee is one of those times when I feel like the cogs in my head are starting to whir too fast and that something is going to pop right off my brain's internal gadgetry.

Am I the only one out here who is asking '200% of what?'?

I most recently saw it in relation to a company that does home inspections.

Apparently the 200% was in relation to the fact that they would give you your money back and pay you for an inspection of your choice......okay, so in reality I do get it but it is pretty obscure if you ask me.

I have also seen it on a carton of milk.....I guess that means that if you don't like the milk that is inside the carton that they will give you two back.....really?

I always thought that a 100% guarantee meant that I would be 100% satisfied. A bit of a tall order but it sounded good and certainly showed that the company in question was confident about the quality of its product.

With the 200% guarantee, I find myself feeling less reassured rather than more reassured because I start thinking 'come on, now they are just making it up as they go along'.

I look forward to the first company that ventures into the unchartered waters of the 300% guarantee!

The Sharing Cup

We went to the movies recently as a family. We find ourselves doing that a lot lately now that we are into these lazy days of summer when the kids have too much time on their hands and are stunningly creative about finding ways to bug the crap out of me and each other.

After buying the tickets...all seven of them...and complaining once again about how expensive it is to do the simple things nowadays, like take the family out to the movies, we headed into the show.

Of course, we got sidetracked by the snack bar for a bucket of popcorn and a bunch of sodas. We bought one of those jumbo sized buckets that is enough to feed a small village and several drinks. At check out, after spending $40.00 on popcorn and soda, I asked if we could get some of their small drinking cups or a couple of paper bags so we could divvy up the popcorn into individual, more reasonably sized servings for the kids to share. Well you would have thought I was asking for something extraordinary and never before seen. Just a few small drinking cups to pour the popcorn into and I lit the place abuzz.

After 10 minutes, three counter attendants and the theater manager later, I was informed that they were unable to give me any extra cups unless I bought them. You know inventory and all that?

I thought the guy was kidding. I had just spent almost $100.00 at the theater on movie tickets, popcorn and soda and they couldn't give me a couple of extra cups so the kids could share their popcorn without fighting. And, oh by the way, be more disruptive to the other theater goers than any cell phone disturbance during show time ever could be!

Now as women, we've all heard about the worrisome trends in our country around increasing isolationism as we get more attached to our cell phones and gaming systems and less attached to each other. So we look for opportunities to get out of the house, spend time together and...here's a new idea...actually share an experience together.

And as a marketer, I see the theater industry trying hard to expand their repertoire to be a place for shared experiences, not just movies. And they are spending millions to do so. They are hosting musical performances, interactive shows, even scheduling mom's weekday gatherings. And they are on to something. I'd much rather schedule a family night at the movies than have everyone in my house go their separate ways and disappear behind a computer screen or the earphones.

But as is so often the case in marketing, they are missing the forest for the trees. I would be so much more inclined to visit my local theater for all kinds of activities...you know, become a more regular customer...if they could just get the little things right.

Like providing a sharing cup.