Will Free Coffee Payout For 7-Eleven?

9/29/11

Apparently September 29 is National Coffee Day.  (Who knew?)  In honor of the event selected 7-Eleven stores will be offering free medium-size coffee from 7 a.m. – 11 a.m. (Irwin, 2011)

Free is a good deal for consumers – who will be saving an average of $1.50.  But does it work for 7-Eleven?  When you go for your free coffee will you buy something else too?  And perhaps more importantly, will you become a regular customer of 7-Eleven going forward?

Irwin, T.  (2011, September 27).  7-Eleven Offers CofFREE Day, Facebook Game.  mediapost.com.   Retrieved September 28, 2011, from

http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=159395&nid=131587

Guaranteed satisfaction and free shipping? Sign me up!

9/22/11

L.L. Bean, founded in 1912, has always guaranteed 100% consumer satisfaction – no questions asked.  I know because I once returned something I bought from them.  Based on my experience, only a few other retailers offer the same guarantee – B&H Photo and Bloomingdales.  Not coincidentally these vendors are my favorites and I use them for my purchases whenever appropriate.

Now comes word that L.L. Bean is about to start a new campaign offering free holiday shipping.  (Mahoney, 2011)  Good for them.  A recent study from Kantar Media shows that 77% of respondents say that free shipping would encourage them to make online purchases, while 60% say they would avoid purchasing products online if they have to pay for shipping. (Loechner, 2011)

So what do you think?  What motivates you more, fewer hassles or free shipping?  Will either cause you to change your selection of preferred vendors?

Mahoney, S. (2011, September 16) L.L. Bean Rolls Out New Ad Campaign.  mediapost.com. Retrieved September 21, 2011, from

http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=158735

Loechner, J. (2011, September 22)  Email And Fee Shipping Woos Online Shoppers.  mediapost.com. Retrieved September 22, from

http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=158777

Will making the VW Beetle more masculine sell more cars?

9/15/11

In a few weeks a new version of the Volkswagen Beetle will be launched with great fanfare.  Since the announcement of the impending launch was made back in April, much of the discussion surrounding the car has been about the fact that the 1998 version had a reputation as a girls' car, and that conventional wisdom says that girls' cars don’t sell. (Forbes, 2011)

Excuse me?  According to women-drivers.com, women buy more than half of new cars in the US, and influence 80% of all car purchases. (M2W, 2011) A study done by R.L. Polk & Co. in March showed that over the past four years the number of women buying cars has steadily increased and car purchases by African-American, Asian and Hispanic women are up 4.7% versus year ago.  (Tokic, 2011).

Not to mention the fact that I have long suspected that the reason Cadillac was the only car to show sales increases during the recession was due to their brilliant female-focused ad.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4DfGknbfFYE&feature=related

So what do you think?  Is a focus on men going to be a winning strategy for VW?

Forbes, T. (2011, September 12).  VW Hopes Men Will Catch The Bug.  mediapost.com.

Retrieved September 14, 2011, from

http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=158294

M2W. (2011, April 13).  Fast Facts.  m2w.biz.  Retrieved September 14, 2011, from

http://www.m2w.biz/fast_facts.php

Tokic, A. (2011, March 30).  Report: African-American, Asian and Hispanic Women Driving Auto Sales.  autoguide.com.  Retrieved September 14, 2011, from

http://www.autoguide.com/auto-news/2011/03/report-african-american-asian-and-hispanic-women-driving-auto-sales.html

Will targeting supporters of veterans sell more beer?

9/8/11
 
Miller High Life is just wrapping up a summer promotion designed to donate up to $1 million to veterans and their families.  The promotion, which involves the collection of specially marked tabs and bottle caps, ran last year at grocery and convenience chains for easier implementation.  According to the company, brand awareness and sales both increased.


As a result this year the campaign was expanded to reach 30% more people, and moved to bars where experiential marketing could be added to the mix.  (Odell, 2011)
 

So what do you think?  Will it be successful?  Would you switch beer brands to support Iraqi vets?

Odell, P. (2011, August 22)  Case Study: “Give a Veteran a Piece of the (Miller) High Life”  promomagazine.com  Retrieved September 7, 2011, from
http://promomagazine.com/eventmarketing/miller_high_life_retail-event_marketing0822peo3/

Not your father’s grandfather.

9/1/11

Today’s grandparents are not old. They are Baby Boomers between 45 and 64.

And, they are a growing target. In 2010, there were 65 million of them, by 2020 one in every three adults will be grandparents, and they will number 80 million.

They represent 60% of the nation’s income. And their spending is increasing too. In 2009 they spent $7.6 billion on things like infant food, equipment and clothing, toys games, and tricycles… a 71% increase since 1999. (Mahoney, 2011)

Ignore them at your own risk.

Mahoney, S. (2011, August 31). The New Grandparent: Younger, Richer, More Giving. mediapost.com. Retrieved August 31, 2011, from http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=157724