Do you cook? Why?

11/24/11

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

According to a new report from Mintel, home cooking is on the rise due to variety of reasons including: economizing, healthier eating (51%), trying new things (56%), exploring foods from other cultures (27%), expressing affection for friends and family (48%), and bonding with children (41%).

Not surprisingly, some of the variation can be traced to generational differences, with Boomer cooks more interested in health, and Millennial cooks feeling sophisticated and smart, not to mention superior to their peers. (Lukovitz, 2011)

I just made a date to bake chocolate chip cookies with my niece and nephew.  What about you?  What’s your motivation for cooking?


Lukovitz, K. (2100, November 21).  Healthier Diet Is One Big Home-Cooking Driver.  mediapost.com.  Retrieved November 22, 2011, from

http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/162746/healthier-diet-is-one-big-home-cooking-driver.html?edition=40489

What are they selling?

11/17/11

Diet program Jenny Craig has parted ways with Valerie Bertinelli.  Maybe they got too many questions about how much plastic surgery was involved in Val’s new look.  In her place they have hired 41–year-old Mariah Carey who just shed 30 post pregnancy pounds using their nutritionist and workout plan.  They have also shortened their name to “Jenny.” (Jaslow, 2011)

But check out this introductory commercial.  The funniest comment about it on adweek.com comes from Wayne Best who says: “If I hadn’t read the article I would have thought it was an ad for an escort named Jenny.” (Bazilian, 2011)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=zz-kuq1KsXo

I agree.  How about you?  Does it make you want to buy something? 



Bazilian, E.  (2011, November 11).  Ad of the Day: Jenny Craig.  adweek.com.  Retrieved November 17, 2011, from
http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/ad-day-jenny-craig-136484
 
Jaslow, R. (2011, November 10).  Mariah Carey touting Jenny Craig after losing 30 pounds.  cbsnews.com.  Retrieved November 17, 2011, from  http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504763_162-57322303-10391704/mariah-carey-touting-jenny-craig-after-losing-30-pounds/
 

Can pantyhose make a comeback with this ad?

11/10/11

After 15 years of declining sales (and no television advertising support), pantyhose sales have stabilized.  So Hanesbrands, maker of L’eggs has decided the time is right to introduce the product to a new audience.  (Copeland, 2011)

This tv commercial first ran in the spring and is now scheduled for a more robust airing this fall.  Take a look and see if you think this will convince a new generation of women to buy pantyhose.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDn3D0RhUKY

Copeland, L. (2011, November 8)  The End of Pantyhose?  slate.com.  Retrieved November 9, 2011, from

http://www.slate.com/articles/double_x/doublex/2011/11/are_kate_middleton_and_a_new_l_eggs_ad_enough_to_save_pantyhose_from_certain_extinction_.html

Isn’t a “Healthy-Eating Cruise” an Oxymoron?

11/3/11

In what has to be one of the oddest partnerships I’ve heard of so far, Rodale, publisher of the best-selling book “Eat This, Not That!” has partnered with Celebrity Cruises to offer a new series of interactive onboard activities themed around healthy eating choices.  These include an interactive trivia game, cooking and mixology demonstrations, and enrichment talks by experts. (Irwin, 2011)

Supposedly consumers have been clamoring for fitness-theme cruises because they are very health-conscious.  Really?  I thought cruises were all about gluttony, with 24-hour all you can eat options abounding. 

Does this sound like an idea that can work, or is this just an attempt to shed unhealthy perceptions of cruising?  Would you go on a healthy-eating cruise?  Would anyone you know?

Irwin, T. (2011, October 25).  Celebrity Cruises, Rodale Join for Wellness.  mediapost.com.  Retrieved November 2, 2011, from
http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/161025/celebrity-cruises-rodale-join-for-wellness.html?edition=39555