Archive for December 18th, 2009

About the Cadillac excise tax …

December 18, 2009

Ken’s Take: I’m a big fan of the so-called Cadillac tax — not because it hacks off the unions (that’s a lucky strike by-product) — but because it it about the only vehicle being discussed that might contain some healthcare costs. 

In fact, I’m an advocate of putting all company paid premiums on W-2s and then allowing taxpayers reasonable deductions for health insurance premiums (say, $5,000 per person).

And, as a political junkie, I love when WH spokepeople contradict each other, e.g. Summers: recession is over”, Romer: “no, it’s not”.  Here’s another example …

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Excerpted from WSJ: White House v. White House,  Dec.18, 2009 

The ad hoc arguments that WH spokesmen use to put out one healthcare political fire invariably contradict those they’re using to put out another.

Among labor’s complaints is a 40% excise tax on high-cost insurance plans, given that union-negotiated benefits are more generous than average.

So Jason Furman, the deputy economic director, declared that this so-called Cadillac tax “will affect only a small portion of the very highest cost health plans — a total of 3% of premiums in 2013.”

But wait: White House budget director Peter Orszag has been emphasizing the excise tax as critically important in the cost-control stone soup that he’s been trying to sell.

As he put it earlier this month, “You’re creating an incentive for plans for employers to design their plans in such a way that they’re under that threshold. . . . You’re creating an incentive to slow the growth rate in private health costs.”

So a tax that applies to 3% of premiums is going to reshape the entire health-care market? These guys can’t even get their blog posts straight.

The White House brain trust seems to have been placed in a blind trust, and is finding it so hard to make a coherent case.

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Mr. Furman used to advocate policies that really would make a difference, by “helping consumers become more cost conscious about their health-care choices,” as he put it in a 2007 Brookings paper. He estimated that increasing cost-sharing could lower total health spending from 13% to 30%.

Full article:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704238104574602191760050978.html?mod=djemEditorialPage

Posted in Health Care / Medical Insurance, Obama Administration | Leave a Comment »

Use virtual currency to buy virtual gifts … that's the Xmas spirit !

December 18, 2009

Key Takeaway: Looking to find a way to help increase customer interaction with your brand while, at the same time, take advantage of the social media boom?

The secret to answering these crucial questions may be through the use of virtual currency.

The social media crowd, especially women, tend to love the notion of virtual currency that can be used to obtain coupons and promotions, purchase virtual gifts for friends, or simply advance their game progress. Brand managers, if successful, could potentially turn the gift of virtual currency into a real-money transaction.

Take that, Monopoly!

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Excerpted from BrandWeek, “Women Clicking to Earn Virtual Dollars” by Stacy Straczynski, November 10, 2009

Women are jumping at the chance to earn online points and virtual dollars, according to a new report from online marketing firm Q Interactive. The survey, released at this week’s Social Media World Forum, found that 78 percent of women who play social media games clicked on an ad or signed up for a promotion to earn virtual currency.

“One of the primary ways marketers can leverage [social media] interaction is through virtual currency,” said Matt Wise, president Q Interactive. “If you take a look at some of the big game platforms, like Zynga, they comment that a third of their revenue is generated by lead generation, which is advertisers and brands interacting with consumers.”

“It talks to the fact that women are interacting with these games,” said Wise. “If you can create a positive brand experience, it’s an excellent way to weave advertisements into a game because you’ve got the attention of the consumers. . . . It’s a positive experience for the consumer and keeps the consumer engaged in the game by getting more virtual points and ideally playing some more.”

Women mainly attributed their virtual currency usage to advance in their games (37.7 percent) or give virtual gifts (17.3 percent), while many (39.7 percent) use it for both. Recipients claimed that using virtual currency was “fun” and “addictive” (33 percent) and they enjoyed being able to give gifts (25 percent), as well as advance in their games (24 percent). Virtual currency also sparked feelings of competitiveness (8 percent) and personal wealth (8 percent).

Top social media games on Facebook for Nov. 10 were Farmville, Causes, Café World, Mafia Wars and Aquarium, according to AppData.com, which tracks daily metrics and trends for Facebook applications.

Edit by JMZ

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Full Article:
http://www.brandweek.com/bw/content_display/news-and-features/direct/e3i8d89a411d4e37fb51572ae37de27a3cf

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Posted in Internet - Soc Networking, Mktg - Promotion | Leave a Comment »

Use virtual currency to buy virtual gifts … that’s the Xmas spirit !

December 18, 2009

Key Takeaway: Looking to find a way to help increase customer interaction with your brand while, at the same time, take advantage of the social media boom?

The secret to answering these crucial questions may be through the use of virtual currency.

The social media crowd, especially women, tend to love the notion of virtual currency that can be used to obtain coupons and promotions, purchase virtual gifts for friends, or simply advance their game progress. Brand managers, if successful, could potentially turn the gift of virtual currency into a real-money transaction.

Take that, Monopoly!

* * * * *

Excerpted from BrandWeek, “Women Clicking to Earn Virtual Dollars” by Stacy Straczynski, November 10, 2009

Women are jumping at the chance to earn online points and virtual dollars, according to a new report from online marketing firm Q Interactive. The survey, released at this week’s Social Media World Forum, found that 78 percent of women who play social media games clicked on an ad or signed up for a promotion to earn virtual currency.

“One of the primary ways marketers can leverage [social media] interaction is through virtual currency,” said Matt Wise, president Q Interactive. “If you take a look at some of the big game platforms, like Zynga, they comment that a third of their revenue is generated by lead generation, which is advertisers and brands interacting with consumers.”

“It talks to the fact that women are interacting with these games,” said Wise. “If you can create a positive brand experience, it’s an excellent way to weave advertisements into a game because you’ve got the attention of the consumers. . . . It’s a positive experience for the consumer and keeps the consumer engaged in the game by getting more virtual points and ideally playing some more.”

Women mainly attributed their virtual currency usage to advance in their games (37.7 percent) or give virtual gifts (17.3 percent), while many (39.7 percent) use it for both. Recipients claimed that using virtual currency was “fun” and “addictive” (33 percent) and they enjoyed being able to give gifts (25 percent), as well as advance in their games (24 percent). Virtual currency also sparked feelings of competitiveness (8 percent) and personal wealth (8 percent).

Top social media games on Facebook for Nov. 10 were Farmville, Causes, Café World, Mafia Wars and Aquarium, according to AppData.com, which tracks daily metrics and trends for Facebook applications.

Edit by JMZ

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Full Article:
http://www.brandweek.com/bw/content_display/news-and-features/direct/e3i8d89a411d4e37fb51572ae37de27a3cf

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Posted in Internet - Soc Networking, Mktg - Promotion | Leave a Comment »