Archive for September 21st, 2010

“Cash for clunkers” … CLUNK !

September 21, 2010

From the WSJ …

Earlier this year, Christina Romer, the former chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers, wrote that cash for clunkers was an example of “very nearly the best possible countercylical fiscal policy in an economy suffering from temporarily low aggregate demand.”

Economists Atif Mian of the University of California Berkeley and Amir Sufi of the University of Chicago have examined “cash for clunkers,” the $2.85 billion program that subsidized consumers to buy new cars and destroy older ones.

Their conclusion: The program “had no long run effect on auto purchases.”

It did juice sales during its two-month run last summer, by about 360,000 cars, but then it quickly hurt sales by about the same amount, in effect stealing purchases from the future.

The program was a wash in a mere seven months.

Messrs. Mian and Sufi caution that …  if this is the result from the “best possible” stimulus program — per Ms. Romer — the impact of the others must have been awful.

Excerpted from WSJ: Stimulus for Clunkers, Sept. 20, 2010
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703904304575497903033602826.html?mod=WSJ_Opinion_AboveLEFTTop

Posted in Mktg - Promotion, Stimulus Plan | Leave a Comment »

Punked: Why did they even name it “Hawaii Five-O” ?

September 21, 2010

They got me.

I stayed up late to watch the “new Hawaii Five-O” last night.

Loyal readers know that I’m a BIG fan of the original series — which, incidentally, was the crime show with the longest run until Law & Order cam around.

So, I was counting the days until the premiere.

Here is a complete list of similarities between the old and the new show:

  • The theme song is the same and the shows are venued in Hawaii
  • Both have characters named McGarrett, Danny, Chin Ho, and Kono (though fat Kono is now a girl) 
  • Both chase down bad guys (though Wo Fat was nowhere to be seen)
  • They slipped in a “book ’em Danno” … but just to poke fun at the original

End of list.

There wasn’t a single reference to “Five-O” during the first episode, and no running up and down the steps of the Iolani Palace..  Bummer.

My biggest beef: the main characters were all smart alecs.  They had a certain Bart Simpson  feel to them.  The  original team was composed of serious cops.

The plot and action were ok last nite.  The show may make it as a run-of-the-mill action series since the casting was done with one criteria: sex appeal.  The team may be just hot enough to keep the younger demos watching.

My constant whine last nigt was “why did they call it Hawaii Five-O ?” 

It was a cross between identity theft and false advertising.

My bet: we  old guys who wanted to see “Five-O” will be turning in early on Monday nights …

Posted in Media | Leave a Comment »

It’s time to upgrade your Gatorade

September 21, 2010

TakeAway: Since its inception, Gatorade sales have increased every year.  However, with a tough economy and intense competition, sales have decreased for the first time in Gatorade’s history.

To right the ship, Gatorade is introducing a revamped product line closely aligned with a versioning strategy. 

Not only will there be three different types of Gatorade for the main product line, but there will be a similar “pro” series for serious athletes. 

It’s been a winning strategy for software, but will it work for sports drinks?

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Excerpted from Brandchannel, “Gatorade Focuses Brand on Athletes with G-Series Pro,” by Dale Buss, August 14, 2010

Gatorade took a huge step in the revitalization of its brand today by revealing a new structure for its mainstream product line, the G Series … and … “G-Series Pro” products … for serious athletes.

Gatorade’s chief marketing officer, Sarah Robb O’Hagan, shared the rationale behind the new brand architecture …

Gatorade “is a formidable franchise,” … “But we haven’t had the right performance the last few years.” …

Despite being one of PepsiCo’s most profitable brands, Gatorade lost significant sales volume last year for the first time ever because of financial pressures on consumers — most of that loss … going to lower-priced carbonated soft drinks and even to tap water. Gatorade also had lost market share over the years to a proliferation of other better-for-you beverage types and products, and to its own shift in emphasis to “lifestyle” rather than hard-core athletic consumers. …

 

Gatorade’s new product-line structure carries the “G” branding in the next logical step with the G Series. G Series 01 Prime is positioned as “pre-game fuel” and an “energy to start” beverage for consumption before athletic activity; 02 Perform drinks include the brand’s pre-existing Gatorade Thirst Quencher line and G2, a low-cal Gatorade for hydration during activities; and 03 Recover drinks include 10 to 20 grams of protein per serving to help body recovery from exertion.

The G-Series Pro line, which is to be carried exclusively in the U.S. in GNC’s 5,500 stores, uses the same functional logic. “But this is a line that has only been available to elite athletes in pro locker rooms for the last 15 years,” O’Hagan explained to analysts. “For the first time we’re choosing to commercialize them and take them to the consumer.” …

 

The brand’s presentation today to analysts went a long way toward answering questions about Gatorade’s future. The crucial next step: executing the new rationale so that consumers develop a thirst for Gatorade — and keep coming back.

 

 

 

Edit by DMG

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Full Article
http://www.brandchannel.com/home/post/2010/09/14/Gatorade-Overhauls-Brand-Architecture.aspx

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Posted in Mktg - Positioning, Mktg - Versioning | Leave a Comment »