Archive for November 17th, 2010

Majority of states now opposing ObamaCare’s individual mandate.

November 17, 2010

Right now, 21 states are suing the Feds to stop the ObamaCare mandates that require individuals to buy health insurance whether they want it or not.

Virginia enacted a state law banning individual mandates before  ObamaCare passed.  So, that state – with a law on the books — has a unique standing.

19 states jumped on the bandwagon when Florida filed suit against the individual mandate – claiming it’s unconstitutional

The courts are supposed to rule on both cases before the end of the year.  Regardless of the rulings, they are likely to be appealed to the Supreme Court.

Now – because of GOP gains in governorships —  the plot has thickened.

According to Florida AG-elect Pam Bondi, at least 6 states have newly elected GOP governors or AGs or both: Oklahoma, Ohio, Kansas, Wisconsin, Wyoming, and Maine.  All of these states are likely to jump on the lawsuit bandwagon.

If at least 5 of the 6 do, it’ll mean a majority of states will have expressed their opposition to ObamaCare in one of the strongest possible ways.

While the Supreme Court doesn’t act because a majority of states think something, the lawsuit majority has got to hang in the back of judge’s minds. 

Source story:
http://politifact.com/florida/statements/2010/nov/10/pam-bondi/defending-health-care-suit-new-florida-ag-says-uni/

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Reportedly, writers of the 2,700 page ObamaCare bill forgot to include a severability clause – so if the courts rule in the states’ favor, all of ObamaCare goes down with the individual mandate.

Remember when the President dissed the Supreme Court justices at the last State of the Union Address?

I bet he’d like that one back …

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What’s in that black bag? Garbage?

November 17, 2010

TakeAway: Hefty wants to cash in on evolving trash-can colors with BlackOut, a new line of black kitchen bags.

Hefty hopes they’ll bring new interest to one of the lowest-involvement categories. 

The target is mainly “kitchen enthusiasts,” the 40% of people who see the kitchen as the heart of their home and enjoy cooking.

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Excerpted from AdAge, “What the Stylish Garbage Can Is Wearing: Hefty in Black” By Jack Neff, November 3, 2010

Hefty discovered that consumers were buying more black and stainless-steel trash cans, which consumers say look better with black garbage bags.  Hefty executives are among the first to admit it’s hard to get people thinking about trash bags. Private-label shares in the category stand among the highest in packaged goods at 39% for the year ended Oct. 3. Overall category sales were down 5% for the year, in part because some consumers turned to using bags from the groceries or other “free” alternatives.

But Hefty research found, given the right reasons, people actually do care about where they stash their trash. Color, surprisingly, is one of them.  Today, most kitchen trash bags are white, stemming from a time when most kitchen appliances were white or shades of beige. That time has passed.

Product development started only eight months ago, when Hefty marketers discovered a seismic shift in trash-can and kitchen appliance colors thanks to its partnership with HMS Manufacturing, which licenses the Hefty name for kitchen trash cans. While nearly two-thirds of new kitchen trash cans are still white or tan, unit sales of black trash cans are up 38% from last year. Sales of stainless-steel cans are up 12%, while sales of the white/beige range are down 8%.  This follows trends in kitchen appliances.  While stainless steel is the bigger trend in appliances, black is a bigger deal in trash cans, primarily because black cans are less expensive than stainless steel or chrome. Consumers also find black bags look better with stainless steel than white ones, she said.

Hefty discovered trash also looks better, or at least less messy, in black bags.  The black bag also appeals to consumers’ desire for privacy.

Edit by AMW

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Full Article:
http://adage.com/article?article_id=146880

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Posted in Mktg - Packaging, Mktg - Product & Innovation | 1 Comment »