Archive for November 24th, 2010

Obama dives below the Mendoza line …

November 24, 2010

Talk about a bad day.

The President got the 3 a.m. phone call (you do remember Hillary’s campaign ad, don’t you) informing him that North Korea fired on South Korea.  

Besides creating a threat to world peace, the act of aggression sucked all of the oxygen out of the day’s news cycle.

That hurt, because O was heading for Kokomo to cheerlead the recovering economy and do a GM-IPO victory dance.

Oops.

Then the Fed announces that it’s cutting its growth forecast for 2010 and 2011.

To make matters even worse, Gov’t Motors shares tumbled about a buck, heading down below last weeks offering price.

Then the coup de grace: Zogby releases polling results showing the President’s approval rating dipping below the Mendoza Line.

In baseball, a .200 batting average is nicknamed the “Mendoza Line”.

A batting average below the Mendoza Line is considered unqualified for the pros, even if a player has strong fielding skills.

The Presidential equivalent is an approval rating of 40%

Well, according to the latest Zogby poll, Pres Obama has fallen below the Presidential Mendoza line.

Uh-oh.

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http://zogby.com/news/ReadNews.cfm?ID=1924

Other – more reliable polls – peg Obama’s approval in the mid-40s … so, I take Zogby with a grain of salt. 

But, the Zogby results give me an opportunity to talk about the Mendoza Line … an opportunity that just can’t be passed up.

Posted in Obama Administration, Polls & Surveys | Leave a Comment »

McCafé Perks Up Sales

November 24, 2010

TakeAway:  The move into premium coffee illustrates McDonald’s ability to reinvent itself and appeal to consumers across the spectrum – and boost sales.

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Excerpted from AdAge, “McCafé” By Maureen Morrison, November 15, 2010

McDonald’s has had coffee on its menu since the early 1980s, with as many as 60 different coffee blends being used in the restaurants.

But then McDonald’s starting developing a long-term strategy to integrate coffee and related beverages into its core menu. 

In 2006, it rolled out premium-blend coffee in its restaurants, followed by iced coffee the next year and McCafé in May 2009. In July, McDonald’s expanded McCafé with frozen smoothies and frappes.

“As you look at how customers use our restaurants today, and how eating out and how habits have changed, gone is traditional breakfast, lunch and dinner, even though we sell the majority of our coffee products at breakfast,” said McDonald’s USA spokeswoman. “Some of these other iced beverages really have started to pick up mid-morning and late afternoon.”

An aggressive marketing push helped secure buzz around McCafé . Aside from traditional advertising – general market, TV, radio, and print – McDonald’s  ran a Free Mocha Monday promotion in July 2009.

McDonald’s continues to expand its offering under the McCafé brand. This month it’s introducing a caramel mocha drink, and the company is testing frozen strawberry lemonade in several markets.

Edit by AMW

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Full Article:

http://adage.com/article?article_id=147065

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Posted in Beverages - Soft Drinks, McDonald's | Leave a Comment »