Archive for April 7th, 2011

87% agree: “A debt problem is a failure of leadership” … but, there’s a surprise twist

April 7, 2011

Yesterday, Freedomworks (a conservative org) released the results of a survey on the debt and deficit.

Folks were asked: Do you agree or disagree with the following statement?

“The fact that we are here today to debate raising America’s debt limit is a sign of leadership failure.

It is a sign that the U.S. Government can’t pay its own bills. It is a sign that we now depend on ongoing financial assistance from foreign countries to finance our Government’s reckless fiscal policies…

Increasing America’s debt weakens us domestically and internationally.

Leadership means that ‘the buck stops here.’

Instead, Washington is shifting the burden of bad choices today onto the backs of our children and grandchildren.

America has a debt problem and a failure of leadership. Americans deserve better.” 

A resounding 87% of the respondents agreed with the statement.

The percentage dropped to the high 50s when the statement was identified with its speaker: Sen. Barack Obama, Congressional Record, S.2237-8, 3/16/06

Posted in Debt - Deficit | 2 Comments »

Four more years …

April 7, 2011

President Obama – or, as some are calling him “Present Obama” – launched his 2012 campaign.

Worth spending a minute watching this …

Obama: 4 more years

Posted in Obama Administration | Leave a Comment »

Unilever: “We can make your arm pits sexy …”

April 7, 2011

TakeAway:  Since practically everybody uses deodorant, marketers need to devise new features or grab sales from rivals. 

Winning over new customers is particularly difficult, however. Some 50% of deodorant buyers reported using the same brand in the last 12 months.

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Excerpted from the WSJ, “Unilever Tackles the Ugly Underarm” By Ellen Byron, March 30, 2011

Unilever’s new angle on selling deodorant to women is a product that claims to make underarms not only odor-free but prettier. 

Dove Ultimate Go Sleeveless, which hits U.S. stores this week, claims its formula of specialized moisturizers will give women better-looking underarms in five days.

UGS was inspired by Unilever research that found 93% of women consider their armpits unattractive. 

Magazines and talk shows pour out the tips on how women can improve plenty of body parts, from legs to midriffs to fingernails. But little attention — or advice — has been brought to armpits.

Some 62% of the women surveyed said they suffer underarm skin problems like breakouts, discoloration or itchiness, according to research at Unilever. Nearly half said they have been embarrassed enough by the condition of their underarms that they have changed clothes.

Promoting a problem that consumers don’t necessarily realize they have is a frequently used but risky approach.

“Any marketer has to be careful of appearing to create a problem that doesn’t really exist  … You can suffer a backlash if you do that.”

Edit by AMW

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Posted in Mktg - Positioning, Mktg - Product & Innovation | Leave a Comment »