Archive for April 25th, 2013

Huh: Home Depot using a cat to up its likability …

April 25, 2013

According to BrandChannei …

“Richard the Cat, a.k.a., Pundit of People, remains Home Depot’s meme of choice as the brand welcomes spring some out-of-character humor.

The orange feline follows a human family as they pursue scores of DIY projects with questionable results and predictable mishaps.”

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“Everyone has elves, reindeer, Santa, but one of the biggest things followed in the social space is cats”

HD is taking a chance on the cat meme since the two are an odd pairing.

The Home Depot brand is authentic, innovative and attainable, while Richard’s cat-sona is sarcastic, superior and refined.

HD’s CMO says: “When I shared this with our leadership team, our CEO got it immediately.

We’re very lucky we have one of the hippest CEOs out there.”

Hmmm.

Here may be the rub for Home Depot …

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Posted in Cats & dogs, Mktg - Brandmarks & Logos, Mktg - Brands | Leave a Comment »

Biz Insider: “Krugman won, austerity lost” … say what?

April 25, 2013

Yesterday, Business Insider guru Henry Blodget wrote: The Economic Argument Is Over — Paul Krugman Has Won

I haven’t been a big Blodget fan since he was run off of Wall Street for hyping internet stocks during their pre-bubble bursting run-up.

I think he’s trying to balance the scales these days … leaning far left to – he hopes – increase his odds of getting through the Pealy Gates.

The essence of his article is that the only thing wrong with the economy is a lack of adequate aggregate demand.

So, the government should keep borrowing and spending  … and things will right themselves,

The economic water level will rise to a point that reluctant CEOs will have no choice but to start hiring and building plants to meet demand.

That’s not a patently dumb notion … it’s just flat out wrong.

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Here’s what’s wrong with Blodget’s argument …

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Posted in Behavioral Economics, Economy, Jobs - Unemployment, Management - General | Leave a Comment »