April 11, 2013
Now, everybody’s piling on Ron Johnson – the former Apple exec who flamed out trying to turnaround JC Penney.
He didn’t seem to value JCP’s employees (which might be understandable) .. and he didn’t seem to value JCP’s customers (ouch).
One pundit says that Johnson’s downfall was his inability to connect with JCP’s core customers.
Mark Ellwood, a retail expert, says that Johnson’s obliviousness to the plight of his value-conscious customers begs comparison to another doomed leader.
“Ron had a Marie Antoinette-ish approach to the customers … He always seemed slightly embarrassed that he was dealing in middle market product.”
Like the “let them eat cake” French queen, Apple store prodigy Johnson could not relate to the people who will still coming to the JCP stores..
Penney’s customers became frustrated and confused when JCP stopped discounting merchandise.
Johnson’s alma mater, Apple, almost never has sales, but that approach doesn’t work for JCPenney shoppers, writes Dale Buss at Forbes.
“His attitude … was very much along the lines of ‘let me tell them what’s good for them,’ rather than ‘tell me what you want as a customer and let me see how I can achieve that.'”
“[Johnson should have gotten] to know J.C. Penney shoppers a bit before he decided to treat them all like eager iPhone buyers who are so enamored of the merchandise that they don’t pay any attention to price”.
Source
Bottom line: selling commodity rags is a bit more difficult than selling early generation iPhones …
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Tags: JC Penney
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April 11, 2013
Timing is everything, right?
Yesterday, like many – err, make that some Americans, I was putting the finishing touches on my 2012 tax returns (which are due in a couple of days).
Like some – err, make that a few Americans, I have to pay income taxes.
Yesterday morning I swallowed hard and wrote out the check … the big check.
Lots of money … at least half of it will be out-and-out wasted by a cost-bloated government machine,
Most of the rest will be spent on stuff that I don’t agree with or support.
OK, it’s still my civic duty, right?
Tried to put taxes out of my mind.
Then, President Obama unveils his new budget.
The chart below tells the story.
Lots of taxes and some phony “savings” against grossly escalating budgets.
Source
Bottom line: those who already paying all the taxes should pay even more …
Couldn’t the President at least had the courtesy of waiting for the ink to dry on my check before calling me out as a piker and saying I wasn’t paying my fair share.
Gimme a break, man.
You’re making ME want to stop working …
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Tags: Obama budget
Posted in Gov't Waste & Inefficiency, Gov't Spending, Taxes | 4 Comments »
April 10, 2013
Some highlights from an HBR article: The Hidden Biases in Big Data
These days the business and management science worlds are focused on how large datasets can decode consumers’ behavior patterns … enabling marketers to laser-target high potential prospects with finely-honed messages, offers, and “attention”.
“Big data” … becomes problematic when it adheres to “data fundamentalism” … the notion that correlation always indicates causation, and that massive data sets and predictive analytics always reflect objective truth … that “with enough data, the numbers speak for themselves.”
Big data has hidden biases in both collection methods and analysis …
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Posted in Big data, Consumer behavior, Data science, Predictive Analytics | 1 Comment »
April 10, 2013
Well, besides sitting on it – on-shore or off-shore — corporations have five basic uses for the cash that they bring in:
- share buybacks;
- dividends;
- acquisitions;
- research and development;
- capital expenditures
Bellow is Goldman Sachs’ estimate of the split.
Source
Bottom line: about a 60% – 40% split between growth (acquisitions, R&D, and CapEx .… and shareholder distributions (stock buybacks & dividends).
Historically, the split was more like 75% – 25%.
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Posted in Cap Ex, Corporate cash balances, Dividends | Leave a Comment »
April 9, 2013
Having spent 3 tours of duty in Chicago, I’m a deep dish pizza aficionado … and loyal to Uno’s — the best!
Well, last trip in, the server directed our attention to a new twist on the menu:
Nearly 70 years after inventing deep dish pizza, last year Uno’s introduced a new deep dish crust in honor of National Pizza Month.
Uno’s invented deep dish pizza in 1943 and this is another industry first: the nine-grain deep dish crust – which likely cannot be found anywhere else in the world..
Being a curious kinda guy, I asked the server to name the 9-grains.
She named 2 and took off to get the manager.
He named 2 more, but we were still 5 short.
We were talking about the incident at a fam get together this weekend.
The real-time iPhone-Google searches came up short.
But, a friend (and loyal Homa Files reader) dogged for the facts.
Best she could find: Some dude named Bob throws 10 grains in his whole grain hot cereal.
Now, all we have to figure out is which grain didn’t make Uno’s cut.
Anybody know?
Thanks to MET for feeding the lead.
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Tags: 9 grains, Bob's Hot Cereal, pizza
Posted in Food & Drink | 4 Comments »
April 9, 2013
Since las t Friday’s jobs report and the flood of misdirection coming out of Washington, I’ve been trolling the BLS numbers.
Here are a couple that caught my eye …
Since 1950, the labor force participation rate (LFPR) among adult males has fallen from almost 90% to below 70% today.
Wow. Almost 1 of 5 men have opted out.
= = = = =
During the same period – 1950 to today – adult women’s LFPR has increased from about 33% to about 60%.
Best hypotheses I can conjure are that
(1) working women has freed some men to stay-at-me to either be Mr. Mom ,,, or just slack off
(2) more capable women have squeezed men out of jobs?
Any alternative explanations out there?
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April 9, 2013
Ron Johnson had a dream: turn JC Penney stores into Apple Store clones.
You know, cool and trendy … and, of course, no image-destroying sales.
Oops
Not surprisingly, JCP’s sales, profits and share price fell, and fell, and fell.
Today, the JCP board axed Johnson … and, to add insult to injury, replaced him with the guy who had the job before he came.
Lessons leaned: (1) it’s a lot easier to sell iPhones than commodity rags, and (2) ask your customers and employees what they think
So what?
You can bet that he’s leaving with a pile of gold.
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April 8, 2013
I considered titling this post “Bunny cited by jackass”.
At first, I thought this was probably secularism on steroids … trying to quash Easter.
Turns out to be a different charge … but equally as ridiculous.
The cop pulled the Easter Bunny over for hopping his ride without a helmet.
Are you kidding me?
Where can the EB find a helmet to fit over those enormous ears?
Or, how can he fit in a car with his head on?
How can he possibly comply?
Murder is running rampant and this jabrone is pinching the Easter Bunny.
Can’t make this stuff up …
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April 8, 2013
Here’s some stuff that you won’t see other places …
OK, everybody knows that – despite paltry job growth — the unemployment rate dropped from 7.7% to 7.6%.
Why?
Because about 500,000 people dropped out of the labor force.
The “Labor Force Participation Rate” dropped to 63.2%
= = = = =
Note that in the past couple of years the labor force participation rate has dropped about 3 percentage points … from over 66% to 63.2%
So, why is the Labor Force Participation Rate dropping?
Dr. Alan Krueger — Chairman of President Barack Obama’s Council of Economic Advisers – asserted on CNBC that the decline in the labor force participation rate is simply demographics.
Old people are an increasing part of the population and they are retiring.
Hmmm.
Nobody challenged him because it’s obviously true, right?
Not so fast.
Now, here are the nums that you probably won’t see any place else ….
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Posted in BLS, Employment - Jobs, Unemployment | 1 Comment »
April 5, 2013
OK, I think this case is now officially done.
It started a couple of weeks ago when Iposted Why don’t airlines charge more for these bags?
Specifically, I suggested that airlines charge passengers by weight: a base ticket price for the first 175 pounds and then $75 for each 50 pounds (or portion thereof) over the limit.
I thought I was on safe ground since a survey done for the travel website Skyscanner reported that 76% of travelers said airlines should charge overweight passengers more if they didn’t fit in a seat.
But, the idea went over like a lead-butted balloon.
Turns out that, as usual, we were just a bit ahead of the times.
Yesterday, we reported that Samoa Air became the first airline to start charging by the pound.
For details, see Samoa Air: Pricing by weight is the ‘concept of the future’
Now, even politically correcct academicians are hopping on the scale. A Norwegian economist has suggested — in a prestigious academic journal — a “pay what you weigh” pricing plan that “would bring health, financial and environmental dividends.”
Here’s the skinny on his program …
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Tags: airlines charges, overweight bags
Posted in Airlines, Customized pricing, Mktg - Pricing | Leave a Comment »
April 5, 2013
The reported unemployment rate dropped to 7.6% despite a meager 88,000 jobs being added in March.
It’s conventional wisdom that you need more than 200,000 jobs added to move the needle.
So, why did the UE rate go down.
You guessed it: the Labor Force Participation Rate dipped again … more people (about 500,000) stopped looking for jobs … and weren’t counted in the unemployment numbers.
The administration shills have been harping on the Sequester to explain the numbers (even though it didn’t really kick in during March).
They dismiss the idea that the slowdown could be due to:
- Increased taxes … especially the payroll tax
- ObamaCare
- An anti-biz administration
Nope, just not enough government spending.
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April 5, 2013
Once again, coincidence strikes.
This week in class we’re doing a a case about a company trying to launch an innovative refrigerated pizza.
Guess this is innovative pizza week.
Leading the charge: Little Caesars
According to the Huffington Post, Little Caesars — “more known for value than taste” — is launching a big new “higher end” product called the DEEP! DEEP! Dish pizza.
The new pizza is “Detroit-style” — a thick, square-panned pie that’s crispy on the edges, but has a soft, chewy middle.
No kidding, the company is calling it “the biggest product introduction in the company’s 54-year history.”
Hmmm.
I can remember sucking down Uno’s deep dish in Chicago 40 years ago … and, I was a late-adopter.
I guess that some innovations diffuse through the market at a slower rate than others …
P.S. “Detroit-style pizza” … you gotta be kidding me.
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Tags: Little Caesars, Pizzeria Uno
Posted in Food & Drink, Mktg - Product & Innovation, Pizza | Leave a Comment »
April 4, 2013
Last month, the BLS reported a decline in the unemployment rate to 7.7%.
Most economists and other pundits are predicting that the March UE rate – which will be reported tomorrow – will remain at that level.
But, yesterday’s ADP employment numbers were almost 20% below the consensus estimates … 185k vs. 225k.
Today, the BLS reported: “In the week ending March 30, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 385,000, an increase of 28,000 from the previous week’s unrevised figure of 357,000. The 4-week moving average was 354,250, an increase of 11,250 from the previous week’s unrevised average of 343,000.”
Here’s another contra indicator … the Gallup Daily Tracking of Employment.
When the daily numbers for the past 3 months are averaged, there’s a big spike upward from February to March.
Gallup is again pegging the unemployment rate over 8%.
Bottom line: If the consensus 7.7% is the over-under …. I’m betting the over, for sure.
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April 4, 2013
Talk about a timely news item.
In class Tuesday, we were talking about food taste & quality.
My teaching point: when the food buyer isn’t the food eater, the buyer may be less sensitive to taste & quality.
My example: millions of mothers serve their little kiddies mac & cheese that glows in the dark.
A veiled reference to Kraft’s legendary mac & cheese … and, that odd color of orange that happens when those mysterious dry ingredients are stirred into the pasta.
Well, apparently the neon dish also caught the eye of a couple food crusaders who have embarked on a campaign against two of the dyes that Kraft uses to create its trademark color.
Here’s their rip and Kraft’s response …
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Tags: Kraft, mac & cheese
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April 3, 2013
Despite a weak economy, publishing executives are still making what many see as outrageous gambles on new manuscripts.
With double-or-nothing daring, most large media firms make outsized investments to acquire and market a small number of titles with strong hit potential, and bank on their sales to make up for middling performance in the rest of their catalogs.
Here’s what Prof. Anita Elberse – author of the “Dewey the Cat” case – had to say in the WSJ ….
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April 3, 2013
In recent years, airlines nave become masters at “unbundled pricing” … offering a low base fare and then charging more for bags, heavy bags, priority boarding,window seats, bad sandwiches, soft drinks, blankets and, of course, reservation changes.
According to CNN: Baggage fees alone generate more than $3.3 billion each year, and fees for reservation changes add almost $2.5 billion.
Annoying, for sure … but also a good source of revenue.
According to watchdog group ProPublica, colleges are starting to adopt the airlines’ pricing playbook.
Specifically, ProPublica says that student fees have become a kind of “stealth, second tuition imposed on unsuspecting families.”
And though their names can border on the comical — i.e., the “student success fee” — there’s nothing funny about how they can add up.
Such fees are on the rise on many campuses.
Here are some specifics:
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April 3, 2013
A couple of weeks ago – reacting to SWA charging for an overweight bag – I asked the question:
If airlines charge for overweight bags, why don’t they charge fore for overweight passengers? After all, a pound is a pound is a pound.
See: Why don’t airlines charge more for these bags?
Specifically, I opined:
There’s a societal cost to somebody’s ample butt hanging over onto somebody else’s seat.
Here’s a novel plan: how about a base ticket price for the first 175 pounds and then $75 for each 50 pounds (or portion thereof) over the limit.
Price the human heavyweights,well, just like the overweight bags.
Then, rent the seat belt extenders for say $20.
Profit improvement for the airlines and major step forward in the war on obesity.
As President Obama likes to say: “It’s common sense.”
I took some heat for the idea but at least one airline thinks we’re onto something.
According to The Guardian, Samoa Airlines the first-mover to tilt the scales in favor of fit & trim passengers.
Here’s the skinny on the Samoa Air plan …
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Posted in Airlines, Mktg - Pricing | 1 Comment »
April 2, 2013
In one of my classes we study how books are priced.
One team suggested that page count was a relevant criteria … that books with more pages should be priced higher than shorter books.
I summarily rejected the idea and joked at the team’s expense.
Well, the page has turned.
The team went to China and sent me me this picture.
Lo and behold, in China, they encountered book stores that sold books based on their weight.
A counterfeit version of the Steve Jobs biography (above) weighed in at 360 grams, and was priced by weight at 18 RMB ($2.85). Roughly 50 RMB ($8) per kilo.
The team tells me that all paperback books in that particular shop (located on Nanjing road, main street Shanghai) are sold at this rate; hardcovers are also priced by the kilo but at a higher rate.
OK guys, you get the last laugh.
Thanks to Ash Kaluarachchi & Greg Berguig for feeding the lead
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April 2, 2013
No, I’m not talking about Otto “Where’s Otto?” Porter, Jr.
I’m talking about Andy Enfield, the former head coach at Florida Gulf Coast … aka, “Dunk U.”
The guy who became a national sports sensation when his Eagles embarrassed the Hoyas in the first round of this year’s tournament.
Today, Enfield will be formally introduced as USC’s new head basketball coach.
Here’s the scoop …
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Posted in NCAA, Sports & Athletics, Sports Marketing | 1 Comment »
April 1, 2013
Too bad it was written after-the-fact. After the rejections.
The WSJ published an op-ed by a HS senior: To (All) the Colleges That Rejected Me
It’s worth reading … says the things that most of us are probably thinking.
Here are some highlights:
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Posted in College, College Admissions, Education - Academics, Schools | 1 Comment »
March 29, 2013
We’re talking higher long-run capitalizations, not trading profits.
Over the period 1983 to 2007, the S&P increased more than 7-fold. but …
According to Longboard Asset Management, over the period 1983 to 2007:
- 40% of stocks lost value
- 19% lost at least three-quarters of their value
- 64% underperformed the market
- 25% were responsible for all the market’s gains.
Conclusion: Statistically, successful stock-picking is more about avoiding awful investments than finding good ones.
= = = = =
P.S. Tell me that you can look at the last 15 years on the above chart and not feel a little queasy about where the market is these days.
It sure looks like a pattern to me …
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March 29, 2013
Surprised me, but the answer is yes.
But, there’s more to the story.
Clinton’s (and Gingrich’s) initiative to pare the welfare rolls cut the number of people on welfare from about 5 million to under 2 million.
Surprising to me, the number has held pretty constant for the past 15 years or so.
= = = = =
As I said, there’s more to the story …
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Tags: Disabilty claims
Posted in Disabily insurance payments, Taxes, Welfare | Leave a Comment »
March 29, 2013
T-Mobile has ditched Carly Foulkes – the pink clad hottie that’s been the star of their ads for the past couple of years.
You’re probably wondering: why the heck would T-Mobile do that?
Blame it on the market research geeks …
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March 28, 2013
Preface: In class, we just finished doing a case called “Dewey the Cat” … Teams had to recommend a price to pay the author for the rights to the book, and develop a marketing plan for the book.
So, this real-life story is very timely.
= = = = =
What’s it like, financially, to have the book go viral and be near the top of the bestseller list?
Patrick Wensink wrote a book titled ““Broken Piano for President”.
According to Wensink, writing in Salon:
Last summer, my novel, “Broken Piano for President” shot to the top of the best-seller lists for a week.
After Jack Daniel’s lawyers sent cease and desist letter (because of the book’s cover graphics), the story went viral and was featured in places like Forbes, Time magazine and NPR’s Weekend Edition.
The book was the No. 6 bestselling title in America for a while … selling more copies than “Hunger Games” and “Bossypants.”
So, how much do you think Wensink netted on the book ?
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March 28, 2013
Last week with Ryan & the Dems offering dueling budget plans, there was renewed chatter: “Why don’t they just implement Simpson-Bowles?”.
It’s usually stated in a way that it’s a painless gimme.
The convenient compromise.
My hunch: About as many people read the Simpson-Bowles Report as read the ObamaCare law.
I expect that S-B will become a template for any “grand bargain” … so I started refreshing my memory
Here’s what you need to know …
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March 27, 2013
8.15 million amateur bracketologists entered ESPN.com’s Tournament Challenge.
How many of the 8.15 million are perfect up to this point in the tourney?
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March 27, 2013
Oh, really?
Tom Boswell – Washington Post sportswriter wrote an obligatory “what’s up?” column yesterday.
Most of it was pretty soft, in effect, insinuating that very lower seeds have a tourney advantage because they have nothing to lose … so, they can play at full throttle.
And, Boswell says that “exceptional coach JT3” may need to tweak his system a bit, but not too much.
Not exactly what I’d call hard hitting.
But, Boswell did raise a couple of interesting points:
John Thompson III, may have to reevaluate, tweak and adapt the teachings of his Princeton coach and mentor Pete Carril so that Georgetown teams in the future can play up to their ability in the NCAA tournament.
A methodical pace, offensive efficiency and, especially, limiting the number of possessions in a game — all smart Ivy League tricks that Carril conceived to help his team beat more talented foes — may not carry over to the sudden-death March format that’s decimated the Hoyas five times in six years.
At Princeton, Carril conceived a brilliant system that gave him the maximum chance to beat better teams outside the Ivy League and also to defeat teams of roughly equal ability within the league
Carril’s system … has functioned exceptionally well for Thompson at Georgetown in the regular season against Big East teams of roughly equal ability, when the Hoyas’ efficiency, discipline and defense have been decisive.
But there may be a weakness in the Carril method, as adapted by Thompson.
The fewer possessions in a basketball game, the more vulnerable the better team becomes to weaker teams because they have shortened the game.
By reducing the data sample, you introduce more outlier results.
I buy this part of Bowell’s argument: the NCAAs aren’t the Ivy League and a slow-motion offense is problematic against reasonably talented, and lightning fast teams .
As I posted earlier this week, it’s why the Moneyball Oakland As won in the regular season but usually got bounced early from the play-offs.
It’s simple statistics.
But, the problem is more than a few “outliers” …
= = = = =
Like father like son … not
Another point that Boswell raised caught my eye:
Ironically, John Thompson Jr. had just the opposite philosophy to his son’s — end-to-end pressure defense … plus constantly pushing for a faster tempo.
The best Hoyas teams of that era thrived in a chaos that they had created.
John Thompson Jr. believed in the fast break, the spontaneous explosion of talent.
Hmmm.
Sounds like the FCGU coach.
And, sounds much more compelling than the outliers’ argument.
= = = = =
Will Georgetown fire JT3 ?
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Tags: NCAA Tournament
Posted in Georgetown, NCAA, Sports & Athletics | 1 Comment »
March 26, 2013
On Monday, there was an email blast from Lee Reed, Georgetown’s Athletic Director.
I thought it might be a mea culpa for the basketball team’s one-and-done in the NCAA tourney.
Nope.
Maybe another pep talk re: how awesome the CYO League (oops, I meant Big East) is going to be.
Wrongamundo.
Nope.
Lee had his fund-raising hat on and was trying to stir up buying interest for Gtown sports memorabilia.
Sports memorabilia … you know like #33 or #55 jerseys … Final Four t-shirts from 2007.
Lee, you mighta sat on this one for a couple of days.
You know, let the dust settle.
Or, haven’t you heard the news?
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March 26, 2013
OK, Cyprus is going to slap a tax on bank accounts over $100,000.
The world is aghast. The end of financial systems as we know them is in the balance.
Say, what?
It’s not the first time that a government – think, U.S. government — has seized (oops, I meant “taxed”) private assets
Here are a couple of examples from close to home …
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Tags: asset=based taxes, Cyprus
Posted in Financial Crisis, Government & Politics, Tax burden, Taxes | 1 Comment »
March 25, 2013
Harrah’s is a poster child for “predictive analytics” … using hard numbers to make good decisions.
Why then – asks the IO Creative Group of tiny York, PA – did the Las Vegas big boy casinos lose over one billion dollars.
According to IOCG, casinos attendance is up, their hotel stays are up, their night club business is up, restaurant and bar sales are up.
How could their profits be down by one billion dollars???
It is because of their belief that new customers were in order – which attracted a lot more customers who are completely NOT PROFITABLE.
These new Vegas fans sleep all day, party all night and do not gamble. They don’t shop nor do they utilize the services and amenities of the buildings.
Vegas became married to the idea that their money should be invested in attracting new younger, hipper, sexier customers and they achieved that.
What they failed to do was to invest in their current very profitable customers who were actually making them money.
Casinos got caught up in the “shiny object syndrome” — the need to go after something new when their most profitable market was already right in front of them.
When they were going after completely new markets, they should have been further investing in the one they already had.
* * * * * *
IOCG offers up a couple of ways to increase current customer “monetization”:
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Tags: Casinos
Posted in Customer profitability, Mktg - Customer Acquisition, Mktg - Customer Development | Leave a Comment »
March 25, 2013
I have a couple theories of the case re: the Hoyas string of one-and-done trips to the NCAAs.
And, they’re not the usual “too cocky” or “where was Otto?” kinda stuff.
First, the back story.
All the world knows that the Hoyas were upset by Florida Gulf Coast University.
Poll: Raise your hand if you heard of FGCU before last Sunday’s selection show.
Yahoo Sports cut to the chase Saturday morning:
March Madness: when the Georgetown Hoyas suddenly turn into the Washington Generals.
In five straight trips to the Big Dance, the Hoyas have been busted out by a double-digit seed.
So only one conclusion can be drawn: after going to the Final Four in 2007, Georgetown has simply been an atrocious NCAA team.
JTIII has been JTI and done.
You’ve got to beat somebody eventually, Georgetown. Seriously
Ouch.
Here’s what I think is going on …
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Tags: basketball, FGCU, NCAA
Posted in Sports & Athletics | 1 Comment »
March 22, 2013
Remember this?
Hmmm.
Let’s fast forward to today’s WSJ headline:
The numbers are staggering (and virtually certain):
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Posted in Health Care / Medical Insurance, ObamaCare | 1 Comment »
March 22, 2013
Yesterday we posted that Georgetown ranks #4 for having the “smartest & hottest” students.
Turns out that it’s not just the students.
The Georgetown Patch reports that Georgetown University has the #6 “Most Attractive Workforce” in DC.
* * * * *
The rankings were done by some outfit called The Hinge “which accumulated more than one million ratings” … to see which local workplaces had the most attractive employees.
I can only assume that The Hinge was talking about the b-school faculty.
Giddy up.
Thanks to former Patch reporter SMH for feeding the lead.
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March 21, 2013
Academic and Business Ethics.
No no kidding.
Last week, I got an email from the Executive Director of the Academic and Business Research Institute:
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Posted in acad, Academics - Research, Ethics, Plagiarism | Leave a Comment »
March 21, 2013
Georgetown students don’t face the dilemma.
They’re both smart & hot.
Business Insider reports that Georgetown is #4 on the College Prowler ranking of schools that are both hot and smart.
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Posted in Education - Academics, Georgetown, Rankings, Schools | 3 Comments »
March 20, 2013
Interesting infographic from www.informationisbeautiful.net both because of the info and the way the data is visualized.
Bottom line from the full chart:
1) Non-communicable diseases (including cancer)
2) Infectious diseases
3) Cardio-vascular diseases
4) Humanity-inflicted (e.g. murders)
click the picture below to view the full infographic with details
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Posted in Death - Causes, Health & Nutrition | 2 Comments »
March 20, 2013
Interesting piece on Forbes.com …
Punch line: There’s added pressure for the Hoyas in the Tourney this year.
They have to avoid the unfortunate early losses of past years and go deep into Tournament in order to protect the image of the New Big East (aka. Catholic 7)
Of course, my favorite parts of the article:
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Posted in Big East, Forbes, Mktg - Brands, NCAA, Sports & Athletics | 1 Comment »
March 20, 2013
Nope, not a typo.
It’s Perdue as in chickens, not Purdue as Boilermakers.
Who says so?
None other than HBS Prof. Clay Christensen — the father of the idea of disruptive innovation.
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Tags: Clay Christensen
Posted in Academics - Research, Disruptive Innovation, Education - Academics, MBA Degree, MBAs | 1 Comment »
March 19, 2013
According to a poll conducted by the CNN – not exactly the Conservative News Network” …
1) President Obama’s approval rating has gone underwater – 47% approve to 50% disapprove.
Q1. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Barack Obama is handling his job as president?
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2) 54% disagree with the President on the issues that matter the most to them.
Q3. Please tell me whether you agree or disagree with Barack Obama on the issues that matter most to you.
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Posted in Obama, poll, Polls & Surveys | 1 Comment »
March 19, 2013
What do actor Zach Galifianakis and the cast of “Duck Dynasty” have in common?
They could be the new pitchmen for Twinkies and other beloved Hostess snack brands.
And, there’s more to the marketing plan …
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Tags: Twinkies
Posted in Mktg - Brands, Mktg - Buzz - Word of Mouth, Mktg - Product & Innovation | Leave a Comment »
March 19, 2013
Malcolm Gladwell gave us Tipping Point.
Now, Prof. Jonah Berger from Wharton hopes to catch a wave with a new book: Contagious: Why Things Catch On.
Berger says you need 6-elements – or STEPPS – to boost your odds of going viral:
- Social currency:, It’s all about people talking about things to make themselves look good, rather than bad
- Triggers, which is all about the idea of “top of mind, tip of tongue.” We talk about things that are on the top of our heads.
- Ease for emotion: When we care, we share. The more we care about a piece of information or the more we’re feeling physiologically aroused, the more likely we pass something on.
- Public: When we can see other people doing something, we’re more likely to imitate it.
- Practical value: Basically, it’s the idea of news you can use. We share information to help others, to make them better off.
- Stories, or how we share things that are often wrapped up in stories or narratives
One of the book’s examples is BlendTec – a blender company that we posted a couple weeks ago in an article worth reading (again): Marketing ROI: What you get for $300 million … and for $10.
For more, click to see a 15 minute interview with Prof. Berger.
Pretty interesting.
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Posted in Mktg - Buzz - Word of Mouth, Mktg - Internet, Mktg - Promotion | Leave a Comment »
March 18, 2013
According to the latest RealClearPolitics poll=of-polls …
President Obama’s 48.2% approval rating is still 1.9 percentage points above his disapproval rating (46.3%).
But, the 48.2% is less than a majority … and down 4.6 percentage points from Obama’s post-election high.
Time to redouble the charm offensive …
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Posted in Obama, Polls & Surveys | 1 Comment »
March 18, 2013
According to the WSJ, unmarried teenage pregnancies are declining … but 20-somethings who are delaying marriage aren’t delaying having children.
Say, what?
Here are some factoids from the WSJ article …
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Posted in Birth rates, Marriage - families | Leave a Comment »
March 18, 2013
According to brandchannel.com, “New Pope Means New Brand for Catholic Church” …
While the white smoke billowed out into St. Peter’s Square and Pope Francis was introduced to the world
… the Catholic Church’s legal team was busy behind the scenes protecting its intellectual property.
The Catholic Church is as much a business as it is a religious beacon, and like any smart business, the Church protects its intellectual property.
Here’s how …
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Tags: Pope Francis
Posted in intellectual Property, Mktg - Brandmarks & Logos, Mktg - Brands, Pope - Catholic Church | Leave a Comment »
March 15, 2013
There was Administrative euphoria last week when the employment numbers were released … almost 200,000 jobs added.
In the words of former Obama economic guru Austan Goolsbee: “Whoo-hoo”
Yep. positive sign.
But, let’s look a little deeper … a couple of charts I haven’t seen other places.
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Tags: FRED
Posted in Employment - Jobs, Unemployment | Leave a Comment »
March 15, 2013
According to Channel 4 in DC …
A Maryland woman was shocked after she received a traffic ticket on Interstate 95 — because it wasn’t for speeding.
She was driving two mph under the speed limit … too slow said the trooper … by 2 MPH.
The driver was driving in the left lane of I-95 when she was pulled over..
According to the citation, she had been driving 63 mph in the left hand lane in a 65 mph zone.
The citation read, “Failure of driver, driving below speed limit, 63 in a 65.”
A retired state trooper said Tuesday that the ticket may not hold up in court.
“You can drive in the left lane in Maryland as long as you are doing the speed limit, or not impeding by going 10 mph under the speed limit.”
While police said they can’t comment on this specific ticket, they said that driving too slowly can impede traffic, and that anyone who wants to fight a citation can do so in court.
The driver has filed a complaint with Maryland State Police and plans to fight the ticket.
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Bottom line: Besides being a nitwit, the trooper didn’t even get the law right.
Now, this poor lady has to miss a day of work to go to court and get the charges dismissed … which they will be.
Think the trooper will be written up … or at least admonishe by the judge?
I’m betting the under.
Vroom, vroom ….
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Tags: Ticket for going too slow
Posted in Laws - Very Strange | 1 Comment »
March 15, 2013
Prof. Mark Perry of AEI crafted the below chart and observes …
Employment in temporary help services grew by 16,100 jobs in February, bringing the total number of temporary and contract workers to 2.58 million last month, the highest level since August 2007.
As a leading indicator of overall US labor market demand, the ongoing positive trend in temporary hiring is a sign that the labor market is gradually improving and suggests an increased pace of broader-based hiring for workers going forward in 2013.
It’s also likely that many employees who initially get hired on a temporary basis will be offered employment on a full-time permanent basis as the economy improves.
Prof Perry sees the glass as half full
Predictably, I see the glass as half-empty …
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Posted in Economy, Employment - Jobs, Labor Economics, Labor Force | Leave a Comment »
March 14, 2013
According to the WSJ …
Tuition at public colleges jumped last year by a record amount.
The average amount that students at public colleges paid in tuition climbed 8.3% last year, the biggest jump on record.
In some cases, state tuition has risen so much that costs approach what students might pay at a private college.
Tuition revenue accounted for a record 47% of educational funding at public colleges last year.
Rising tuition costs are “another example of the bind that public institutions are in,” said Sandy Baum, an economist at Skidmore College.
“Unless we make public funding a higher priority, the funds are going to have to come from parents and students.”
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Ken’s Take:
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Posted in Education - Academics, Schools, Tuition & fees | 1 Comment »
March 14, 2013
With a puff of white smoke, Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Argentina became Pope Francis.
Seems like a good guy …
1. In Argentina, rode around on buses instead of private limos
2. When elected, told Cardinals who voted for him “May God forgive you”
3. First Jesuit Pope … HOYA SAXA
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Posted in Religion | Leave a Comment »
March 14, 2013
First, a couple of disclaimers …
1) At heart, I relish conspiracy theories.
2) You probably know this already
But … the obvious has suddenly became clear to me.
Ben is in cahoots with Barack.
Here’s how and why it matters.
As loyal readers know, I’m bearish on the stock market.
Most companies have done a monumental job deleveraging and boosting profits by restructuring … i.e. jettisoning under-performing assets and employees.
Add QE1, QE2, QE3 … and you’ve got yourself a stock market rally.
What perplexed me is why Obama would tolerate monetary policy that makes the rich richer (way richer) and keeps the poor poor.
Didn’t make sense to me.
Until the light bulb finally illuminated.
Here’s what’s going on … Read the rest of this entry »
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Posted in Money & stock prices, Quantitative Easing - QE, Taxes | 2 Comments »
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