Know & Love
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Is there any Christmas character more iconic than Santa Claus? The belly o’ jelly, the tress-dressed face and the bright red suit with snowy fur all wrap up to create the jolliest man we know.
While you can buy Coke anytime and almost anywhere, my favorite holiday brand is Santa himself. We can thank Coca-Cola for Mr. Claus as we know and love him today. In 1931, artist Haddon Sundblom introduced us, via The Saturday Evening Post, to who has become our quintessential image of St. Nick.
Coke’s website explains, "For inspiration, Sundblom turned to Clement Clark Moore's 1822 poem "A Visit from St. Nicholas" (commonly called "'Twas the Night Before Christmas"). Moore's description of St. Nick led to an image of Santa that was warm, friendly, pleasantly plump and human. For the next 33 years, Sundblom painted portraits of Santa that helped to create the modern image of Santa -- an interpretation that today lives on in the minds of people of all ages, all over the world.”
So this year, instead of leaving milk out with your cookies this Friday night, you might leave a bottle of Coca-Cola. Santa is sure to appreciate the caffeine kick; he’s got a lot of houses to hit, you know.
You can read all about Santa’s image and other Coke lore on Coca-Cola's website.
Merry Christmas, y'all!
It's Back
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Did you hear that noise earlier last week? It was the sound of millions of Americans rejoicing. Why? The McRib is back, of course.
Considering there’s a McDonald’s on every corner, it’s interesting how McDonald’s has been able to make a pork sandwich so exclusive. Thousands wait for sightings each year on the McRib locator website. Facebook groups beg for its return. Well folks, prayers have been answered because 2010 is the magical year when all U.S. McDonald’s are carrying the sandwich (for a limited time of course).
I think the last McRib I had was in 1996, but something about the McRib is exciting each year. And not just for me, remember Jack Osbourne’s excitement (video is bleeped but probably NSFW)?
This year, McDonald’s McRib ad campaign highlights the love and passion people have for the sandwich as opposed to focusing on the exclusivity alone. Yep, love and passion for a pork sandwich.
Have you had a McRib sandwich yet?
Brews and Booze
Starbucks recently announced it will serve regional wine and beer, starting in its home city of Seattle. In an experimental trial, the company renovated a store in Seattle's busy Capitol Hill area and stocked it with new beverage offerings as well as a selection of local cheeses. In addition to the new menu, the barista bar has been rebuilt to seat customers closer to the coffee.
USA TODAY mentioned that the revamped store looks less like a Starbucks and more like a cafe that's been part of the neighborhood for years. Muted color palettes, dim lighting and an overall low-key design seem to contradict the entire Starbucks brand.
From the bright green logo to the unique language spoken when ordering drinks, Starbucks has always distinguished itself from other coffee shops. Why then after years of standing out, would Starbucks want to fit in?
Scott Bedbury, marketing chief for both Starbucks and Nike in the 1990s, told USA TODAY that evolution is critical for Starbucks and that wine sales could bring in "latte-like" profits. "Brands have to evolve or die," he said. "It's a tall order. But if anyone can pull it off, it will be Starbucks."
Bedburry is not alone in thinking evolution is critical. Other brands such as Belk underwent major changes this year. For now caffeinated customers across the country will have to wait and see if Starbucks stores in other cities will get a makeover similar to Seattle. I wonder if wine will come in Tall, Grande and Venti sizes?
SunChips Bag Gets Noise Complaint
When Frito-Lay launched a biodegradable SunChips bag, eco-friendly snack eaters cheered! But, it seems as though those cheers were drowned out by the 100% compostable bag's noisy packaging material. After about 18 months, declining sales and negative consumer feedback, Frito-Lay is pulling the loud snack bags from shelves and returning to the former, quieter bags which cannot be recycled.
While the new bags are undoubtedly louder and a little annoying, is 10 seconds of noise while you open the bag really that big of a deal? It is according to over 44,000 Facebook fans of the "Sorry But I Can't Hear You Over This SunChips Bag" page. I guess the bags weren't as loud as they thought if Frito-Lay heard their complaints.
The SunChips brand centers around health and nature. Their website promotes a "healthier you" and a "healthier planet." SunChips boasts that it is committed to environmental sustainability and changing the world. While removing the bags seems like a step in the opposite direction, USA Today reports that the company is working on creating a new, quieter eco-friendly bag.
Though I'm all for compromise, I think consumers should consider that the sounds of garbage trucks taking the old bags to the dump, or the sounds of children running into the kitchen for a snack are far louder than new bags themselves.
Kelloggs Pops Up in Times Square
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Times Square boasted a new store recently and the streets have been abuzz over the sweet addition. Promoters call it Pop-Tarts World and the 3200 square foot space contains an hourly light show, a café offering over 30 snacks and desserts including Pop-Tarts Sushi a as well as an interactive create-your-own-variety-pack vending machine. Though the 3200 square foot store has a lot to offer Pop-Tart fans, renting a space on Times Square is really more about brand marketing than it is about sales. “Our long-term hope is to strengthen the bonding between the brand and the consumer, and that has great benefits for the brand,” Senior Director at the Pop-Tarts brand, Etienne Patout, told the Wall Street Journal in a recent article. Averaging $1000 per square foot, Times Square presence comes at a cost but a 50-foot store front and a six-story billboard in view of 26 million annual visitors a year delivers priceless visibility.
Contributed by: Allison Jobes
Addison Whitney Helping Hands Event: Million Meal Mission
Addison Whitney recently attended a mobile food packing event hosted by Harrison United Methodist Church in Ballantyne for starving children in Haiti, the Philippines and more than 60 countries around the world. In partnership with Samaritans International and the "Feed My Starving Children" organization, the "Million Meal Mission" food packing event supports children in impoverished living conditions through nutritional support. This was a community-wide event for local businesses, civic organizations and churches with a goal of having 1,700 volunteers pack 350,000 (of the 1 million) meals in 3 days.
FMSC has developed a food mixture that is easy and safe to transport. Preparation only requires boiling water and it is culturally acceptable all over the world. With the input of scientists from major food companies, FMSC developed MannaPack™, a formula consisting of rice, soy, vitamins, minerals, dehydrated vegetables and chicken flavoring.
In an assembly-line fashion, volunteers measure the ingredients and package the meals in small pouches. The formula was designed to save the lives of severely malnourished and starving children but the ingredients also improve the health, growth and physical well-being of children who are no longer in immediate danger of starvation. A single bag of food provides meals for six children.
Result:
5,000 plus volunteers and businesses around Charlotte and Union County packed 1,019,304 meals during the mobile packing events at Mineral Springs UMC, Harrison UMC and Oasis Shrine. These meals will provide enough food for 2,793 poverty stricken children for one full year!
Please visit the Feed My Starving Children website for information on how you can help!
Nobody better lay a finger on my Butterfinger!
It was a slogan made popular in the '90s by our favorite paper-bag head cartoon, Bart Simpson. Whether it was Nelson the bully, Homer, or a chocolate-craving high school student that will remain nameless, everyone wanted his crispety, crunchety, peanut buttery Butterfinger! Bart went to extreme measures to assure that no one swiped it but sadly, Bart and his iconic slogan were swipped from television in 2001.
Nestle Butterfinger has brought the slogan back in full force. You can now "train" with the Butterfinger Defense League to make certain no one is swiping your favorite peanut butter bar. Sir Mix-A-Lot serenades you with "I Like Big Butterfingers" while the League, comprised of Lou Ferrigno, Erik Estrada & Charisma Carpenter teach you how to defend yourself from muggers that might make off with your confectionary treats.
Campy? Yes. Do I have to go out immediately and buy a Butterfinger? Maybe. Good for at least one laugh out loud moment? Most definitely.
Contributed by: Jennifer Rodden
How Much Is YOUR Facebook Page Worth?
A question Social Media Management Company, Vitrue, raised by creating a Social Page Evaluator, a tool designed to “provide an assessment of a brand's Facebook Page value and the effectiveness of its social media efforts.” According to Vitrue, Starbuck’s has an annual page value of $20.7 million. The basic calculation starts by assigning a value (a conservative default of $5) to each “like”, but also takes into account the number of posts and the number of interactions. A smaller fan base can earn more than a larger one if the brand uses Facebook to its full potential. Skittles pot of gold, for example, has 1 million fewer connections than beverage giant Coke but is valued higher because of a greater frequency of posts. Can a Brand go too far? Absolutely. With 147 posts in the last month, ESPN has maxed out their page value at $4.8 million. To maximize page value, Vitrue suggests brands post up to twice per day, post photos and videos, and use Facebook tools like the "share" button.
So who do you “like”? What brands have you “shared” recently? Are you doing your part to contribute to the how much your favorite brand is worth?
Contributed by: Allison Jobes
Green Brands Put to the Test
We've talked a lot about how brands are trying to add "Green" to their corporate color palette, sometimes with real, valuable initiatives and sometimes with just words. (Green: Who Can Claim It? and Greenwashing) So in honor of this Earth Day, the 40th Anniversary actually, we'd like put some of those brands to the test to "verdify" how green they really are.
Last month, SunChips introduced the world's first fully-compostable chip bag. The new bags, made of plant-based materials, should fully decompose in 14 weeks (under typical hot composting conditions). A few weeks later, Snyder's of Hanover announced it too would be using sustainable packaging (on its organic line of pretzels).
I don't have a compost pile, much less the perfectly mixed 1-2-2-2-1 “hot" compost that SunChips recommends, but I do find the random scrap of trash in my yard after trash day. Would the bags eventually decompose in my yard or on the side of the road? We plan to find out.
For our Earth Day experiment, we have staked one of these composting bags to the ground to simulate errant trash. We will photograph our progress and share the results on the blog.
Recipe: Libby's Famous Pumpkin Pie
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Face it. You just can’t celebrate Thanksgiving without indulging in a Pumpkin Pie. In fact, even America’s pilgrims thought so when one early celebration was delayed pending the arrival of a supply ship carrying molasses, an essential ingredient for baking pies of the time.
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