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October 17, 2010 • 9:47 PM 0

If the Mandarin sells out nightly, Japan may regain its 2nd place from China


For a paltry sum of $671,800 per night, you could rent out the entire Mandarin Oriental Tokyo.

Under the plan, the entire hotel — 178 guest rooms, all nine restaurants and all spas — would be reserved from 3:00 in the afternoon to noon the next day. It would include a cocktail reception for 500 people.

The hotel plans to apply for recognition from Guinness World Records, as soon as they receive a reservation.

I think you should call the hotel and do your part to help them receive their prize from Guinness.  It’s a win-win, really.  The Mandarin gets to be a World Record holder, and YOU get the entire hotel to yourself (and 499 of your closest friends).

Filed under: Business, Marketing, World, , , , , , ,

September 14, 2010 • 8:42 PM 2

Attending a for-profit university, good decision or bad decision?


I’ll admit it, when I first learned about the University of Phoenix, my first thought was “there’s a University of Phoenix in Arizona”??  All skepticism aside, of the for-profit university, the organization (for lack of a better term) is trying to re-brand the public’s perception.

While University of Phoenix is one of the internet’s biggest advertisers, it is first and foremost an educator.  Now, the Fortune 1000 company has tasked itself with re-branding American education, transforming it from an expensive and exclusive club to a high-quality, affordable, and scalable academic experience.

I would like to call your attention, dear reader, to the 2nd sentence in the quote above.  Specifically – a high-quality, affordable, and scalable academic experience. In a random coincidence, I read an interesting (and depressing) article today about how student loan defaults are on the rise.

The default rate on loans for for-profit schools rose from 11 percent in 2007 to 11.6 percent in 2008, while the rate for public institutions went from 5.9 percent to 6 percent and the rate for private schools went from 3.7 percent to 4 percent.

Right, so for-profit schools have the highest default rate.  And…

“While for-profit schools have profited, some of their students have not. Far too many for-profit schools are saddling students with debt they cannot afford in exchange for degrees and certificates they cannot use. This is a disservice to students and taxpayers, and undermines the valuable work being done by the for-profit education industry as a whole.”

The article doesn’t specify which for-profit school the defaulted students have attended, BUT I think it’s safe to say that it will probably behoove the powers to be at University of Phoenix, and other similar schools, to focus on their current students.

Just like companies, in this economy, are focusing on retaining and pleasing their current clients, I think that ensuring that their most recent graduates can use their certificates and degrees to secure jobs in this marketplace, should rank first on their agendas.

Filed under: Business, Finance, Marketing, , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

September 6, 2010 • 10:23 PM 5

Facebook…coming soon to a brick & mortar near you…


So this isn’t breaking news per se, as it already happened, this past Sunday.  BUT, if you didn’t know about this, then…BREAKING NEWS!!

Facebook is officially making their foray into retail stores, by way of gift cards.

The new Facebook gift cards will be available in values of $15, $25 and $50 at all of Target’s 1,750 retail stores and at Target.com. Two or three more national retailers will start selling the cards in coming months.

I know people who like to play those ridiculous games, ie. Oregon Trail, Mafia Wars, and Farmville,..but had no idea that

More than 200 million people play free social games on Facebook each month, according to Facebook.

Or that

(And) many of them are beginning to spend money on premium goods and services associated with those games.

More power to Facebook, for finding new creative ways to get people to spend money on ridiculous crap.  If people are willing to shell out money to play these virtual games (when they could be doing real life things…I mean, farming?? Really, when was the last time you planted a bushel of corn?? Does corn come in bushels? Clearly I’ve never played Farmville, so excuse my lack of knowledge), then why not make it seem like it’s halfway normal…by making the payment in gift card form.

Filed under: Business, Marketing, Social Media, Tech, , , , , , ,

August 10, 2010 • 8:30 AM 0

If they pick em (online ads), they will watch (so they hope).


Next month (September), in an attempt to make online ads less irritating, sites like like: MSNBC, Yahoo & Hulu, will let the consumer choose the ads they want to view.

The new ad-selecting tool is called ASq and may step up development of the $3.1 billion global video ads market, already online advertising’s fastest-growing segment. While it may not end unwelcome commercials for car insurance or weight-loss pills, it may help websites command higher rates while letting marketers attract more eyeballs and improve consumer targeting.

I’m anticipating a bunch of “superbowl” worthy online video ads…bring on the creative.

Filed under: Business, Marketing, Tech, World, , , , , , , ,

August 7, 2010 • 2:16 PM 1

If you’re a big brand, and haven’t registered your .co extension…you may be outta luck


To keep up with the influx of individuals and/or companies registering new URLs,  or the lack of options for smaller businesses….  allow me to introduce you the newest web domain: .co

If the extension seems a bit familiar, it was once used as the country domain of Colombia.  Now, it has officially become an alternative to dot-com.

The issue here has to do with cybersquatting.  I myself, was unsure of the term, so here’s a definition:

Cybersquatting (also known as domain squatting), according to the United States federal law known as the Anticybersquatting Consumer Protection Act, is registering, trafficking in, or using a domain name with bad faith intent to profit from the goodwill of a trademark belonging to someone else. The cybersquatter then offers to sell the domain to the person or company who owns a trademark contained within the name at an inflated price.

Although

Many companies—especially those with recognizable brands—were quick to reserve their own .co sites during a “sunrise” period before they became available to the general public on July 20.

A lot of really large companies, ignored the debut, and are now sort of in between a rock and a hard place.  They can either ignore the fact that someone has purchased a domain name with their trademarked brand, or they can contact the individual and try to get it back.

Gannett.co and GeneralDynamics.co are now in the hands of David Stone of Warrenton, Virginia.-based Assurance Agency Inc. Redskins.co and WashingtonCapitals.co also belong to registrants who have nothing to do with the sports teams.

I guess time will tell…

Filed under: Business, Marketing, Random, Tech, World, , , , , , ,

August 4, 2010 • 9:44 PM 0

Either the marketing is really working, or Americans are becoming more health conscious.


For the first time EVER…wheat bread sales have surpassed white bread.

The best-performing breads are promoting credentials like “whole grain” and “natural,” sometimes asking consumers to pay more for those loaves. And it seems to be working. Breads with “natural” in the name, or grains visible through the packaging, are among the best performing at grocery stores.
Interesting that even in this economy, people are willing to shell out more for healthier bread.

Filed under: Business, Marketing, , , , , ,

July 24, 2010 • 12:49 PM 2

Beer and squirrel…go together like a horse and carriage…


BrewDog, a Scottish brewery recently dubbed their new ale “The End of History“.  The name is quite fitting, as it’s 110 proof.. Hard liquor sold in the US is mainly between 80-95 proof.

But it’s all in the packaging..right?  (pic below is no joke!)

The brew comes in a bottle surrounded by a dead squirrel or weasel.

Not to fear, dear PETA friends

“All the animals were road-killed animals, were dead. And we think it’s a great way to present the beers,” said BrewDog’s co-founder James Watt. “And since it’s our final installment in our series of high-alcohol beers, we wanted to do something special, completely different for the packaging.

Price tag: $770.  But sorry folks, all 12 limited edition bottles sold out in 4 hours.

Filed under: Business, Marketing, Random, , , , , , ,

July 1, 2010 • 8:00 AM 0

FREE wifi at Starbucks starts TODAY!


Don’t forget!  Starting today – July 1st – Starbucks is offering their wi-fi services…for FREE!

Starbucks is partnering up with Yahoo! (amongst other companies) to ‘help enrich your [yes, YOU!] coffeehouse experience’.

What are Starbucks, Yahoo! (and other partnering companies) getting out of this?

On Wednesday, Yahoo! announced that over the next 3 years, they will repurchase $3B of their stock (in an effort to raise the value, by limiting the amount of shares in the market).    Starbucks’ stock (SUBX) isn’t doing too hot either.

Does brand loyalty necessarily = higher stock prices?  I wonder if free wi-fi is the answer…? I guess time will tell.

Filed under: Business, Marketing, Tech, , , , , , , , , , , ,

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