Tag Archives: branding

by | Friday, December 6, 2024 · 7:29 am

Holiday Shopping: Black Friday and Cyber Monday in 2024

Are you ready for the holidays? Yes, it’s that time of year again as Black Friday has become a big shopping extravaganza for consumers. It also seems to get longer. This year, Black Friday sales started weeks earlier and the deals continued on for weeks afterward.  

Spending is still leaning more towards online shopping increase. In-store sales saw only a small uptick in visitors and shopping. Online shopping doubled from 2017 (when sales were just over $5 billion).

What did people buy? Well, consumers bought a lot of toys, jewelry, appliances, clothing, and appliances. Some of the most popular toys were Harry Potter LEGO sets, lots of “Wicked” toys and game, Disney Princess toys, and gaming consoles were also big winners.

Some shopping highlights:

  • Total number of shoppers grew by 17 million from 2021 to more than 196.7 million consumers over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend.
  • On Thanksgiving day, consumers spent a record $6.1 billion online, up 9% from last year.
  • Black Friday spending online was $10.8 billion.
  • This amount is up 15% compared to in-stores sales.
  • In-store sales increased less than 1% though.
  • More than half of all online sales on Black Friday were placed on mobile screens.
  • Cyber Monday shopping was more than $13 billion, up 6% from last year.
  • Average consumer spending was $325.44 on holiday-related purchases.

No matter what is happening with the economy, people still like to shop and give gifts. Consumers also like to indulge themselves with an increase in self-care product categories.

What did you buy?

Group Activities and Discussion Questions:

  1. Discuss spending over the Thanksgiving weekend. Show video: https://youtu.be/m7jY0yAq2RY?si=boh64UoWVMMJjJ7o
  2. View National Retail Federation statistics and charts: https://nrf.com/media-center/press-releases/record-1967-million-consumers-shop-over-thanksgiving-holiday-weekend
  3. Poll students about their shopping over Thanksgiving Week – Cyber Monday.
  4. Where did they spend? How much?
  5. Divide students into teams.
  6. In teams, have students tally how much they spent, which products were sought after, etc. See which teams are the biggest spenders.
  7. Have each team design a holiday sales promotion for a company of their choosing.

Source: Hadero, H., and Grantham-Philips, W. (2 December 2024). Cyber Monday shoppers expected to set a record on the year’s biggest day for online shopping. Associated Press; Moore, J. (30 November 2024). Black Friday shoppers spent a record $10.8 billion online: What did people buy? ABC News; other news sources.

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by | Wednesday, December 4, 2024 · 6:24 pm

Let’s Call It ‘Chaos Packaging’

Where does packaging fit in the marketing mix? Is it just a necessity to keep products from being damaged? Or does it impact the sales of a product?

It’s actually both, and a lot more. But for right now, consider how packaging can help differentiate products and gain consumers’ attention. Think about it. How does olive oil come packaged? Liquor? Sun screen? What about potato chips? They all seem similar due to common undifferentiated packaging.

All of these have a predetermined sort of package that consumers are used to seeing (and buying) on store shelves. But the ubiquitous packaging has the effect of making all the products look alike in the store. What would happen if we mixed it up and got creative with packages, bottles, and boxes?

Enter ‘chaos packaging’. Chaos packaging innovates to take a standard consumer product and put it into some sort of unique container that causes dissonance. In other words, it helps break through the clutter and noise.

Some recent examples of chaos packaging include:

  • Sunscreen in whipped-cream cans.
  • Gin in motor oil cans.
  • Tampons in ice-cream tubs.
  • Perfume in window cleaner-type spray bottles.
  • Olive oil in squeeze bottles.
  • Water in beer-style cans.
  • Coffee beans in VHS tape packages.

Consider that some product categories have only about a 3-second dwell time – meaning that consumers look at packages for 3-seconds before deciding what they need, grabbing it, and buying. Extending that precious look-time, or keeping the look longer, can make the difference between a product languishing on a shelf, or making it into a consumer’s shopping cart.

Take a look!

Group Activities and Discussion Questions:

  1. Poll students: What products have unique packages? Does it matter?
  2. Discuss the importance and purpose of packaging in marketing products.
  3. Where does packaging fit in the marketing mix?
  4. Show video about chaos packaging: https://youtu.be/w9Sk16c2uXQ?si=UB9Qm9FV4A3q6-ui
  5. Divide students into teams. Have each team choose a product that comes in a standard type of package.
  6. Now, have the teams redesign the package to gain more awareness and attention.

Source: Alt, C. (27 October 2024). Tampons in an ice cream tub? Inside the ‘chaos packaging’ trend. The Times (London); Deighton, K. (21 October 2024). Ice-cream tubs of tampons and sunscreen from a whipped-cream can: Welcome to ‘chaos packaging’. Wall Street Journal.

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by | Thursday, September 26, 2024 · 8:02 am

Follow that Boot!

It’s one thing to put up a billboard to get drivers’ attention. And some cars even have billboards and marketing messages on them. Think busses, taxis, trains with wrapping containing a message. We’re used to seeing that kind of marketing, and it certainly gets attention, but it isn’t exactly ‘engaging’ people and keeping their interest.

It’s on an entirely different engagement level though when you can actually get your product to drive down the street and greet people. Yes, folks, three dimensional rolling signs are what we’re talking about. Especially the L. L. Bean Bootmobile just in time for the fall’s hunting season!

Like its counterparts the Planters Nutmobile, the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile, and the Batmobile (ok, not the Batmobile but you have to admit it’s attention-getting), the Bootmobile travels around the nation bringing ‘surprise and delight’ where ever it goes – such as giving out free trinkets and buying ice cream for everyone at a local market.

It’s a unique promotional vehicle. The first of three Bootmobiles drove off the lot in 2012, racking up 350,000 miles and visiting 25 states. If it were an actual boot, worn by a person, that person would have to be 143 feet tall with a shoe size of 708. The body and engine of the boot belong to a GMC Sierra and uses 12-strand braided mooring rope for its shoelaces.

This boot won’t fit in a closet – perhaps a garage.

Group Activities and Discussion Questions:

  1. Poll students about out of home advertising. What do they see?
  2. What types of marketing outdoors gets their attention.
  3. Show the L.L. Bean Boot mobile website: https://events.llbean.net/index.html
  4. Video about making the mobile-boot: https://youtu.be/jsUxl_9AzeU?si=lX0RRy6W0rJjJwmA
  5. Take a look at Turtle Transit website: https://turtletransit.com/
  6. Show Wienermobile website: https://www.oscarmayer.com/wienermobile/
  7. Show the Nutmobile website: https://www.planters.com/nutmobile/
  8. Divide students into teams. Have each team select a consumer product that could use the branded vehicle promotion.
  9. Have teams design the vehicle and put together a promotional tour and schedule.

Source: Kurutz, S. (20 August 2024). A shoe that goes 65 mph. New York Times.

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