Tag Archives: Food

by | Thursday, November 16, 2023 · 7:00 am

It’s here. Use Your Palm to Pay at Amazon Stores.

Amazon’s palm-scanning Amazon One payment technology has been in testing since 2020 and now is ready to expand to all of its 500+ Whole Foods stores in the U.S.

The palm-payment system works by having a customer place their palm above a biometric reader. It then matches the palm signature with a payment card already on file. What this means for the consumer is that you won’t need to have a wallet or phone with you to make a purchase. Just wave your palm over the scanner and walk out the door.

This isn’t a new concept, but now it is getting wider distribution. With Amazon One, the company is promoting to consumers that it can handle all their transactions without using any devices – all that’s needed is your hand.

Amazon One technology has been in place at 400 locations in the U.S. and has handled more than 3 million transactions to date. Some sports stadiums, entertainment venues, retailers, and more have used the system. To use it, consumers just have to pre-enroll via the Web at Amazon One’s site or in a Whole Foods store.

And of course the palm-scanning isn’t just about improving the customer experience. Amazon also gains more data about customers in both online and in-store purchases. Amazon One has also been embroiled in privacy debates about its use and concerns about misuse by law enforcement agencies.

How will you pay?

 Group Activities and Discussion Questions:

  1. Poll students: Has anyone used palm-scanning while shopping? What has been their experience.
  2. Divide students into teams. Have each team list the positive and negative factors for using palm-screening for consumers. What are the positive and negative factors for businesses?
  3. Show Amazon’s information page about the scanning: https://one.amazon.com/how-it-works
  4. Play a video showing how to register and use palm-scanning: https://youtu.be/HR6ERtcT6bg?si=_RMnZqjIpgYmoZdX
  5. Also check the site for Amazon One locations in your geography. If there are any, consider having students shop at those locations to try the scanners and get their feedback.
  6. Have each team develop three different promotional tactics to ease consumer fears about the technology use.

Source: Mims, C. (11 August 2023). Amazon wants you to pay with your palm. It’s a sneak attack on Apple and Google. Wall Street Journal; Perez, S. (20 July 2023). Amazon’s palm-scanning payment technology is coming to all 500+ Whole Foods. TechCrunch.com

Leave a comment

Filed under Classroom Activities

Tagged as , , , , ,

by | Tuesday, June 20, 2023 · 6:59 am

Michelle Obama Launches Healthier Drink Company

Keeping children healthy is an important cause, but it can be difficult when it comes to all the added sugars that appear in children’s food and drink. According to federal dietary guidelines, more than three-quarters of all U.S. 9 – 13-year-old children exceed the recommended limit of added sugars per day; children get about 32% of that sugar from beverages.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, roughly one-in-five children ages 2 – 19 are obese. And, obesity is linked to a number of health problems such as heart disease and Type 2 diabetes. This is an important issue to address and now former-First Lady Michelle Obama has co-founded a company selling healthier drinks to kids.

The company, named PLEZi Nutrition, has launched its first product line of drinks that contain about 75% less sugar (compared to other fruit juice brands) plus fiber and nutrients including potassium, magnesium, and zinc. Drinks contain no added sugars and are 35 calories per bottle.

Drinks come in flavors including Sour Apple, Blueberry Blast, and Orange Smash. A four-pack of 8-ounce drinks will be priced around $4.00 and are sold at Target and online at Walmart.

Try it and see what you think.

Group Activities and Discussion Questions:

  1. Show Pelzi’s Website: https://plezi.com/
  2. Show Plezi for sale at Target: https://www.target.com/s?searchTerm=plezi
  3. And for sale at Walmart: https://www.walmart.com/search?q=plezi
  4. Discuss the importance of clearly defining a target market.
  5. What is the target market?
  6. Divide students into teams and have each team develop a profile of a target market. Include demographics, psychographics, behaviors, values, attitudes, etc.
  7. Based on the target market profile, what makes this product unique for these customers?
  8. What should the promotion plan focus on?

Source:  Aubrey, A. (3 May 2023). Michelle Obama launches a food company aimed at healthier choices for kids. NPR News.; Petersen, A. (3 May 2023). Michelle Obama starts food-and-drinks company aimed at fighting childhood obesity. Wall Street Journal.; other news sources.

Leave a comment

Filed under Classroom Activities

Tagged as , , , , ,

by | Thursday, June 8, 2023 · 7:52 am

The Wienermobile of Love – Oscar Mayer’s mobile Wedding Chapel

We love it when brands come up with unique and fun ways to market products. A recent example that comes to mind is the Cheeto Duster product – a device that turns Cheetos into ground up dust.  

And we can’t forget Taco Bell with its pop-up hotel – matched by Oscar Mayer with its Wienermobile Hotel for rent on Airbnb.

Another big success for Taco Bell is its wedding chapel in Las Vegas. Now Oscar Mayer is matching that with its own ‘Wienermobile of Love.’

Yes, folks, the Wienermobile of Love held two-days of hot-dog weddings in Las Vegas in early April. The happy couples shared a live Wiener Whistle Quartet, wedding cake (in wiener shape of course) and a ceremony performed by the company’s Hotdoggers. All expenses were paid by the company and slots quickly snatched up.

We love the concept of ‘The Wienermobile of Love ‘ – it makes a lot of sense as a promotional tactic. The Wienermobile is a celebrity on its own; the company gets thousands of requests each year to have the Wienermobile appear at proposals and weddings. It’s a three-dimensional brand ambassador that travels the country staffed by a crew of Hotdoggers. It’s big. It gets noticed. Having it become part of couples’ love stories not only brings smiles, it generates a lot of positive feelings for the brand and keeps fans loyal.

Shall we get a hot dog and tie the knot?

Group Activities and Discussion Questions:

  1. Discuss using unique promotion tactics for short time periods. 
  2. Show the Wienermobile of Love link: https://www.oscarmayer.com/elopewithus
  3. Video link: https://youtu.be/SYUeGs9kInQ
  4. Taco Bell Wedding Chapel link: https://www.tacobellwedding.com/
  5. Poll students: Would they consider a wedding at the Wienermobile? Or Las Vegas Taco Bell?
  6. Divide students into teams. Have each team select a brand that has a visible icon similar to the Wienermobile. (Example – Planters’ Nutmobile.)
  7. Have the teams develop a marketing plan to bring that icon to life in a new way. The plan should include setting SMART objectives, along with description of event and timeline.

Source:  Century, S. (13 April 2023). Oscar Mayer ‘Wienermobile of Love’ becomes the wedding venue of superfans’ dreams. Advertising Age.

Leave a comment

Filed under Classroom Activities

Tagged as , , , , , ,