nVerse

Jenny Craig Weight Loss

See, the secret to their program involves running up and down scaffolding stairs…?

Disturbingly Descriptive Name for Teas

These herbal teas are “Herbal Stimulant Laxative” teas…you know, to get things moving.

I don’t know which one is more appealing, the image conjuring, “Chocolate Smooth Move” or “Get Regular.”

[source: the Ginger Midget]

Health Department Ads…Sodas Make You Fat

Yay! The new york Department of Health has made this awesomely nasty-tastic video:

No More Big Macs in Iceland

The multitudes of readers of this blog will recall from my prior ramblings about McDonalds that McDs is an economic index of sorts - a bell-weather of global financial bust and booms.  Yesterday, the Golden Arches announced that they are shuttering all of their Icelandic restaurants with no plans to ever come back.  Yikes!  Now, recall that prior to the collapse of their banking sector last year, Iceland was one of the wealthiest nations per capita.  Reykjavik was an international financial hub providing support for all sorts of European assets…now their economy is at crisis levels.  And McDs is saying that the global economy that the Icelandic business model relies on is too precarious to ever come back to, even after people start spending more Kronas on Big Macs. 

See, the closings aren’t just about shifts in the demand curves - not just about people jonesing for that oh-so sweet-and-fatty taste of the McChicken Sandwich.  It’s also about the challenges of operating within the Icelandic economic profile - an economy that relies heavily on the Global Economy. Mainly, the sensitivity to import costs.  Most ‘ingredients’ come in from Germany; hence, die bestandteile prices have nearly doubled their costs due to the recent currency shifts (Krona way down, Euro up).  This cost function shift pushes the prices of menu items far above what consumers would pay in a sensible economy, let alone in a down economy.

Ok, ok, so what’s the punchline?  McDonalds is showing us that the underpinnings of harnessing your nation (esp if you are a small island of 300,000 people in the middle of the Atlantic) to the Global Economy spigot is not quite mature enough a system to bet the farm on…especially when currency rates are variables in your operating cost function…no insulation from the effects of macro-economic shocks to the global markets.

Luna Bars Are Delicious to Both Men and Women

Described as, “bars created by women for women to meet the specific nutritional needs of active females…”  Luna bars are delicious.  Even to non females.  I was relieved to learn that, according to a contact at Clif (which makes Luna bars), 30% of Luna bar consumers are men.  phew.  good to hear.  Because, they are delicious.

But it makes me wonder about the marketing…so, it is clearly marketed to women.  That’s the target segment.  But so many of their consumers are men - clearly not their target audience.  Or was that the planned outcome all along?  hrm.  Assuming that male consumers are an unintended target segment, now that Clif bar knows that  30% of Luna sales are to men, do they change the marketing plan?  Will it impact sales negatively?

…just some marketing food for thought…wakka wakka