LA Times Goes Commercial

After making tons of cuts and struggling to survive, the LA Times has given up and brought in a TV exec. With no newspaper experience, Eddy W. Hartstein is going to figure out what it takes to keep this paper in tact. We hope he can get it done without sacrificing content that this pub has had in the past. (NYT)

New, Better Face of BK

Burger King ads have been terrifying me ever since they came out with the guy with the head *shudder*. Now they’re taking a new step in advertising by hiring Family Guy’s Seth MacFarlane to advertise. He’ll work on animated clips to be premiered on YouTube, which will ideally draw MacFarlane junkies in to willingly watch commercials. This could be a win-win if it’s pulled off correctly: advertisements that actually draw the viewer in (of their own volition), and no more of the BK king. (NYT)

Print Media: Decay Brings Embitterment

Our erudite friends over at the Times have sort of, kind of congratulated those lowbrow goons at the Enquirer. Mr. Carr suggests that there may be some value in a pluralistic journalist society; perhaps the methods at the Enquirer aren’t entirely without value. A few weeks ago this op-ed would have been a nice gesture. However, with the advent of the Edwards affair and the embarrassing lag between coverage on blogs and coverage in major media, the piece comes off as an obnoxious attempt at turning apology into a chance for condescension.

Cute Overload is Nauseatingly Lucrative

Cute Overload, which features pictures of fluffy animals, is selling premium ads at $2000. Compare to Daily Kos, at $7500 per premium. Apparently there's a huge market for adorableness.

Being all-out Gen Y, I prefer LOL Cats or Kitten Wars (Check out the losingest kitties on the Left sidebar!). (NYT)

Sampling Products 101

In my whole life span I cannot remember ever consistently buying a product after trying a free sample. Most products I sample are either disappointing, mediocre, or not good enough to break my normal buying patterns. I have finally caved in and become a repeat buyer of a product I sampled. Why now?

About two weeks ago I attended Warped Tour. It was a very typical hot and humid summer day. After about four hours of standing in the sun, I decided to weigh my beverage options. I could either pay $4 or more for water or pop. As I was debating what to get, I noticed a tent handing out free energy drinks.

Being fatigued, thirsty, and not wanting to pay $4 for a water, I ventured over to the tent. The energy drink I sampled was a hybrid: half energy drink, half fruit juice. Needless to say it was very satisfying on such a mucky day.

Fast forward two weeks later and now every time I am about to buy an energy drink, I search out for the "Lost" energy drink. Why do I have such a strong urge for it? I sampled it while I was tired and thirsty. Thus, this is what sticks in my mind. It wasn't that it only tasted good. It was that I associated it with curing my thirst and giving me energy.

Now for a real life example from an economics course I took:

When Coca-Cola began taste testing "New Coke" it was met with overwhelmingly positive feedback. Nearly everyone preferred New Coke to the Classic Coke. As I'm sure you probably know, New Coke was an absolute bomb. I don't think any drink has received such a backlash from the general public. So why did people prefer it in taste tests but not in daily life?

The short answer is: people sampled New Coke when they weren't thirsty. They enjoyed it, but when they were actually thirsty, it wasn't satisfying. They associated New Coke being just another sample and Classic Coke for being satisfying when they are thirsty.

Something to consider when handing out product samples:

Hand out samples when the customer would normally crave them. You want the consumer to associate your product with something. And you don't want that "something" to be just another free sample. If it is food, give out your sample when the consumer would be hungry. If it is a drink, hand out your sample when people are thirsty. The mind is a powerful tool. Secure a spot in the mind and the consumer is yours.