April 2010

I recently received a coupon in March from Duke Energy for a box of six free 13 watt compact fluorescent bulbs redeemable at Walmart.  Duke Energy is promoting it as a way to save money and to reduce electrical demand.

Duke-Energy.com: Take a Simple Step to Save Energy and Money

If every Duke Energy OH customer receiving this offer installs six CFLs, our customers will save the amount of energy needed to serve 14,800 homes.

Unfortunately, these bulbs are nowhere to be found.  I’ve driven to two different Walmarts and they’re both out of stock of this specific pack with no substitutions allowed.  While I was there, I saw two others carrying coupons looking for the bulbs too.  I checked with my parents and they’ve been to two other Walmarts in the suburbs and they’re out of stock too.

So, how exactly are we saving energy with Duke Energy customers driving around trying to find these energy saving light bulbs?  It seems like Walmart and Duke Energy should have been better coordinated with Walmart to have ample stock of these bulbs.

I checked on the Duke Energy site and there’s a FAQ and one of the questions is:

Q. What do I do if Walmart is out of bulbs?
A. Increased inventory levels and additional reserve stock will be available to participating Walmart stores. If your store is temporarily out of stock, check back within one to three days when inventory has been replenished.

Just drive back to Walmart and check for bulbs in one to three days!

Time.com: Why You’ll See Tons of “New and Improved” Products Soon

Call it the recession lesson. The downturn caused many newly thrifty consumers to detour into the world of cheap toilet paper, store brand shampoos, and other generic necessities. And you know what these consumers discovered? The cheaper stuff isn’t half-bad. Often, the cheaper stuff clearly gives more bang for the buck. So why would consumers ever go back to paying significantly more money for something that does basically the same job?
…
Because they’re having trouble competing in straight-up face-offs with generic products, the manufacturers are rolling out new items–or rather, “new and improved” items.
…
P&G, the world’s biggest ad spender, plans a 20% increase in
“consumer impressions,” or instances when consumers see its ads, during
the fiscal year ending June 30. The Cincinnati-based maker of Pampers
diapers, Crest toothpaste and Pantene shampoo says it will introduce 30%
more “significant” innovations in products this year.

It will be interesting to see what P&G thinks these “significant” innovations are.  Unless there’s true noticeable improvement, I don’t think that some minor changes, a new label, and an advertising campaign is really going to win back customers.  The recession has cut pretty deeply and the old way of doing things might not work this time.

Related article:
Time.com: Making P&G New and Improved (2008 interview with Former CEO A.G. Lafley

NYTimes.com: News Sites Rethink Anonymous Online Comments

“Anonymity is just the way things are done. It’s an accepted part of the Internet, but there’s no question that people hide behind anonymity to make vile or controversial comments,” said Arianna Huffington, a founder of The Huffington Post. “I feel that this is almost like an education process. As the rules of the road are changing and the Internet is growing up, the trend is away from anonymity.”

I used to cringe at the callers that I’d hear on talk radio shows, but comment sections have gone way beyond that. Most of the comment sections of news websites have become a cesspool of ignorance and hate.

I think that banning anonymous comments help, but until you truly make public the identity of the commenter, you’re still going to end up with mostly garbage.

DailyMail.co.UK: KFC introduces ‘sandwich’ with buns made of CHICKEN instead of bread

Thank goodness health care reform has passed, because KFC has issued a new challenge to the hearts of Americans everywhere.  It’s the Double Down, your personal Exxon Valdez.

The Vancouver Sun newspaper estimated that the sandwich clocks in at an artery-clogging 1,228 calories – far above the 540 calories that KFC claims it contains. The grilled option comes in at 460 calories.
…
But nutritionists are more concerned that the Double Down contains 1,380 milligrams of salt and ten grams of saturated fat. That is 60 per cent and 50 per cent respectively of the U.S. government’s recommended daily intake.

Is the notoriety and free publicity that KFC is getting worth the unhealthy label that comes with it?

It’s bad enough that Spirit
Airlines is charging for carry on luggage. Now Ryanair is planning
on charging for the use of the toilets.

USAToday.com: Ryanair pushes ahead with plan for toilet fee

The Daily Mail of London writes “no-frills [Ryanair] is working with Boeing to redesign the cabin and develop coin-operated toilets on 168 of its planes. Not content with charging passengers for use of the facilities, the airline is also looking at reducing the number of toilets on board, leaving just one available cubicle for up to 189 passengers.”

I predict bad things happening if there’s only one toilet for 189 passengers.  Redundancy is the key.

I’ve flown Ryanair twice and it’s actually not a bad airline. Ryanair is different from other airlines because they’ve always nickel and dimed passengers for every little service, but in return offered shockingly low prices.  Right now they’re offering fares as low as 9.99 euros or ($13.36). 

If Spirit offered $15 tickets, maybe people would understand charges for luggage.  But $45 dollars for a bag in the overhead bin is tough to swallow.  I hope this charge comes back to bite Spirit big time.  Because if this works, every airline is going to adopt it.

Related Article
Havard Business Review: Why the Spirit Airlines Baggage Fee Won’t Fly

From NYTimes.com: Laugh It Up, Fuzzball: Lucas Plans ‘Star Wars’ Comedy Series

“It’s like a sitcom set in the ‘Star Wars’ universe,” Mr. Senreich said. “Single cam, if you will.”

I’ve got a perfect scene for this sitcom, George Lucas being digested by the Saarlac.  Lots of laughs.

It’s common to see new and improved on products, but “Now! Better Tasting!” on Jimmy Dean sausages sounds like an admission that the product was previously not as tasty.

What does a consumer think when they see “Now!  Better Tasting!” on the box?

• If you’ve previously tried it before and thought it tasted bad, would you try it again because it’s now “Better Tasting!”?
• If you hadn’t tried it before, would you wonder how bad it must have been for them to now say it’s “Better Tasting” on the box?
• If you’re already eating this and liked it, will you wonder if you’ll still like it?