Category: Marketing
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Flashback to when Sol de Janeiro made a spider balm
In 2024, Sol de Janeiro decided to get in on the joke. After months of people questioning whether their newest fragrance was a spider attractant, they chose to play on that trend. Instead of fighting the strange public relations controversy that had people assuming their fragrance was attracting wolf spiders, they decided to “make something…
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What Victoria’s Secret knew
I was doing a deep dive to learn more about the initial launch of Victoria’s Secret Rapture, and then I landed in a pile of marketing info. While there I came across a 2003 article in Brandweek about Victoria’s Secret Beauty. Writer Christine Bittar interviewed executives in Victoria’s Secret Beauty and made this observation about…
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If were an airline right now
It’s 2026. The U.S. federal government is in a partial shutdown, with funding paused for the TSA. That means travelers have endured unheard of wait times. Some have waited in lines of four hours or more. That starkly contrasts with the past where a 1 hour wait was ridiculous. Travelers are getting to the airport…
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Did you notice this one thing about the new Starbucks loyalty program?
I scanned my Starbucks app at the counter. “Oh, you’re a reserve member!,” the barista exclaimed. I sheepishly accepted the statement, while I did the calculations in my head. “Just how much do I spend here every year?” We’ll save that budget crisis and point out a specific feature of the new Starbucks loyalty tier…
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Leave a review
Just a quick reminder: It’s okay to reach out directly to brands. Maybe you had a bad experience. Or an amazing one. Or one that was so-so. You can use the contact page on the brand website, call the phone number on your package, or leave a review. You can provide the feedback directly to…
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Not the post I’d hope to write
I rolled past a gas station in a different part of town. I remarked the higher that expected price and attributed to that area. And then there was another and another, and then I realized what was going on. The recent strikes on Iran were having an effect at the pump. There are more serious…
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What you can learn from Ring’s Search Party fiasco
Fear was triggered by something that seemed innocent: Let’s all work together to find lost dogs. When the ad Ring’s Search Party debuted during the Super Bowl an ad, many people got concerned. The very thing that they brought to their homes to protect their families could become a mass surveillance tool and threaten the…
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More on the costs of layoffs
I got into the research tunnel about layoffs. That led me to this HBR article: A Better, Fairer Approach to Layoffs . The authors, Sulene and Gupta, pointed to multiple examples where layoffs led to reduced sales and company performance. Trying to reduce costs through the labor force led to trickle effects that damaged the…
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It’s still just marketing, and yet…
I opened the website and visited stores with hopeful anticipation. And then I found it. A red Moleskine notebook with the a black and gold fire horse. I was excited to find the perfect gift for the mark a friend’s Lunar New Year celebration. After the item was wrapped and bestowed upon the gift recipient,…
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The useful lesson from celebrity drama
For better or more likely worse, I’ve been following the most recent celebrity court proceedings. While this is truthfully not at all relevant to my life, I have learned one key lesson. Be careful what you write. Yes, your wording in your major campaigns is run through with a fine-tooth comb checking to see how…
A Wren Says 