WOMEN & BEER

No, that’ s not the start of a bar song.

In the spirit of the season, we turn our thoughts at Bandwidth to food and spirits. And this new beer line caught our attention.

As you may know, women are becoming a bigger part of what was traditionally a male market for beer, in the US and abroad.

Some beer manufacturers have lowered the carbs and the calories to women, but Polish company, Carlsberg Polska, is making a bold move to create a beer just for women.

Their brew, Karmi, brings sweet flavors and complexity to the palette without pumping up the calories or alcohol content, so it’ s more in line with what health conscious women are looking for in a beer.

So far, Karmi comes in a handful of flavors: Classic (caramel), Poema di Caffé (coffee), Selua (pineapple/piña colada), and Lamai (guava, dragonfruit and mint.) All are sealed up in a luxurious bottle that feels far more elegant than most dude brews.

Clearly time to cue up a Dudes and Daquiris bar song after Auld Lang Syne.

Happy New Year!

Leadership Lessons in a Rock Fan's Dance

Many of you may be familiar with TED videos, the online video library of great talks from the TED (Technology Entertainment Design) Conference.

This talk in particular was great in its simplicity. Far faster than Gladwell's Tipping Point read, and just as cogent in its dissecting a video of a concert dance to make a point about how group movements start.

The lessons for marketers, leaders, teachers, party-throwers are readily apparent: it's the second "follower" that has real guts, turning the bleeding edge into the leading edge.

The second person to follow a lead:

• turns a solo into a group
• commits his or her credibility to a possible lone wolf, person, or idea
• enables the more risk-averse to join in

It's time to value that first convert in following the lead or idea. Seconds, anyone?

Bandwidth has more Bandwidth - A Moving Announcement

On October 1, we moved into new, bigger offices.
Stop in and say "Mmmmm, that new office smell."

New Address: 1599 Maple Avenue, Suite 200, Evanston IL 60201

New Phone: 312.772.MKTG
Same Website: bandwidthmktg.com

Sample Pack Rats

Takahiro Kawano took traditional free sampling to a new level -- the ground floor retail level.

He created Sample Lab!   It's a store that allows consumers to explore sample products, bringing  a fresh concept to “tryvertising”. 

The 'lab' is filled with lots of unreleased goods in food, beverage, and beauty products.  

There's a store front.  A demonstration room.  A woman's powder room to try out cosmetics.  Experimenting is the key in this lab.

After sampling, members (15 and up who must register) are required to fill out surveys via cell phone.  If they really like the item they may buy it if it's available.  If not, they can take up to 5 or 10 samples home. 

The brand, designers, and manufacturers use the surveys to improve and tweak their product before release.  Sample Lab!’s unique system not only offers brands consumer feedback but also helps generate word of mouth buzz and excitement for new products. 

The franchise is still young, but Sample Lab! has around 700 consumers walk into the Harajuku store a day!  Stores aren't located outside of specific Asian countries, but there is definite interest in opening Sample Labs! internationally. 

Anyone up for trying one?

http://springwise.com/marketing_advertising/tryvertising_lab_in_tokyo/

http://www.samplelab-international.com/why.php

http://www.pbs.org/nbr/site/onair/transcripts/080327e/

http://www.japaninc.com/mgz_october_2008_sample-lab

Don't Go Away Mad, Men.

Yes, now that we're in the heat of summer, it's time for Don Draper and the whole Ad gang to hit our home screens again.  Complete with commercial interruptions.

If you don't know the TV show Mad Men, on AMC network, you are either far too busy, don't care about marketing, loathe serial dramedy, or all of the above.  Not that we'd fault you for any of that.

For the Mad Men neophyte, the show is all about the 60's NY ad game. Stylishly shot.  Very well acted.  And great writing, with lines like these:

You know what my father used to say? "Being with a client is like being in a marriage. Sometimes you get into it for the wrong reasons, and eventually they hit you in the face."

Now in the 4th season, the hits in the face keep coming.  Along with stiff drinks, and all the other Rat Pack longings.

You can catch up on it here:  http://www.amctv.com/originals/madmen/

And when you do, or if you have, you'll find this faux periodic table amusing and creative:

http://flavorwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/PeriodicTableofMadMen-Flavorwire-Miethner.jpg

Almost as useful as a cocktail recipe book.

A Politically Incorrect Political Ad

In the era of YouTube, ads like below can get SO much more widespread coverage and viewership thus creating more impact than ever before.

Kind of makes one wonder why so many political ads are still so dang boring and similar.

There's a great book on this that was given to us from a very good friend (and perfect candidate, but that's another story): Run the Other Way, by Bill Hillsman.

His main points are that the two-party system has so clogged the entryway to their own advantage with their own machines that the underdog, independent, clear thinker doesn't really stand a chance.

Unless one takes a chance.

Well, this ad is risky and risque. And maybe not exactly our cup of tea party.

But it's still refreshing to see someone in politics do something a bit out there.

In today's nutty political world and now internet fueled movements, maybe there's even more chance for change.



http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/06/17/dale-peterson-cuts-the-be_n_615907.html

Just Draw Me Some Kind of Poster! Can't You Push Your iMac Layout Button?

The attached 'email interchange' is amazingly funny.  

Not to turn everything into a lesson, but buried in the humor are a few pointers:

• be very clear on what you want when you ask for a creative solution to something

• creatives want to make something useful and memorable -- if you don't want invention, do it yourself

• good designers are a rare breed of eye and thought -- the best work appears effortless, and thus often in dollar terms is undervalued

• writers always have to turn everything into some deeper meaning -- so forget the points above now and just laugh when you see this:

http://www.27bslash6.com/missy.html