A few months ago, we launched a new product line for Farm Ridge Foods, which we named and branded as “The Untypickle Pickle” and “Not Your TYPICKLE Pickle”. The pickles are described as a stroke of artisanal genius, made with a winning combination of specially selected herbs, spices & ingredients. We have seamlessly incorporated this product line into the Farm Ridge Foods brand. Aside from being truly one-of-a-kind, the product line brand is clever and full of personality.
In a recent trip to ‘Fairway’ in Brooklyn, we found a great display of The Untypickle Pickles product line. We are delighted at the success of our brand, and we love seeing our work displayed so prominently in stores and supermarkets. Check out the Farm Ridge Foods website, try some of The Untypickle Pickles and let us know if the product is as good as or better than its brand!
Nutella Fans Just Nuts About Latest News
Why would a popular, well-loved brand tell one of the company’s biggest fans and free-publicity machines to stop promoting the company? If you haven’t been following the Nutella soap opera – the story has come to a satisfactory conclusion with everyone living happily ever after and eagerly awaiting the reinstated “World Nutella Day”.
Some background: Nutella is a peanut butter like hazelnut-spread produced in Italy that seems to evoke a lot of passion from its many aficionados. Books, blogs, and websites have been dedicated to it, with the dedicated Sara Rosso at the helm. Sara, a US blogger, initiated an annual Nutella day of appreciation in February 2007 for fans to “celebrate Italy’s edible treasure with online and offline tributes” and to share recipes. It caught on like wildfire and her World Nutella Day Facebook page grew to nearly 40,000 likes.
Last month, Sara received a cease-and-desist letter from Ferrero – the maker of Nutello, accusing her of unauthorized use of their trademark logo and brand and requesting she take down her site. Upon hearing this, fans were up in arms. Ferrero has now backed down and said the whole brouhaha had been one big misunderstanding – its lawyers had simply been responding reflexively to what they took to be an infringement. The company has gone on to thank Rosso for all her efforts.
The Nutella saga opens up the gray area of how far does a company go to protect their brand, especially in the evolving arena of social media where there is so much room for unofficial grassroot support.
According to Scott Galloway, Professor of Marketing at NYU’s Stern School of Business “These new platforms let people start playing with your children—your brands, your most valuable assets, which you’re incredibly proud of. You feel protective, very uncomfortable, but this also a huge opportunity, because the more you let people be emotionally invested in your brand, the stronger it is.”
Happy Birthday YouTube
The recently turned 8 years old company sure has got lots to celebrate! With approximately one billion visitors to the site per month and 6,000 hours of video uploaded every hour, the company has experienced stunning growth.
YouTube was acquired by Google in October 2006, one year after its initial 2005 launch, for $1.65 billion. And Google has high hopes for continued meteoric upsurge of users – thanks to the escalated usage of mobile devices.
This is an age-old balancing act that husbands have always dealt with, some more wisely than others. The mother-son-wife triangle has been the butt of many jokes, the bane of many relationships, and the subject of a recent Wall Street Journal article.
Some advice as the Journal weighs in: “Few family relationships are more fraught than the ones between a mother-in-law and her daughter-in-law, and the man caught between them… Mothers- and daughters-in-law are often uncertain about their relationship and as a result keep their distance. Experts say one way to break the pattern of conflict is for couples to present a united front.”
Dr. Mikucki-Enyart, assistant professor of communication at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, asked 89 mothers-in-law what they worried about most when a child married. The overwhelming response was the insecurity these women felt upon marrying off their sons as to how their ongoing relationship would unfold. Would their son visit less? Would his new wife change him? Would he be well taken care of?
Upon doing a study on 133 daughters-in-law, Dr. Mikucki-Enyart discovered that most were uncertain as to their standing with their husband’s mom, and many a time these feelings can result in jealousy, anger or sadness.
Bottom line, both mom and wife want what’s best for husband as they both seek to nurture him. Hard as it may be, the mother needs to step back and give the couple space to build their own life, as the daughter-in-law takes over many of her heretofore duties.
Never Get Stuck in the Rain Again
The Big Apple to Boost Kiosk Sales
Bet you never knew that aside from selling the ubiquitous newspapers, magazines and prepaid transit & phonecards – newsstands could only sell items that cost $5 or less pre-tax. Well guess what? To make life easier for all you curbside shoppers, the city plans to pass legislation raising the the maximum price to $10.
According to Robert Bookman, counsel to the NYC Newsstand Operators Association, NYC currently boasts 300 sidewalk stands, down from 1,500 over half a century ago. It was in 2001 when Mayor Michael Bloomberg last increased the newsstand price limit from $2 to $5. The reason for this price cap – to preserve the historic nature of newsstands without turning them into larger retail chains.
Once this new law is in place, you won’t have to be bothered to walk into a store to buy a decent umbrella or replace your broken charger – you’ll be able to make that purchase right on the spot on the streets of New York! How’s that for the good life?
Athough the court overturned New York City’s proposed ban on sugary drinks larger than 16 ounces, many beverage companies already spent millions to comply.
One such company is Honest Tea, always honest to a “T”. They modified their distinctive bottle design to hold .9 oz less, so instead of their standard 16.9 oz. – New York consumers will get the allowed max. of 16. oz. Since New York is the largest market of this Maryland-based company, it paid to launch a customized version in compliance with the Mayor’s draconian decree. The company does plan to switch over to 16-oz. bottles nationwide next year.
While Bloomberg’s ban was meant to address obesity and was primarily geared towards soda manufacturers and excessively sweetened drinks, drinks such as Honest Tea which are generally perceived as a healthier choice and contain only 70 calories, ended up in the crosshairs as well.
British Get Their Feet Wet on Broadway
The iconic Foxwoods Theater on Broadway was acquired by Great Britain’s Ambassador Theater Group for $65 million.
The 1,932-seat theater, one of Broadway’s largest, is currently home to Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dar and is known for its large-scale, splashy musicals such as Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and Young Frankenstein Will the new owner, which owns & operates many venues in London’s West End theater district, decide to change the name or just add a decidedly British touch? Stay tuned!
Ad Lib Unlimited is proud to announce that our client, Bank of Tokyo–Mitsubishi UFJ, recently received an Honorable Mention from Ragan Communications in the category of Best HR Publication (Print). The brochure was a collaboration of concept and content provided by Bank of Tokyo–Mitsubishi UFJ, and a unique design provided by Ad Lib Unlimited.
As stated by Liz Lyman, Managing Director and Head of Corporate Communications for the Americas, “We recognized the need for a comprehensive company overview and worked with departments throughout the company, including HR, to produce an informative, engaging, and useful resource for all employees. The recognition from Ragan for our first effort of this kind validates the high standards we have set for all of our publications and other communications.”
Ad Lib Unlimited is proud to have worked together with the Bank of Tokyo–Mitsubishi UFJ and facilitated the production of their award-winning company brochure for new employees which was published in December 2012. We look forward to collaborating on new projects and producing more award-winning publications for them and our other clients.
The Aster Awards Program is an elite competition recognizing the nation’s most talented healthcare marketing professionals for outstanding excellence in advertising.
Winning entries, judged by a diverse panel of experts, are published in the Marketing Healthcare Today magazine. A Best of Show Trophy, Judge’s Choice Awards, as well as Gold, Silver and Bronze certificates are granted to winning entries exemplifying excellence.
Ad Lib Unlimited, a New York advertising firm with years of experience in health care marketing, magnificently developed the award-winning brochures for Specialty Home RX and The Harborside at Port Jefferson. It is extremely gratifying when your hard effort is recognized by a prominent program and a distinguished panel of experts.
We truly believe that much credit is due to the invaluable collaboration and utmost professionalism of our clients throughout the project. The synthesis of their fabulous teams and our creative experts effectively created an unparalleled workforce with results of the highest caliber.
Specialty Home RX, a division of Specialty RX, is a full-service retail pharmacy with an outstanding prescription program for home deliveries. Their unique services include personal attention, follow-up care, monitoring for medication refills and delivery notifications.
The Harborside at Port Jefferson Rehabilitation and Nursing is a leading provider of exemplary short-term subacute and long-term care in Port Jefferson, New York. They offer a wide array of services for treatment of short-term rehabilitative conditions as well as complex medical services, and they are especially noted for their outstanding Wound Care & IV Therapy.
We are proud of our team effort with the stellar principals of Specialty Home RX and The Harborside at Port Jefferson!
Jonah Berger
In a recent Forbes interview with marketing guru, Jonah Berger, he shares some secrets to the science of a viral marketing campaign. Here are some of the things he has discovered based on all his research:
• A surefire way to get people talking, or to create a video that people will share, is to make them feel like insiders or create something remarkable that makes them look clever for sharing. People share things that make them look good. This is a time-honored practice embodied in marketing materials developed by Ad Lib Unlimited. The marketing campaigns capture the character and essence of the client with a personal touch that effectively speaks to the consumer.
• Word of mouth is 10 times more effective than traditional advertising. Particularly for a new product people look to their friends to tell them if it’s good or not. We don’t listen to ads, we listen to our social ties. Ad Lib Unlimited can personally attest to this rule by the vast number of referrals that received from our satisfied clients.
• Only 7% of word of mouth is online. People think it’s all about Facebook, Twitter, and social media but most word of mouth is actually offline. Face to face is the original social. Ruth Folger Weiss, President and Founder of Ad Lib Unlimited and LTCAdministrator.com, has developed a notable presence within the advertising community and the long term care industry. By attending key industry events and personally networking with influential professionals, Ruth has developed a keen reputation as a marketing and long term care expert.
• The only way to stop a bad thing from spreading about you online is to fix the problem. People complaining about bad service or a faulty product? Improve service or fix the product. LTCAdministrator.com is committed to representing the highest caliber product and/or service and dispensing advice that is truly compelling and authentic. It is a vital resource and forum for long term care and health care professionals to share ideas and experiences.
Using the acronym STEPPS , Berger delineates six key principles that motivate people to share all sorts of content, both online and off. They are Social Currency, Triggers, Emotion, Public, Practical Value, and Stories.
Jonah Berger is the James G. Campbell Assistant Professor of Marketing at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania where he teaches an elective called “Contagious: How Products, Behaviors, and Ideas Catch On” and he is the New York Times bestselling author of Contagious: Why Things Catch On.