Faith Popcorn
Faith Popcorn - On Valentine's Day 2008Founder
BrainReserve
New York City
marketing futurist and trends consulting
Surveying the 2008Valentine's Day scene, the plethora of personalization
options available stands out. It seems that anything "off the peg" will
simply not cut it this year.
We're seeing everything from help with customizing love notes, courtesy
of www.mydearvalentaine.com, which also offers a love meter to quickly
measure compatibility, like eharmony but without the commitment. In
fact, there are over one million hits for "love compatibility" on
Google, everything from calculators, to astrological, to psychic,
tantric, and everything in between. It occurs to me that one might
increase his or her odds by getting out from behind the keyboard to try
and meet somebody.
Then there's www.personalizationmall.com, which offers monogrammed
intimate apparel; perhaps for those who have a penchant to scream the
wrong name when in the throes? And, there's www.photoworks.com which
offers a range of photo-based gifts with the promise "cards and gifts
that take just minutes to personalize and look as if they took hours to
create... " Great-- institutionalized cheating.
All this suggests the continued inability of conventional retail to
capture the imagination of shoppers, an extension of the Christmas
doldrums. Think about what you're seeing in stores, or advertised by
them. Anyone find a good gift idea?
And, the one that is of particular note for me, a real surprise, since
I've been such a fan of their marketing, is The Diamond Trading Company
("A Diamond is Forever"). You may recall not long ago, they introduced
the right hand ring as the ultimate statement of independence and self-
worth. Move over L'Oreal, "I'm worth it," has been taken to another
level. Why wait for "Mr. Right," so the thinking went to get yourself
that sparkler, get out and get it for yourself. You can afford it,
you've earned it, you want it, so have it. And wear it on the right
hand, as an affirmation, and just to make sure no one thinks you're
actually off the market? Great idea, big business winner.
So, imagine my surprise seeing as the first "sponsored link" on Google
(not cheap these days), the offer to "Be Her Valentine's Hero: Show her
you really know who she is with a diamond right hand ring" HUH? WHAT?
Does the DTC mean to take this simple and masterful act of sisterhood
out of women's hands? Is this intended to be training wheels for guys
with commitment issues? For me, it's one of the great gaffes in recent
marketing history.
Visit
www.faithpopcorn.com/
Add comment
