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Virtue or Vice?

8/25/2017

9 Comments

 
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by David Hagenbuch, founder of Mindful Marketing & author of Honorable Influence

When you hear “ice cream,” you probably don’t think of diet, healthy, or nutritious; rather, words like creamy, rich, and luscious come to mind.  After all, most people don’t eat ice cream to be healthy or to get fit; they just want to indulge in something they really enjoy.  That’s the motivation one upstart ice cream maker is tapping into, in a way like no other.
 
Brands like Häagen-Dazs and Ben & Jerry’s have made decadent ice cream for decades, but even they have not capitalized on the concept of uninhibited indulgence as much as Boston-based Vice Cream.  As the company name implies, its ice cream isn’t just good; it’s sinful.  Other elements of the company’s brand support the unusual positioning.
 
Most notably, the product itself is very ‘full-bodied.’  Pictures and descriptions on Vice Cream’s website illustrate various flavors overflowing with add-ins such as “stacks on stacks of mint-chocolate coins,” “rich peanut butter ice cream mixed with chopped toffee bars,” and “chunks of chocolate chip cookie dough, salted caramel truffles, and thick swirls of chocolate fudge and caramel.”

As you might imagine, those kinds of ample, rich ingredients add up to some sizeable, undesirable numbers on the ice cream’s nutritional labels.  For instance, one particular flavor boasts the following stats per half cup serving:  270 calories, 15g of fat, 10g of saturated fat, 50 mg of cholesterol, and 30g carbohydrates.  By the way, I wonder how many people can eat just a half cup of ice cream; I can’t.
 
While those “nutrition” numbers are certainly high, they aren’t unusual for indulgent desserts.  For instance, a small Brownie Batter Blizzard at Dairy Queen has 440 calories, 14g of fat, and 9g of saturated fat.  Those stats are puny, however, compared to desserts at the Cheesecake Factory, where a piece of Oreo Dream Extreme Cheesecake has 1,490 calories, 53g of saturated fat, and 162 carbs.
 
If Vice Cream isn’t setting any records for nutritional negligence, what makes it so sinful?  Well, beyond its product composition, the company has decided to play upon the idea of immorality with other aspects of its branding, such as its product names and promotion.  More specifically, Vice Cream has opted for the classic low-brow strategy—serving up sex, with a side of profanity.
 
The company’s 'sex-sells' approach starts with the names of its ice creams, which may seem innocuous, until you start to unpack and compare them.  For instance, there’s “Toffee Wife,” a play on the sexist term “trophy wife,” and “Afternoon Delight,” homage to the Starland Vocal Band’s 1976 hit by the same name, which was all about making love.  There’s also “Breakfast in Bed,” a flavor name that seems benign until you interpret it in context with the other monikers and you see some of the company’s additional branding.
 
Vice Cream’s most blatant sex appeal is through a promotional video, which is the first thing you see on the firm’s homepage and which is easily found on YouTube.  The slightly less than two-minute spot features an attractive young woman, wearing a short black dress and high heels.  The actress’s words and actions exude sensuality, while an enticing instrumental arrangement plays in the background.
 
Granted, the ad doesn’t rely exclusively on sex appeal.  There’s also a heavy dose of humor that seems like an attempt to offset some of the strong sexual innuendo.  For instance, the main premise of the spot is that although consumers can’t get a free sample of Vice Cream, they can call the company’s “vice-line” and listen to “virtual tasters” describe in “sumptuous detail what it’s like to eat any of our delicious flavors.”

Of course, the unambiguous reference is to phone-sex, but the silliness of listening to others sensually describe ice cream downplays that allusion.  Vice Cream also tries to take the edge off the sexual imagery by showcasing one rather unappealing virtual taster, “Gary,” who gets dropped by a caller who’s not aroused by his less-than-sexy product description.
 
Meanwhile, there’s also a smattering of profanity throughout the promotion, as the main actress lets slide “son of a [bleep] that’s good” and “F[bleep]’n Gary.”  The spot censors the specific expletives, but it’s easy to understand what she’s saying.
 
What should we make of Vice Cream’s unabashed approach to confectionery marketing?  On one hand, the company can be commended for not putting on pretenses.  Yes, there are a handful of companies striving to make 'healthy' ice cream, like Halo, but ice cream is an indulgence, and Vice Cream calls it what it is.  People tend to appreciate candid communication—even if it’s a little negative, at least it’s honest.

On the other hand, Vice Cream makes gratuitous use of sex to sell its products.  Unlike a honeymoon vacation or Viagra, there’s no natural connection between ice cream and sex.  As many other unscrupulous companies have done, Vice Cream tries to take the feelings people have for sex and, by way of classical conditioning, transfer them to its product.

Appetites for food and desires for sex are two separate things that can be disturbing, if not dangerous, to combine.  Such an artificial pairing could be especially hazardous for adolescents, who, amid surging hormones and ravenous hunger, have enough to handle separately for each biological and physiological drive.

The addition of profanity only makes matters worse, particularly when one considers that anyone with an internet connection, from nine to ninety, can see Vice Cream’s ad.  Users don’t need to verify that they’re 18 or older, for instance, to enter the company’s website or to watch the ad on YouTube.
 
Some may argue, “But the ad is supposed to be funny.”  That may be true, but couching an ad or anything else in humor doesn’t cover-up the unseemly content.  The sexualization and profanity are still easily seen and heard.  To think that the humor makes them okay is like believing you can call someone a nasty name, then quickly disclaim, “I was just joking.”

Vice Cream looks delicious and probably tastes great too.  Those positives likely explain most of the company’s rapid growth and early success.  It’s okay for people to indulge in a decadent dessert every once in a while, but it’s never okay for companies to use sex gratuitously to sell products.  For this reason, Vice Cream’s ingredient list also includes “Single-Minded Marketing.”


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Dressing for Social Media

8/18/2017

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by David Hagenbuch, founder of Mindful Marketing & author of Honorable Influence

Remember the first day back-to-school?  Amid the excitement, there’s concern about classes, stress about relationships, and, of course, wondering what to wear.  Social media has relieved some of that first-day wardrobe pressure in that people now post pics of themselves and others online all the time.  However, that constancy also makes the stress about what to wear continual.  One major retailer is tapping into the trend.    
 
Department store icon Macy’s has introduced a promotional campaign that plays on teenage girls’ tendencies to seek affirmation through the pictures they post of themselves on social media.  The ads, which appear on BuzzFeed, feature a variety of fashion photos, similar to those found on the retailer’s website for junior girls.  The difference is the accompanying text, which makes an unambiguous social media appeal, for instance:   
  • “Get ready to have a fashionable feed this fall, only with Macy’s.”
  • “11 Back-To-School Outfits That Were Totally Made for Social Media”
  • “You won’t blend into anyone’s feed dressed in this style trifecta.”
  • “Be an influencer and upload this cold-shoulder outfit.”
  • “Show off some shoulder and kitschy denim for a look that's guaranteed to get you the likes.”
  • “Make your #OOTD camera-ready with this edgy look.”
  •  “There's #NoFilter necessary with this boho-chic style.”
  • “Get the double-taps in this fluttering floral outfit.”
  • “Make your followers starry-eyed in this influential outfit.”
 
From a strategic perspective, Macy’s can be commended for matching its tactics to its target market.  So many people spend significant time on social media, as well as on websites like BuzzFeed, and teenage girls are among the most active users.
 
A 2015 Pew Research Center study found that “24% of teens go online “almost constantly,’” while 56% go online several times a day, enabled by the widespread use of smartphones.  While teen boys are somewhat more likely to visit Facebook, teen girls are more often on Instagram and Tumblr.  Overall, “Girls dominate social media,” while “boys are more likely to play video games.”
 
Frequent use of something is not necessarily a problem.  Many people are heavy users of technology and other tools that help them do their jobs or manage their personal lives more efficiently and effectively.  The problem is when those things become obsessive, which unfortunately is the way teen girls’ use of social media has evolved.  A 2017 CNN article explains:
 
“It's not a law that you have to post a selfie before, during, and after every activity. But for kids, it's pretty much mandatory.  The resulting likes, thumbs-ups, and other ratings all get tallied, both in the stark arithmetic of the Internet and in kids' own minds. For some -- especially girls -- what starts as a fun way to document and share experiences can turn into an obsession about approval that can wreak havoc on self-image.”
 
A survey titled “Children, Teens, Media, and Body Image,” provides some telling statistics that further detail teenage girls’ preoccupation with approval from others online:
  • “35 percent are worried about people tagging them in unattractive photos.”
  • “27 percent feel stressed about how they look in posted photos.”
  • “22 percent felt bad about themselves if their photos were ignored.”
 
For young women, the unfortunate outcomes of social media obsession are things like unhappiness, anxiety, depression, and over-sexualization, as a 2016 Time article explains: “One of the easiest ways to get that validation is by looking hot. Sex sells, whether you’re 13 or 35.”  Some girls even post provocative videos of themselves on YouTube, asking others to answer the question, “Am I pretty or ugly?”
 
This troubling context casts Macy’s social media ad appeal in a much different light.  While involvement in social media has many potential benefits, that participation has unfortunately turned into an addiction for some people, especially young women, who feel unique pressure to look good and to be liked online.
 
As such, teenage girls are probably the last people who should be promised that a certain outfit will “Make your followers starry-eyed” or that clothes will give “a look that's guaranteed to get you the likes.”  When someone is struggling with an addiction, we shouldn’t tempt them with the very thing that’s holding them hostage. Macy’s ads aimed at a young female target market, however, are analogous to putting a beer in front of an alcoholic and encouraging him to “Take a drink.”

So, there are certainly significant moral concerns related to Macy’s promotion.  There are also strategic ones.  A review of the comments on BuzzFeed suggests that people are not enamored with the ads.  Several of the posts mention that the outfits are more revealing than what most schools will allow.  Moreover, it’s likely that Millennials are skeptical about such an overt pitch.  These media-savvy and cynical consumers are already leery of ads, let alone ones that make improbable promises.
 
At first glance, Macy’s social media-connected ad campaign seems benign.  Deeper analysis, however, suggests that the promotion could easily aggravate the target market’s already unhealthy social media obsession; that is, if the young women believe the ads.  Consequently, the campaign looks like a case of “Mindless Marketing.”


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Fixing iPhones

8/10/2017

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by David Hagenbuch, founder of Mindful Marketing & author of Honorable Influence

One rainy morning many years ago, I was driving to work (my first career position after college) when a car hit me from behind and pushed me into another vehicle.  It was a relatively slow-speed collision so the damage to my car wasn’t extensive, but the insurance adjuster called it “totaled” since the repair estimate exceeded the car’s low value.  My car wasn’t worth fixing; I needed to get a new one.
 
That experience reminds me of the many products we use each day but seldom repair when they break.  For instance, most of us don’t think of fixing a broken toaster; we look for a new one.  This tendency to replace instead of repair places significant strain on our environment, but the practice becomes even more troubling when talking about expensive and easily ‘injured’ items like our ever-present smartphones. 
 
If you own a smartphone and haven’t dropped it or had some other mishap, you’re either extremely careful or very lucky because,  “Each year millions of cell phone owner’s drop, sit on, flush, swim with and even throw their phone, which normally results in some sort of damage.”  After such an unfortunate occurrence, the question becomes whether to repair or replace the indispensable device, which probably cost at least a couple of hundred dollars, or several hundred-plus if you’re packing a newer iPhone or the latest Samsung Galaxy.

Fortunately, a variety of online outlets will repair broken phones, for example:
  • Fixmyphone.com
  • Mybrokenphone.com
  • Cellphonerepair.com

However, using an online organization for repairs requires a major sacrifice of time.  Many people can’t be without their smartphone for a few hours, let alone several days or more.  And, there’s the issue of trust:  We don’t know these companies well and can’t watch them make the repair.  How can we be sure they’re respecting our privacy when so much of our lives literally rests in their hands?
 
Also, again, there’s the issue of cost.  Is it worth $100 or more to repair even a relatively new device when technology is changing so quickly?  As a result, it’s easy to rationalize spending a few hundred more to have a new one.
 
You may be wondering, "Where are the smartphone manufacturers?  Why don’t the cellphone companies have our backs when their products so easily and often get broken?"  In the U.S., that criticism has hit especially hard at Apple, which has a whopping 44.6% share of the smartphone market.
 
For years, the only place iPhone users could get their cracked screens ‘officially’ replaced was at an Apple store.  Unauthorized repair centers, like the three listed above, might be able to fix the phones, but if Apple later detected their work on the device, the warranty would be voided.
 
Apple would suggest that the reason it has kept a tight rein on screen repairs is that it wants them done right, especially “to ensure that the new screen is properly calibrated – and in particular to allow the Touch ID sensor to be replaced without bricking the phone or losing use of the sensor.”  Those more cynical about the tech leader’s motives might suggest that Apple wants to drive business to its own stores in order to capture the repair revenue or, even better, to sell users new iPhones and other items, i.e, to replace, not repair. 
 
In any case, there are currently about 270 Apple stores in the U.S. That number may seem high, but it’s not when you consider, for instance, that Illinois and Pennsylvania, the fifth and sixth most populous states in the nation have 12.8 million and 12.7 million residents, respectively, but only nine Apple stores each.  Such ratios can mean a loooong time waiting at a Genius Bar. 
 
The good news is that Apple has recently eased its repair site exclusivity.  The firm has finally authorized a few select retailers to fix broken iPhone screens.  How can Apple guarantee the quality of those third-party repairs?  Well, the company has not conceded control completely.

Apple is giving each authorized repair center a highly-specialized and proprietary machine that not only replaces the screens but also tells “the iPhone’s processor, its silicon brain, to recognize a replacement sensor. Without it, the iPhone won’t unlock with the touch of a finger. Banking apps that require a fingerprint won’t work either, including the Apple Pay digital wallet.”  Pictures of the closely guarded apparatus can be found on 9 to 5 Mac website.

Currently only a couple of Best Buy stores in California and Florida have these machines that are capable of making same-day screen repairs.  However, by the end of this year it’s expected that the equipment will be present in “about 400 authorized third-party repair centers in 25 countries.”
 
So, the future is looking brighter for all of us clumsy iPhone users, but won’t the delegation of this service take a bite out of Apple’s business?  What about its revenue from repairs,  the loss of traffic in Apple stores, and the sale of new iPhones?  All of the above are real considerations but they pale in comparison to one meta-goal for Apple:  maintaining its strong brand.
 
Apple has become the most valuable brand in the world for a variety of reasons, but the overarching one is strong customer satisfaction.  People who use Apple products are almost always delighted because of their look, their performance, and the aura around them.  Apple smartly wants to avoid tainting that stellar reputation, which could occur if people become disenfranchised from inconvenient and lengthy repairs.
 
However, averting a negative product experience is probably only part of Apple’s plan.  The company also needs to increasingly position itself as a good steward of resources and as an organization that cares about the natural environment.  Allowing smartphones that still have significant useful life to prematurely become paper weights or other waste does not accomplish those objectives.
 
Likewise, as the market for smartphones becomes more and more saturated and competitors’ product features converge, factors like repair service and social responsibility will likely gain  weight as decision-making criteria.  Every point of difference matters in a mature market.
 
Apple’s decision to outsource and broaden its repair network will be very helpful for consumers.  The strategy also will prove very beneficial for the firm.  As it’s done many times before, Apple has made an adept move that can be called “Mindful Marketing.”

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Anything for Income?

8/4/2017

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by David Hagenbuch, founder of Mindful Marketing & author of Honorable Influence

One of the traits of successful entrepreneurs is their ability to sell themselves:  They need to persuade potential stakeholders not only to embrace their product but also to believe that they personally have the skill and passion to make it succeed.  Summers VonHesse is one such successful entrepreneur, who has given “selling yourself” a whole new meaning.      
 
A 30-year-old mother of two living in Nevada, VonHesse hasn’t worked outside the home since she and her military-career husband married eight years ago.  However, she has been quite active around her house, earning about $5,000 a month, thanks to some creative and compelling photography that she puts online for a price.
 
The pictures aren’t the things you might expect a mother of a five-year-old daughter and two-year-old son to post on Pinterest or upload to Instagram.  They’re photos and videos of VonHesse, posing seductively in all sorts of settings, wearing little or no clothing.  VonHesse takes some of the photos herself, while her husband, who supports his wife’s unusual business venture, often helps.  Patrons pay $5 to $50 a month to access the pics on a special website.
 
Besides the extra income she provides for her family, VonHesse says her entrepreneurship helps her feel good about her body, which many describe as full-figured or curvy.  Her self-esteem has risen.  When asked about her work and the example she’s setting for her children, she says:
“I think that the human body is a beautiful thing, and there is nothing to be ashamed of.  I want them to love their bodies, and if they wanna profit from sharing images, then I would be fine with that.”

Seems like a nice marketing success story:  An busy mom finds time to do something she enjoys and turn it into a business that provides significant income for her young family.  Meanwhile, she and her husband develop important skills for the digital age.  What’s not to like?
 
Well, the problem begins with a fairly obvious fact: This type of photography is pornography.  The SUN, a UK News Company, describes the photos and videos as “racy,” while Yahoo Beauty reports that “strangers pay different sums of money to get glimpses of VonHesse in lingerie and sometimes even nude.”
 
Webster’s Dictionary defines pornography as “the depiction of erotic behavior (as in pictures or writing) intended to cause sexual excitement” and as “material (such as books or a photograph) that depicts erotic behavior and is intended to cause sexual excitement.”  Meanwhile, Dictionary.com describes pornography as “sexually explicit videos, photographs, writings, or the like, whose purpose is to elicit sexual arousal.”
 
The pics and videos VonHesse and her husband post online for free are at least soft porn.  One can speculate that the shots people pay $5 to $50 a month to see are even more graphic.  It’s also likely that the explicitness has and will increase over time, as happens with most shocking communication:  Consumers become desensitized, so to elicit the same reaction, images must become more and more graphic.
 
“But, wait,” some might argue.  “This is about loving your body.  In an age of rail-thin supermodels and fat-shaming on social media, VonHesse is setting a good example.”  While it’s true that her work might be a positive influence for some, the highly sexualized content undoubtedly carries very negative repercussions for others.  The issue isn’t body type.
 
If VonHesse’s goal were to inspire others with body-positive messages, she could do so while fully clothed, like many other “curvy” bloggers do, most of them tastefully-clothed and showing a fine sense of decorum.  Instead, VonHesse’s pornographic images, appeal to one of the lowest common and most dangerous denominators: sexual infatuation.
 
Here are some of the troubling pornography-related statistics that Webroot.com shares:
  • 40 million American people regularly visit porn sites.
  • 35% of all internet downloads are related to pornography.
  • Every 39 minutes a new pornography video is being created in the United States.
  • About 200,000 Americans are “porn addicts.”

On a macro level, pornography is a major economic drain, responsible for $16.9 billion in lost business productivity each year.  However, that financial cost pales compared to the devastating impact pornography has on individuals and their relationships. 

One study that looked at brain scans of men who self-identified as “porn addicts” found that consumption of pornography can affect dopamine secretion in the brain and “alter the reward centre,” resulting in a variety of undesirable outcomes such as obsessive cravings and less satisfaction with real sexual partners.
 
It’s not surprising, therefore, that pornography has a very negative impact on marriages.  Those who regularly consume pornography find it increasingly difficult to be aroused by their spouses, as their natural desire for sex “has been transferred somewhere else.”  Author Sheila Gregoire continues to explain: “When you spend a ton of time teaching your brain to associate arousal and release with pornography, your brain can’t associate arousal and release with a person anymore.”
 
The Family Research Council presents a variety of other troubling consequences of pornography use, including the following:
  • Married men who are involved in pornography feel less satisfied with their conjugal relations and less emotionally attached to their wives.
  • Pornography use is a pathway to infidelity and divorce.
  • Pornography viewing leads to a loss of interest in good family relations.
  • Men who view pornography regularly have a higher tolerance for abnormal sexuality, including rape, sexual aggression, and sexual promiscuity.
  • Prolonged consumption of pornography by men produces stronger notions of women as commodities or as "sex objects."

Having positive perceptions of one’s body is important.  While it’s great that VonHesse has achieved such self-acceptance, it’s unfortunate that she and her husband have decided to forgo privacy for profiting from indecency, putting themselves and others at risk.  Being proud of your body doesn’t mean you have to show it all to everyone.  Selling oneself in this way is “Single-Minded Marketing.” 

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