John Winsor

Price as an Innovator

Reading the New York Times article, Wal-Mart to Offer $4 Generic Perscriptions, reminds you that sometimes the biggest influence on innovation is cheaper prices.

The giant discount chain, which has used its size to knock down the costs of toys, clothing and groceries, will sell 300 generic drugs for as low as $4 for a one-month supply. On average, generic drugs cost between $10 and $30 for a 30-day prescription.

Now that has a chance to radically change the health care system!

Friedman is Right

Thomas Friedman asks:

Is the fact that the U.S. has imposed a 54-cents-a-gallon tariff to prevent Americans from importing sugar ethanol from Brazil “just stupid or really stupid?"

While putting a tariff on a sustainable energy resource, while at the same time, there are no tariffs on foreign oil, fueling radical Islamic states with lots of dollars seems really stupid.

How Old is the MySpace Member?

I was shocked to see that while 87% MySpace's 100-million-plus members said they were 18 or older, 52% are 35 or older.

So much for acting your age!

YouTube Underground Contest

YouTube and Cingular have connected to introduce The YouTube Underground Contest. Ad Age says:

In what is perhaps YouTube's biggest sponsorship deal to date, Cingular Wireless has agreed to back a search for the site's most talented unsigned bands. The promotion strikes at the core of rival MySpace, which was founded on the premise of exposing unsigned artists to large audiences online.

The promo video, above, has been viewed over 390,000 times in a day and a half.

How could you connect with YouTube?

Adidas Joins Second Life

Adidas has joined the growing number of brands (American Apparel, Amazon and Toyota) to build store on Second Life. Ilya Vedrashko writes:

Adidas's store is focused on a campaign for a single product (a3 "bouncy" Microride shoe) and the shoes' positioning is demonstrated not only visually but also interactively (the sneakers are equipped with a jump script, and the store has a "testing area" trampoline").

What's your virtual marketing strategy?

What is Success?

Seth Godin has a very thoughtful post answering the question: What is Success? This words struck me the most:

A lot of organizational conflict comes from mismatched expecations of success. A lot of kids live unhappy lives because of unrealistic benchmarking from parents (as popular as that kid, as attractive as this one, as smart as the other one...).

Have You Hugged Your Avatar Today?

In an effort to stay current, MTV has taken a que from the Sims and Second Life and created a virtual world around their show, Laguna Beach: The Real OC, with Virtual Laguna Beach. In virtuality, MTV allows people to participate in the show.

"You cannot only watch TV, but now you can actually live it," says Van Toffler, President of the MTV NetworksMusic, Film and Logo Group.

How does your brand play in the virtual world?

Applying Neuroscience to Marketing

Recently, in a post Roger Dooley asked: How can neuroscience inform marketing?

And answers: One example comes from the increasingly hot field of neuroeconomics: a practice called asymmetric paternalism.

Dooley uses the recent New Yorker article written by John Cassidy entitled, Mind Games: What neuroscience tells us about money and the brain to explore these ideas.

Likewise, Mark Weeks, of Added-Value, has been working to build tools to help brands apply the neuroscientific insights into their marketing. To see what he’s up to check out his well written white paper entitled: Discovering the Feeling: Applying Neuroscience to Marketing.

Certainly, bringing neuroscientific insights into the marketing realm has powerful potential. Understanding not only rational behavior more deeply but the power of emotions is sure to change the way that companies think about their brands and engage in a dialogue with their customers.

In today’s rapidly changing media landscape it is essential to know how consumers will emotionally react to not only your product but also your brand message. Who wants the power of a negative dialogue between consumers to be broadcast on YouTube? Just ask the folks at Chevy.

What would have happened if Chevy would have understood the emotions around SUVs and $3 a gallon gas before they launched their Apprentice promotion?

How emotionally connected are your customers to your brand?

Ahoy Matey!

Chris has started a new social network for Pirates! It's just the place to explore your inner scoundrel.

Good for Good!

Sharon Waxman wrote a very nice article in The New York Times on Good Magazine yesterday that's worth a read.