Holy crap, this store brand is sexy...

Oh boy. Truth time. I'm kind of a brand snob. I see store brand and I'm usually like - eh, I'll stick with what I know and like - the real stuff. I own all Apple products, I drink Starbucks coffee, I wear Brooks Brothers shirts, I eat Kashi cereals, I clean with Method products. Pretty consistent...that is, consistently paying a price premium for premium brands.

However, economic recession/downturn/bubble/blahblahblah has caused a bit of a mix-up in the market - specifically in CPG. Walmart (see also: big) and Target (see also: cool) are not dumb (both recruit Kelley MBAs, obviously). They both (among others) saw a HUGE opportunity to liven up their slightly sketchy store brands and create an interesting mid-tier player. Great Value (Walmart's bread and butter - literally) all of a sudden looks clean and refreshing. Up and Up (Target) exudes form and function. So now, instead of easily brushing past the usual stale, commodity junk on the bottom shelf - I am increasingly noticing "better" store brands almost everywhere. Even Trader Joe's...wait a minute...it's pretty much ALL store brand. I LOVE Trader Joe's. I've been buying Trader Joe's for a long time - even made special trips to Indy just to get some nuts, hummus, and English muffins! Pfew, such a relief - I'm NOT a brand snob!...err...wait. Trader Joe's is a brand. A very cool brand, even if a "store brand". And perhaps that is the direction that Great Value and Up and Up are headed. And perhaps I am only beginning to notice them because they are starting to evolve as brands of their own. And perhaps...yup, I'm still a brand snob.

(I must apologize for the time lapse since my last post - school has been incredibly busy, along with finalizing details of my future employment. Stay tuned - next post: Where in the World is Jamesgoingtobeworkingnextyear?...)

Va Va Via!

Hmm...Starbucks, everyone's favorite (or most prominent) premium coffee roaster, brewer, and distributor has finally launched the much anticipated "Via" instant coffee. Mmm...just the thought of instant coffee crystals makes my mouth water. And not in a good way. BUT. Starbucks has some equity. I typically like their over-roasted, spicy coffee - though their coffee shop atmosphere has been spoiled a bit by the noise of constant smoothie-making. If anyone could reinvigorate instant coffee, it is probably them.

So, I thought I'd give it a try. Fortunately, I had received a few free trial packs several weeks before this week's launch. The Kelley School of Business brought in Guy Kawasaki as a speaker in September, and it seems that he travels with boxes of "Via" samples these days.

As you can see, "Via" comes in a single-serve package. Priced at almost $1 a pop, it sure rings that premium bell. Packs are being sold as a 3-pack for around $3, or a 10-pack for $9.50.

Easy-tear top, and the pouring begins. This is where I was quite surprised - expecting the usual space-food crystals to begin pouring in to the mug. But, NO! What came out appeared to be almost (gasp) coffee-like. Very, very finely ground. Almost like a coffee powder. Eerie.

Dust. Almost too fine that it was difficult to get it all out of the little package - which I must comment, is cool little packaging. I like that it resembles the Crystal Light travel packs, but has a very substantial feel. Would easily hold up in a pocket, or a bag without breaking.

Add 8oz hot water. See this is the part that gets me. I suppose this is made more for travel situations (hence, the Italian name for "way" or "on the way"), and would be useful for places with no coffee, but plenty of hot water. Me, not so much. Hot water is annoying. In fact, I nearly burned my left hand holding the teapot for this picture. AND, 8oz is hard to control. Most of my travel mugs are at least 12oz or 16oz. Which, like I did here, would lead me to add TOO much water. Taste review down a little further.

A few stirs and poof!, coffee. Now the taste. Wait, burn tongue first. Check. Way too hot. I forgot that the water was boiling 10 seconds before I poured it in. Amateur. The taste...isn't terrible. Better than ALL vending machine coffee (that machine in the basement of Kelley is truly terrible), and even better than most gas stations. The aroma is pretty light, and quickly dissipates. My problem (and probably more "mia" than "Via") is that it was watery. I like dark coffee. Correction: I like thick coffee. This simply had too little body for me. Was an easy-to-drink mild taste, even though this was the "bold" variety. There was a very slight filmy aftertaste, and strange sludgy residue at the end of the cup - but nothing too scary.


Overall, it's "not bad" and I feel this has been the general response of others who have tried it. I find it interesting that in Starbucks' "Via Challenge", they are taste-testing "Via" as compared to their Pike's Place brewed coffee - as opposed to "Via" to other instant coffees (yuck). This is an interesting strategy, and one I believe is clever. "Via" is so far above other instant coffees, it's not even funny. By comparing to a $1.85 cup of java from the real-deal shop, they are able to establish a premium for these little buggers! Kind of like DiGiorno going after delivery - sets a totally different base in the mind of the consumer. Good work, Starbucks. Way to innovate.

Keep it real

I love you, Clif Bar.

They just seem to "get it". Their food philosophy: "Good food provides health, joy, and energy, and is a delight to the senses. And food, made right, can make the world a better place." YES! Finally!!! Someone gets it!!! And the best part?...you don't have to dig around on their website through a bunch of "we're committed to wellness" and "we love nutrition" sections to find this message. It's right there, ingrained in everything they do: products, packaging, culture, sponsorships, donations. They don't have to host a fake PR event to talk about "living well", you know what the brand stands for. Boom. Brand equity.

My lovely girlfriend, Susan, has said about Clif Bar, "I'll buy anything that Clif makes, doesn't even matter what it is." Yeah, me too. I've thrown down $2.29 for a Clif Bar at the airport before and I'm not ashamed of it. I've raided a Target end cap that had a special 7 bar pack for $4.79. I stocked up on every flavor of Clif Quench at Kroger before trying a single one (and was DELIGHTED to find that they are all clear colored - why should a lime flavor have to be neon green?). 10 for $10, watch out.

Do I love semi-solid, organic health bars? Eh, they're pretty good. I mean, the holiday flavors are down-right heavenly...but I guess I get a little tired of the usual suspects (Crunchy Peanut Butter, Blueberry Crisp). But to know that I'm putting something truly GOOD into my body (unlike popular "healthy" or "nutritious" food-like products) AND feeling good about supporting a company that sources organic ingredients, donates 1% "for the planet", recycles like crazy, AND resists the cost-cutting temptations of high-fructose corn syrup, trans fats, and ingredient lists longer than this blog entry...(deep breath)...Ahh...loyal forever. Could they take another $.50 in pricing? SURE! Could they launch a line of frozen Clif Popsicles? SURE! See...as long as they don't mess with their brand equity. Say they decided, "Eh, what the heck, let's use genetically modified soybeans...it's cheaper!". Hmpf. I'd probably look elsewhere.

Lesson learned: Brand Equity is powerful. You are what you stand for. TIDE - keep being clean. APPLE - keep making ridiculously cool new gadgets. BMW - keep making zoomy cars.

CLIF BAR - keep it real.

Golden Brand

After spending a summer "branding" a commodity (see also: dirt)...I can't help but wonder how many commodities people have tried to brand. In my opinion, the secret to success is some sort of "value-add" that competitors cannot replicate. For example, The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company doesn't just pack dirt in bags, label them, and sell them at a premium - no, they add a proprietary fertilizer (again, thank you Bloomington Brands, it is Osmocote)...and tweak the formula to be just right (perlite, peat, etc.). So as I read about gold trading above $1000 an ounce in pre-trading this morning, I couldn't help but think...are there some commodities you CAN'T add value to? BP has added some sparkles to oil (cleaner engine?), Dasani added something to water (salt?)...but what about GOLD? I see gold as a commodity that you wouldn't want to "value-add", in fact anything you "add" would de-value gold, right? The further away you get from 100% pure gold, the worse off you are.

Maybe you pound it into commemorative coins and put it in a really fancy bag. And advertise in Sunday circulars. And late at night on TV. That seems to work for some "marketers"...

And...

We were victorious. Congrats to the rest of the teams advancing to the final round.

Hungry For More...

After a rewarding summer at The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company, and a much too brief, 3-week hiatus in Philly and DC, I am back at Kelley for my second, and final year in the MBA program.

This week, the semester began with "Academy Week". Kelley's unique "Academies" are a mix between a club and a class - focusing on one particular aspect of a function (Investment Banking, Consulting, Consumer Marketing, etc.). Several weeks are dedicated to the Academies throughout the duration of the program. This week, as a member of the Consumer Marketing Academy (or, more commonly, "CMA"), I have had the opportunity to work on an innovation project for ConAgra Foods. I can't specify exactly what is involved, but it has been a great experience - though the 48-hour case competition has proved rather challenging. Luckily, I was teamed up with a fantastic group of individuals: Katie Zonino, Julie Eble, and Kelly Roses. We presented this morning and are waiting to hear results of teams advancing to the second round. Whispers of a cash prize has created quite the friendly competition among CMA members. However, let there be no mistake, we're bringing it home.

The rest of the week is filled with visiting consumer marketers and specialists on topics ranging from social media to brand building to shopper marketing. I am also excited about the topic of catered lunches. Nothing like Via Panera and Chipotle To-Go.

Looking forward to IU Football's opener tomorrow night (and MBA tailgate) and getting ready for the beginning of classes on Monday...

Hangin' with the strawberry plants

Another tomato plant - with a ripening tomato.

"The tomatoes are coming! The tomatoes are coming!"

How surprised I was, after weeks of anticipation and literally "green with envy"...my tomatoes have begun to ripen.

At Scotts, each employee is put on a team and given a raised bed garden to plant anything you want - there is everything from commonplace tomatoes and cucumbers to corn and pumpkins to mums. The idea is to grow fresh produce to donate to the local food bank. Too often food banks are overloaded with dusty cans of kidney beans, damaged boxes of mac and cheese, and weird sort-of-foods like olives and banana peppers. Most people don't realize that food banks will also take FRESH produce. So instead of the usually "canned food drive"...ick...Scotts has committed to donate most of the Associate Garden harvest to the local Marysville food bank. We are allowed to keep 25% for ourselves (I've been eating a cucumber a day...).

I have officially taken over the "Gardens Intern" plot - as the other interns were included on their brand teams plots. Several pictures are posted in the slideshow gallery. It began with two strawberry plants, four tomato plants, and four cucumber plants - I had no idea what I was doing. Planted way to many in a small space - so several attempts at upward-growth fixtures (cages, ladders, etc.) later - I have quite the bumper crop. Not to mention a raised bed filled with Miracle-Gro Moisture Control Potting Mix - probably $100 worth of soil in this bed alone. I also adopted four zucchini plants and two grape tomato plants that some rogue gardener planted in the plot next to mine. Over 40 cucumbers, three zucchini breads, and 12 strawberries later - and note this was the portion NOT donated - I am ready for some tomatoes. I have big plans for salsa (also growing cilantro) and pasta sauce.

As you can see in various photos, there are tons of tomatoes. At last count, there were almost 80 among the four plants! I'm struggling to keep up with stringing these bendy stems to the home-made ladder for support. I learned last weekend that grocery store tomatoes are picked green and ripened in ethylene gas. Ick.

I think I'll leave mine on the vine until ripe, thank you.

Early Passion for Lawn and Garden

Me. Little. Yes, I match my mower.

Miracle-Gro-ing so fast

It's hard to believe that only three weeks remain in my 12-week internship at The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company. Time and projects have been flying by.

Scotts is having a banner year, with gardening and "stay-cationing" both trending sharply upward. How fortunate I am to be part of an organization that is successfully navigating one of the worst economic times my generation will know. While most companies struggle to keep consumers "brand loyal" (see also: "These private label English muffins are 75% cheaper?..."), lawn and garden consumers are gravitating toward premium and ultra-premium brands (see also: Miracle-Gro Moisture Control Potting Mix). This may be, in part, due to the fact that people are getting LESS risky - becoming more risk averse. I provide the following example:

Gardening. Seems so easy. Dig a hole, plant a plant, water, done. Well, sometimes done. See, you have to make sure your soil isn't too acidic, worry about planting certain edibles next to each other (my cucumbers and tomatoes are in a daily epic battle), fertilize constantly, don't underwater, don't OVERwater, prune, harvest, remove dead leaves, and on and on. Not as easy as it seems. For those who haven't gardened (or seen Food Inc. for that matter), "food" is not as simple to produce as most of us blindly believe. It's tough. So when you get you only get ONE SHOT each year to plant edibles, you must do it right. Use a crappy top soil and you may (or may not) produce only a handfull of fresh-from-the-garden tomatoes. Use a PREMIUM potting mix/garden soil/(or my absolute favorite) Miracle-Gro Organic Choice Garden Soil, and you'll reap a much great quantity of fruit from a much healthier plant. Yes that was a little plug for Scotts. They've given me an incredible opportunity this summer - and I must admit that the products have pretty amazing results (see photo slideshow of my "Associate Garden"). So, is a consumer going to spend $2 on a bag of topsoil, when other costs can mount up:

$5 shovel
$20 four tomato plants
$10 total cost of summer watering
$10 tomato plant support system (posts, cages, etc)
$20 summer's worth of Miracle-Gro LiquaFeed
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$65 investment in miscellaneous gardening supplies...yeah, I think an upgrade to a $6 bag of high-quality soil mix with continuous feeding fertilizer (those little balls are OSMOCOTE - yeah, Bloomington Brands - slide five, Michael Campi) seems appropriate. Come on, that Michael Campi link was kind of brilliant. That was too.

Ok, enough blog for now. Off to a Scotts intern event to watch the Columbus Clippers (see also: minor league baseball) take on some obscure minor league team from Syracuse.

Boom Boom,
Pow