The Online Brand Experience

Domino's has been running a lot of web ads for their Order 2 or more $5.99 per item coupon special; though, there appears to be a lot of mistakes in how their ecommerce engine is currently setup. Though, it could also just be user error. While adding items to a future order, the pricing and item descriptions are wrong. Well, the 8-piece chicken wings is showing up as a 4-piece menu item on the cart checkout screen. Is it 4 or 8 pieces? Maybe in an earlier incarnation of their online menu it was a 4-piece menu add-on item and nobody told the design team that the offer is for eight pieces. In fact, if you were to increase the order size for chicken wings, the base number of pieces is eight. Makes no sense at all.

 Here is a screenshot:
2020-07-14 Screen Shot of Domino's Cart Checkout
Once you add the second item, the menu has a prompt that asks if you want to add a 3rd item for $5.99. Well. I don't know about your math skills, but $6.99 is a 15% price hike from $5.99.

 Also, your second (or nth) item cannot be another pizza. This is sad because two medium 2-topping pizzas for $12 would be a total steal, I mean, a good deal.
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The Juneteenth Branding Scramble

One of the crowd source outcomes of these #BLM protests is the public's reaction to state and city monuments regarding key figures of our nation's history. These are former presidents, politicians, and war "hero" figures who transformed our nation a couple hundred years ago...such as George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson, etc., and pro-Confederacy monuments in the southern US states (e.g., Jefferson Davis). Here's a site that goes into detail about Juneteenth, celebrated annually on June 19. I'm pretty sure most people in the US have not really heard nor seen any cultural awareness festivals surrounding this non-holiday significant date; unless you live in Texas where it became a state holiday in 1980.

 Racism is a hot topic this year and legacy brands want to be seen as being culturally sensitive to its consumers. These companies have announced that they're changing their racial stereotype product images of certain branded products:

  • PepsiCo / Quaker Oats North America
    • Aunt Jemima (product features a black woman)
  • Mars Inc
    • Uncle Ben's (logo features a black man)
    • B&G Foods - Cream of Wheat (logo features a black chef)
  • Conagra Brands
    • Mrs. Butterworth's (a matronly-shaped bottle since 1961)
  • Land o' Lakes - changed its almost 100-year old logo earlier this year to replaced the focal image of a Native American woman with the text "farmer owned"
Do you think brands are overreacting to public sentiment? Why would it matter if a black man or woman is a spokesperson for a consumer product? To me, as an Asian consumer, these products don't appear to have a sinister, racist motive for featuring African Americans in their product packaging.

If there were really such a fervor over racism on branded packaging, why then are Aunt Jemima and Mrs. Butterworths the two most popular syrup brands by product revenue? 130.59 million Americans used Aunt Jemima and 51.8 million American used Mrs Butterworths in 2019, according to Statista. 54.86 million Americans consumed Uncle Ben's rice and rice dishes in 2019 (source: Statista), yielding $11 million in annual revenue.

Frankly, I'm not sure that a logo change would help you sell more product to the demographics that already purchase the product based on other factors: price, availability, taste, quality, etc. For brands that have been around for a long time, these announcements seem more like a PR stunt than anything else. IMHO. 

I suppose time will tell us if the logo rebrand has helped Land o' Lakes capture more consumer market share next year when they celebrate their 100th anniversary.
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Library Kindle Reading List

Here's what's currently on the Kindle. Eventually I'll get through most of these and maybe even write a review of it. The current theme revolves around negotiation and its related tools subset: influence, charisma, and competitive intelligence gathering. Marketing is a lot like that. In the product and services content we write, we try to get you (the consumer) to want our products and services. 

It is unlikely that I'll get through all of these in the 21 days the library lets me read these books. But, fortunately, there's the renew button. Unfortunately, there is a long wait list for many of these titles. 

 If you're more of an audiophile, you can see Chris Voss' presentations on TED, Talks at Google, or listen to the Armchair Expert podcast.
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How AR is Making Marketing More Personal and Engaging

There are a number of ways that companies are implementing marketing campaigns using augmented reality (AR) apps. Here are a few examples:

  • Product visualization: AR can be used to allow customers to visualize products in their own environment. This can be helpful for products that are difficult to visualize, such as furniture or home appliances. For example, Ikea has an AR app that allows customers to see how different pieces of furniture would look in their homes.
  • Instructions and tutorials: AR can be used to provide customers with instructions and tutorials on how to use products. This can be helpful for products that are complex or difficult to use. For example, Lego has an AR app that allows customers to see how to build their sets.
  • Games and experiences: AR can be used to create games and experiences that are fun and engaging for customers. This can help to build brand awareness and loyalty. For example, Coca-Cola has an AR app that allows customers to play a game where they collect virtual cans of Coke.
  • Discounts and promotions: AR can be used to offer customers discounts and promotions. This can help to drive sales and traffic to businesses. For example, McDonald's has an AR app that allows customers to scan food items to see if they are on sale.

AR marketing campaigns can be monetized in a number of ways. Some common methods include:

  • Selling advertising space: AR apps can be used to sell advertising space to businesses. This can be a lucrative source of revenue for app developers.
  • Charging for access to content: AR apps can be used to charge customers for access to content, such as games, experiences, or tutorials. This can be a good way to generate revenue from customers who are willing to pay for premium content.
  • Data collection: AR apps can be used to collect data about customers, such as their demographics, interests, and spending habits. This data can be valuable to businesses that want to better understand their customers and target them with relevant marketing messages.

AR marketing is still in its early stages, but it has the potential to be a powerful tool for businesses. As AR technology continues to develop, it is likely to become increasingly common in marketing campaigns.

For reference (company and app launch year):

  • IKEA Place: 2017
  • LEGO AR Studio: 2015
  • Coca-Cola Freestyle AR Experience: 2016
  • McDonald's Happy Meal AR App: 2019
  • Sephora Virtual Artist: 2017
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Supply Chain Disruption in Uncertain Times

What we are experiencing now is not the new normal. Uncertain times have always been around; some are triggered by macroeconomic factors (unemployment, inflation, economic output), others by the planet trying to kill off humans, terrorism, or poorly written/enforced retail and commercial <insert your industry flavor> industry laws at the state or national level.

 Notable Supply Chain Disruptions:

  • 20XX - global forest fires impacting raw materials sourcing and the construction industry
  • 2007-2008 - residential lending banking crisis; LIBOR rate collusion and fraud; foreclosure filings increased by more than 81% in 2008
  • 2011 - every company using Just-In-Time manufacturing was impacted, as well as all air travel within the US
  • 2015 - Avian Flu outbreak in the US; millions of chickens destroyed, egg production drops significantly to cause egg prices to skyrocket
  • 2017 - Cyclone Enawo struck Madagascar and wipes out 90-100% vanilla bean production in its Antalaha region and 80% of the crop in Sambava; price of vanilla skyrockets 4x its usual trading price; also, prior to the weather event, vanilla farms in other tropical countries had been cutting back on production in order to produce more lucrative crops such as coffee and palm oil
  • 2019 - African Swine Fever - shrunk China's global herd by 55%, expected herd to decline by another 25%, and China pork production to fall by 10% to 15% in 2020;  impact to soybeans produced and exported by US farms for animal feed
  • 2019-2020 - COVID-19 affects multiple industries everywhere
You might think that you're not impacted by vanilla bean production since you don't eat sweets, right? Natural vanilla products are in more than just dairy products (ice cream, yogurt, flavored milk), beverages, and baked goods. Vanilla flavor is in 18,000 global products including breakfast cereal, snacks, perfumes, skincare creams/lotions, and cosmetic products. Price per pound of natural vanilla was $300 in 2017, $600 per 2.2 lbs (1 kg) in 2018, and a slight improvement in 2019 as vanilla production gets better at $450 per kg. Remember when real vanilla extract was less than $10 per 16 fluid oz at Costco? Well that same bottle currently sells for $30 today. One ingredient can impact so many businesses.

2009-2019 Price of Vanilla
Image Source: Cook Flavoring Company
Fast-forward to today's supply chain issues among suppliers, distributors, and end-users (consumers, businesses).

 What's up:

  • companies that are deemed "essential"
  • retail stores that offer delivery, take-out, or store pick-up (grocery stores, restaurants, 
  • manufacturers of personal protection equipment (PPE) and ventilators
  • companies that managed to pivot their production from whatever to PPE and medical supply (e.g., GE, Tesla, GM, beer/spirits manufacturing)
  • subscription boxes w/ free or reduced delivery costs (e.g., meal prep kits, pre-made meals, DIY kits)
  • Amazon - has now removed the product ban on non-essential products shipping to their warehouses
  • Wal-mart - app downloads surpasses Amazon (14.4 mil in the US, 106 mil global uploads)
  • software companies that create/support online learning platforms and video conferencing
  • furniture and hardware companies that create/support remote office and work from home
  • pharmaceuticals working on a vaccine for COVID-19
  • distributed computing apps that rely on crowdsourced content, support, donations (e.g., Einstein@home, Folding@home)
  • fabric wholesalers or retailers (e.g., JoAnn's)


 What's down:

  • everyone else not "essential"
  • rideshare services (Lyft, Uber, etc.)
  • homeshare/rental services (AirBnB, Vacasa, etc.)
  • airport & travel services
  • outdoor event venues
  • movie theaters / entertainment industry
  • live performances
  • schools, churches, local government offices
  • regional seafood supply & production - since dine-in restaurants and schools are shut down; seasonal seafood has nowhere to go
  • consumer automotive sales (might have to transition to more online sales)
  • ridership on public transit
  • global oil demand & decrease in per barrel price
  • amusement parks
  • city/county parks that attract larger crowds
  • trade shows and conventions
  • indoor/outdoor festivals and parades (e.g., regional fireworks show)


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Startup Resources for Remote Work, Pandemic Response

Never in my lifetime have I seen 17 million people file for unemployment within a few weeks. Couple that with all the country-specific travel restrictions, and the shutdown of certain retail industry sectors: entertainment, in-store dining, travel, brick 'n mortar stores, and from a state mandate, closure of non-essential businesses such as daycare centers, hair salons, eateries w/o takeout or delivery options, etc. 

 Here is a compilation of resources that your small business or startup may find useful:

 Video conferencing. Alternatives to Zoom conferencing if user privacy is a concern:



COVID-19 Response Plans. HR policies and procedures that address health and safety of employees


Remote Work Policies & Tools (examples):

Grants and other non-money assistance:
  • Google - $340 million in Google Ads credits available to all SMBs with active accounts over the past year


Small Business Gov't Resources


WA State
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Data-driven diversity and inclusion

This was the topic of an HR.com webcast. Data and artificial intelligence are trending topics for human resources professionals. Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) has been a workplace hot topic for a number of years.

 Organizational impacts of D&I:

  • Organizations with inclusive cultures are twice as likely to meet or exceed financial targets than those without (source: Deloitte)
  • 21% of companies that have greater gender diversity are more likely to have higher profitability (source: McKinsey)
Measurable Diversity (examples)
  • ratio of male to female employees
  • ratio of white to non-white or mixed ethnicity
  • percent of leadership team is female
  • percent of board of directors is ethnically diverse

Workplace Inclusion
  • Why diverse candidates opt out of the recruitment cycle
  • Why high performing diverse employees leave after 2 year
Facets of diversity to consider include: gender identity, race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, age, educational background, family or caregiver status, native language, physical abilities, and veteran status.

Read more:

 Visier's Big Book of People Analytics: D&I
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