[Special note to daily subscribers – we will not post next Monday, Tuesday, nor Wednesday so everyone else can catch up]
Our best weekly follow-up yet. In our humble opinion, of course. If you don’t tweet or pin this, we will come and find you.
Another Growing U.S. Export
We very recently bemoaned the Starbucks conspiracy to transform its U.S. locations to the cargo-ship feel they have in Europe. Well sonuvabitch if one week later The New York Times reports Europeans bemoaning the current state of Starbucks shops over there!
So now Starbucks is doing an about face in Europe, adding back the comfy chairs, private tables AND – f&ck me – POWER OUTLETS. All the things U.S. locations are losing.
Let’s Do The Stuart Elliott Time Warp Again
He’s done it again. And again. The New York Times “advertising guru” Stuart Elliott continues his scintillating analyses of new campaigns by the likes of modern brands such as Life Savers and Motel 6. With “modern day” references, as we have told you, that younger readers will NOT recognize.
Such as a recent article that referenced in its opening paragraph, The Anniversary Waltz, a song from…1941.
Or another article earlier this week that included:
“The film…will be divided into five shorter segments — five easy pieces, if you will..”
Get it? Five Easy Pieces. A movie from NINETEEN-f&ckin’-SEVENTY.
But, hey, it did have Fannie Flagg in it.
The Heat Is Turning Up At Dave’s, Er, Wendy’s
We still believe our recommendation to rebrand Wendy’s as Dave’s is possible. The company continues to make big moves in marketing.
First, the company hired a 20-year veteran of Procter & Gamble to be its new CMO. Then, Wendy’s changed its tagline (again) to “Now That’s Better.” A perfect set-up to announcing a name change – “Wendy’s is now Dave’s. Now that’s better.”
By the way, the new CMO used to market hair-care products. Look out Wendy. He’s going to wash that man right out of your hair! (Stuart Elliott would love the reference…)
Airlines Grounded Once Again
Way back in the day, we mocked a futurist’s forecast that airline travel would increase 60% by the year 2025. Everything we said then has come true.
It should come as no surprise that with all the bankruptcy filings and talks of more airline mergers, the Department of Transportation reported that airlines’ domestic departures in 2011 were the LOWEST IN A DECADE. Since our post, in fact, domestic departures have fallen every year.
Proving once again that old adage – nothing grows to the sky. Not even airplanes.
