Product Extension

Many people have a hard time with the difference between Brand Extensions and Product Extensions. I overhear common-folk do this often, as a service to the world, here is part 1:

Product Extension - "When a company introduces additional items in the same product category under the same brand name such as new flavors, forms, colors, added ingredients, package sizes" - Thank you, Wikipedia. See with your eyes:



Notice the branding is retained while the packaging is just altered enough to distinguish each variety. The product line extension is less of a gamble than the Brand Extension, which I will explore tomorrow.

Barbie Video Girl Webcam

This is real, as I took this photo inside my local Wal-Mart. That hole in Barbie's chest isn't from a slug fired from Ken's Dreamhouse shotgun, it's a VGA video camera. Here's my brain-storming session of why Barbie Webcam was created:

• To catch a predator
• To film your child's face as they play
• To use as a home security camera while you're away
• To promote voyeurism at an earlier age
• To spy on other Barbies
• To spy on your kids
• To creep people out
• To fulfill a MATEL executive's wildest fantasies
• To bring Barbie into the digital age (?)
• (add your own in comments)

Challenger Space Center

The Challenger Space Center in Peoria, AZ is a giant disappointment. The memorial to the crew features laminated photos on a wall, that's it. There are also brief generic bios of the crew, non of which come close to indicating the true nature of a once-living person. The history aspect is severely lacking as well, which is the most troubling to me. No time-line of events, safety outcomes or lessons learned from the failed mission, chunks of shuttle or O-ring, causes of the explosion, cultural impacts of a national tragedy, mentions of the following hiatus from flight, or even ONE single photo of the craft exploding (the image is iconic not obscene). Most of the exhibits are not of Challenger but of other missions, most comprising of photos and patches on the walls. It is like sitting in Applebee's or TGI Friday's, without the fun.

The Social Media Guu

Two over used self-described terms:  "Social Media Guru" or "Social Media Junkie". The guru is really a novice at best. If junkie is your description, overdose already. Take this video as a warning:

Battle of the $1 Chicken Sandwiches

While some fast food establishments have a one dollar burger, many more have the buck chicken sandwich. Most are nothing to cluck home about, others are worth crossing the road. Here's the $1 beak breakdown in marketing photos:

Arby's Jr. Chicken Sandwich


KFC Snacker


Burger King Spicy CHICK’N CRISP® Sandwich


McDonald's McChicken


Taco Bell Chicken Flatbread Sandwich


Jack in the Box Chicken Sandwich


Wendy's Crispy Chicken Sandwich

Condensed Soup

28 years after being founded, Campbell's finally solved the condensed soup problem (1897). The solution was simple, there was no need to ship the water contained in the soup. This advancement propelled Campbell's forward and is the sole reason the company exists today. Efficiency was the key to their success.

In the early '90s canned ready-to-eat soup, the kind that doesn't require additional water, began to infiltrate the market. Ready-to-eat soup is much more expensive to make and is why condensed soup was developed in the first place. Most of the cost comes from the larger can, water, shipping and cost of more preservatives ( mostly sodium).

Efficiency has given way to convenience  and thus shrinking profit margins. The consumer wants to microwave their soup at work or home without fuss of adding water. They also don't want to pay more for ultimately the same yeild (one can of condensed soup + water = one can of ready-to-eat soup).

So what does this dry analysis mean? It explains why soup sales are so weak and why the iconic Warhol can is in trouble.

0 For $10

Advise those shopping at Fry's or Kroger to avoid the "0 for $10" special on Metromint water. I've had Metromint, not as good as Smartwater. Save those pennies for the crane game by the exit door.

Hobo STD

There isn't a better name for a font than "Hobo Std". Developed by the Linotype foundry, the STD portion stands for "standard" and not sexually transmitted disease as hoped. As eye-pleasing as a sweaty hobo itself,  Hobo Std makes red itchy bumps a reality. This font can be found in newer editions of the Windows OS as well as in popular font packs.

Croce's Restaurant & Jazz Bar

A busy night on a recent trip to San Diego, my girlfriend and I scouted the Gaslamp quarter for a culinary delight. Croce's Restaurant & Jazz Bar stood out to us and my taint tightened as I realized the relation of the establishment to the late Jim Croce. A brute male hostess asked us if we would like to see the menu at the door, I said "no" in an offended matter.

We were sat and I cracked open the menu and experienced "sticker shock" as the entree's were priced at $35+ each. I had the money for such a meal, no question about that. If Jim Croce were alive he would have walked out of his own resturant. My girlfriend felt the same way.

I told her to exit through the bar and that I will follow soon after. I waited for the well-dressed male server to approach. I told him that I had said the wrong thing to my girlfriend and she had left me for the night. He bought my story, gave me a pat on the back and offered me his best at getting back into her good graces. We ended up dining at the Hard Rock Cafe across the street.

The Baby Man

Preface: "Baby Man" crawled the streets of Phoenix, Arizona for many years before his premature death. This isn't a "Who Was Baby Man" story, but how he may live forever.

A new office prank has been born, replace a co-worker's desktop wallpaper with Baby Man. Punish the careless who neglect to lock their PCs with this hard-to-stomach image. The unsettling nature of the image has plagued many, I've even been a victim numerous times. Bonus points are awarded for tiling.

Office pranks keep hope alive. I can't tell you how many times a Rick-Roll has stopped me from driving a pencil through my skull.

The Microwave Pot Pie

Nuking a Marie Callender's Chicken Pot Pie in the break-room microwave is a bigger task than previously conceived.

Okay, this can be done easily at work. I only have 30 minuets for my lunch break; but so far, so good. I am tempted to take the pot pie out but I shouldn't!

Six minutes! I have time but it took me a couple minutes to confirm the break-room microwave meets the wattage requirement.

Can this thing do 50% power? 7-8 more minutes! Will 4 minutes on 100% power do the same trick? I only have 15 minutes before I need to return to my cubicle.

"Internal temperature needs to be measured at 165 F in several spots"! Where am I going to get a thermometer? Why is cooking a pot pie this hard? It has now taken me 20 minutes to cook a salty & fatty pot pie that may give me food poisoning because I can't determine if the internal temperature was hot enough.

Book Report: Smile When You're Lying

Picturesque mountain villages spring fourth from the pages of your favorite travel magazine. What's lacking from the scenic views and endless Piña coladas? Objective truth. Chuck Thompson does a great job explaining why travel writers don't give their honest opinions of a place, because they won't get paid for the unabashed truth.

Trashing a dirty hotel with a 5-star facade doesn't help the business of travel. There is no justice or loyalty to the excited traveler booking blind on Expedia. I loved this book and its cry for a reboot of the travel industry.

Smile When You're Lying: Confessions of a Rogue Travel Writer

This OHSA Poster Kills

Which worker is not following their respective safety protocol in this safety poster? (Photo taken at my office)

(click image to enlarge)

Hint: The irony may stab you in the back.