I love this. I don’t expect it to put an end to the self-image problems of women (genetics are involved too), but I hope it catches on because it’ll help. I’m glad to see another major company stepping up to the plate. This is the most real thing aimed towards the female demo that I’ve seen in awhile. I meet many women in the ad industry on a daily basis…few own the size 0 figure that is portrayed so frequently. Good job Dove, Nike and whoever else is catching on.
August 2005 Archives
A few articles in the WSJ yesterday and today. I said that I don’t know how American car makers will fix themselves with employee discount programs. The leaders of GM/Ford admitted as much in the paper. They are predicting some months with serious lag in sales. They’ve decided to extend the programs till the end of the year. Ford is even planning on offering it for 2006 models. What happens when the novelty is gone? I don’t see the novelty lasting that much longer. I hope they have a backup plan. What’s going to happen when they move that bubble gum from the leaky rock?
On the flip side, Toyota is gearing up to release its Lexus brand in Japan. They have some hurdles to overcome such as selling a line of luxury cars against high end Toyota models. For instance, the LS 430 in America is already in Japan. It’s just called something else under the Toyota name. Another potentially major problem is that the Japanese love their German luxury cars. It’s going to take a shrewd marketing plan to infiltrate this mentality. They plan on having their cars 60% less than their German counterparts. To me, it seems like the same plan they used in America. Lexus is a primo ride here, but it’s German rivals are typically much higher in cost. Lexus has killed here since it’s release because they offer the same or better quality and service at a much lower price. In the end, they’ll probably do outstanding. They’ve done it with Lexus and Scion in America. They can do it on their home turf.
