A few weeks ago now, I was at Coles and saw Season 1 and grabbed it. Oh my god, the show is hilarious!! It’s one of the best written comedies I’ve seen in a long time, and it’s a little scary that when they’re talking techy, I can understand most of it.

I just finished watching a couple of episodes in season 2 and noticed some product placement for one of the natural cleaning products we sell, Seventh Generation. I’ve seen it twice on TBBT now – the laundry powder (which we don’t sell) and the all purpose spray. I have also seen Seventh Generation on Desperate Housewives, Friends and a couple of other shows.

It’s nice to see natural products in product placement on TV shows. It shows a change in the tide when it comes to what kind of brands and products spend the big $ on advertising. Bring it on and slowly change the world!!

On the flip side, I was a little disappointed to see them drinking bottled water in the same episode. Now if only someone like Klean Kanteen, America’s first stainless steel water bottle manufacturer would shell out some ad dollars for a spot on a show like this too……

As you know, I run an online store, and anything that makes online retail look bad really pisses me off.

Scoopon is run by the same people who run Catch Of The Day. I’m a Catch Of The Day customer, multiple times. I only ever had one ‘bad experience’ but that was with the product not the service. I bought a crappy USB turntable that didn’t spin properly and it was just crap. I returned it. They paid the postage and gave me credit for it.

I have used Scoopon twice now. Booked accommodation with one (no trouble booking it) and also bought a meal at The Orient in Sydney. Haven’t used that one yet, but I can’t see The Orient turning people away.

The list of complaints I’ve read about Living Social is mind boggling. Just go follow them on Facebook and read away.

Remember, if a deal looks too good to be true, it probably is. These sites are a graveyard for shitty stock that doesn’t sell and businesses throwing one last ditch effort at getting customers before they close their doors. Not all offers are like this, but many are, and it takes a savvy web shopper to spot the difference.

Proceed with caution.

Read more at news.com.au

Also, a big congratulations to the two ad agencies that now get to suck oodles of money back of out them to re-make their marketing strategy. Now, if you had just told the truth the first time around ………….

Read more at news.com.au

Apart from the fact that I think the colour balance is shit and it doesn’t really say the right thing for a city, I heard local advertising agency Peach were paid $88,000 to produce it. Even if it was a good job (which I don’t think it is), where does a council get the nerve to throw tax payers money around like that, and where do an advertising agency get off taking it?

Yes, there’s a market for cheap remnant shit on the internet. Catch Of The Day (who I have shopped with on more than one occasion) have become Australia’s #1 online retailer from it, and have proven there’s a market for it.

What you fail to realise is this, they are #1. They have an extraordinarily large following and a fucking gigantic mailing list database of people who get their cheap crap in their inbox EVERY BLOODY DAY, myself included. It’s a fan-fucking-tastic website. I’m thoroughly impressed with their business model and I can see why they’re #1.

What I can’t see is this:-
1 – you having a snowballs chance in hell of competing with them
2 – this doing any good for your bricks & mortar proprietors. It’s there purely to line your own pockets. Do you not have enough money?

Admittedly, I’m mildly impressed that you’re not shitting all over your proprietors and competing with them online, but you’re so far off the mark here it’s not funny. Instead of trying to tweak your business model, you’ve left your current one exactly the way it is and dipped your toes in a totally different pond.

I’m just waiting for the interview with Ruslan Kogan where he tries to predict the fail date for your online venture. I’ll give you 18 months ’cause you’ve got some buying power and some room to fail.

Here’s a free tip for you Gerry, you’re not losing your sales to overseas online retailers, you’re losing them to people like the Good Guys and Kogan, because unlike the bulk of staff at most Harvey Norman stores,  they give a crap about customer service, unlike the 60+ year old lard arse who was so dis-interested in selling me a washing machine (and more interested in getting back to his coffee and donut on his desk) that I went and spent my $1,700 at David Jones instead.

Adios Harvey Norman. You belong in a museum. Big businesses are failing, watch out.

Watch the video, click one of the options, then have fun watching the bear to whatever you want. Pure genius.

I haven’t had a chance to watch this week’s episode yet, but should to tomorrow. One of my favourite parts of the show is The Pitch, where an ad agency get to make an ad for something fake. No-one yet has managed to top the very first one in Season 1 Ep 1.

Enjoy.

My personal fave (above)

The best fake ad that could actually be used (and to think I sell reusable shopping bags online!)