Infinite Loop at the Gym

Thank goodness I bring my own music to the gym, because the music they play has the following play list...

1. Blurred Lines (Robin Thicke)
2. Brave (Sara Bareilles)
3. Safe and Sound (Capital Cities)
4. Titanium (David Guetta)
5. repeat...

Groupon Marketing Gimmicks

It's pretty interesting to see all of the Marketing 101 gimmicks that are pulled by a typical Groupon.  The above item is a classic example:

1. Herd Mentality - "Over 640 Bought" - Everyone wants to do what the group is doing
2. Bait and Switch - "From $19" - When you click the arrow, you get to see what the real price will be
3. Anchoring - "Value $64.95" - Does I really typically pay $65 for an oil change?
4. False Savings - "Discount 71%" - What you are saving is irrelevant.  The important result is that you end up spending about the same as what one would typically spend on an oil change.
5. "Limited Time, Act Now" - All of these deals either imply or actually have a limited time to make a snap decision
6. "Limited Quantity" - Yep, nothing like combining the Limited Time and Limited Quantity pitch in the same offer

I admit, I've actually bought crappy items or services from Groupon where I really thought I was getting a huge savings, but then found out later I was paying a pretty typical price for what turned out to be inferior items or services.

Maybe people realizing this would be why Groupon stock has lost over half its value since its debut.

ADT Security System

I love this coupon we got in the mail from ADT for a "FREE 16-PIECE Home Security System":

If you look at the photo, you will quickly observe:

• The first 7 "pieces" of the 16-PIECE system (44%) are a yard sign and 6 stickers
• The "FREE" system costs only a $99 installation charge, plus "purchase of monthly alarm services"

That deal really sets off my alarms.

Window Ads

On rare occasion, I am taking a short trip so I decide to listen to the radio, instead of a podcast.  No matter what station I listen to, the one thing I know for sure is that there will be ads for window companies.  These commercials are always insufferable:

1. They always have some phone number that they repeat 7 or 8 times at the end of the ad.  Does anyone actually remember these numbers?  They should just say the name of the company 8 times so people can search for it on Google.

2. The special offers are ridiculous.  I swear I actually heard this one yesterday: "Some window companies have lousy specials that are only 10% or 20% off.  But for a limited time we are offering 40% OFF!!  That's right, buy one window and get the second one for 40% off."

Sigh...

Nationals "Run The Bases"

We took the kids to a Washington Nationals baseball game on Sunday 4/28/13.  They were offering a special "Run The Bases" promotion, where kids would get to run once around the bases on the field after the conclusion of the game.

It started lightly drizzling in the 6th inning, and within a few minutes they flashed a big note across the scoreboard: "Due to the hazardous conditions, the Run The Bases event has been cancelled."

This is an outrage.  First of all, it has nothing to do with the hazardous conditions.  They just don't want there to be any damage to the field.  If they really think the running could somehow damage the field (?), then they should just come out and say that is the reason.  Second, there is nothing more hazardous about slightly moist dirt than dry dirt.  If anything, the dry dirt would be more slippery and more likely to cause a scrape than the moist dirt.  Did someone run a study comparing injuries resulting from different field conditions?

Regardless, I see no reason that a child's parents can't assess the field condition and make a reasonable decision about whether it is hazardous.  There is a calculation that needs to be done, for any activity, as to whether the value gained from the activity outweighs the potential risk, given the probability of that risk.  The Nationals decided to go ahead and make that decision for everyone.  No worry for them - they already sold the tickets and don't need to issue and refunds, so why bother?

Maybe they should just put up a message during every kids event: "Due to potential terrorist activity, for your safety today's kids event has been cancelled"

This whole episode is just bad PR for the Nationals for no good reason.