The Marketing Month of January

Well 2012 certainly kicked off with quite a busy month of marketing.  Holy cow!  I have not seen this much marketing drama in one month ever.  Let's break it down.

The Weight Loss Wars:  We always start out every new year with a barrage of weight loss messaging.  This year was no different with Jennifer Hudson and Weight Watchers winning the war in my book.

A Mouse in Mountain Dew:  When a consumer announced that he found a mouse in his can of soda, the brand had a head scratching response.

Madonna Truth or Dare - Golden Globes:  The ultimate music marketer makes an attempt to stay relevant.  Tell the truth ... is it working?  She did prove, once again, that timing is everything.

#ILoveWalgreens:  The brand discovered that you can't buy love ... online.

Brand Paula Deen:  The cheeseburger heard round the world.  Her brand took (and continues to take) a lot of heat for her well-timed health announcement.  Days after her announcement, a consumer took this picture ....

Paula Deen, days after her Diabetes announcement

Bald Barbie:  This girl has been making social media headlines for years, but nothing like the debate that raged on about making a Bald Barbie.

#McDStories:  What a different two hours makes!  We all learned "be careful what you ask for!"

Blonde at Starbucks:  Is blonde a strength, a color, or a mood?  Starbucks flooded its stores to let us know.

JCP EDLP:  In one of the boldest moves in retail, JCP reinvents its business model, starting February 1st.  Should make for an interesting month ahead.

What a month!  Get ready for the marketers' holiday coming February 5th!  I'll be tweeting live at #SBExp ... hope you can join me as we talk about all the advertising (and maybe a little bit about the game).  Here's a little something something to get us in the mood ...

What's your experience?  Jim.

Jim Joseph
President of Lippe Taylor
Author of The Experience Effect
Professor at NYU