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NEWSLETTER
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Volume 12, November 27, 2000
SHANGRI-LA TAPS InfoWorx AS PRODUCER
By Edward Easton
One of the best-known brands in commercial brewing products has chosen InfoWorx to trumpet its latest achievement. Already a National Tasting Institute Gold Medal winner five years running, Shangri-la has invested more than a million dollars in an R&D program to produce an affordable, yet completely professional brewing machine for the home market. Eighteen years of industry leadership and experience in the commercial restaurant and brewing equipment field have been distilled into a remarkable home system that is virtually indistinguishable from the best commercial machines in its output of professionally brewed teas, lattes, and coffees.
Like the professional machines, Shangrila's Multi-brew home system also features three separate preparation chambers for each type of brewing process.
Production has already begun in a local Boca Raton studio with a high tech kitchen set using local talent. The product and its features are considered unique enough to do without the normally contracted celebrity talent. The Shangri-la Multi-Brew's attributes and price points are spectacular enough on their own, allowing the device itself to easily hold center stage in the production. It's the perfect example of a product that actually sells itself just by being properly demonstrated.
A number of industry experts as well as Mr. Jesse Sartain of the National Tasting Institute will be on hand to talk about and demonstrate the system. The real people segment promises to be of special interest. A number of coffee, latte and tea aficionados will be provided their own Multi-Brews for testing in their homes. Their filmed responses will convince the average homeowner better than paid celebrity talent.
"Since the demographic for this product is so large, the first airing will come in a January test market before a complete rollout all across the nation slated for late February," says InfoWorx's executive producer Ron Perlstein. "We expect an equally large success."
Large demographics also translate into large profits for the client, consequently InfoWorx's pre-production planning has been particularly thorough and meticulous.
POLITICS & MARKETS - RELUCTANT BEDFELLOWS
By Edward Easton
National markets are in a holding pattern as they await a national decision on who's going to lead the country over the next four years. This millennium election is unique as the first time in the nation's history an election wasn't really an electionÑat least in regard to deciding anything. The fat lady will be a long time singing during the Bush-Gore dogfight over the coveted election bone.
Republicans have traditionally been favored by the marketing world because they tend to leave things alone in the business community. Democrats are seen as big government regulators, especially of heavy industry, where costs to comply with ever increasing rules and regulations drive up expenses and influence pricing at the retail level.
But what does all this mean for marketing strategies in the new century? Markets and politics have always gone hand in hand. You have only to witness the current back and fill of the stock market to realize that capital decisions are on holdÑdecisions that affect every level of market activity. For the 800-pound gorillas in marketing, the nerve-wracking indecision will be weathered nicely. But what if you're not so big? You have an innovative product or service and a good business plan, but will you get that loan to start production of your infomercial, or not?
Probably you will. It will just cost more than you thought. There really is such a thing as "trickle down" economics. But the little guy, who can rarely afford economies of scale, will see his costs "trickling" up.
In the DRTV world, if you have a good product coupled with a willingness to move fast, profits can easily rise faster than your costs. Which dog then gets the bone won't matterÑuntil the next time.
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