|
|
|
A Christmas Carol - The Man and His Book
Charles Dickens's book "A Christmas Carol" is probably the most famous of all Christmas stories. In the preface he wrote: "I have endeavoured in this Ghostly little book, to raise the Ghost of an Idea, which shall not put my readers out of humour...
A Christmas with Trifle
This Christmas, I'm going to make trifle for desert. After all,
what is Christmas without trifle? I'm sure, even the pickiest of
diners who shun cross-cultural eating would find a soft culinary
spot for trifle in their hearts and palates if they...
Christmas Tree Traditions
Modern day Christmas trees originated in the 19th century
Britain by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. During the
Victorian era trees were the focus of celebration and were
decorated with toys, cakes, bonbons and other sweet treats.
Young...
Don't worry about Scrooge this Christmas, by shopping online you'll save plenty of time and money
According to a study by BizRate Research, 60% of women were
already planning their online buying in September, compared to
only 42% of men. Women are also reported to carry the burden of
Christmas shopping with 55% taking on the...
The Christmas Temptation - Department Store Credit Cards
Now that we are heading at breakneck speed to the peak retail season (ie Christmas), you will soon, if you are not already, be wondering what to do about all those gifts and other expenses that need to be catered for in the holiday season. November...
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
Why a little bit of marketing does you good, especially at Christmas
My grandpa, who's a Quaker, used to disapprove of the fact that
I ventured into marketing, but he's coming round to my way of
thinking, even at the grand age of 92. He is suspicious of
marketing (in his mind - a term synonymous with extracting money
from a gullible party, for the benefit of corporate greed) and
doesn't believe in profit, even though profit itself is not a
bad thing.
I bring this issue up because in case you hadn't noticed, it's
going to be Christmas soon and as usual any company which can
exploit Christmas as a commercial theme is doing so. But before
we exchange our Christmas wreath for cynicism on our front door,
sometimes marketing can be beneficial and the creativity in
marketing campaigns can be enjoyed by the consumer.
Take for instance (but not for instant) Starbucks Coffee
Company, no longer is it just a coffee company! If you're still
refusing to do your Christmas shopping online, marketing
executives at Starbucks have come up with a few ideas so that
you can break the shopping up with interludes of Gingerbread Latte, Eggnog Latte or Toffee Nut
Latte. You could even come back after the shopping and have
a Chocolate Mint Bliss or Mint Chocolate Chip Frappuccino. If
Marketing brings Gingerbread Lattes, then it's got to be a good
thing.
It's not just the high street shops which are getting festive.
Online stores are getting into the Christmas spirit too, even
finance companies; the traditional residences of Scrooge type
characters. Moneynet, a personal finance information research
specialist, has brought out a Christmas finance guide , with a range of money-saving
tips to help the innocent consumer navigate their way past loan
sharks who feed on the financial difficulties of
certain
families, particularly at Christmas.
But lets not dwell on the doom and gloom, lets think about the
children, what's marketing doing for them? Well... the Early
Learning Centre has developed a special Christmas section ( http://www.elc.co.uk/cat
egory-720 ) on its website to inspire parents, grandparents
and relatives with ideas of suitable gifts for the children. If
your daughter is more into Stevie Wonder than Golden Wonder,
then she might be impressed with the Pink Keyboard And Stool;
though remember, musical toys last for years not just for
Christmas, it's your sanity at stake.
But Christmas isn't just for the kids, it's for the "big kids"
too. Justtoys is a site which sells toys for parents, buying
toys for their children. If my parents are reading this, or even
my colleagues, I quite fancy the Radio Control Dalek which offers seven phrases
triggered by buttons on the remote control, 360 degree on the
spot rotational movement and the Dome and Eyestalk move from
side to side as it moves. Beats slippers and writing paper any
day.
Marketing and commercial competition has also made a fantastic
choice available on the internet and it gives us ideas, when
we've run out of inspiration ourselves. So whilst we need to
remain sceptical about advertising, there are some advantages to
profit investment ...
... and Starbucks Chocolate Mint Bliss is one of them.
About the author:
Rachel is a financially conscious chocoholic who lives in
Edinburgh and writes for the personal finance blog Cashzilla.
Cashzilla is a mighty personalfinanosaurus who has been linked
to several Scottish celebrities including Nessie.
http://www.cashzilla.co.uk
|
|
|
|
|
|