February New Releases

2/5
Snow Buddies
Across the Universe
Aristocrats
Brave One

2/12
Tyler Perry’s “Why Did I Get Married”
Tyler Perry’s “What’s Done in the Dark”
We Own the Night
No Reservations
Martian Child

2/19
American Gangster
30 Days of Night
Michael Clayton
Rendition

2/26
Beowulf
Barbie:  Mariposa
Justice League:  The New Frontier

Wednesday was an exciting day.  The New York Times even wrote a very positive story about what our CEO Lee Scott had to say in his “Company of the Future” speech.   Take a look....please read or watch it.  This was very exciting for us here because we made some big commitments to reduce energy consumption by 25% on the products we sell, to fix some of the costly issues facing health care, and to lead the charge to source quality products from socially and environmentally responsible sources.

But, it was also exciting because I saw once again one of my favorite things about this company.  Even though we don’t know exactly how we will meet these goals, we still set them.  We have a good idea on much of it, and we have some really cool aspirations that we hope to bring to life, but more than anything, we have discovered that even big goals get done when you set them. 

That said, I’d love to hear thoughts about the speech and any questions.  This is a speech that will focus much of the efforts of the company for the next three years.  What do you think about that direction?

For all you businessmen and entrepreneurs who wonder if the “green consumer” is someone you should start marketing to, Steve Bishop has a very good article in the Harvard Business Review.  Please read it, if you have any interest in marketing as a means of changing consumer behavior to toward more earth friendly products.

Though absolutely correct, Bishop’s analysis is incomplete.  You see, the message of green products is only truly developed when their green-ness enhances their primary benefit.  Starting with the assumption that a product really does have a substantial positive impact on the environment (its not just greenwashing), a product’s primary benefit can and should be augmented by what makes it green.  I hope the following three examples will illustrate; the first two are examples of what not to do, and the third is a recent change that does this well.

If I am buying bug killer, I want to kill bugs; if I am buying paint stripper, I want to melt the paint off something; and I want to do these as quickly and powerfully as possible.  So, if you go to Wal-Mart today looking for products that do this, the last ones you would pick up are those that have pictures of puppies, children, leaves, and soft hands.  But, that is what you find when you see the environmentally friendly products in these categories.  On the surface, they tout “eco,” “earth friendly,” and “natural,” and of course, amidst their super acid, death to all bug counterparts, they just don’t look like they are going to work.

The crazy thing is that both of these environmentally friendly products work better than their counterparts because of their earth friendly ingredients.  How much more powerful would it be if the package touted the power of citrus to strip even tough paint away, or the effectiveness of natural oils that adhere to the bugs to make sure they’ll die?  Now, no matter what kind of consumer I am, green or otherwise, I’ll buy that.

And, one example that I think will do it right…Sunchips.  They have purchased enough solar power to produce all their Sunchips, and now, Sunchips are imbued with the power of the sun.  That’s right, the brand of snack that appeals to women looking for healthier alternatives, the brand that already has a fresh and positive halo, becomes even more persuasive when they are truly the chip made by the sun.

So, what products are out there doing it right or wrong?  Let me know, I’d love to learn what you think.