Never a Lack of Ideas

On the Hunt The Field Museum in Chicago is currently featuring an exhibit entitled, "Mammoths and Mastodons." To advertise for the exhibit, the museum has converted a double-decker tour bus into a giant wooly mammoth, complete with patches of hair on its sides. I first saw this bus about a month ago and I have spent a lot of time since then trying to track it down in order to shoot the video you see above. An informal poll of my friends and co-workers has proven to me that the bus has generated tons of buzz in the city. Texture Matters The best part about the Wooly Mammoth bus is how its hair shimmers in the wind as the bus cruises down the street -- that's why I wanted to include a video of the bus instead of just a picture. Because of the bus's unique texture, it's impossible not to notice it when it's in motion. Unique textures draw us in and convert ads that engage only our sense of sight into two-dimensional ads that also engage our sense of touch. My co...

One Great Deal Per Day Groupon has experienced tremendous growth because it offers one fantastic deal and one small "side deal" per day to a group of people in selected cities around the country. Yet, Groupon's existing business model only allows for growth in the form of attracting new customers in existing cities or expanding to new cities to attract new customers. Eventually, Groupon will run out of new cities in which to expand, so it needs to find a new way to grow. The solution? Sub-segmentation and targeted offers. Segmented Markets Aren't Good Enough Groupon currently segments its customers by geographic location. Essentially, the company has two key business principles: Offer one featured deal per day on the website, based on the city in which you live. Encourage customers to sign up to receive one email per day about the deals of the day. Herein lies Groupon's dilemma: The company knows that a certain percentage of its customers will not be interested ...