America!

American made products are becoming harder and harder to find. Made in USA challenge is a website that contains a 'master list' of companies that produce products in America.  There are a wide variety of products and a few familiar brands, but a majority of the sites listed on the master list are unknown to the everyday user.

Riley and Coco is a Los Angeles based company that features L.A. based designers. While perusing around the site, I noticed that their about page features both information about their company as well as information about the designers. The designers page is particularly interesting because it explain how the city has inspired their designs and gives a small background on each of the designers. Another cool feature of Riley and Coco how each product states where it was made.

 

These shoes for instance were made in downtown Los Angeles by hand, they also retail for $197.00 if your interested...

Okabashi is another made in America product. Okabashi was founded in 1984 in  Buford, GA. The create various forms of sandals for men, women, and children and sell their shoes in places like Wal-Mart, CVS, Walgreens, and more.

Okabashi's slogan

There are many other products that are produced from things only made in America that are not included on the Made in USA Challenge website. A few years ago, there was a home in Bozeman that was being featured because it was remodeled and built with things only made in America....even down to the screw. Most of these companies that are producing Made in America products are also doing a lot to protect the environment and really make a difference in their community. There is a large purpose behind Made in America products, you just have to take the time to find it.

Promotions

The promotions section of marketing really got me thinking of how people sell things. There are billboards, magazine ads, TV commercials, and things that come in the mail. All of these methods, along with numerous others, are somehow conveying to customers that their product or service is the one they need to have.

TV commercials for instance, beauty products that you would love if they actually worked. I usually see these products like magic hair curlers, where you can take your fresh out of the shower wet hair and pull it through this thing and it will come out dry and perfectly curled. The fact that they make the advertisement seems so simple and show "real life footage" is something that definitely makes the consumer think that the product is actually going to work, and on top of that the price is so low that it is just to good to be true. #deals4days

Another one of my favorites are the little coupons that come in the mail, (my house usually gets them from Joann Fabrics or some pizza place in Bozeman). Those things are awesome. There are so many deals, like 2 medium pizzas with two toppings and a liter of pop for only $20.00. They way that they play on the consumers senses and make the pizza appear to be affordable really make a difference to hungry people everywhere. Not only does the hunger factor play a role, so does the fact that the colors on the advertisements are so bright. The color is really the attention grabber for the product or service.

How products or services are promoted to the consumer play a key role in if the product or service will be purchased. Most of the time the deal is too goo to be true and the advertisement for the product is just... bad. However, when it comes to the promotion of food, I've never seen one that has not made me hungry.
 

Product Failures

Let's talk about bad products...

1.) Cocaine!

Most people would probably assume that drugs are bad, unless your Lloyd and Harry in which case pills are good, but this form of cocaine probably isn't quite as terrible as the powder cocaine. Cocaine is an energy drink produced by Redux Beverages and comes in two different flavors:  Cocaine Spicy Hot and Cocaine Mild. Apparently the company has been having issues with the FDA regarding the product name, but also because of the extreme amount of caffeine in the drink that has resulted in them being banned from countries and really only sold online.


Compares caffeine amounts to other caffeine drinks.

 

  2.) Thirsty Cat!, Thirsty Dog!

Consumers have taken it far enough with dressing their pets and carrying them purses (Paris Hilton and Tinker Bell), but this product takes pet pampering to a whole new level. According to an article in the New York Times, bottled water for pets was being sold in two delicious flavors:  Crispy Beef and Tangy Fish. Not only is this safe for pet consumption, it is also safe for human consumption...

(Also if your interested in seeing what other pet products are out there, check out this link. Mind. Blown.)           

3.) Zune

The Zune is the Microsoft version of the iPod. While it was essentially the same as the iPod, it had flaws such as being too big, too thick, and too sensitive to touch. My dad actually had one of these when I was growing up and I remember taking it on field trips and everyone being like "what's that." So while it had the bonus of being not mainstream, the operating system just wasn't up to speed with Apple.     

 

 

 

The three products listed above are just a few of the many that that are pretty terrible. By simply searching for 'product failures' you'll get a long list of the worst ones ever. Its actually pretty entertaining.