FunnyBusiness: Everything About Business Except The Bottom Line

The business story behind Dove's Evolution Video

               
 

It is fast becoming one of the most watched videos on the Internet. For  Dove,all those eyeballs will translate into increased sales. In the two years since Dove decided to brand itself as the beauty company that celebrates real beauty that strategy has rewarded the company with double digit sales increases.

 

A year ago, Strategy Magazine looked at Dove's strategy to transform itself from marketer to social activist.

"[Women] are really connected to the brand, and in a way that it's not just 'I like their message'; they're starting to see now that we're really doing things that are working toward social change." That strategy is key to the brand's success. "The way we see it is that people buy brands first. They access a brand through products," she adds.

And sales prove it: "We've experienced strong double-digit growth in every new category that we're in," says Mark Wakefield, marketing director. Brand recognition is also strong. During its brand tracking, consumers were asked if they recognized the Dove blue bird logo. "Ninety percent of people recognized it," he says. "Just slightly behind the Nike swoosh."

Moving forward, the plan is to continue focusing on the successful formula.

As part of its marketing, Dove is providing financial support to organizations that help "foster a broader definition of beauty."

A Million Girls Would Kill For This Job

This is a story about bad bosses, books,blogs, movies and the influence they have on mass media. The book is The Devil Wears Prada. Until last weekend I had vaguely been aware of the book. Yes, I knew it was about a ridiculous boss but I just hadn't bothered to read it.(And, if I had not decided to wash my duvet cover on Sunday morning I would have finished the last 150 pages of the  book before going to the movie.)

Let me just ask, "Do you know what happens to a paperbook that goes through the washer with a Duvet cover?" While I'm at it, "Do you know how to get the pulp off the duvet cover after it's gone through the dryer?"  Your responses will be  greatly appreciated. The experience has given me a whole new appreciation for pulp fiction.


I picked up the book on Saturday afternoon after I noticed a media storm of attention on the topic of bad bosses. First, there was the contest on MSNBC.You can vote on Bad TV Bosses From Hell .There are 10 bosses to choose from ranging from speakerphone "Charlie" on Charlie's Angel, to Danny DiVito in Taxi,and C. Montgomery Burns on the Simpsons.

This contest is tied to a report scheduled for July 7th:Real Life Bosses You Have to See to Believe. For those who want to share their real life stories, MSNBC is inviting readers to share a bad boss story. They do have this disclaimer,"remember your emails may be published."  They then ask people for their names, city and state and email address.

I would be very surprised if many people share their current stories. There's something about giving your real name when asked to write about your boss that puts the fear of being dooced in  people.

If it had just been MSNBC I might not have read the book, but then, as I was driving around Saturday morning,I heard an invitation from NPR to go to their website and share bad boss stories. They are putting a slightly different twist on the story. They want to hear from people who have been bad bosses as well as from people who've had bad bosses.

The Bad Boss. Ever had one? Ever been one? Sometimes Hollywood inspires us. The new film The Devil Wears Prada is about an assisant to a powerful and difficult fashion editor, and it got us thinking. We want to hear about the bosses you've worked for -- and if you've ever been a bad boss yourself.

Not to be left behind, the AFL-CIO has just launched MyBadBoss    Contest which promises readers they can win a free vacation by telling their stories. The first winner is called Wounded Healer. Confirming my theory, Wounded Healer is sharing a story in the past-tense.

He paints by the number," was the excuse I was given when I wanted to okay a psychiatric hospital stay for a patient who was out of state. My patient was a veteran suffering from trauma triggered by watching news coverage of the war in Iraq. He had been taken to emergency and when they called for authorization, my boss said they cost too much. I tried to get the hopsital to bring the price down. So, they discharged my patient after making him put $5000 on his credit card. I tried to get the money back for him and get my boss to okay paying the hospital. It went back and forth for too long. The patient committed suicide. He shot himself in the head. I couldn't quit crying when I heard and took the rest of the day off. I used my personal time to do it. My boss complained to my supervisor . He said, "I don't know why she had to take the day off. People commit suicide everyday." I no longer work there. I'm in therapy now.

So far, over one thousand people have written their stories. The website is featuring an article by Barbara Ehrenreich, journalist and author of the New York Times bestseller Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America,who says  the problem isn't bosses by bossism.

Much as I'd like to see all these miscreants brought to justice--in something like the "thought reform" camps of the Chinese Cultural Revolution--I tend to think the emphasis on bad bosses is a little misguided.  The problem isn't particular bosses, but what I call "Bossism"--the hierarchical system that governs all known bureaucracies, both public and private.  Giving one person huge power over others is like giving a 3-year-old a hose: Not everyone will get soaked, but the chances of coming out dry are slender.

The Devil Wears Prada had a very successful weekend at the box office. Since I am not an entertainment writer I will refrain my sharing my review only to say I'm aligned with the Claudi Puig's review in USA Today.

I will watch Dateline Friday with lots of interest and I will look forward to listening to the report on NPR. The issue of bad bosses is important. I've had them. I've been one.

I once thought that simply sharing the stories of awful bosses  would help change attitudes and behaviors. I believed that if people had an opportunity to tell their real stories that corporate cultures would change. I'm not so confident. How many bad stories do we have to hear before we say-- you can't do that? As bloggers will attest, writing about bad bosses is risky business.Heather B. Armstrong, who coined the phrase Dooce shares---

I started this website in February 2001. A year later I was fired from my job for this website because I had written stories that included people in my workplace. My advice to you is BE YE NOT SO STUPID. Never write about work on the internet unless your boss knows and sanctions the fact that YOU ARE WRITING ABOUT WORK ON THE INTERNET. If you are the boss, however, please don’t be a bitch and talk with your hands. And when you order Prada online, please don’t talk about it out loud, you rotten whore.

Then there was Ellen Simonetti, the Delta Airlines Flight Attendent who was fired for some photos she shared--she is now writing a book.  And, there was Opinionistas who quit after she landed a book deal--just days before she would have been dooced for her tell all tales of life as a lawyer in a New York law firm.

And now there is J.Y.N's Pagan Girl In Corporate America. As far as I can tell she still has her job...but if the past predicts the future, it's only for the time being.

Elana is a Contributing Editor for Business & Careers at  Blogher-  And, at one time she too had a job that "a million girls would kill for this job."

Charmed, I'm sure

Stepping into Jennifer Warwick's The New Charm School is a Forrest Gump moment.-- you really don't know what you're gonna get and its all delicious! I bring up this overused,trite( okay and gagable) cliche because in a wickedly delightful diss,Warwick reminds us that the use of cliches is the mark of a lazy writer.

    Climbing the corporate ladder is tough. Doing it in 3-inch pumps is tougher, according to the National Association of Female Executives. Let’s just ignore the fact that cliches are the mark of a lazy writer. Am I the only one who finds this image irritating, for reasons other than the fact that it’s completely overused? There is a ridiculous new “self-help” book out for women called something like “Climbing the Corporate Ladder in Heels”…I’m so annoyed by the author’s conceit that I can’t be bothered to look it up. Basically, you take a little quiz to find out how you work, and then read your section for helpful career tips. Doesn’t sound too bad, right? Well, the choices available include CEO…Diva…and Cheerleader. Is this career advice or a catalog of collectible Barbies?

From bad books to suspect studies, Warwick tackles a wide array of issues of interest to working women. There's a category called Women and Technology. where she shares news and studies.

Policy makers, educators, managers need to recognize that you can’t generalize to all women,” said Dr. Eileen Trauth, professor in the College of Information Sciences and Technology (IST) [at Penn State]. “There is far too much variation in the paths that women take for anyone to assume that women’s career motivations are the same, their methods of balancing work and family are the same, or their responses to motherhood are the same”…

You can be inspired by reading the stories of gutsy women of the world.

When Tina Dutton’s daughter Leanna told her that she didn’t like being the last person in the taxi after a night out, Tina heard her loud and clear, and knew it was time to act. She did her research, raised some money, and got to work. But she didn’t pursue the usual worthy activities, such as organizing a walk-a-thon to promote women’s safety, hounding her elected officials, putting up flyers about safety in the ladies’ rooms in bars, or recruiting a celebrity to do PSAs to scare the life out of solo women everywhere. Tina started a company. Pink Ladies, founded in 2005 in the UK with business partner Andrea Winders, is a car-hire company with a women-only policy on both drivers and passengers.

And my personal favorite category- The case for naps, cocktails, carbs,and cute shoes.

A Wake Forest University study of more than 7,000 “older women” (defined as women over 65) found that those who drink two to three drinks a day of alcohol have better verbal abilities and higher levels of mental function than their teetotalling sisters. Additional research is underway to determine whether alcohol also increases levels of “good” cholesterol, lowers the risk of stroke, decreases the likelihood of Alzheimer’s, and helps learning and memory function. So read the whole article and have a Sassy Red Lady. As we say here at New Charm School, you’re never too young to take care of your health.

On her website Jennifer.inc Warwick describes herself as "a women's career strategist who believes that when women bring their full selves to their work and personal lives, transformation happens for them, the people around them, and the world. As a coach, she supports and challenges her clients to take off their masks and bring their true selves to their work and their lives."

So, if you happen to live in a part of the country that is going to have a rainy weekend, pull up the laptop, get comfy and spend some time at The New Charm School-- you will be charmed, I'm sure.

Note: This is cross-posted at Blogher

Global Warming blamed on decline in Pantyhose Sales

About a year ago, an inventor approached me about marketing a product for pantyhose. The product reinforced pantyhose so they wouldn't run. They way it worked was simple: you just rinsed your pantyhose in the solution and they would be as strong as steel.

However, when I talked to friends and associates about the product they all looked at me as if I were crazy. "Who wears pantyhose anymore?"

I decided not to pursue the opportunity but it peaked my interest in the pantyhose category --a category that many believe has seen its better day.

The inventor was not the only person trying to create some excitement in the category. In Europe, according to coolest gadgets.com they are now marketing Caffeine Tights.

" There is now a way we can control our caffeine intake by wearing Palmers “Slim Fit 20” caffeine tights (well ladies at least anyway!). Another side effect of wearing these tights on a daily basis is an approximate loss of around 2cm from the thighs, reduces the appearance of cellulite and the dreaded “orange peel” effect – bonus! The way the tights work is that body heat releases caffeine microcapsules into the leg, thus promoting the metabolism to kick in and start fat burning. According to the makers, results should be apparent in about 1-4 weeks, but they do say they may not work for everyone."

According to one report, they work for about 1/3 of users.---probably not enough to save the pantyhose market which the Global Market Review Of Hosiery – Forecasts To 2012,’  report says pantyhose sales are expected to drop 4% by 2012.

More dire, experts don't see a market turnaround. However it is the cause of the sales decline that caught my eye.

"Firstly, the climate in a huge part of the world means that there is no need to wear hosiery...

Reasons for the sector’s decline include the changing social attitudes toward bare legs, and global warming, which casts off the need for extra warmth."

Living in Minnesota, I can tell you that pantyhose provide little or no warmth. In fact, to wear pantyhose in the winter is akin to walking outside bare legged.

No,the decline of pantyhose has a lot less to do with the thermometer and a lot more with consumers who were tired of spending money on a product that didn't last, was uncomfortable to wear  and was a pain in the butt to take care of.

The reason women stopped wearing pantyhose  is quite simple --because we could.

Shout  out

To Tightsplease for background info on Caffeine Tights.

Suit Yourself

In about three weeks my son Noah will earn his bachelor of science degree in psychology from the University of Wisconsin.  About five days later he will fly to NYC for his first 'job' interview. He's excited. I'm excited.

And of all the things he needs to think about, there is one issue that is taking up a lot of oxygen. Noah's got suits on his mind.

Time was that fretting over your wardrobe choices for a job interview was strictly the domain of women. Men didn't have to think about their wardrobe  because it was a uniform - dark suit, light shirt, conservative tie.

But that business uniform is no longer a given. And, as my daughter Berit pointed out, " If you wear a suit and the office dress is casual, they may think you're trying too hard." Then she said, "But if you don't wear a suit they may think you're not mature enough to do the job."

The Career experts are divided on the issue. Yahoo! Recommends Checking with the job recruiter ( Noah didn't get his interview via a recruiter)

"A business suit is appropriate attire for most job interviews.

If you're not certain whether you should wear a suit, ask the recruiter about the company's dress code.

But, remember, an interview isn't just another day on the job. You need to dress to impress more than ever.

If the company attire is business casual, or even simply casual, you still should consider wearing a suit to the interview. You should also think about what other candidates might wear. You don't want to be remembered for being the only candidate who didn't dress up for the interview.

A good rule of thumb: If in doubt, wear a suit. It's generally better to be dressed too formally than too casually."

The folks at Careerbuilders.com remind readers that first impressions are made within the first 27 seconds of the interview. Their advice was eerily similar to the opinions of my 17 year old daughter.

"If you are too formal in your appearance, you might give the impression of being rigid and stuffy. If you are too casual, you may send the signal that you do not take the interview or the job very seriously.

Begin by talking to employees of your potential new employer and find out what the dress code is and how seriously management takes it. If you can't find out this information, you should choose clothing that is professional in the impression it gives.

• "Wear a suit or sport jacket with color coordinated trousers    
• The color should be neutral or dark - blue, black or gray is best    
• Wear a tie - even if you will never wear one after you get the job    
• Shoes should be leather - clean and polished - black is best    
• Make sure your nails are trimmed and that they are clean."

     

This being 2006, the Careerbuilders.com article had this other piece of advice. Actually this advice preceded the advice on wardrobe selection-- so if you are going to look for a job this summer, just remember....

"The following ideas can never be neglected:

• Look clean and neat. Make sure that your hair is done appropriately. Women - do not wear wild hairdo's Men - get a trim of head and facial hair.    
• Do not wear a perfume or cologne as many people are allergic. Bathing with a good quality bath soap will leave a light scent. You will be nervous and a gentle scent can mask the perspiring you may be doing. An unscented antiperspirant can be used.    
• Cover any tattoos and avoid gaudy jewelry. Definitely limit pierced jewelry to ears only. Do not wear nose or tongue jewelry

Just a couple of thoughts. They recommend that women shouldn't wear an wild hairdoos.  First, I have no idea what is and isn't a "wild" hairdoo. But, why just that advice to women? Shouldn't guys be concerned about their hair as well?

Name

What does it say about our society that the career advisor feels compelled to remind people to bathe before the interview? Oh, and given that Americans spend  about $2 billion a year on deoderant, was that really necessary to add that in addition to using soap, they could use an anti-perspirant?

As to covering up the tatoos, given the number of people who now have hand, wrist and neck tattoos, perhaps,white gloves and ascots may become part of the job interview fashion  wardrobe.

Image Credit: Image from Flickr member Fabian17

Notes From The Road -Seattle Airport Friendly Shoes

It's like throwing a party and no one shows up. Airport Friendly Shoes should have become the next  TravelPro, instead they are a product without a market.

Alas and alack, airport friendly shoes have not gotten the traction they deserve, and they don't seem to be on anyone's radar screen. If wearing airport friendly shoes would guarantee that I wouldn't have to remove my shoes going through security, I'd buy a pair in a heart beat.

It's a pet peeve. I hate taking off my shoes to go through security. It's not terrible in the winter when I have socks, but when you have to go barefoot, it's disgusting. At least the airport  could supply foot wipes after they've made you walk on a floor that is obviously filthy.But, of course they don't.

Standing in line to go through security yesterday in Seattle,the gentlemen with the British accent was telling his companion that he had just been to a store where they had a section called, "airplane friendly shoes"-- the concept is that these shoes don't have the metal shanks in the sole  and can allow you to go through security without taking your shoes off.

I was making a mental note--go shoe shopping.

As the man was getting ready to disrobe, he was lamenting he had not purchased this item which held the promise of a hassle-free  excursion through the metal detectors.

As people are wont to do when standing in line, the gentlemen in front of the British couple held up his high tech red running shoes and said, " it doesn't matter, they still make you take your shoes off."

With that the red shoe guy bent his shoes, demonstrated that the bottoms were clear so you see right through them. He shook his head sadly again saying, ' you still have to take them off."

The airport friendly shoes are a product that should have become as successful as rolling suitcases: they solve a consumer problem, they save everyone time, aggravation, embarrassment, and hopefully they are incredibly comfortable..

However, airport friendly shoes seem to be grounded before they've had a chance to take off. In order to find their market, they have to deliver on their promise. And to do that, the security people have to allow people to decide for themselves whether they want ot risk having their shoes set off the alarms.

They allow me to decide whether to keep on my jewelry --sometimes I set off the alarm and have to go through the system twice, sometimes I don't-- so why not reward folks who go through the effort of purchasing metal-free shoes and allow them to keep their shoes on?

If that policy existed, I would almost guarantee that we would see sales of the airport friendly shoes soar.

Is air conditioning a sexist plot?

In doing his research for an article for the Wall Street Journal that is apparently, exactly what Geoffrey A. Fowler found some environmental organizations want Asian women to think

Fowler's article, which appeared in the August 24th edition of the WSJ ( you will need to have a subscription to WSJ to view article) ,focused on the trend and the growing backlash to corporate policies keeping office temperatures hovering around a nippy 60 degrees.

."..frosty air conditioning is a way for businesses and building owners to show that they're ahead of the curve on comfort. In ostentatious Asian cities, bosses like to send out the message: We are so luxurious, we're arctic."

To keep warm, women report they need to wear sweaters and jackets all summer long, drink hot tea and do yoga in the bathroom. Others resort to having floor heaters to warm their feet.

Fowler reports there is a growing resistance to the air conditioning policies--primarily from environmental groups that contends the air conditioning is releasing tons of carbon dioxide into the environment.

To gain support for their efforts, one of the groups, Friends Of Earth (FOE) charges that all of that cold air is sexist.

"...change resistant, tie-clad men often control offices, it says, and aren't bothered by the chill. Women, on the other hand, tend to wear lighter clothing in the summer. "We wear small dresses, so almost every office lady has an office jacket," says Mona Lim, a 31-year-old real-estate developer. "Usually, the jacket is an ugly one," she adds. Hers, a blazer messed up by a tailor, never leaves the office."

So it's come to this. Invoking sexism to support women's vanity for fashion? For their desire to not wear "ugly" jackets.

Shame on the environmental organizations for trivializing and reducing the very real issue of global warming to a fashion statement.

Shame on the women who may be joining their fight against air conditioning  not because the air conditioning could be contributing to global warming or poor working conditions, but because it insults their fashion sense.

Sexism is a very real issue. However,claiming air conditioning policies is sexist is just a bunch of hot air.

Update on Mardi Gras Rosary

On Wednesday September 7th, I posted my first attempt at video logging. The story was about my friend Kim, a bead artist and New Orleans native who creates wonderful jewelry from vintage glass mardi gras beads.

Kim donated three of her pieces to be auctioned on eBay with the 100% of the proceeds going to Habitat For Humanity. Those original items sold within a couple of hours!

Kim decided to make some additional pieces and those auctions are now up.

The funds from these auctions will go to Medical Support Association an organization that aids children and adults in desperate need by providing free medicines essential to survival.

So Go BID.  http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZkswiler1v07QQhtZ-1

The Story of the Mardi Gras Rosary

This post has been moved to December 23,2005. It was moved to make it easier to watch the video. Since the original post, I am using vblogcentral to upload high quality videos to my blog. Enjoy.

Color Me Black

Here's a game to play the next time you're sitting in a coffee shop waiting for your coffee date. Count how many people are wearing at least one piece of black clothing in a 10 minute period compared to those who don't.

In New York you can revise this  game to see how fast it takes you to get to 100 people.  It will be a very short game.

However, in Minneapolis I was really surprised at the results. Only two people who walked into the coffee shop during the 6 minutes I played were not wearing black. That would be the guy in the cream colored pants and cream plaid jacket and the woman wearing the denim short and jacket ensemble.

Everyone else male, female and ,including myself --in my black linen flax shirt-- were dressed in black.

This is au contraire to what the  experts at professional crafters.com said we'd be wearing. The predictions:

Fashion Colors

"Turquoise. One of the must-have colors for spring 2005.

Turquoise/aqua blues, vibrant green, pinks, yellows with a hint of green, red-orange, dark blue, khaki, cantaloupe/coral, lavender, and slate gray."

In the six minutes I played, I saw black pants, black shirts, skirts, purses, shoes, sandals,workout shorts, workout tops, and black boots.

The lady with the black boots definitely got my attention-- it was 90 degrees and she came in sporting black boots, a coral knit sweater, long black shirt and shell. She carried a white purse. She must work in an office building that keeps it very cold. Or she's very odd.

At 6 minutes into the game when my coffee date was about 12 minutes late, I decided to check my voice-mail --she had left a message on Sunday saying she'd have to reschedule. Game over. The black won as usual.

The question is will black ever lose? Every year fashion pundits name a color that is this season's new black. This year is no different.

"In the fall 2005 collections, shades of brown are hot. "Brown truly is the season's new black," says Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute, a company that analyzes and predicts color trends. "Deep teal blue is running a close second," she says"

A friend who used to work in a department store shoe department talked about a sales meeting where the district manager was introducing the season's new shoes.Pointing to a red pump she said, " Tell customers that this season red is the newest neutral."

My friend was skeptical. Red is obviously not neutral. Yet, as a customer gingerly picked up the pump my friend chirped, " Red is this season's newest neutral."  The woman eager to believe, thanked her and bought the pump.

You can color me blue, red, purple or brown but I'll continue to put my money on the blacks.