Marketing

Fruit of the Earth

A berry launched Sibu Beauty – and a blessing has sustained it

From Jan 2010 | By Sandy Smith | Tags: Marketing, Marketing

Executive Suite

Sandy Smith

A berry launched Sibu Beauty – and a blessing has sustained it

While on a family vacation to Calcutta, Bruce McMullin detoured into a Tibetan adventure in pursuit of a small berry. It turned out to be a savvy business decision that has improved the lives of people in one of the world’s harshest environments — and captured the attention of the Dalai Lama.

Call it kismet, but that’s how Sibu Beauty was born. The antioxidant power of the sea buckthorn berry has built a thriving business, but the boost came through a story that only reinforces its complementary goals: beautiful people, beautiful earth.

Virtual Testing, Real Benefits

System gauges the effectiveness of in-store merchandising, marketing plans

From Sep 2008 | By Michael Hartnett | Tags: Information Technology, Marketing

Worth Watching

System gauges the effectiveness of in-store merchandising, marketing plans

Consumers being wooed by product manufacturers in grocery, discount, club and convenience stores usually arrive with a good idea of what they intend to buy, but can be persuaded to change their minds because of the many influencers at point of purchase.

A recent study by San Francisco-based MarketTools found that 75 percent of consumers prefer to shop at just one or two stores on a regular basis, and 85 percent generally shop with a written or “mental” list. But a separate survey shows that brand loyalty doesn’t prevent many shoppers from choosing something else at the last minute.