What do a toy company, a supermarket, a low-cost furniture chain, and a movie studio have in common? They’re all trying to extend their brands—perhaps in embarrassingly awkward fashion—into the hotel business.
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Marriott & IKEA Launch a Hotel Brand for Millennials: What Does That Even Mean?
Most hotels are marketed to a specific group: travelers. Not Baby Boomer travelers or Gen X travelers or millennial travelers—but all travelers. But a new hotel brand called Moxy has been specifically “designed to capture the …
Why the Mid-Priced Mattress Is Getting No Love
When navigating the spectrum of products in the marketplace, consumers naturally gravitate to the middle. The popular mid-price hotel category, for instance, is attractive to the masses who don’t want to skimp by staying at a …
Next Frontier of Consumerism: Couch-Potato Shopping
Last-Minute Mother’s Day Gifts: 8 Tips for Making Mom Happy
What does mom really want for Mother’s Day? The results of recent surveys offer some indication. (Hint: A nice dinner might be better than a taser—even a pink taser.)
For the Best Fast Food Bargain, Don’t Look to the Drive-Thru
A mammoth quarter-pound hot dog and a 20-oz. fountain soda for a grand total of $1.50? It’s hard to beat a bargain like that, unless you’re preparing meals at home. You won’t find this deal at McDonald's, Taco Bell, or Nathan’s …
The 10 Best Brand Extensions Ever (According To Me)
Why Retailers and Restaurants Love Giving Away Gift Cards
It’s that time of year again. To drum up holiday sales, retailers are once again taking creative license with the term “Black Friday”, and national chains are dishing out bonuses to fuel gift card purchases (think $5 bonus card when you buy a $25 card) that’ll wind up in stockings and awkward Secret Santa office parties. Why is putting …
10 Things That Are Actually Getting Cheaper
We live in a time when the costs of things like gas and gold have soared, just as a laundry list of everyday expenses such as coffee, rent, health care, used cars, and bacon are approaching or have already reached all-time high …
Look for Electric Vehicle Charging Stations at IKEA, Walgreens, Convenience Stores
One of the big holdups stopping drivers from buying electric cars is that there aren’t many places to recharge the battery as it’s dying down. Hence, the concept of “range anxiety,” in which electric car owners drive with a …
Everything at IKEA Is Getting Cheaper
This is no short-lived sale we’re talking about. The company is simply continuing its never-ending quest to produce a decent coffee table, among other products, at the lowest price possible. While most retailers devote much of the time trying to figure out how to charge more for the goods they sell, IKEA’s thrifty, minimalist …
The Passive-Aggressive, Total Cheapo Gift Guide for Mother’s Day
The National Retail Federation expects a rise in Mother’s Day spending this year: The average celebrant will spend $140.73 on mom, up from $126.90 last year. Consumers are expected to drop billions on restaurants, flowers, greeting cards, and candy—and interestingly enough, much of this spending goes against the wishes of Mother’s Day …
