Target's new service: Baby announcements!

Forget about "Big Brother," what about Target?  On the Today Show, February 28, 2012,  a segment discussed how Target knew that a girl was pregant before her parents did.  How is this possible?? Target had done an analysis of which products new parents tend to buy when they are expecting.  In this case, a girl received coupons for baby prodcuts based on her purchases that showed she was pregnant.  One problem--Mom and Dad didn't know.  Guess the cat's out of the bag now.

But what does this show us?  We have always known that companies have TONS of information about our lives (almost more than we do).  But this is where it is tricky...where do marketers draw the line?  Obviously this gal did NOT want her parents finding out she was pregnant from Target.  What do you think?  How much is too much?

Image credits: http://www.bargainblessings.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/target_logo.jpg

http://www.babymed.com/sites/default/files/pregnancy_test_positive.jpg

Social Media and Identity Theft

Reports out this week show that there has been an increase in identity theft because of social media.  Because many consumers now have technology with them wherever they go (iPhone, iPad, iPod, smart phones, etc...) there is more connection with social media.  And how many things do people share on their Facebook and Twitter accounts?? It is the identity thief's paradise...all the information they need about a person in one place! Yikes! So, as Yahoo! suggests, be careful, use secure passwords, monitor accounts (Facebook, Twitter, bank, etc...), and report it right away! 

Image credits:

http://www.instablogsimages.com/1/2012/01/31/smartphones_dp2bi.jpg

http://blog.hubspot.com/Portals/249/images/social-media.png

Whitney Houston (1963-2012)

With the too-soon death of Whitney Houston, it seemed fitting to see how the world of consumer behavior is affected by something such as this.  The first place to turn to it to iTunes.  As seen below, 9 musical items of Houston's (either a single, music video, or album) ended up on iTunes' Top 10 lists.  Of the top 10 items trending in Yahoo! right now, 4 have to do with Houston. 

Consumer's are obviously mourning the loss of an icon; and the way they remember her is through her music.  It was no doubt that her songs would top the charts again.  With a voice such as this, there is no better way to pay honor to her than to buy her songs and sing along (although none have a voice like her). I wouldn't be surprised if there is a new release of a "limited edition" The Bodyguard (or maybe, at least, RedBox will stock it this next month).

Now that football's over...

I saw this product on Yahoo! News.  It is called Pillow Talk.  The idea behind it is that you wear a ring, your significant other (who is gone on vacation, a business trip, etc...) wears a ring too. Your ring will send your heartbeat to a pillow that they have; their heartbeat will be sent to a pillow that you have. That way, it sounds like they are right next to you when you cuddle with their pillow. Odd? Maybe. Innovative? Yes. See for yourself.  Your thoughts?
The inventor created this product after to fill her own need while her significant other was off on an oil-rig.

http://www.joannamontgomery.co.uk/stuff/slide3.jpg

GAME DAY!!!!

Well here are some fun facts about the Super Bowl to keep you entertained before you watch the game OR while you watch the some 5 hours of pre-game shows!!

 The fifth search trending on Yahoo! is Chicken Wings!

And our favorite friends, the TSA, will also have a part of the game: training personnel (including hot dog vendors) to spot terror threats!

 

  

So as 111 million people watch the game, or well have the TV on to the Super Bowl, think about the number of flights of stairs you will have to take in order to work off the extra calories!

Image credits: http://blogs.westword.com/cafesociety/hot-wings.jpg

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMwXwN0L5OT1r1miKjHs9In912StfL2RviVSxbo9Jjr95orH3QSPrbRTSszd7Sszf8FhVSUytMQl8EFmTZR4yz-O2S_9YQPjo5DDC15kD4F6kMFgoNjXWhl7pJxa38U4pVNCh5yOeNfFmx/s1600/lucas-oil-stadium-super-bowl-2012.jpg