Pet-Smart or Stupid?

Brand Differentiation in the Pet Care Industry

Some of you may not remember, but close to three years ago PetSmart used to be PetsMart. In September of 2005, the company changed its name and, according to Phillip Francis, CEO, they made the change because they wanted to become, in the eyes of a customer, less of a mart and more of a smart place to shop.

Now that several years have passed since the "re-branding," I decided to check back on the pet retailer. Findings made by myself and two former classmates from the University of Michigan (Jake Chapman and Lisa Schoder) confirm the argument that changing their name still does not give PetSmart enough brand differentiation to create a competitive advantage in the market place. For example, let's look at the company's top competitor - PETCO. PETCO has similar a name, their logo looks very comparable to PetSmart's when you squint at it (both start with the word "Pet" and are styled in red, white, and blue). And when you visit the stores of both of these companies, there is no unique experience to be had.

So first of all, what do we know about the "Pet Economy" in the United States?

• The “Pet Economy” in America now exceeds $41 billion per year
• Around 63% of all U.S. households own at least one pet
• The two largest competitors in the pet supply industry = PETCO and PetSmart (combined market share of 53% in 2006)
• PetSmart, in their 2006 Annual Report claimed: “our business is about relationships. It’s about the bond our customers have with their pets. It’s about our ability to understand those emotions, and to help the people who shop in our stores enrich that bond. It’s about providing our customers with superior service, understanding their needs and helping them find solutions that make them better, smarter and more confident pet parents. Today, pet parents want to provide the best level of care for their pets, who are valued members of the family.”

What did our team find when investigating the two largest pet supply competitors? We discovered PETCO and PetSmart were lacking in brand differentiation. The stores (and websites for that matter) had bland layouts, a cold feel, similar products, and, surprisingly, a major lack of customer service. All three of our group members visited various PETCO and PetSmart stores in the Detroit area with our dogs. We all discovered a complete lack of attention from store employees. For example, when I walked in the store and proceeded to wander around the store like I was lost, no one offered to help me or even greeted my pet. I felt like I was just visiting any old store. Looking at various rating sites, it appears that other pet owners also weren't impressed with their in-store experiences. Some common customer themes/complaints about PETCO and PetSmart include:

• Products in various stores aren't always located in the same places which makes them difficult to find.
• Customers aren't sure if they're getting the best deal on products. Several noted they could order some of the products on-line for a better price.
• Store visitors did not like the pressure sales (specifically from food reps).
• Some stores seemed to lack knowledgeable store employees and some did not appear to employee people who were interested in or even liked pets.
• Customers seemed to have mixed results with grooming services and some stores grooming areas were overbooked/overcrowded.

Although these were common complaints, some customers raved when:

• The employees recognized them as a regular customer and remembered their pet's name.
• The store provided them with unconventional surprises and delights. For example, one store’s employee actually ate a gourmet dog biscuit to show how tasty it was.

So how do you take these various consumer wants, add in some surprise and delight features, and differentiate yourself from competitors? Jake, Lisa, and I had many ideas in a report we produced entitled "Experience Co-Creation in the Pet Care Industry." Although the report is too detailed for a blog entry, here are some of the suggestions we had that were focused on actions affecting the customer experience in-store and via services.

In Store

• Strategically-placed Information Kiosks: Adding kiosks where customers can access online reviews and product ratings will assist customers in making informed decisions and also help employees become more knowledgeable about products PetSmart carries. The kiosks could also include an interactive store map to help customers find products within the store and be used to help customers research breeds, pet care providers, listings of pet-friendly parks, and local pet events. There could even be a breed-matching program installed here to help potential pet owners identify animal breeds that fit with their various lifestyles.
• Add “Pet Introduction” areas to the front of stores: Allowing pets to join in the shopping experience is a unique feature of PETCO and PetSmart stores. People who bring their animals into the store are aware of their pet's demeanor, and in most cases the animals brought into the store are friendly with both people and other animals. Presently, the aisle ways cause problems when pets are overly eager to meet and knock products off of shelves in their attempts. A solution to this issue would be a central open area within the store where pets could do a "meet and greet" and be able to interact in a safe environment. This would allow a more relaxed introduction and would foster the sense of community within the store.
• Add In-Store Pet Play Spaces: Upon registration/shot record approval, owners can sign-up online (or in store) to bring their pet to free, supervised play dates. PetSmart could create a distinct play environment in-store - more "home like"/less-cold. This could make the local store a community destination in addition to a retailer. While in the store for a play date, owners are able to purchase food, toys, or other necessities for their animals.
• Increase interaction between store employees and customers: As revealed by our visits to various PetSmart stores, the employee-customer experience leaves much to be desired. To improve this and create a solid relationship with customers, PetSmart could position a Wal-mart style greeter at the front of the store with a treat pouch. This greeter would address pets and their owners when they are entering stores. A surprise and delight feature could be accomplished through adding RFID tags built in to customer loyalty cards (with the customer name) and the pet's ID tag (with the pet's name). When the customer enters the store, an RFID reader would transmit onto a handheld device allowing employees to instantly have info on who the person/animal is, their common purchases, etc. This would help to connect the employees to the individual customers to help in the relationship building opportunity within the store.
• Expand pet sales strategy: Due to some of the boycotting of PetSmart and PETCO for selling "overpopulated" pets, what if PetSmart took an initiative to act as a shelter in lieu of allegedly selling pets from "puppy mills?" The company could partner with purebred rescue organizations and establish partnerships with non-commercial breeders. Another opportunity would be to provide information about training particular breeds or a breed-match program to assist in selecting a breed that suits people’s needs. By assisting in matching pets to owners, PetSmart can help to reduce the number of unwanted animals that end up in shelters.

Services
Services are a unique area that provide a natural connection between the in-store and on-line experience platforms. Many Americans love to pamper their pets with luxury services ranging from massages, to pedicures to designer clothes and accessories. Services provide a great growth opportunity for PetSmart. Some stores have already expanded to offer overnight/boarding for pets. According to a 2007 IbisWorld report, services currently represent about 9% of overall industry revenue, and are supported by an annual growth rate of approximately 7%. This category is currently highly fragmented. Here are some ways PetSmart could expand into the pet services business:

• Create “Lose Weight with Your Pet” Programs: According to a 2004 CDC survey, more than 66% of Americans older than 20 are currently overweight or obese! A walk through the park reveals that many dogs suffer the same conditions as their owners. PetSmart could sponsor weight loss exercise groups, potentially even partnering with a local weight loss organization. Participants could meet at a local PetSmart store to go on a walk with friends and their pets with the stored providing poop bags, water/treats at end of trip (for the pets), and information about pet nutrition. This would foster community spawn friendships and also create an extra visit to PetSmart for customers.
• Create local pet parks: In cities / suburbs, PetSmart could sponsor pet parks. These would be safe-fenced areas that could also be used for pet exercise and socialization, PetSmart dog obedience classes, as well as outdoor pet competitions (obedience, agility, etc.). Brand awareness and community goodwill would be the primary benefit of this initiative, which could help to improve customer store visits and brand loyalty.
• Grooming on the Go: Access to services is another area where PetSmart could innovate. While the company currently offers a wide variety of custom grooming services as well as the option to use the store’s equipment to groom your own pet, PetSmart could offer a mobile grooming service for busy pet owners. Improved access (saved time) would be greatly appreciated by busy professionals. A premium could be charged for these services. The mobile grooming service could be scheduled on-line and the vans could also be used to deliver food and other products purchased by the customer on-line at the time they scheduled their service visit.
• Vacation Planning for Pets: For any pet owner, vacationing with or without a pet is a challenge. Utilizing the in-store kiosks and their website, PetSmart could assist owners in finding pet care when they go on vacation or work trips. This service could be enhanced by including such things as pre-screened "foster homes" complete with photos of home/other pets/amenities (fenced yards, living areas, etc.), availability calendars for pet sitters, the sizes of pets pet sitters accept, and recommendations from other pet owners who have used a specific sitter’s services. PetSmart could also offer travel advice, certifying places/ hotels/ airlines/ etc. for pet friendly travel. Additionally, they could offer tips as to which airlines are the most pet-friendly, which crates are the best for carry-on, tips to surviving layovers, etc. PetSmart could also work with select major airports to create brand-sponsored pet rooms or courtyards within the secure area (airports have smoking rooms, why not a pet room). This would be a major convenience factor to pet owners. Presently, pet owners must take their pets outside to "do their business," requiring them to go through the security screening process all over again.

VW - Is this Relevant?

I found this blog the other day. After visiting the VW site, I decided it was worth a mention and a debate or two.

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VW begins polling everyone... about everything
Per AutoBlog, Apr 29th 2008 by Michael Harley

Volkswagen knows that 73% of the people want to take the tiny soap and shampoo from hotel rooms. They also know that 60% of ice cream buyers prefer cones over cups. On an apparent quest to learn everything, Volkswagen's just-announced multi-faceted polling effort, known as "It's what the people want,"...is a way of keeping in touch with what matters to people today," according to Tim Ellis, Vice President of Marketing for VW of America.

In addition to the web-based polling, VW has also taken their efforts to Times Square where consumers may participate in live-polling, via text SMS, with the ABC Supersign (pictured above). If music is more your style, VW is also encouraging people to visit Pandora to influence the playlists of two Volkswagen radio stations. While we endorse any effort by an automaker to understand what the public really wants, this obsession to learn everything may have gone too far. We just can't seem to overlook the notion that while Volkswagen accepts the fact that 65% of the people want boxers, not briefs, they still haven't fully grasped the concept that we also want the new Scirocco on our shores. Where's that poll?
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After reading Michael's entry, I visited the website (www.vw.com/whatthepeoplewant). According to Volkswagen, "the initiative is part of Volkswagen's new global brand platform, Das Auto, and underscores its fundamental message of It's what the people want...Volkswagen's interactive polling program has produced interesting questions and findings on timely issues in current events, lifestyle trends and social behavior - ranging from the everyday to the quirky." I answered some questions and found there's a bizzare list...with little-to-no apparent relation to cars or VW. Here's a sampling:

• Do you want cops to get pulled over for speeding?
• Do you want to wear shoes when going through airport security?
• Do you want dogs to be dogs, not accessories?
• Do you want to be able to nap in the workplace?
• Do you want a 5 year renewable contract for marriage?
• Do you want more home schooling?

I'm not quite sure what the purpose of this campaign is. They're achieving buzz, I'll give them that. And people are having fun playing with the website. It also has elements of co-creation, which I'm all about. But I'd be curious to learn how it is helping people co-create their product experience with VW AUTOMOBILES. Shouldn't the poll have been in relation to cars and drivers and things of that sort? The user interaction is fun...and you can submit what ever question you want. And sure, some of the questions are funny. But how VW will use these answers and how it is relevant to making customers feel like VW is building the right vehicle for them is beyond me. Based on this poll, are they going to offer ice cream cone holders instead of cup holders? A place to store all those mini shampoo bottles from hotels? A car that turns into a bed so you can take a nap when you're at work? My opinion is VW's campaign is telling customers "we know all the weird stuff about you...but still don't know what you really want when it comes to the products we produce for you." Just my take. At the bottom of the VW website it says "the people want German engineering." So the question I submitted in the poll: "The people want a German engineered car: Yes or No" We'll see the outcome...or if they yank it before anyone votes.

Consumer Safety Concerns - Will this concern Nalgene?

On the Today Show on April 9th, a consumer alert was issued regarding the safety of plastic beverage containers. This isn't the first time many of us may have heard about the dangers of polycarbonates. For instance, we've been told over and over again not to microwave food in plastic for fear chemicals will leak into consumables. Even more recently, we've been told not to re-use plastic water/soda bottles since even after washing them, germs and bacteria can remain. We are also told not to purchase bottled water for environmental reasons since around 8 out of 10 plastic bottles end up in landfills. Now, it seems we also need to be concerned with chemicals from the plastic bottles leaking into our beverages and negatively impacting our health.

In The Financial Post on February 23, 2008, Hollie Shaw reports "Bottled water consumption has been on the rise, but will fears of chemical contamination spur consumers to head for the taps?...Should you guzzle your H20 from disposable or refillable plastic bottles --both have come under intense scrutiny in the past year for possible health and environmental effects-- or from trendy refillable metal canteens? And, is it better to imbibe tap water, which critics caution can contain traces of anything from hormones to nitrates?" Much of the concern with durable polycarbonate bottles is in regards to the bottle leaking harmful levels of Bisphenol A, also known as BPA, into beverages. BPA is a substance that can interfere with hormone function and mimics estrogen. Scott Belcher, professor of pharmacology and cell biophysics at the University of Cincinnati has been involved with various BPA studies. Scott and his team discovered that when the liquids in polycarbonate bottles were heated up to boiling, BPA leeching occurred 55 times faster than at room temperature (http://www.sciencefriday.com/). What sort of negative impact this may have on consumers’ health is still being studied, although most speculate this probably isn't a good thing.

Water bottle manufacturer Nalgene (

www.nalgene-outdoor.com), a Rochester, N.Y.-based company, has based its brand image on brightly colored plastic bottles and an eco-friendly reputation. In October of last year, Brand Channel, in an article entitled "Fantastic Plastic" reported: "(Nalgene) bottles have even spawned urban legends that they are unbreakable...over time, those outdoors people came to adopt Nalgene as one of the top companies for camping equipment." Although starting as a popular item with outdoorsy types, Nalgene has attracted a rather large market over the years now being found in mass quantities on college campuses and in fitness facilities. However, with all of this media hype and studies being done by scientists, will this company who has been so dependent on plastic water containers suffer a severe loss in sales due to consumers' mistrust even if they modified their bottles to be made out of another material?

A statement regarding BPA is on Nalgene's website. It reads: “As a responsible manufacturer of polycarbonate consumer products, Nalge Nunc International has monitored scientific research concerning the safety of our products including Bisphenol-A for many years. Based on the findings of the Food and Drug Administration, The Environmental Protection Agency, The American Plastics Council and other reliable sources from around the world, we continue to firmly believe in the safety of our products.” Although HDPE (high density polyethylene) bottles are still considered to be safe, I don’t know this statement buried several links back in Nalgene's website is enough. I think the company may be doing a great disservice to their brand image by not eliminating BPA-containing materials from their products. Consumers are being bombarded with all sorts of information these days and have to decide whether to believe a trusted brand or the media/scientific studies. Presently it seems they are leaning towards believing what they hear on T.V. since sales of metal bottles are exploding (ex/ Sigg (www.mysigg.com), Klean Kanteen (www.kleankanteen.com)). Wonder if Nalgene will wake up and take notice...

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04/24/08 - Follow-up: I just found the following article on The Denver Post and it looks like Nalgene is definitely doing the right thing to protect their brand. They plan to phase out production of BPA containing bottles over the next several months.

Nalgene to Phase Out Production of Consumer Bottles Containing BPA

Business Wire News Releases
Published: 04/18/08 08:30 AM EDT

In response to consumer demand, Nalgene® will phase out production of its Outdoor line of polycarbonate containers that include the chemical Bisphenol-A (BPA) over the next several months, it announced today. Nalgene’s existing product mix, including the recently launched Everyday line, already features a number of containers made from materials that do not contain BPA.

“We have always been focused on responding to the needs and concerns of our customers,” said Steven Silverman, general manager of the Nalgene business. “With 10 different product lines in several different materials, we have the largest bottle offering on the market today. By eliminating containers containing BPA from our consumer product mix, our customers can have confidence that their needs are being met.”
The company recently unveiled its Everyday line, an assortment of bottles manufactured with Eastman’s Tritan™ copolyester. The line includes favorites such as the OTG (“On the Go”), the iconic 32-ounce Wide Mouth and the Grip-N-Gulp sippy cup. Tritan is impact resistant, withstands a wide range of temperatures and does not contain BPA. The new Everyday products are already available in stores and will be available through

www.nalgene-outdoor.com next month.

To help consumers easily determine the bottle and material that is right for them, Nalgene also recently launched Nalgene Choice™, an online information resource at www.nalgenechoice.com. Nalgene Choice provides consumers with information to help them understand the features and benefits of Nalgene’s wide assortment of products and materials. The result – individuals can choose the product that is right for them.
“Today, everyone from hikers and outdoor enthusiasts to commuters and kids on the go are using Nalgene products to reduce the use of disposable bottles and containers,” said Silverman. “Based on all available scientific evidence, we continue to believe that Nalgene products containing BPA are safe for their intended use. However, our customers indicated they preferred BPA-free alternatives and we acted in response to those concerns.”

A Natural High? Red Bull Cola...

So...have you heard the news? Red Bull plans to enter the cola market and take on the likes of cola power brands Pepsi and Coke. Using the tag line "Strong and Natural" the beverage will be all natural (100%) using actual coca leaf and kola nut. (Does that make it more of a "Coca Kola" than Coke itself?) The product's US launch is slated for June and it will command premium prices.

Looking at this product introduction from a marketing/branding perspective, I'm not sure if branding the drink as Red Bull is the best idea. Why? First of all, when you think of Red Bull the energy drink, natural doesn't seem to be a prime connection (for example, a major ingredient in it, taurine, is synthetic). Also, being branded Red Bull, most people will expect the drink to be a super-powered, energy cola. Since the cola isn't out there yet, I'm not sure how much of an emphasis will be placed on the trademark "giving you wings" factor. Having a large focus on natural makes me think Red Bull should have branded this under it's Carpe Diem brand (the name of its botanic water). I guess time will tell whether or not this was the right branding strategy -or- right tag line for this new cola.

Balancing Act: New Balance Says "Don't Be A Hater"

Can convincing your consumer to become more of a lover and less of a hater strengthen your brand identity?

Watching the NCAA tournament over the past month, many of you may have noticed the latest New Balance ads (by BBDO New York). One commercial starts out showing a man in bed who later is seen running in the dark. "Running kicks you out of a warm cozy bed and into a cold hard world...Every day is a question of your commitment." In another, called “You Broke up with Running,” there’s a guy sitting in a park watching people run by him. "You broke up with running last week. And now you see running everywhere. Looking really, really good." He’s envious of the runners who made the choice to run while he sits eating fast food on a park bench. Strike a chord with any of you?

New Balance, tired of being outrun and out marketed by Nike, plans to triple its ad spending in an attempt to double sales by 2012 (to reach $3B globally). Sure it’s a lofty goal, especially when you think of how Nike has been a dominant player in the athletic-shoe category and has only increased it market share over the years. So how is New Balance going to "do it" (no pun on Nike's 'Just Do It' tagline intended)? AdAge.com reported that the company has come out with a new campaign - the Love-Hate campaign - to chase casual runners and hit home with 18- to 29-year-olds (their current loyal customer base tends to be serious runners over the age of 30).

So what has the New Balance brand looked like over the years? Their website says they have “been a brand concerned with meeting the needs of the everyday athlete…a superior product will sell itself better than any superstar athlete ever could.” In 2005, The Boston Globe reported that “instead of hiring sports stars to pitch shoes, Boston's New Balance has a philosophy of ''Endorsed by no one." Instead of focusing on fashion and teenagers, as many rivals do, New Balance...emphasizes function, something his baby-boomer customers appreciate.” In 2004, Ageless Marketing by Marketeer David Wolfe argued that “New Balance’s success in projecting values that resonate across generational divides led it to having faster growth rate in market share among consumers under age 40 than either Nike or Reebok.” The blog even highlighted marketing techniques used by Nike and New Balance and claimed New Balance was attractive to the older consumer set because they had more "feminine" values. Source: Ageless Marketing, 2004

So what is it about the Love-Hate campaign that should hit home with a broad consumer base? Well, what is one of the most important things behind an effective ad campaign - finding something that taps into a key insight about the consumer. If you visit the New Balance website, the first message that pops up says “For every runner there’s a constant struggle between pain and pleasure. Between good days and bad. Between LOVE and HATE....Feel the LOVE. Feel the HATE.” I think New Balance has figured out something that hits home with both serious and casual runners.

The ads have met some criticism, however. For example, on WonderBranding: Marketing to Women, Michele Miller states “Corporate New Balance has made a conscious decision to move completely away from the older demographic and are going for, in their words, ‘young runners’…It just breaks my heart that this is the direction they are going in.” Marketeer David Wolfe responds “They have committed a classic marketing error of stupendous proportion: departing from the brand’s traditional essence. Rarely do brands succeed in making so sharp a break with their past...Not since the ill-fated “It’s not your father’s Oldsmobile” campaign have I seen such a display of ignorance of the psychodynamics of brand management. Someone needs to get to Jim and Ann Davis (NB’s majority owners) before it is too late.”

So why don’t I agree with Michele and David? I don’t see these ads as being young (i.e. only appealing to a high school/college-aged demographic). I see them pinpointing a key insight in to how people feel about running. Running is challenging. And it does make you feel guilty about having an on-off relationship with it. It’s a struggle any person who has ever run - even just once - can relate to. And it's a universal feeling - i.e. not gender or age specific. The ads attempt to make you believe that New Balance shoes will help you find a way to love running...be your support group. None of the other shoes will give you that balance between LOVE and hate.

Since I was able to find criticizm of the campaign, I decided to do some searching to see what other opinions were out there. I found a couple of runner’s forums and noted very positive comments about the campaign. On a triathalon forum, one user said “There's something about the guy sitting with a generic bag of fast-food in this one that really appealed to me. Could be that I'm that guy right now.” On RunnersWorld.com one runner said “love the ads...gave me the push I needed to get out the door on Friday night,” while another said “Totally! Great ads - bring some light to the sport of running... finally.” On SoundBite Back, Anthony Juliano (who happens to be a runner) talks about how he fell out of love with New Balance. “Part of the problem is the New Balance brand itself. It's always been kind of vanilla, lacking the intangible allure of other brands. It's not that New Balance had a bad image--it just didn't seem to stand for anything at all. And that made customers like me pretty vulnerable to good advice from people they trust…So, what's a brand to do when it runs into a relevance problem? Well, New Balance is investing in a new advertising campaign. And I have to admit, I think what they're doing is great. And smart.” Dead on.

Sure the ads could be improved by focusing more on why the New Balance shoe will help switch the balance to give you more love and less hate for running (ex/ shoe design, comfort, maybe even an online users community for you to get support/find running partners). But it’s only the beginning of the campaign, and New Balance has given themselves some great building blocks.

So marketing critics, what do the rest of you think?

Scotts Gets Co-Creative with Customers

It's approaching mid-March and STILL winter here in Michigan (yes, I'm getting a little stir crazy from all the cold weather). In fact, I shoveled another 5 inches of snow from my driveway just last week. But that doesn't prevent me from thinking about spring and all the things that come with it - flowers, green grass, warm weather, gardening. I've actually started browsing mail order catalogs trying to figure out what plants to add to my garden this year. So the Scotts Company had perfect timing when they sent me an e-mail announcing their new "Miracle Grow" website.

For those of you who aren't familiar with the Scotts Company's brand portfolio, it consists of Scotts, Ortho, Round-up, Miracle-Gro, and most recently, Smith & Hawken. (In October 2004, the Scotts Company acquired Smith & Hawken for $68.5 million and announced plans to sell Smith & Hawken items at major retailers like Home Depot. Many of you may be Target shoppers and have noticed the dedicated Smith & Hawken aisle...with higher priced gardening/home decor items.)

The Website
On Scotts' new site, the login screen reads: "It's all about you. Jump in and customize your experience.

• Save your supply lists: Keep track of everything you need from the store.
• Create personal blogs: Share stories of your lawn and garden prowess.
• Participate in forums: Post questions and get answers quickly.
• Offer ratings and write reviews: Give your opinion on products and projects.
• Get customized recommendations: Get info based on your specific interests.
• Make a personal page: Keep everything in one convenient place.
• Grab what you need: Download personalized info to your desktop."

Sounds like they thought of just about everything a web-savvy gardener would want! Exploring the website I discovered several useful areas. For example, you can customize your own lawn care program. Through inputting some information, the website will give you recommendations on fertilizers, watering, etc. for different zones and grass types. I think a lot of this information was available on the old website, but not as easy to find and with less detail. There's also a link called "My Supply List " where you can add the Scotts products you want to purchase to a list you can print out and take to the store with you. In looking into the other areas of the site, there were spaces to:

• Grow- An area where you can find information about lawns, various types of gardening (flower, vegetable & herb, indoor and container), birds and wildlife, trees, hedges, hardscapes and organics.
• Learn - An area with links to projects including a "learning library," annual lawn care program, and lawn & garden calendars. This area helps take the guesswork out of yard work, providing you with things like seasonal feeding, watering and maintenance plans (you click on your region of the country to get the perfect plan for you) and help in identifying your grass type.
• Solve - A section on the site for you to find solutions to problems. For example, it can help you identify what may be causing those round patches of brown grass in your lawn.
• Connect - The key interactive part of the website where you can join the Scotts Lawn community, post and browse photos in lawn, garden, and pet photo galleries, start your own gardening blog (or read someone else's), post comments or ask questions in online forums, receive advice from Scotts' experts, and sign-up for email newsletters/hot issues alerts (ex. if there's an unusual insect infestation in your area).

Besides areas to "grow" and learn you you can create a profile that will be your identity when participating in the Scotts Lawn community. So what might your profile page look like? Below is what I created in a couple of minutes. You can upload a photo, and tell everyone about your dream job, what you do to relax, where you'd love to visit, your favorite type of music, what neighbors say about your lawn, and your zodiac sign (what some of this has to do with yard work and gardening I have no idea. I'd personally prefer to list areas of gardening I like, yard specialties (for example, maybe you have a knack with roses...this would be good for others to know in case they are looking for some advice). And things you need help with. For example, some of my plants are a magnet for spidermites.)

My Thoughts
First of all, I want to give Scotts props for getting co-creative with its customers. What do I mean by co-creation? Co-creation essentially means a company wants its customers to create their own unique experiences with their product/brand. To accomplish this, the company will provide some sort of platform for users (in this case a website allowing for some personalization). The results of this are easier access to consumers and their opinions, which generally helps assist the company in making better products and service experiences for its customers. Instead of being one-way interaction (i.e. Scotts providing all of the information to it's customers), it allows for multiple-way interaction - customers can interact with each other and with Scotts, customizing the experience to be unique for them. Personalization...gotta love it.

I have a feeling Scotts will get some great feedback from its customers as a result of this site's launch. As more people use the site, they'll also discover what improvements/additions customers would like to see be made. Something I'd like to see Scotts improve on, for example, is in the lawn care program section. I'd like this section to let me put in the actual date that I applied my last lawn treatment and then send me an e-mail when I need to apply again (right now it will notify you of generic timing when to apply, but doesn't record when you actually applied the treatment to your lawn.). I'd also like to see some minor mods to the profile area - although putting in my zodiac sign and favorite type of music might be fun, it doesn't really help other community members know where my lawn & garden expertise may lie -or- in what areas I could use some help. These are just minor things and overall, I think this site is a great start to getting more in touch with customers. Being a lawn & garden enthusiast, I know I personally will be using the Scotts site as a resource for my growing tips, helping make my thumb a little more green...even in the months that Mother Nature isn't cooperating with me :)

Attention Foodies: Get Yourself a Tasty Tastebook!

As some of you may have gathered from my previous blog entries, I really enjoy cooking. As a result, you'll find me quite regularly flipping through Bon Appetit and visiting the websites of epicurious and the Food Network to find recipes to try out over the weekend. Pulling together a weekend menu earlier this week, I happened to visit epicurious and noticed something new. On the right hand side of the screen, there was a link saying "Turn your Epi recipe box into a personal cookbook." So I clicked on it and was instantly interested.

What I discovered was http://www.tastebook.com/. For those of us who love to cook but have lots of random recipes that we wished were in a neatly organized, nicely printed book, this site is something we've been looking for. (Just last year I attempted to create a cookbook on Shutterfly...which obviously is much more user friendly for photos than it is for formatted text).

So what is Tastebook? Tastebook is a website that helps you create a personalized, hardcover cookbook. (No more hand written recipe cards for me! ) The book is actually a binder...so if you don't use up the 100 recipe quota the site gives you per book, you have an opportunity to add more recipes to it later. And the price isn't too bad seeing that it equates to about $0.35 per recipe (sells for $34.95/book).



Through Tastebook you can add your own recipes (including photos, tips, sources, etc.), search for recipes from Bon Appetit and Gourmet magazines, and import your recipe boxes from epicurious.com. Pretty neat!
And besides creating your own book, there's the option to purchase one of several pre-prepared books. The nice thing about these is you can also add recipes to them to make them further customized. I'm personally not that big on just selecting a cookbook with recipes I haven't tried since I have plenty of those already. But this would be nice for people looking for some new recipes to try out. There's even a place on the site to add contacts. So once you complete your Tastebook you can share it with friends. You also have the option to send the cookbook as a gift. The cool thing about this is if your cookbook has 80 recipes in it instead of 100, it gives the person receiving the gift 20 free recipe credits. Neat.

I do have a couple complaints so far in using the website. First, I haven't quite figured out how to organize my recipes in each section. For example, I have several cookie recipes in the "Desserts and Treats" section. The only way I've figured out how to clump them in the same area is to rename the recipe titles to call out what it is first. For example instead of "Spice Roll Out Cookies," I would rename the recipe "Cookies: Spice Roll Outs." But this doesn't work in the case of imported recipes since I can't change them (Tastebook does not give you the option to edit imported recipes). The good news is the site is in its Beta version, so that means some additional changes may be on the way.

So what are my recommendations to Tastebook? For future upgrades to the site, I'd advise Tastebook to:

• Enable "sub-categories" under the main divided sections for those of us who are overly organized so we can lump chicken recipes, cookie recipes, etc. together. Maybe even let the category be customizable.
• Enable editing of imported recipes. Maybe there's some copy-right restriction on allowing this...I'm not sure. But we know people modify recipes. For example, if you visit the Food Network site and click on a recipe, many users have rated the recipe and included their own tips/modifications/experiences. So if there's a way to let us edit imports, great. Otherwise I'll be hand typing in recipes instead of importing them which is more of a hastle for me.
• Offer a group compilation page. I.e. provide an area just for friends to upload recipes and create a book together. This would also come in handy for groups creating a recipe book to sell.
• Allow high resolution photos to be uploaded for a more customized cover. Although there is a nice selection of photos on the site (40 in all), I'd like to be able to make my book a complete "Sarah Creation."
• Garner a deal with Food Network and other popular food websites so we can import other recipes to the site as well. Or let people on the site vote for favorite cooks and garner deals with those chefs (I'll be voting to add Rachael Ray, Ina Garten, and Giada De Laurentiis to the list...)