╠ Mistakes make money ╣

I came across an interesting ad the other day(left). This ad mentions the existance of a PSP-4000. A console that does not exist and therefore was taken up by gaming sites as news of a possible leak towards the future.

One simple ad has generated huge press simply because it stated support for a non-existant console. This is only doubled when the blogs post again saying 'It was a mistake'.

The amusing thing is that the ad will have no backlash...just a lot more valuable targeted impressions. All because this item supports a non existent console.

It makes you question whether this mistake was in fact on purpose or could lead to future accidentally on purpose mistakes.

╠ Competition drives ambition ╣

One thing that I have discovered in life is that one of the easiest way to drive an individuals ambition is competition. Challenges that must be met or overcome in order to feel pride.

The greatest source of this is other individuals with like minded ideals. Two people competing for the same goal will cause greater outcomes than an individual.

Even for the loser, even though they lost they still would have competed harder, so in cases where there is not limited results, where everyone can benefit from harder work. For example high school where everyone trying harder pushes everyone else along. MHS and Macrob in Melbourne are examples of this.

So overall competition is good...But that leaves one thing. What happens in a blue ocean market space, where there is no competition, limitless opportunities and no one to challenge you to do your best?

Do you continue the momentum? Or does you ambition fade? Or are there other ways to drive it?

╠ Whose Mcfault is it? ╣

McDonald's has been slammed by a parents council about their advertising efforts this year. One of the points as highlighted by the Gen Y marketing blog is that they were slammed for sponsoring athletics.

The question I have is where does the fault for this product really lie if this is perceived as a negative outcome. Is McDonald's really to blame for attempting to increase their brand perception by supporting a non negative activity? Is not the role of a business to make profits? Is it the athletics organization fault for accepting money from what may be perceived an unethical source.

Does the problem fall to the parents? Should they be making sure their kids only get their athletics in environments away from advertising aimed at them? Is it the kids fault for being sponges?

Personally I think it does fall to the parents. Markets work via demand. If parents conciously took the effort to demand more appropriate advertising it would work up the chain. A complete boycott would lead to the creation of new athletic alternatives where the parents will pay instead.

The point of the matter is that you need to pay for athletics and McDonald's is subsidizing that for the parents. If they don't want that, they have to cough up the equivalent amount. This sponsorship exists because the market supports it. Parents are currently happy to have their children advertised to rather than pay for it.

╠ The internet is stalking me! ╣

So via facebook everyone can see photos of you, twitter can share your every thought and foursquares allow people to know where you are. Is it just me or does the internet have enough information to make any stalker happy?

With each of these opportunities there are chances for organizations to access this information as well and try and use it for their own advantage.

I have to ask at what point will we rebel? At what point will the internet ask for too much information? We seem to all have a sharing fetish and I believe its something that will come back to bite us.