The Honolulu Star Bulletin has an article today about different businesses around Hawaii offering discounts or freebies to their customer in celebration of Tax Day.  Each company offering discounts for different reasons, such as Taco Del Mar.  They’re offering a free taco to their patrons in order to receive more exposure.  Cinnabun is offering treats between 5:00 and 8:00.

What do you think about this marketing tactic?  One opinion from the article states that they’re really not much of a reason to offer this other than the one day increase in sales.  Others, like Taco Del Mar above, are offering more exposure.  What do you think?  Do one day discouts put companies in better positions in the future?  Or will it become a case of one day on increased revenue?

The Big Money has a special on marketing and new media and this week’s focus is on Charmin’s use of iPhone applications to help navigate users to public restrooms in their vicinity. Using GPS, the application finds the individual and then offers user generated reviews, photos and ratings of public restrooms within a short distance. This will inevitabely help tourists–let’s hope it expands across the world.

Regardless of their public service, Charmin is banking on the assumption that the users who used this application will choose Charmin on their next trip to the grocery store. Will it work? We’d like to hear your thoughts.

This article in the NY Times highlights that as shoppers are becoming more and more reluctant to open their wallets, retailers are starting to adjust their advertising and marketing to play up the aspects of value of what they sell.

Companies like Whole Foods, and J.C. Penny have even changed their campaign approaches to emphasize more saving and better pricing on their products. For example, Home Depot recently changed their slogan from “You can do it. We can help” to “More saving. More doing.” As these campaigns roll out over the next couple of months it will be interesting to see the effect it will have on consumer spending.

According to New York Magazine, NYC is making aggressive efforts to welcome the LGBT community to the 5 bouroughs. The marketing efforts, or Rainbow Pilgrimage, will culminate in the city’s gay pride celebration, from June 20 to 28. Will these new efforts result in increased tourism revenue for NYC? We’d like to hear your thoughts.

I came across another one of Tim Stock’s presentation on the BrandNoise blog today.  This particular one is about the impact WWII had on Boomers as they have grown up. The presentation if part of Tim’s Analyzing Trends class at Parsons the New School of Design. Take a couple of moments to see the slides here.

View the presentation 

In the Martinsburg Journal, they recently wrote an article about one company who found a niche market, and has used that to prosper through these hard economic times.  Dana and Kevin Knowles opened a high end second hand store in the Martinsburg, West Virginia area.  Then, the Knowles realized the area had no tuxedo rentals upon the closer of the store in the mall in November 2008, they added this service to their second-hand store.  They’ve also added an alteration service available at the store.  They’ve found three niche markets that weren’t being catered to in the area, and have since prospered with meeting the demands of the market.

Do you cater to a niche market?  If not, what voids need to be filled in your area?

In his blog post, Frank Reed discusses how internet marketing has adapted to smart phones like the iPhone. With the increase in mobile marketing, what is your take on the probablity of marketing success through smart phones? Reed says, eMarketer reports that 2008 was where hype and reality crossed paths and now the future of the mobile advertising industry is poised to explode.  Check out Reed’s original post here.

Becky Carroll was recently interviewed by Saul Colt from Freshbooks in which she shared her thoughts on what it means to market in a recession. Take a couple of moments to see what she has to say below.

Becky Carroll (Customers Rock.net) shares thoughts on Customer Service! from saulcolt on Vimeo.

According to the LA Times, the MPAA has decided not to disclose the average marketing and budget for films in 2008 this year.  They will also not be disclosing the average amount of money it costs to make movies in 2008.  It wasn’t included in their annual report Theatrical Market Statistics.