Tag Archives: advertising

Poll: What are your Black Friday plans?

20051126-230938-pic-731760843The National Retail Federation predicts more than 137 million Americans will shop during Thanksgiving weekend, topping last year’s retail frenzy.

But here in the newsroom the buildup to Black Friday has felt noticeably muted this fall.

Typically we’re inundated by press releases from retailers in November. E-mails pour in from big chain retailers touting extended hours and price-slashing sprees. Local shops give us friendly prods for coverage of Small Business Saturday. Online sellers send constant Cyber Monday reminders.

This year we’ve received a smattering of those promotions, but not the typical deluge. So we’re interested hearing your take on Black Friday.

Have the deals been hyped as much this year as in years past? Is shopping a part of your Thanksgiving week tradition? Do you have other ways you prefer to spend your post-turkey holiday?

Let us know by taking our poll (you can pick more than one answer) or dropping a comment below. And whatever your plans, have a happy and safe Thanksgiving!

How will you spend Black Friday?

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Kingston-based CB’s Nuts featured in WSJ

cbnuts3_18377479_ver1.0_640_480A simple business strategy landed CB’s Nuts in the pages of The Wall Street Journal.

The Kingston-based company’s peanut butter was featured in art accompanying a story about food makers marketing products that incorporate a small number of ingredients.

It’s hard to get simpler than CB’s Nuts peanut butter, which uses just one ingredient. (Spoiler alert: It’s peanuts.)

“That’s part of the beauty of our products,” said CB’s Nuts President Tami Bowen told me during a recent interview. “They’re really simple, they’re low input, they’re fresh, they’re clean, so they have a really broad appeal.”

cbnuts2_18377478_ver1.0_640_480Much, much larger corporations are adopting a similar philosophy, according to the WSJ’s Anne Marie Chaker.

Industry juggernauts Hershey Co., ConAgra and General Mills are all pushing products with fewer additives, and using slimmed-down ingredients lists as a marketing tool.

“Instead of burying ingredient lists in the fine print on the back of the package, food manufacturers are trumpeting simpler formulas prominently on the label’s front,” Chaker writes. Read the full story here.

In other CB’s Nuts news, you may have noticed a Northwest-themed mural painted on a storage container outside the company’s Bond Road headquarters.

Malolo Design (also based in Kingston) posted a cool time-lapse video showing the creation of the mural earlier this year:

Port Orchard coffee shop gets flashy new look

The former Cutters Point coffee shop in Port Orchard debuted a flashy new look this month, with help from a Seattle neon company.

The Bethel Road shop has rebranded as YES Please! Coffee. For an eye-catching sign, the shop hired Western Neon, a company that’s created a number of iconic Seattle landmarks, including a remake of the Rainier Beer “R.”

12439380_10154018538452042_7126747352589088246_n“We have always hoped business would put more energy into Port Orchard,” YES Please! co-owner Devon Raney said in an email. “In an effort to stay current and put our money where our mouth is, we looked to Seattle for the trendy top end sign companies. Western Neon was the obvious choice.”

Western Neon documented the creation of the sign and posted a time-lapse video on YouTube.

Raney said the “YES Please!” name reflects an outlook on life he and his family embraced after Raney lost his vision nine years ago. 

“‘Yes’ to Port Orchard, to work, family and friends,” Raney said. “‘Please’ is the approach to humbleness that can disappear with success.”

You can find Yes Please! Coffee and its new neon sign at 4720 Bethel Road SE. See the shop’s Facebook page for more details. 

Image via Facebook

“Major” car maker shoots ad at Bremerton Marina

photo1Bremerton Marina will soon be the backdrop for a “major” car manufacturer’s international ad campaign.

A photo crew shot images at the marina Monday evening. The ads will roll out in about five to seven months, according to Port of Bremerton staff.

You’re free to speculate on the identity of the car manufacturer. Port employees were asked not to divulge the name of the company, though they say its a well-known brand. There was no car on hand for the shoot – apparently it will be Photoshopped in later.  Continue reading →