Buds On A Budget

A press release came across my desk today that caught my eye - "Website Offers Bailout To Economically Strapped Suitors This Valentine's Day."

The company is Saved By The Bud, and they're trying not to let the economic downturn put a damper on Valentine's Day this year. "Valentine's Day approaches, the day when cupid meets commerce, and even the poorest of paramours is expected to pony up with a present," the release eloquently states.

To help bail out cash-strapped suitors, www.savedbythebud.com has created a new section, Buds On A Budget, which includes affordable floral gift ideas for Valentine's Day.

Saved By The Bud comes from the Netherlands Flower Bulb Information Center (NFBIC) in Danby, Vt., and offers "a lifeline for clueless guys offering the hows, whys and ways of using the power of flowers to communicate with girls."

Suggestions in the Buds On A Budget section include choosing one, fabulous flower over a bulked up bouquet. "Properly presented, one or two wisely-chosen stems can be just as cool a gift as two dozen - if your presentation is charming."

The site also offers information on buying and caring for cut and potted flowers, including how-to videos so "even the most horticulturally challenged can learn the ins and outs of floral gifts."

Fascinating Story On An Independent Book Store

This story is almost heartbreaking. It's from Business Week on a large independent bookstore in California and its rise to success and subsequent demise.

There are some great cautionary items in here for any independent retailer, though, about not changing to meet the current demand. Click here for the story.

Blogs Do Matter

I don't really think this is actually debated anymore, but for those who still wonder, blogs are pretty influential when it comes to buying decisions.

If you need statistics, a new study by Retailer Daily looked at how blogs factor into consumer purchases and how they influence buying behavior.

Here's a breakdown of the findings:

• Those who read a blog more than once a month said they trust blog content more for purchase decisions than content from social networking sites.
  
• Half of blog readers surveyed said they found blogs useful for purchase information.
  
• Outside of technology-related purchases, other key categories were media and entertainment; games, toys and sporting goods, travel; automotive and health.
  
• The niche focus of a blog increased the perception of usefulness. For example, more than half of those surveyed said blogs with a niche focus and topical expertise were key sources for them when buying a product.

Those are just some of the statistics from the study. Find out more at: http://www.kenradio.com/content/view/1609/1

Have A Beef With You Friends? Burger King Has A Solution

By far one of the most interesting social media marketing techniques I've come across to date, Burger King is promoting its new Angry Whopper through a Facebook application that gives a free burger to any member who sacrifices at least 10 of his or her Facebook friends.

Users must download the Whopper Sacrifice Facebook application, shed 10 friends and then enter the eMail address where they'd like the free Angry Whopper coupon to be delivered.

According to WhopperSacrifice.com, more than 215,000 friends have been dumped for burgers. Holy cow.