Lawrence Gee | Marketing, Internet, Creativity, Strategy

Wal-Mart, Kroger, and CVS will be Running on Dunkin’

Yes!  A Northeast favorite is finally going to be available on the west side.  In a distribution deal with P&G, Dunkin’ Donuts packaged coffee will begin this month selling in Wal-Marts, Krogers, and CVS around the country.  This looks like a smart move for Dunkin’ Donuts who can create more brand awareness to the rest of the country as they begin to expand westward. 

Dunkin’ Donuts has great word-of mouth potential for the rest of the country.  If you are from the Northeast (like myself) you probably have heard and enjoyed a Dunkin’ Donuts coffee and doughnut.  In fact, each time I go back home I make sure to visit a store and buy some packaged coffee to bring back with me.  It’s becomes a distinctly East Coast/West Coast conversation starter and can spur debates on which is better Dunkin Donuts or Krispy Kreme. 

I look forward to buying up the packaged coffee in my local store and hope that the donuts are not too far behind…mmm strawberry frosted with sprinkles.

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Park Rangers are Marketers too

I spent the weekend on an outdoor camping trip up at Sequoia National Park.  When I checked-in to the campsite, I noticed one thing that they were doing really well.  They made it absolutely clear what their stance was in regards to bears.  Bears should behave themselves and so should the humans.  Bears and other wildlife would remain friendly and go about their business in the woods and our job as humans was to lock up all food and scent-bearing products within our designated Bear locker at all times.  If we each did our part correctly, there should be no issues during the trip.

Their messaging was quite effective because they were consistent.  Like good marketers, they had the same message on all promotional items (handouts, flyers, signage, etc.) and all of their employees knew and believed in the message they were telling their customers (campers).  The message was successful because it was direct, to the point, and created word-of-mouth buzz among the campers. 

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Monkey See, Monkey Do

There was recently an article about a study which concluded that obesity is contagious.  If you had obese friends, you yourself had a greater chance of being obese.  The opposite was also true — if you had very fit friends, you would be more likely to be fit yourself. 

This makes sense as behavior is learned and is definitely influenced by your environment.  These conclusions can also be translated to other areas.  Look at celebrities who are in the news today — Michael Vick had a higher chance of getting into his current legal troubles due to the company he kept; Lindsay Lohan is wrapped up in drinking and drug issues because of the party culture she hangs out in. 

This is why word of mouth and viral marketing works.  The things you do and products you buy are definitely influenced by your friends and the environment you live in.  Monkey see, monkey do. 

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About Me

Originally hailing from Long Island, I currently reside in Los Angeles, California.  I am an experienced marketer with a diverse professional background.  I have a BS in Business Management and Marketing from Cornell University and an MBA from the USC Marshall School of Business.

My marketing career path has been varied and diverse.  It began in consumer products as a Field Marketer for Newell Rubbermaid, managing in-store relationships and merchandising for products such as Rubbermaid, Levolor, and Sharpie.

I have always been fascinated by technology and the Internet.  In fact, several college internships were spent dealing with web design rather than Marketing.  It was only fitting that post-Newell Rubbermaid, I spent four years at an online educational software startup called Aplia.  As Marketing Manager, I helped grow Aplia from a beta product to having over 450,000 students and 500 institutions use the software.  My role required me to develop integrated marketing campaigns, plan sales demos and events at higher education conferences, dive headfirst into CRM and database management, deal with shoe-string budgets, and build up word of mouth marketing.

My time at USC Marshall was spent on exploring my personal development, continuing lifelong education, and realigning my career goals.  In 2006, I investigated the world of Brand Management and was selected to attend the prestigious Procter & Gamble Summer Marketing MBA Camp and the Johnson & Johnson Brand Mini Camp. While traditional CPG companies were interesting, my explorations made me realize that I enjoy working in smaller, technology focused environments.

Currently, I am an Internet Marketing Manager for LAMPS PLUS, #139 on the Internet Retailer Top 500 Retail Web Site List.   Some of my responsibilities include managing two SEM analysts, optimizing and managing paid search campaigns and shopping comparison site datafeeds, providing strategic recommendations for our online business, and evaluating new initiatives like social media marketing opportunties.

In my spare time, I am working on several pet projects dealing primarily with affiliate marketing, search engine optimization, and search engine marketing.  The purpose of this blog is to offer an outlet to collect my thoughts on marketing, strategy, and technology.

On the personal side, I’ve been happily married since July 2008. In my free time, I am an avid sports fan (Yankees, Knicks, Dodgers, Lakers) and enjoy outdoor activities such as running, hiking, and triathlons.

Thanks for stopping by and checking out my blog.  Please feel free to comment on any postings or drop me a note at larry@lawrencegee.com.

–Larry

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