The interesting thing about this is that the "secret" of personalizing food products to make sales has been practiced by bakers for years-birthday cakes! I suppose it goes to show you that a good marketer can take old ideas and make them fresh and new while applying them to the modern market.

What I find so interesting is that SO LITTLE of this is really taking off. The technology and the ability to do this kind of thing have been around for a long time...why are so FEW marketers taking advantage of it?

I suspect it makes them too uncomfortable...yesterday's marketing managers were only interested in controling and managing brands, not accelerating them and encouraging user participation in the process of brand creation. Sure, they gave lip service to statements like - "the brand belongs to the consumer" - but statements like this are easy to say, and hard to live.

Too many marketers don't know how (or want to know how) to succeed in this new world.

William, your post here reminded me of the bottled water we brought to the MarketingProfs executive retreat in April. Here's a snapshot.

We did it strictly for fun. But I wish I really knew what the participants thought of it! ;]

Shelley,
I thought the water bottles were fun and clever. In fact I brought one back with me and it sits on a bookshelf in my office where I keep fun/unique giveaways I bring back from conferences and shows :)

Thanks, Elizabeth! I'm so happy to hear that they didn't ALL make it to a local landfill. I have a few bottles of MP Thinking Water kept on my shelf, too.

Here's the snapshot missing from the earlier post:
www.marketingprofs.com/images/event/water.jpg