Contempt

Jack is reading Blink by Malcolm Gladwell, a book I've read in the past. The theme of the book is our ability to make split-second assessments. Really interesting. We were talking about a part in the book where a psychologist claimed that just by eavesdropping in a couple's conversation over dinner, he can accurately assess if the relationship will last over 5-7 years and no more. Top of his list is contempt. If he spots contempt in the way the couple treats one another, it's doomsville for them, he says. There is a natural aversion to the word "contempt". It's sounds so nasty, doesn't it? I'm assuming people don't like to think they've done anything contemptuous, particularly to their partners. However, the psychologist claims it creeps easier and more frequent than people are willing to acknowledge. I tell you, it made us look at ourselves and ask the hard questions.

Marketing 101

I am really amazed by this new promo from Citibank! (click image for a clearer image)

You get a free 1-liter milk!

• when you have a minimum purchase of 1,000
• but only on Puregold, Robinsons and Waltermart supermarkets
  
• and not just any old Robinsons, it has to be Ermita, Lipa, Metro East or Novaliches

You can't just redeem it in your friendly neighborhood supermarket or grocery store, you have to :

• go to the Citibank Redemption booth
  
• only on Saturdays and Sundays
• and of course, there is that 'promotion mechanics' that you have to further comply with.

Simply amazing! Though of course, the requirements when applying for an NSO birth certificate is more complicated, isn't it. For that, you need to present proof of identification and ah... um..

Anyway, I'm sure there are more requirements to claim a government certified document from such bastion of government bureaucracy like the NSO compared to the multinational agents of market efficiency like the Citibank.

====

Freefall asks, is this an obvious spawn of a market segmentation study?

Lets understand the target customer of Citibank:

• a person living in Ermita, Lipa and Novaliches
• who shops in bargain grocery shops (you shop in SM? sorry, no milk for you)
• who spends at least 1,000 per grocery trip (in waltermart? in puregold? you mean the bulk buyers for sari-sari stores?)
• is willing to go to the Citibank Redemption booth (in Libis?)

And finally, this target customer is someone who thinks that a liter of milk is worth all this effort. [Di bale, Nestle naman].

Bravo!

Eat-Thai...in moderation

On one of our weekly dates, Jack and I decided to try out Eat-Thai, a restaurant we usually drive past and have heard good reviews of. The food was very good. Jack had impressive looking spring rolls for starters while I had soft shell crabs for the mains. I ate so much that I had a tummy ache. Really, it's no joke, I was short of breath and felt woozy. Jack joked about how we went out supposedly to have fun as I was squirming in my seat. After dinner we learned that the resto had a Michelin star to its name. Hm, why did the fact make me think how pedestrian my tastes are? Hahahahha... Lovely food, good wine and nice, clean surroundings. We'll definitely go back next time, hopefully with good enough sense to eat in moderation.