In Response to Ashley Guidi...

"How often do you go into a supermarket and buy exactly what you need?"

     As the oldest of five children, having snacks at home was always a rare occasion, not because no one bought them but because they disappear so quickly.  Because of this issue, I always find myself buying extra when I am out.  In addition to that, effective grocery marketing certainly has quite a bit of influence on my impulse purchases.  I had never really thought about how all the best snacks are on shelves that children see, but now that Ashley has pointed that out I agree completely.  Gushers are one of my favorite fruit snacks and they're always on the 2nd or 3rd row from the bottom.

     So to answer the question more directly, no.  Unless my boyfriend comes into the store with me to make sure I only buy what is on my list, I buy much much more.  Like we discussed in class today, the word SALE really gets me to buy.  90% of my clothing was purchased on sale racks, and about 50% of the things I buy at the grocery store are things that were on sale.

     Touching on what Ashley mentions about how stores put gum and candy right by the check out, I think that I always purchase something from that area.  If it's not gum, it's a chocolate bar.  I don't think that I am the only person who get's sucked into these traps, but I am curious to know if it's more common for females than males?  I feel as though my Boyfriend, and Father always make it in and out of the store - buying less than they intended more often than buying more.  So boys, do the grocery marketing tactics suck you in too?

Um...Winning!

    It's hard to imagine that anyone has been able to shield themselves from the recent television appearances that Charlie Sheen has been in.  From 20/20 to the national and local news stations, everyone seems to be talking about this one of the Two and a Half Men.  In case you haven't heard, the show Two and a Half Men (a popular sitcom that airs on CBS - well, used to).  CBS decided to cancel the show before the most recent season ended, putting Sheen and his co-workers out of work.  They canceled the show when Sheen failed to show up for work on multiple occasions because he was on drugs.  He was taking depressants and hallucination drugs regularly, and didn't stop until one overdose almost killed him.  Sheen has passed drug tests on TV, and seems to be clean but fans are beginning to worry if Sheen is mentally stable.  He has aired an internet TV show about himself which has been looked at by many psychologists whom are now also very concerned about his mental health.

     However, despite his drug use and questionable ethics people still seem to think that he is winning, and according to Sheen, he most certainly is.  He is currently working on suing CBS for canceling the sitcom, living with his girlfriends (he refers to as "the goddesses"), and reviewing applications for his new "Internship;" for which there were over 70,000 applicants.  He is now in the Guinness Book of World Records for the fastest person to get 1,000,000 followers on twitter.

     From a marketing perspective, despite Charlie Sheen's popularity, I still feel as though I wouldn't want this person to represent my product, or television station.  I just can't help but wonder if negative marketing is just as good as positive marketing.  Based on Sheen's success in marketing himself, I absolutely agree with him, he is winning; but are consumers?  Is it a good thing that consumers are paying attention to what Sheen is doing and enjoying it?  Could it be possible that negative marketing is actually effective marketing?