Creative Combos!

First word: SPOON

When I think of the word spoon, my immediate inclination is to go ahead and morph it into a fork-like utensil as well – namely a spork. But, if kept simply a spoon, I am led to think about its practical uses: Eating (let’s get real, we’re definitely thinking about two things here, cereal and soup. Not at the same time though of course). Mixing. Measuring. Scooping. Ladling. Balancing on your nose…

When I think of the word spoon, I usually picture a plain, silver spoon. Nothing fancy. But when I think about it long enough, I’ll inevitably picture childhood “kid-spoons.”

When I think of the word spoon, I think of the ridiculous youtube video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LrStENrKZa8) about the guy whose spoon is too big. I also think of the kid from the Matrix showing Neo the ropes as he bends the spoon with his mind. Finally, I can't help but think of the classic act of spooning... big spoon vs. little spoon?

Second word: CUP

When I think of the word cup, I think about all of the drinks I would like to put in a cup. Orange juice, Gatorade, ice cold water, a margarita, Jack & Coke, texas tea, sweet tea, milk… Oh so many. I also think about other “cups,” namely a protective cup (think baseball), which is not what we’re talking about here.

When I think of the word cup, I think about the different kinds of cups: plastic cups, tall cups, short cups, glass cups, coffee cups, beer mugs, wine glasses (broad cup definition), sippy-cups, the particular cups I have back home – my comfort cup.

When I think of the word cup, I think of drinking games. Flip CUP. Beer pong. And so many other classy ways to kill time…

(Sidenote: although these two things are oddly in the same general category, they were 2 of my first 3 options, the third being “poop.” I almost tried to make poop and spoon work – pooper-scooper, toilet bowl cleaner… I think you’ll thank me for choosing cup instead.)

Possible Combinations:

• ·      Classic matching kitchenware
• ·      Ladle cup – essentially a cup with a long handle to use for dipping into the drink
• ·      A spoon-storing cup – stylish way to store your spoons without a drawer
• ·      Detachable spoon handle – detach your handle in order to mix your drink, eat your soup, slurp your hot chocolate
• ·      Magnetic cup – can hold the spoons on the side, another way to utilize detachable spoon or spoon storage
• ·      Oversized spoon handle with cup on the end – can be used (jokingly) to give your friend a drink across the table
• ·      Giant spoon with a tiny cup – with “my spoon is too big” written on the side (see the youtube clip above)
•      Giant cup/tiny spoon gag potential?
• ·      Meals in a to-go cup, w/ plastic spoon attached! (attached like the straw on a Caprisun)
• ·      Modern art candle holder – candle in the cup sitting on top of an upright spoon
• ·      Silver cup made entirely of melted spoons
• ·      A pipe – a stem made in the likeness of a spoon, and the bowl as a cup (definite potential ergonomic issues here)
• ·      Restaurant décor – cup shaped trashcans, light-posts as spoons
• ·      Musical instruments – as seen with the cups filled with different amounts of water, played by tapping the spoon on the side of the cups
• ·      Pencil shaped by a spoon, with an eraser in the likeness of a tiny cup

I think the combination with the most potential would be the possibility of creating a cup with a detachable spoon handle. Of course, you would have the basic advantages of a simple cup with a handle. But this is no ordinary cup! Imagine you are mixing up a powdered drink, or mixing in some sweet-n-low to your tea, and there is no spoon in sight. With this handy cup, you can simply remove the detachable spoon handle and mix your drink to your delight. A less desirable hypothetical: you are drinking a hot cup of tea, when all of the sudden you notice a bug floating in your drink! You are the type of person that won’t let this ruin a perfectly good cup of tea, but won’t continue drinking until the bug is gone. In light of how hot the tea is though, you are hesitant to reach in with your hands to get it. So what do you do? Detach the spoon handle and scoop it out. Boom. Tea saved. Finally, think of a time when you were drinking a smoothie of some sorts. For kicks, lets say it is a fresh fruit smoothie, with mango, peaches, pineapples, and strawberries. You get down to the last of the cup, but you can’t quite get the last bit to budge from the bottom. (I think you know where this is going…) So what do you do? Detach the spoon handle and eat enjoy the rest of your smoothie! 

iThis, eThat... enough already!

            I’ve come to accept the fact that I live in a world that is ever-changing, becoming more advanced, more connected than ever before. I will begrudgingly admit that I will probably let my kids get cell phones before they are 16 (back in my day, kids had to wait until they could drive to get a cell phone…), and worse yet, that I may break down and embrace the smart-phone craze - Although, I refuse to join the cultish following of iPhone users (sorry Dr. Walls). I haven’t quite decided why I am resisting this change. Am I an idealist? Do I fear a 1984-esque Big Brother? Am I simply stubborn in my ways? Maybe it is a combination of them all…

            The budding technology that I refuse to dismiss as my stubborn nature is that of electronic books. I understand the advantages, small as they may seem in my eyes, but I am utterly opposed to this movement towards electronic books, or eBooks as the hip kids call them. Before I move on, let me explain my concerns. I am a man who enjoys collecting a library. Something about having a shelf of books exudes class. Whereas, collecting files on an e-reader just becomes a liability (you can lose your entire library under a seat cushion!). I am also a man who enjoys making annotations. Some e-readers have addressed this, but none can compete with a paper book and a pen. I am a man who can never see himself smoking his pipe and reading a Kindle. I am a man who loathes having his English textbook on a website (no hardcopy alternative even… wildly frustrating). I am a man who rather enjoys the act of licking my fingers and flipping to the next page, rather than pressing the “next” button. I have many reasons for resisting this change, but ranting could be time-consuming.

            Although I enjoy the idea of being a unique individual, I find it difficult to believe I am the only consumer against eBooks. This intrigues me to try to fully understand the market of eBooks: who’s buying? Who isn’t buying? Who are the e-reader companies trying to reach? What strategies are they using to reach said audience? I am very interested to see if I can discover the origin of this movement and the catalyst that led to the materializing of the idea. Was this just an acceptance of a movement towards a more electronic world driven by i-this and e-that, or did someone genuinely seek out customer insights and find a worthwhile need for this technology. Short of predicting the future, I am interested to see how popular this product will become. There is also a strict distinction, in my mind at least, as to the pros and cons of eBooks in the contexts of educational versus recreational reading. My reasons for and against each context are specific to the purpose of why I am reading, so how does that influence the role of marketers creating and tailoring the product towards consumers? I am also interested in this subject due to its possibility of leading to a fad-movement, somewhat indicative of Malcolm Gladwell’s “Tipping Point.”

            To look at this product from another paradigm, what does Barnes and Noble think about it? Is Borders shaking in its boots thinking about a movement to eBooks? I would like to know if renowned bookstores are embracing this technology, opposing it, or being forced to accept it. Even if they embrace the technology, these companies also have to face the possibility of diminishing profit margins as eBooks are selling for such lower prices than their equivalent hardcopies.

            I believe this topic has a vast potential to be highly relative to the material of our class thus far. Specifically, I hope to find information on the customer research that went on before the creation of e-readers. This seems like a great opportunity to observe consumers’ reactions in experiments with both hardcopy books and eBooks. I am very intrigued to see if there are more articles on findings from focus groups that like found in “Exploring Faculty Experiences With E-Books: A Focus Group.” This was an article that discussed the opinions of many professors on the use of eBooks, whether for personal use, for class preparation, or even for their students to use. Results were highly varying as many different professors had unique opinions on the use of eBooks. More interestingly, depending on the subject that each professor taught, they were more or less likely to have a certain opinion on eBooks. In other research, marketers may have even implemented a simple-survey method, although no one asked my opinion… Which I would still gladly give. From the customer’s view, what is the experience like with the differing reading styles? What aspects of the customer experience are most important to these consumers?

            Ultimately, I hope to either be completely convinced of the usefulness of eBooks while learning more about how they are becoming a force in today’s literary world, or I want to find a flaw in them so large that I can completely eradicate their existence. Ok fine, maybe I am an idealist…