It’s been a huge success and people have been flocking to Facebook and Twitter to find out what the next clue is, when it will be announced, and who ended up solving the clue and finding the menu.  I’ve seen similar promotions run at other companies, but never with as much excitement as Canlis has drawn up with this current #CanlisMenus campaign (search for that hashtag in twitter and you’ll see what I’m talking about).  On top of the fans trying to figure out the clue, local newspapers have written about the campaign, radio hosts have been discussing it, there has even been a fan website created where people talk about their hunt for the Canlis menus.

What has made the promotion a success, and what I would recommend to someone else creating a similar campaigns is in the details:

• 1 clue a day (6 days a week)
• Tough to decipher clues (I have been thoroughly stumped by many of them.  Even after using Google I’ve still been wrong.
• One of the owners of Canlis has been by the menu each time to congratulate the winner and update Twitter and Facebook that the menu has in fact been found
• Changing the styles of the clues (some are word plays, some are Seattle specific, some are historical, etc.)
• They have also brought to light much of Seattle’s rich history where people are learning more about their city through the clues.
• The high value of the menus.  A dinner for two at 1960 prices. (I’d estimate the value at $200 as it does not include drinks)
• The fact that the dinner still costs something also adds to the nostaligia of the contest.  It’s not a free dinner, but a $40 dinner for two at this kind of an establishment is an amazing value.

Some people have argued that this promotion won’t help put paying “butts in seats” and that this doesn’t address Canlis’ ideal customers and that it is therefore not a good promotion for such a high value establishment.  Although I can see that point, I believe it is missing the overall point, and that it is being too short sighted.

Canlis has people talking about this.  They’ve created a group of raving fans who are always following Canlis, they’ve received enough publicity to easily cover the costs of this promotion, and they’re also giving back to the local community while connecting people with the roots of the city and the old establishment that they are.  It’s a win, win, win.

I’m not necessarily a fan of the jerseys myself, but I have been intrigued by the newly found revenue stream of teams and leagues, the third jersey.  Teams have found that if they wear a throwback jersey, introduce a new color jersey, or even re-brand their entire uniform that people will buy the jerseys and that these jersey sales are big money. Look at a team like the University of Oregon (Yes, it took alot for me to capitalize that) and the 5 jerseys their football team has worn this year.

However, with the Seahawks wearing the jerseys only once and announcing that they won’t wear them again, this third jersey may have been a Marcus Tubbs sized flop (I’m talking about the fact that we drafted him one pick before Steven Jackson).  Around Seattle there have been billboards, bus ads, newspaper ads, basically a jailhouse blitz of advertising dedicated to these new jerseys.  Without the Hawks wearing the jerseys I’m sure the sales will be drastically falling off and I wonder how long it will be until the only place to find your “Green with envy” jerseys will be the half-off rack.

I don’t have any numbers, but it appears that this third jersey may have been the first major failure in the “buy our new jersey” revenue stream.  I doubt that the amount of money spent on advertisement has even been recouped in the few weeks since the jerseys were worn until today when they are retiring cutting the jerseys.  You also have to consider the amount that Reebok  spent to produce and distribute these jerseys (I wonder if the Hawks have a contract with Reebok into how much they have to wear a third jersey as players cannot change their name or number during the season unless they’re traded).

I’d imagine there were many meetings taking place after practices that involved the football operations saying that they don’t like the look and that the jerseys were bad (They were 0-1 in them) and the marketing department was saying that the team should wear them at least one more game to help recoup the costs.  At the least I’m surprised the fact that the jerseys were being retired came out before Christmas and I’m sure the marketing team is not that pleased with Jim Mora for eating into the “Green for the Holidays” jersey sales.  The advertising push, mixed with selling these jerseys off the sales rack ($25), rather than as one off authentic customized jerseys ($259-$309) is not a winning combination for anyone involved and I’m sure it will cause teams to take a longer time deciding which third/throwback jersey to wear, produce and sell.

18 fire pits may be taken away and it will solve all our problems.

Since this article I read last night made it’s way to the Drudge Report today I figured I would put in my two cents.

The Seattle Parks Department is thinking about banning camp fires at Seattle’s two popular beaches. Considering I live a short walk away from Alki Beach this is particular frustrating for me. There are six fire pits at Alki and another twelve at Golden Gardens. They want to cut this number in half next year and eliminate the pits the following year. Any idea why they may want to ban the fires? Yes, of course… Global Warming. I’m not going to get into that debate, but regardless of where you stand, burning wood has been around for quite awhile. The fact that these fires are contributing much, if any, to global warming seems absolutely ridiculous to me. I wonder how many fire pits there are nationally? To focus on 18 pits for the entire greater Seattle area to enjoy just seems ridiculous to me.

There are plenty of other places to focus your efforts to help protect the environment than a place where up to 18 fires can be going. Of course, this year, I doubt there have been that many days where people have even been able to enjoy the pits. I hope that someone comes to their senses and realizes that the Seattle government should be focusing their time on many, many, MANY other issues.

Taking away the fire pits at the beach would just be WAY over the line.

Seattle bonfires may be banned (Also calling these “bonfire” pits is ridiculous, they can’t be over a few feet high)

Seriously Seattle?

Well as I am trying to get to bed I decided to take a look at what the week will bring us as far as weather goes.

As you can see, it’s not pretty. I’m getting a little tired of this Seattle weather. I think we’ve had about 7 days where it’s been actually hot (er, warm) and sunny this year. Yes, since January. It’s now June! C’mon Seattle get it together. Where’s global warming when you want it?

No that’s not an ad on the right, that’s Seattle’s 10-day forecast.

However, Fortune has just announced that Corvallis is the 48th best place to “Live and launch a company in 2008.“  I have known some great companies to be founded, created, and launched in Corvallis, but wow I just am still not used to seeing Corvallis mentioned in a financial magazine like Fortune.

To see that Seattle is not even on the list seems a little crazy to me.  Especially with Bellevue being names the number 1 city on the list!  Bellevue is a great city if you’re into living in the ‘burbs, but it just seems that Seattle is such a better city for finding and keeping the young tech savvy workers happy.  Other notable cities in the Northwest, Portland (#6), Bellingham (#26), Eugene (#96, Yes, the Beavers win).

HT: John Cook’s Blog

Fortune Article

For starters he is the 43rd richest man in the world, only two spots and $1B behind Paul Allen. He became the CEO of the company that Allen founded and has been with it through it’s ups and downs and has made it into what it is today. Pretty incredible ride if you ask me.

What makes me think he is the new Paul Allen though is that he is making a last second move to help keep a professional sports team in Seattle. Something that Paul Allen is famous for doing with the Seahawks. Who now, with their success have turned Paul Allen into a local hero. Along with a few other big money names here in the Seattle area, Ballmer has put together a team that has, not only offered to buy the Sonics from an outside ownership team that is trying to move the team to Oklahoma City, but also offered to pay $150M of the $300M Key Arena renovation. This is a huge move! The Key Arena is desperately in need of a major renovation in order to keep up with the other sports teams in the city as well as the NBA as a whole. I know people aren’t fans of public money going to private owners, but in the case of Key Arena, this actually makes sense. Key Arena is owned by the city as part of the Seattle Center which hosts festivals, concerts, and many other events throughout the other 300 days that don’t have basketball games. So in this case, it actually doesn’t make “sense” for the private investors, Allen and Co., to be giving money to the Seattle Center. These renovations will bring more top tier concerts that have recently began to skip Seattle for the easier in and out access of the Tacoma Dome because the facilities didn’t match up with the extra 30 minutes of driving and much more complicated logistics of getting trucks in and and out of the city of Seattle. These renovations should pay for themselves, and at the least, not turn the Seattle Center into a ghost town which it would be without a renovated Key Arena.

So, although I wish that Howard Schultz and his group of the investors had not sold the Sonics, especially to a group that everybody knew wanted to move the team to another city, it could provide Seattle with a new billionaire hero. Think about it. Ballmer saving the Sonics shortly before they leave would turn him into the modern day Paul Allen if the Sonics turn into the team they could in the near future with their salary cap room and draft picks coming down the line (6 first round picks in the next 3 years). They would also be two of the main Seattle Centers if this deal does get done (Allen with the Experience Music Project and of course Ballmer with the Key Arena). So if this deal does go through, is this the beginning of Ballmer making his mark on the Seattle area outside of Microsoft?

With the stock price dropping 50% over the past 12 months and hitting a 4 year closing low last Friday Starbucks had to do something to help their stock and this appears to be the biggest step they could have made.  Howard took Starbucks out of a bean selling coffee shop in Pike Place to the International company that it has become.  Already, the stock has jumped 10% since the announcement and we will see where it goes from here.

Since Howard instilled the original values of the Starbucks Experience, I am looking forward to seeing what will happen over the next 6 months to a year.  We will see poor performing stores closed, better training for front line “parnters,” and an overhall on the entire coffee experience.  One prediction I will make, some kind of change to the breakfast sadwich stations.  They create an aroma that covers the coffee smell that I understand Howard hates.  I know they’re a high margin item, but if Howard wants to take back the coffee shop experience, I see a change happening here.

Oh, and for those of you that I asked about investing in SBUX last Friday…man, I wish I would have pulled the trigger.  I still think there is alot of room for growth.  What do you think, will SBUX bounce back to the high $20′s low $30′s?

Forbes Article

Starbucks Press Release 

Video: Bill Gates Last Day CES Clip

Actually, he’ll be heading up the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, but a rich man can dream can’t he?

A few problems

1. Pike Place Market is a market not a neighborhood.  It is in between the West Edge, Downtown, and Belltown neighborhoods.  I think there’s only a single condo building in the market and I don’t think that can make up an entire neighborhood.
2. There is a picture in the article of “residents” enjoying Steinbrueck park.  Umm, they’re either homeless (not a part of the neighborhood if you don’t have a home I guess?) or tourists.  Again, this park is not a place that the residents hang out at.
3. Over 10 million people supposedly visit Pike Place Market every year.  I live in Alki and get sick enough of the ammount of people that come here in the summer, I couldn’t imagine that the “residents” of the “Pike Place Market community” would really enjoy that many visitors if they did in fact live there.

I wonder how this list was created, how Pike Place became a neighborhood, and really if there was any local research done on this piece.  Lake Oswego also was named one of the best neighborhoods.  Way to represent NW.

[Top 10 Neighborhoods in the US]