It’s been a long week of being out of town and dealing with a blog crash at the same time. Still, South by Southwest Interactive was a great experience.
Before I get into South by Southwest, though, I need to say some very big thank yous. As you may have noticed (how could you not?), Being Frugal.net crashed Tuesday afternoon after I was quoted by the Associated Press. As soon as I noticed my site went down, I called my webhost to upgrade my hosting package to something that would handle the traffic. Unfortunately, the upgrade did not go smoothly, and my site was still down on Thursday, when I boarded a plan for South by Southwest.
So my first big thank you goes to Gibble and Pinyo who both worked hard while I was gone to get things up and running around here. You wouldn’t believe how stressed I was, knowing my site was down and there was nothing I could do from an airplane to make it better. It was reassuring to know that Gibble & Pinyo were on top of things for me. And sure enough, by Friday morning things were mostly better. So head over to Gather Little By Little and Moolanomy to thank them for their hard work!
My second big thank yous go to the people who made it possible for me to attend SXSW. My sponsors were Tyson and Walmart. Tyson was kind enough to send dinner for my family to eat while I was away. They sent so much dinner, that I didn’t have to cook the first night I was back, either! So thank you Tyson and Walmart!
On to the trip. I arrived in Austin on Thursday and stayed a full week. I enjoyed meeting and hanging out with the other Walmart 11moms. My roommate was Melissa, The Consumer Queen herself, and we had lots of fun talking about saving money. She was going to give me a tour of CVS, since we don’t have one in Southern Oregon, but we ran out of time.
I had the privilege of talking to representatives from Hersheys, Huggies, Bissell, ConAgra, Pepsi (I hung out with the Pepsi people at a party!), and several other companies. I think the biggest thing I took away from South by Southwest was the changes that are happening in the way companies interact with consumers, due to social media like blogs and Twitter.
I haven’t uploaded pictures yet, because I used my mom’s camera, and I need to get the USB cord from her. But several people have posted pictures of the 11moms adventures at SXSW, and you can find some good ones on Flickr & Facebook. Here are some pics of dinner at an Indian restaurant (I’m wearing the blue sweater). And here is a dinner at Mercury Mambo (had a lot of fun there!). I’ll try to get my pictures uploaded this weekend.
It’s good to be back home, but my time here is short-lived. On Tuesday I’m flying out to Las Vegas, where I will be on a panel of bloggers at the CPG Summit. The other bloggers are Christine Young (a fellow 11mom and good friend), Liz from Mom 101, and Alma, otherwise known as Marketing Mommy.
We’ll be talking to representatives from consumer packaged goods companies (the packaged things you buy at the grocery store) and reps from retailers about how people make purchasing decisions. What do we like? What do we hate? What draws us toward buying something? What makes us decide not to buy?
So here’s your chance to weigh in. If you could say something to those who manufacture packaged goods, what would it be? What promotions do you like? Which ones do you hate? I know how I feel, but I’m also interested in knowing whether my feelings are in tune with yours, or whether I’m weird or something. I’ll keep your comments in mind, as I prepare my responses to the questions for the panel.
So consider that your “You Tell Me” question of the week.
One last thing. The April issue of Redbook came out yesterday, and I’m featured in a story that begins on page 175! Amy from Mom Advice is also featured in the article! So make sure you check it out, even if you just take a look at it in the store! I was so excited, I showed the cashier at Barnes & Noble!
It’s good to be back! I missed posting every day! Thanks for hanging in there with my broken site while I was gone!
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{ 11 comments… read them below or add one }
Life as a blogger has never sounded so exciting! I read your blog through GoogleReader, so I didn’t notice the site being down, but it sounds very frustrating!
Here’s what I have to say to those people who manufacture packaged goods – Make packages 1) Recyclable! 2) Easy to use! 3) RECYCLABLE!!!!
You’re welcome Lynnae. It was the least I could do as a friend. I’m glad you enjoyed your trip.
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Make the package fit the product. I hate getting a box or bag and then finding it is only half full – what a disappointment. Bad feelings about the product from the packaging. And recyclable packaging please! Or packaging that decomposes well in the compost pile and is not toxic. And The less, the better!
I 100% agree with marci – especially “the less, the better”. Nothing makes you feel more like your carbon footprint is a size 15 than throwing away layer upon layer of packaging that can’t be recycled just to get to a minimal amount of food!
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I’m a younger married guy with no kids, so perhaps they can get a viewpoint from people like me. First of all, I think classic old fashioned brands are sort of on the way out with younger people. Good example is Budweiser. Sure- the stuff sells well, but the biggest growing market now is craft beer, and most of those drinking it tend to be younger.I’d say I fit that mold. The same with brands like Velveeta, Oscar Mayer, Twinkies, and other hokey Midwestern snacky type stuff with wiz-bang names and crazy vibrant, plastic looking packaging. Of course maybe that stuff sells well with people who have kids. But America’s tastes have changed and it would do them well to consider other brand directions because bunny bread and cheeze wiz are in my opinion going to eventually go the way of Oldsmobile and Blatz beer.
Secondly, perhaps I’m just a cheap guy, but I rarely look at packaging anyway. I generally look strictly at price and what’s on sale. I also look at price per ounce, which is a requirement in some states. There’s also something to be said about generic packaging. I’ve noticed a lot of grocery stores have re-branded their store brand food to look more upscale… which makes me less inclined to buy it as a result. Sometimes it pays to look cheap.
In real estate the key is location, location, location. I believe that product packaging should scream recycle, recycle, recycle. As my blog states; simple and sustainable is the key. Keep the packaging simple and recyclable. I also agree with the previous posts regarding ‘make the package fit the product.’ Excess packaging is just plain wasteful, especially if people are not recycling. And, believe it or not, there are still people out there that don’t recycle!
And, I agree with Bob. The products are changing but I think moms are leading the charge. As a stay-at-home mom for 17 years, I refuse to let my kids eat ‘those hokey Midwestern snacky type stuff.’ I am a midwesterner and a mom and I shop for organic, natural, locally grown, and Kashi is my favorite product at the moment. Their packaging is simple and recyclable.
I was one of those people that found your blog via the Associated Press quote. I plan to visit frequently as I consider myself frugal!
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Oh My gosh I had so much fun with you and I miss you already!!!!!! Had fun hanging out with you and Kim at the Pepsi party!!!!
I agree with Marci about providing enough product in a box. I don’t buy from that company again after getting a barely half full box of cereal or other products. How about not adding loads of sugar, enriched flour and High Fructose Corn Syrup to their products as well. Make the packaging minimal and eco friendly so recycling is encouraged. I would perfer to buy yogurt in 8oz containers and without a ton of sugar added. I’m mainly vegan but some low fat products are so full of sugar that I wouldn’t dare touch it. I buy as little food as possible unless its fresh but sometimes there are certain products I’d love to try but the added narcotics keep me away. The added milk by products in foods is keeping me away from quite a few products. I’ll pay a bit more for quality but not a huge amount more so I usually stock up on sales when I can.
Hi! I’m one of those who got wind of you from the AP, but am now clicking regularly for tips and confirmation that I’m not the only frugal guy in town.
On packaging and products. I prefer buying an item that has ingredients I can understand. Generally the longer the list of ingredients (with preservatives, chemicals, etc) the less healthy and less likely I am to by. Despite being very frugal, I’d rather spend a few pennies more on a product that his wholesome rather than full of dubious stuff.
Also agree on packaging. Less is better and make it recyclable. I’m currently stationed here in Germany and live on the economy. We as a nation could have a thing or two to learn from the Germans when it comes to recycling and food packaging. Maybe some of the folks at your conference should come over here and pay a visit to Lidl, Plus, Aldi, and even Real grocery stores.
I’m glad to hear that we’re all on the same page. I’d rather pay for product than packaging, and I also prefer a packaging that is recyclable. And yes, ingredients that I can pronounce are a big plus, too.
Wow Lynnae…you are busy, busy, busy!
I got my April issue of Redbook a few days back and saw your feature..you looked fabulous :)
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