Right on Target

I'm not much of a football fan, but I'm always game to watch the Super Bowl ads. This year, they were a disappointment. Maybe companies aren't putting as much creative juice into traditional media, I thought.

Then I saw the new commercials Target created just for the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards, on February 13. Under the umbrella of "Awards Show Meltdown," Target ran a series of six ads as part of its ongoing campaign called "Life's a Moving Target."

The ads were funny and on point. And if you missed them, you'll have to watch them on YouTube as they're not scheduled to be rebroadcast on TV.

Target is definitely working the magic of the medium, whichever medium it engages. Forget that Target was to be a new idea in discount stores. Today it has become more of a preferred shopping destination. Me? I walk in for one or two items and leave with bags and bags of stuff that's been on my mental shopping list for months. I've even heard corporate executives talk about their shopping trips to "Tar-shay."

Who said bricks-and-mortar stores were a dying breed?

Grasping at groundhogs

It's been a long, tough winter here in the Northeast...and throughout the nation. More than small talk, the weather has become big news. Especially as storm after storm after storm brings snow and ice.

And so today, on Feb. 2, many eyes turned to Punxsutawney Phil, the ceremonial groundhog who predicts spring's arrival. What was once folklore has become a Groundhog Day extravaganza in Punxsutawney. I guess there's nothing better to do on a winter's day in western Pennsylvania. Still, the pseudo-event brings hope that one day the sun will again shine, crocus will bloom, and grass will grow.

For those of you who haven't heard the news, Punxsutawney Phil did not see his shadow. This means he predicts an early spring.

If you don't believe me, you can watch the excitement for yourself on the Commonwealth Media Hub.

And if you keep planning to get out and play in the snow, but like me have yet to do so, you'd better get moving. Spring is just around the corner. Or so says Phil.

Tweeting the Trenta

Tweets about the new 31 oz. "Trenta" size drink at Starbucks just keep rolling in. At least the Trenta has eclipsed talk about the revised Starbucks logo. A smattering of Trenta tidbits from Twitter:

@ConanOBrien Conan O'Brien

I can't wait to try the new gigantic Starbucks size, "Trenta". Or as it's called in The Midwest, "A Medium". 

@CocosNumber2Fan Laurel Noel

Is the Starbucks Trenta THRICE as big as the tall? @ConanOBrien @TeamCoco 

@denisleary Denis Leary

Starbucks has a new giant coffee named Trenta. Comes w/ David Blaine inside holding his breath. 

@chez_whitey WFW2

Kindergarten teachers, you can thank Starbuck's when, 5 years from now, every other kid in your class is named "Trenta". 

@HideSeekMedia Hide and Seek Media

Is the New Starbucks "Trenta Cup" Bigger Than Your Stomach? http://bit.ly/e4G718   

@curiouslyp Simon Kendrick

Seriously, who would want a litre of coffee from Starbucks? Trenta size fail http://gizmo.do/fctesv 

@Oksanap Oksana Poltavets

RT @FTFnews Did you hear that @Starbucks is rolling out a new 31ozTrenta size?! http://tiny.cc/mup6y - this could feed an army! 

@dclovesfood W. Mark Felt

Folks - just b/c Starbucks is serving the trenta, doesn't mean you have to drink it 

@slkfinger Shawn Finger

Is the point of the #trenta to match your ounce size to your BMI? 

@Leslie_Kerr Leslie Kerr

every1 realizes the @starbucks trenta is not the 1st drink of that size, right? It just evens the playing field w/DD, McD 

@angryczeck Jeremy Harper

My bladder has waved a preemptive flag of surrender to Starbucks Trenta. 

@atzezwirs atze zwirs

Can you die from #caffeine!? #starbucks introduces the #trenta which is bigger then your stomach! http://gizmo.do/dI6Xxd 

@wovencharlie Charles Schulze

What did he die of officer? Well mam he tried to finish his Trenta without a bathroom break. 

@andreastokes andrea stokes

@johnson_s RT @angryczeck: The Starbucks Trenta doesn't look *that* big on Google Earth. 

@AkaashAchreja Akaash Achreja

Is the Starbucks Trenta REALLY necessary? I mean, are people out there finishing their Ventis and saying "If only this were 50% larger...."? 

@ordinarycitizen Justin Phillips

Trenta? Really, Starbucks? Who needs 30 ounces of coffee? Are you trying to turn everyone into Gary Busey? 

@DSKinsel d.s. kinsel

@Starbucks got a new fancy named size coming out....#Trenta....y cant they just call it the "big azz" size...who drinks tht much coffee? 

@MarshallRamsey MarshallRamsey

Starbucks named it's new biggest drink size, "Trenta" because "Bladder Splatter" wasn't as cool sounding. 

@mcrumr mcrumr

Starbucks extra large size is named Trenta...I think that's French for bladder explosion 

@Mushy187 Matua

Starbucks to offer Trenta sized drinks. It's nice to have another ridiculously named size that I can avoid purchasing. 

@shawndecker shawndecker

Cool that @starbucks has named a drink the "Trenta" to say congrats to @trent_reznor for winning a Golden Globe. 

@DeanneGetreu Deanne Getreu

#Starbucks named their new 31oz. drink #Trenta because it's shorter than "liquid diabetes and colon cancer". 

@UrbanB Ben Urbanski

Starbucks announces a 31oz sized drink. Named Trenta. SO EXCITED TO DIE OF CAFFEINE OVERDOSE!!!

A better mousetrap?

For some reason, mousetraps are often invoked when the subject of product innovation is discussed. "Build a better mousetrap, and the world will beat a path to your door."

I get the concept, but sometimes its application escapes me. Take dental floss. It's the one product I know where only a small bit gets used. You pull off a long string, wrap it around your fingers several times, and then use a little section for just a few seconds before throwing it away.

So how many types of dental floss does the world really need? A lot, apparently, as I found on my last trip down the dental-supply aisle. Once home, a quick search on Amazon returned 864 results for dental floss and flossers (for those who want to add another level of sophistication to the process).

It amazes me to find soooooooo many varieties of something I used to consider a commodity.

There's woven floss and waxed shred-resistant tape. Procter & Gamble's Crest brand sells Glide and a new, improved version -- Comfort Plus -- billed as "Twice as Soft as Glide Original!" Johnson & Johnson sells Reach, a brand that includes a "Gum Care" version embedded with fluoride and "Total Care Plus Whitening," which has "micro-grooves technology plus baking soda" to remove stains "like coffee, tea and wine." 

And let's not forget flavors: mint, cinnamon, even banana (from Monkey Floss, natch).

Talk about brand extensions. Geesh. I don't know if all this innovation has made the orally conscious beat a path to J&J's or P&G's doors, but my own medicine cabinet is messy with samples spilling off the shelves.

I can't believe one type of floss is that much better than another; still, it doesn't hurt to try.