Cyber Monday Deals: 11 Best Online Resources

I hate the malls and with a newborn I'm even less inclined to go shopping. But I love a good deal. And luckily for me, online retailers are combating Black Friday sales with their own "Cyber Monday" deals. The folks at Mashable have kindly put together a list of the best deals. Enjoy shopping in your p.j.'s!

Cyber Monday Deals: 11 Best Online Resources

Fun on a Friday -- NTM's Newest Addition

Here's my little munchkin, born on Election Day. He has his dad's chin (see that cute cleft?) and it looks like he may have my red hair. Mom, Dad and Baby are all fine, healthy and happy. Mom and Dad are especially happy.

Motrin Mom Babywearing Ad

"Baby wearing is a fad. . . Supposedly it's a real bonding experience." These are some of the lines from Motrin's new ad about moms who carry their babies in slings. Yikes! What was Motrin thinking? How many times do we have to chide marketers for their abysmal efforts at marketing to women? (We decry it frequently on this blog.) How many times do we have to remind them that women are responsible for 80% of all consumer purchases? It's generally not a good idea to piss us off.

This commercial has been widely denounced all over the blogosphere and on Twitter. Women are ticked off at Motrin. Women who use baby carriers generally don't consider it a fad.

If Motrin was trying to make the point that carrying your baby can cause aches and pains, they certainly could have done so without the mocking.

I'd read the articles and heard about the angry blog posts, but hadn't seen the ad until yesterday. (Sorry, I was busy having a baby of my own!) Yesterday, Terri and I checked it out to see what all the fuss was about, thinking it had probably been overblown. Having watched it now, I can say the fuss is warranted, Motrin was stupid, it was a bad marketing move, and I'm happy to report they've pulled the ad.

The Hidden Web

Move over Google! A new web browser developed by the super smarties over at the Human Genome Project aims to discover the whopping 99% of the web Google and other search engines cannot get to.

Genomics Browser Unlocks Deep Web

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• Why google wants your genes

Best Buy launches store for and by women

Gosh, about 18 years ago, I put together a presentation (pre-PowerPoint days; I painstakingly typed it in WordPerfect) on marketing to women. I was baffled then that more businesses weren't taking advantage of this lucrative market. Most of the stats I cited back then (women control 80% of consumer spending, buy 60% of all new cars and influence the purchase of most of the rest, represent nearly half or more of all investment decisions, etc.) are still true today and yet, marketers remain blissfully ignorant on how to target us. The situation has improved, of course, but I am still waiting for a car manufacturer to truly speak to me. I get so sick and tired of car commercials that focus on performance, speed, horsepower, and torque (what is torque anyhow?). The only time I've really seen a car commercial attempt to talk to women it was for a van and highlighted the remote control sliding doors. Well, it's a start I suppose.

And for the record, targeting women does not mean making your product pink.

Best Buy is trying to get in on the action. Since women represent 45% of all electronics purchases, they're looking at ways to appeal to us, starting with the design of their stores. They have one test store now. I hope it works and that more marketers consider their actual SHOPPERS (women!) in their store planning, merchandising, product choices, etc.

Read more here: Springwise: Best Buy launches store for and by women