Posted by admin on August 31st, 2008 — Posted in Branding
Private Label Trends
The beverage industry is turning over a new leaf as trends support brisk growth and
reveal hot opportunities for private label. While newsworthy trends are beginning to
unfold, savvy sellers explore the impact these changes have on consumer behavior
in concurrence with their marketing strategy and product offering. Small and mid-
size business is no longer using other brands, entering the market is their own
propriety brand that defies tradition and repositions with a premium image and
product.
Private label is upscaling in both perception and practice as black tea fires up to
green chai spice. Originally perceived as an affordable substitute to the national
brand, the generic brand is stepping aside to the new concept in private label - the
premium private label brand. Premium, specialty and gourmet product sales are
surging as the seller’s own brand evolves and expands into new market segments
building company and product awareness.
As demographics and culture change, so does market demand for new satisfying
beverage offerings complimenting lifestyles of comfort, pleasure and luxury.
Consumers are snubbing their nose to commodity tea; they desire high quality,
tempting flavors brewed from the finest ingredients. Major health and wellness
trends are driving sales of private label brands as consumers seek healthy
alternatives to traditional products, switching to natural, organic and nutritious
beverages such as specialty fruit, herbal and green teas.
Distribution channels are opening up in the service sector as private label is no
longer a marketing success used exclusively by retailers. Businesses, from high-end
hospitality to professional services, are serving up signature brand beverages to
enhance the client experience while at the same time build company recognition.
Generic private label brands are becoming a popular pick in international markets
with the premium private label brand soon to follow, and there is room to grow.
Marketplace dynamics indicate there has never been a better time for small and
mid-size business to consider the power of private label to market, sell and profit
on their own brand products.
Private Label, A Phenomenon All of Its Own
Traditionally, private label went hand in hand with generic household staples
including tea and coffee. The term “private label” was used interchangeably with
“generic brand.” Consumers have long expressed favorable views to generic brands,
as an AC Nielsen study supports, citing private label brands as an extremely good
value for the money and a good alternative to national brands. Large discounters
had the economy of scale advantage, marketing generic label by employing a low
price, high volume system to generate profits. Of course this made it difficult, if
impossible, for smaller firms to compete.
The exciting, really pioneering news in the survey is consumers are now seeing
private label to be higher priced and of equal or higher quality in comparison with
other brands, unlocking opportunities for small business. Sellers are now
successfully fighting fierce competition, armed with a proven small business
marketing tactic; pull in profits with smaller sales volumes by offering a high price,
high quality, unique brand through the support of a private label wholesale partner.
A Healthy Future for Private Label
Demographic and cultural trends favor propriety bands, positively impacting the
growth and earning potential of exclusive brand offerings. Inspired by volumes of
medical information and continuing scientific research major trends in health and
wellness are here to stay. As the 80 million baby boomers age, over half who have
reached 50, they are becoming more health conscious and it is not just the baby
boomer. A recent survey shows 72% of all adults feel they should be making
healthier choices. In response, retailers are rolling out new natural and organic
lines, made from pure health promoting ingredients, a popular choice being green
tea rich in antioxidants. Looking for ways to de-stress and relax naturally
consumers are also adding chamomile and other herbal teas to their list of favorites.
The U.S. Census Bureau predicts an increase in diversity in the United States with
high growth rates in Asian and Hispanic populations, interestingly, they share a
cultural attribute - loyalty. Using private label, a seller can gain trust and loyalty
with a quality product specialized to a specific ethnic group. These niche markets
are typically geographically concentrated making small and regional firms a good
fit. Serving consumers directly on a day to day basis in their local establishments
allows a business to understanding their patrons’ cultural needs and desires. Small
business should pay close attention to the unfilled requests of up and coming ethnic
markets as their national competitors are. Last year Celestial Seasonings introduced
new teas to the Hispanic community focusing on flavors and herbs of chamomile,
linden and other ingredients popular among the group.
The US economy is also showing signs of healthy, yet stable economic growth, with
long-term prospects remaining favorable. The growing number of living
comfortable, affluent American consumers represents a niche market that is
insensitive to price, and have unfulfilled needs for high quality, unique products and
services. These consumers are responsible for a large percentage of premium,
specialty and gourmet purchases. Asians, who enjoy their ceremonies of tea, will
also influence the market. A highly educated and a wealthy group, research shows
Asian-American households have the highest median income, $59,000, in the five
major racial/ethnic groups with the white, non-Hispanic category closely following.
Private Label Anytime, Anyplace
The service industry is driving private label brands into non-traditional avenues and
leaving their mark. Distinguished food service and hospitality companies are putting
their own name on the beverages they serve giving their patrons a taste of
something only offered at their establishment. Beyond hospitality, other service
industries are joining the trend, personal, entertainment, business and professional
services to name a few. Serving signature brands build and reinforce their business
image and ambience, in addition to enhancing their client experience. Many of
these service companies are adding on profits centers, complimenting the core
business through direct sales of their carte items.
Afternoon tea has become tea anytime, anyplace and anyway, as the opportunities
are endless. Teahouses are evolving into bubble tea cafes serving a frothy hot or
cold beverage made from tea, milk, sugar and tapioca balls, alluring the younger
crowd. The over 21 age group is sipping up creative and flavorful cocktails of tea,
liquor and ice at trendy tea bars and lounges. What these entrepreneurs have in
common is the ability to introduce their own brand that set them apart from their
competitors, with the support of a private label wholesaler.
In the beverage industry distinct trends are pouring out opportunities with
consumers ready to taste. Changes in consumer perception, demographics, lifestyle
and culture lay the foundation for a unique offering of products and services. To
capitalize on these trends sellers are no longer stocking standard off-the-shelf
brands. Instead they are formulating a custom blend of product, label and package
to create their own exclusive brand, satisfying the unfulfilled needs of changing
consumer tastes. Private label is a powerful ingredient in their recipe for success.
Trends and marketplace dynamics point out now is the time for small and mid-size
business in all industries to consider the power of private label to leave their mark.
Jake Mayer is the owner of Lapis Teahouse, a manufacturer of
http://www.lapisteahouse.com private label tea and custom blend herbal products
that works with both large and small companies. He can be contacted to build your
brand at jake@lapisteahouse.com.
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Posted by admin on August 31st, 2008 — Posted in Shopping Parlor
With Xmas coming up there will be an enormous growth in sexy toy sales. In and around this time the sex aid firms will be deciding on what promotions are going ahead and what martial toys will be the best sellers.
Sex Bomb, the tremendous sexual toy shop, is absolute that vibrators will be the leading seller this year. Vibrators have been such big time sellers in the past as the brilliant sex aid might often be used by males and couples. The marital aids available this Christmas are of course getting greater with more technology. The very latest martial toys are realistic and inexpensive making marital aids more appealable to blokes. women have regularly been sensual aid buyers and this Christmas will see them, on average, spending over three million pounds at Christmas. Grab a bargain with Dildos from retailer Sex Bomb.
The sex aid market is big, the level of competition from the sex aid organisations are causing the old days of inexpensive inflatable dolls changing to particularly realistic sex dolls with skin that feels real and real human hair. Some dolls even vibrate.
This year every one of us should be hinting to their boyfriend to buy them a sexy toy or four. The passion and spice you add to your love life might really make you feel really happy. Sex toys are fantastic.
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Posted by admin on August 31st, 2008 — Posted in Branding
The so called ‘globalisation’ has cluttered the world markets with so many products and services that nearly 90% of the marketing managers in competing companies do pretty much the same to sustain in the market. There is not much difference in the way P&G operates as compared to how Unilever gets its products to the market. Coke and Pepsi’s operations nearly reflect each other and all that these two compete is on ‘who spends more on advertising this year’! If one disagrees with this argument by saying “we provide better quality products/services”, then don’t forget that this is precisely where your competitors put their efforts as well. Southwest Airlines, the revolutionary domestic American low-cost no-frill airline, most of the time does exactly what its competitors do. Well, the only difference is that Southwest Airlines serves meals in the airport during waits and not on the plane. This in no way means that Southwest Airlines is performing better than its competitors. If you are doing well what you are supposed to be doing, then that is not differentiation but a prerequisite for competing. Also, doing the same things in a better way is a deserving effort but not a strategy, especially in the long run. If all the competitors in the industry tend to converge into an equable level, of prices/costs, quality, technological sophistication, service quality etc, how, then are you supposed to compete? In this scenario, what most management consultants will advise you is either to offer you clients with more than what your competition offers, for a higher price, for the same price, for a lower price or offer them less value for a lower price. But remember that all these options can give you a short-term edge, but will usually not sustain as you competitors will soon follow the bandwagon!
At this stage, one might say well why not target a niche market. You could offer something unique to a market that your competitor does not. You can cater a need not formerly satisfied by your competitor. The best example in this case is Nokia, the mobile giant who started selling cell phones more as a fashion accessory than a communication tool. Another example could be the retail chain NEXT, that saw the gap between the low cost low quality retail store such as PRIMARK and high cost standard quality stores such as GAP and entered the market to offer customers with products which fitted ’somewhere in between’. But as I have mentioned above, there is no guarantee that you would be the only one enjoying the benefits. Very soon, you will find yourself competing with many more competitors than what you had before you decided to enter this niche! But if your product/services is something that is difficult or impossible to imitate, or it is something that your competitors might not want to imitate - then you might just have created a mini-monopoly of your own. And this is definitely an accomplishment that should not be underestimated in a competitive market.
Many would agree that all the above mentioned moves are nothing but strategies to compete in the market. But what really is a strategy? By definition, strategy is a way by which you plan your moves to achieve your objectives. A more interesting view of ’strategy’ can be gained by understanding John Nash’s Game Theory. In simple words, strategy is not what you will do, but ‘how’ you will do it. It is not what you will attain in the end but more so on ‘how’ you will attain it. Every football team has a strategy before the match, Mike Tyson always had a strategy before he got down on the ring (sometimes quite brutal! ), Michael Schumacher always has a strategy before he decides to take a pit stop! What all these simply imply is that a strategy is the way by which you plan to achieve an advantage over your rivals/competitor - in the eyes of your customers. Almost always, preference can be achieved only by differentiation, by either doing something other than what your competitors are doing or by doing things in a markedly dissimilar manner. By being different you supply some of the consumers in some of the buying/consuming opportunities with a good reason to want you more (and if you are a great strategist indeed - to want you only).
A winning brand strategyone that is integrated into a company’s overall business strategy can make a huge difference in overcoming these challenges. Obviously, a powerful brand can cut through the noisy clutter of the marketplace, heightening awareness of a product or service and shifting demand in its favour. But a strong brand can do more than simply help companies stand out from the crowd; it can help them break away entirely. Increasingly, we see the winning company in an industry transforming its early lead into a brand driven emotional momentum that leaves runners-up in the dust. Thus, a strategic brand move is a bit more than just doing something different than your competitors.
Differentiation definitely gives one an advantage in the market but what is more important is to develop a ’strategic differentiation’, which is not everyone’s cup of tea. Other forms of differentiation that many companies have often adopted are either ‘ephemeral differentiation’ or ‘indirect differentiation’. Ephemeral differentiation allows one to promote the brand in a short period of time. Some examples could be a month long advertising campaign or a big sales promotion campaign. Alternatively, indirect differentiation consists of things like historical monopoly, location etc. But none of these provide a long lasting circumstance crossing advantage. Many organizations believe that differentiation is necessary for enabling the consumers to choose between alternatives in the market. I agree. But what organizations fail to understand is that more than differentiation, it is the perception of the consumers towards the brand that has a strong effect on his/her buying behaviour. Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Nescafe, Tango, Milk, Evian etc. are all alternatives for a consumer to quench his/her thirst. But when he/she is in a store, it is their perception which activates and starts dominating the movement of their hands! Any of the above would ultimately provide value to the consumer by meeting his needs- thirst. More often than not, most of the available options in the market offer their consumers ‘what matters most’.
The idea of differentiation is to develop your strategy in such a way that your consumers think of you as exceptional. They will act as your success engine, even amongst consumers who are not as definite in their attitudes. BMW fans do not believe that Mercedes is a bad car; it’s just that it is not a BMW. For them, Mercedes is simply incomparable to BMW. That’s how Apple fans feel about IBM. Strategic differentiation is thus a combination of the brand strategy and the competitive strategy in such a way that the brand itself becomes a strategic differentiator. Or more accurately - the brand strategy is the translation of the competitive strategy - into a language of promises made to the consumer.
Thus the strategic importance of branding is something that needs to be understood by those who want to make a difference. Today, brand building no longer constitutes a mere manipulation of the consumer’s perceptions and desires, but it is a creation of a system that on the one-hand makes promises and arouses anticipations, while on the other-hand it delivers and realizes the promises that it makes. If your moves are right, you will definitely win the jackpot! You don’t necessarily need to do something different, but you need to do the same things differently!
By Gaurav Bahirvani
Gaurav Bahirvani is a Corporate Brand Development Analyst living in Manchester, England. For any further queries or discussions on issues related to branding and marketing, please feel free to get in touch with him on gaurav.bahirvani@gmail.com
*Special thanks to Dr. Herman’s views on strategic branding.
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Posted by admin on August 30th, 2008 — Posted in Branding
When you’re all alone in the privacy of your home office, surrounded by your
computer, your phone and your business idea, have you ever asked yourself,
“Where’s the line between mein my business and the business in me”?
With hundreds of thousands of home-based businesses starting every year, and few
ever flourishing, the topic of branding has become hot, hot, hot. And thanks to
experts touting the need for a personal brandin sole proprietor businesses the
confusion is growing. It’s no wonder. Business… personal… personal… business–
what IS the big difference any way?
Last week, I was guiding a client (a service-based sole practioner) through the same
step-by-step process that I take every company (sole practioner, entrepreneur or a
business of any size) through to develop their brand and I noticed that as we got
deeper and deeper into the process, she was having more and more trouble coming
up with answers. The very answers that would separate her from other people
engaged the same exact business and distinctly establish her brand.
In the middle of working on the most important step in the branding process– the
brand statement–I asked her the simple question, “Whydoes she do business she
does?” she burst into tears. Halfway into the box of Kleenex she finally, revealed the
most amazing answer as to why she was in her chosen field in the first place.
Honestly, I think she stunned herself. We both sat silent for over a minute in awe of
the power she had tapped into with her discovery. (Don’t let anyone fool you, this is
from where the true power of branding comes.)
Then doubt reared its ugly head and like a butterfly emerging from a new cocoon, a
series of questions poured out of her: “Is this my business or is it me?” “Is why I do
what I do really that important?” “Why is it so hard for me to stand in the power of
my business and really make something of it?”
You get the picture? You may even be standing ina similar picture, even wrestling
with the same questions yourself. Bless you if you’re not. Let’s look at the
difference between ‘your business’ and ‘you the person’ and see if we can clear up
this question once and for all.
A business:(be it Niketown or Bob’s Shoe Bonanza)
Delivers a product or service to fulfill a customer need.
You:
Deliver a product or service to fulfill a customer need.
A business:
Establishes a certain value that a customer can rely on from every contact with their
product or service.
You:
Establish a certain value that a customer can rely on from every contact with your
product or service. (If not, get on it immediately!)
A business:
Communicates consistently to reach the customers that have a need for their
product or service.
You:
Communicate consistently to reach the customers that have a need for your product
or service. (If not, what are you waiting for?)
A business:
Enjoys a financial reward equal to the amount of customers that it serves, AND a
personal reward for the creator/C.E.O.
You:
Enjoy a financial reward equal to the amount of customers that you serve AND YOU
get to experience the personal reward yourself.
If you look at just these four basic, bottom-line points, the difference between a
business and you as a sole business owner is… nothing; unless you count the added
bonus of you getting a financial AND personal reward.
At the start of every single business, throughout history, there has never been a
separation between the person starting it and the business itself. If you asked any
business figure-head today, Bill Gates of Microsoft, or Jeff Bezos of Amazon.com, or
if they took over a company like Meg Whitman for Ebay,or Carly Fiorina for Hewlett-
Packard, they would tell you that there is no difference in who ‘they are’ and what
‘they bring’ to their business. Why? Because there’s no room for a difference. It’s the
alignment that makes it possible to reach the highest of the heights.
It’s challenging enough to make any business succeed. It’s tough enough to make
any business reside in the mind of a customer. Why would you remove the very
power of ‘you’ in every shape and form from your business?! Why not every day do
the thing that moves you the most? You are the only thing that sets your business
apart– you just need a process of tapping into your power, connecting it to your
business, and a systematic way of communicating it to your customers over and
over and over again.
When developing your amazing business as a brand, throw the doors wide open.
Create it as you would if you were reaching millions. You can always decide exactly
how many millions later. Thinking of your brand as just a ‘personal’ one will do the
opposite. Keep it small.
If you work for yourself, be it your own business, network marketing, or even an
agent/broker condition under a corporate umbrella, you are the CEO of
yourbusiness. Every CEO brings themselves personally to their business. The great
ones bring every thing they are to their creation, every moment.
The majority of our lives are spent doing what we call work. As an entrepreneur or
business owner, you have the wonderful opportunity to make it more. Make it your
creation. Think of yourself as the Creator of an Entrepreneur Organization. When
you wake up tomorrow, instead of saying to yourself, “I’m going to work” say “I’m
going to create.” And the operative word is I’m. The true power of really making
something in your business will come from investing in it the most valuable
commodity you have– you.
There is no separation on the road to big business success: just because you’re
personally on it. True big business success comes to those who know, it’s not
justbusiness– it’s personal too.
Written by Kim Castle, the Co-founder of BrandU the home of only step-by-
step process for developing your business as a brand from the inside out!
To get information on upcoming BrandU one-day workshops: http://
www.whybrandu.com/Public/events/workshop/index.cfm?semID=13
Get your Why You?!(sm) monthly ezine for easy-to-read tips and informative
insights on branding. To subscribe: http://www.whybrandu.com/
“BrandU Big Business Success No Matter Your Size”
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Posted by admin on August 26th, 2008 — Posted in Medical Stuff
The Islamic Faith seems to be losing its way, even though Muslims have outpaced other human breeds with procreation and larger families. The Islamic Faith and Muslim Mosques need to dress things up a bit to keep the members staying with in the religion. As we say in France some had left the Mosques and dishonored the Islamic Faith by throwing a few Molotov Cocktails in a four-week civil disturbance burning some 20,000 automobiles.
One way for the Islamic Faith to modernize a little might be to use some high-tech electronics and technology to keep the younger generation involved a little. It appears to be difficult trying to live a life of 2,000 years ago in a civilization in the present period. And this kind of makes sense doesn’t it. But we know Islam is such a wonderful and peaceful religion, so perhaps we can bring it into the current times, with a little technological help? How so you ask?
Well, I propose that we use Holographic Technologies in the Mosques so the younger Muslim generations can understand what on God’s Earth the older generation is telling them. By creating Islamic Lessons of teachings thru a visual holographic full motion projection of the Great Allah, who can stand up and explain to the children all about the world of Islam and help indoctrinate them into a World of Peace and thus preventing them from being recruited by those who have used dishonored Islam. Think on this.
“Lance Winslow” - Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; http://www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs/
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Posted by admin on August 26th, 2008 — Posted in Internet Recreation Resources
Virtual bingo has now become progressively renowned in the British Isles. Following up on the public ban on smoking, countless traditional bingo haunts were driven out of business — this has set in motion countless syndicates providing cyberspace bingo as another course of action.
Celebrities’ advocacy as publicized by the Osbournes and many others have also proved helpful in boosting the image of on line bingo — encompassing some 2.5-3 million people already enjoying a recurrent game.
You’ll find a few cyberspace bingo Web pages, all and sundry extending to their punters truly phenomenal cash jackpots and other limited rewards, as, for example, sparkling new cars, movie premiere tickets and luxury holidays.
The great thing about cyberspace bingo is that you can try your hand at it anytime, if you have a Web account. With games kicking off almost every seventeen minutes, you can opt to arrange bingo so it integrates entirely with your usual everyday life.
At the outset people supposed that the group aspect of bingo gambling would fall off as caused by this shift away from traditional bingo haunts - though bingo afficionados in Britain are indisputably disproving all alarmist critics. Ever more are moving over to the platforms tendered by a mint of cyberspace bingo syndicates.
At these places we can get to know new friends, benefit from high-class games and become fully immersed in a bingo community.
Moreover, independent research reports have borne out that you’re far more likely to rake in £1million by taking a stab at ‘net bingo as compared to alternative types of betting as, for example, raffles and sports betting.
Should you become a mite uninterested in bingo, a good number of cyberspace bingo Web pages have included a comprehensive selection of alternative pastimes. These can be anything from numbers and slots games, all through to caption tournaments and funny exercises.
In view of such a range of possibilities, it may well be a mite tough to establish which www bingo outfit best matches your requirements. It pays out to run some rudimentary research and check who is presently propounding the most engaging bonuses. Hundreds of cyberspace bingo Web pages will allow first time players to have a bash at a number of free test games of bingo or upmark any cash that you initially deposit.
If any of your good friends have signed up at a particular cyberspace bingo web site, you will want to consider following their example as the social chat side should add to the overall fun and amusement.:)
Virtual Bingo
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Posted by admin on August 23rd, 2008 — Posted in Medical Stuff
Dessert Category
Sor-bay at the Moon
Category: Dessert
Serves: 3 dozen
Preparation Time: 5 minutes
Cooking Time: 0 minutes
Quick Tips:
Baby food is a great way to give your dog’s nutritional intake a kickstart. It’s typically all natrual, contains lots of vitamins and minerals, is easy to digest, and dogs love it. It is the perfect way to give your dog a treat they like that is also nutritional.
Ingredients:
- 950 ml (4 cups) yogurt (any flavour)
- 1 jar baby food, fruit flavour
- 30 ml (2 Tbsp) honey
- 30 ml (2 Tbsp) natural peanut butter
Preparation & Cooking:
- Puree all ingredients in a food processor. Keep it going until it is a smooth mixture. We don’t want any lumps in there.
- Get your ice cube trays and pour the mixture into them. You will probably need 2 - 3 depending on the size.
- Now pop them in your freezer so they can at least freeze over night.
- When serving you can microwave briefly or pop them on the bench so they can thaw slightly before serving. You must be careful though as you don’t want it melting and going all over the place. Best if you put it outside otherwise you will be either mopping the floor or worse yet, getting your carpets steam cleaned.
Justin Bryce is the Proprietor of http://www.dogtreatrecipes.com.au
Stop by for over 400 dog treat recipes and fantastic dog health and care tips plus way’s to spoil your dog.
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Posted by admin on August 21st, 2008 — Posted in Medical Stuff
Homeowners’ Insurance is insurance that pays for damage to the home and other structures on the property. It also may pay for damage to or loss of the property or assets related to the home, accidents that occur on the property and even sometimes for damages to others’ property.
After the loads of natural and man-made calamities in the USA the Homeowners’ Insurance market is becoming more and more attractive, as well as more competitive, than it was ten years ago. The insurance agents have to look for leads that could be converted into business to become successful. Agent can get good leads from real estate agents or referrals. For getting qualified leads the agents have to have significantly more sophisticated search tools. The agent must know the channels like billboards, pop-up ads, emails and Yellow Pages ads, which were considered the most effective channels just two or three years ago. If they are properly used they are still useful.
This is the era of the internet. Nowadays there are many online companies who provide the leads. The qualified Homeowners’ Insurance Lead fills out a form on the insurance leads provider’s website. Upon receipt of the form, the lead service emails the insurance agent the information submitted by the insurance lead. The insurance agent then contacts the insurance lead via email or phone, and provides them with a quote on the type of the insurance coverage they are looking for. In order to obtain the most qualified insurance leads, insurance brokers can give the leads’ service company specific information about the types of coverage offered.
Insurance Leads provides detailed information about insurance leads, health insurance leads, life insurance leads, disability insurance leads and more. Insurance Leads is the sister site of Exclusive Telemarketed Mortgage Leads.
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Posted by admin on August 21st, 2008 — Posted in Online Technology Resources
I remember an era where gaming notebooks were a special breed. Basically as I remember they were never the greatest selling laptops but being more significantly costly they were the greatest cash generating units. The most sought after laptops were the ones that were too overpriced to contemplate purchasing. They were pretty much desktop computer replacements and the quickest, best laptop computer you could acquire. I know we all got excited about them but the masses would never buy laptops that were so pricey. Recently all that has appeared to have transformed as the giant players have spotted the opportunities in gaming portables.
In my view they would get off by selling them at an increased price if they wanted. With such slim profits on other notebooks it is not a surprise they would like to be involved. Why would anybody buy laptops like this? Well big brands have the marketing money to educate them on that. What could local manufacturers possibly do if they are priced out of the market? I express this due to the fact that the technology which was once exclusive and overpriced is now becoming standard. I think customers would trust the larger manufacturers more if they get something high priced.
With that these portables are in addition perceived to be the best laptops already, even if they really are not. This is probably the last service that smaller companies can provide which the larger ones cannot. I really doubt buyers would prefer to have a similar specification like everyone else in this form of market. I believe the guys that purchase gaming notebooks typically know what they are looking for. For these types of consumers, the speed of a computer typically matter more than the design of it.
This could be interpreted as a positive change for the purchaser. In the near future top of the line equipment for your money will be the result of this change. Though I say that, I’m not so confident with my predictions. I doubt if the overall price of laptops will decline but new units are normally at particular price points. The larger companies have already started their own gaming laptop line, so all we can do now is sit back and watch.
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Posted by admin on August 20th, 2008 — Posted in Medical Stuff
While the Jeep is famous in its history of serving the US military there is some misunderstanding concerning who created the original Jeep. Many incorrectly attribute the development of the first Jeep to Willys. The true inspiration of the first Jeep design came from a small and relatively unknown company by the name of the American Bantam Car Company based in Butler, PA.
The American Bantam Car Company was first established as a subsidiary of the Austin Car Company, a British car manufacturer, and was originally called American Austin Car Company. Austin made a small and economical car called the Austin Seven, which was very popular in England. Unfortunately for the Austin Car Company, the Austin Seven never saw popularity here in the states and the American Austin Car Company nearly went bankrupt. It was eventually taken over by its Chairman who changed its name to the American Bantam Car Company (Bantam). Bantam took the original Austin Seven design and made a number of improvements. It was a slightly bigger version than its British cousin and was capable of longer drives.
The Bantam folks were pioneers and saw a need for a light military vehicle. They provided a few of their autos to the National Guard in an effort to sell the military on the use of such vehicles. The military finally realized a need for a light mobile vehicle and finally agreed to discuss a design with Banatm in 1940. The outcome of this meeting was a proposed military 4X4 hybrid that was to weigh less than 1300 pounds. In 1941 Bantam developed a Bantam Reconnaissance Car in response to the U.S. Army’s request for an all-purpose military vehicle. This vehicle ultimately became the prototype of the Jeep, which was later manufactured by Willys (Willys MB) and Ford (GPW).
The US military was concerned about Bantam’s ability to produce the necessary amount of vehicles and because of this they decided to offer other manufacturers the opportunity to produce the vehicle. The requirement was to design a vehicle and with the approval of the US military, the manufacturer was then to build and deliver a prototype within 49 days. With the military’s approval of the prototype, an additional 70 working rigs were to be delivered in 75 days. The required weight limit caused many manufacturers to turn away from the project with only Bantam and Willys participating initially, and Ford joining in later.
Bantam’s drawings were the closest to the military’s requirements even though their design had problems with the weight restrictions. The company completed their design and built and delivered the prototype on schedule. The military having tested the vehicle to its fullest was satisfied with the design and performance, and commissioned the additional 70 vehicles to be built. This is where the Military began to be concerned about Bantam’s ability to produce enough vehicles. The company was fairly small and had a limited capacity. What the military did was to grant Willys and Ford access to the trials of the Bantam prototype and to their actual designs, even though Willys failed to submit a prototype on time and Ford showed little interest in the endeavor up to that point in time. Both Ford and Willys were allowed to submit prototypes, the Quad (Willys) and the Pygmy (Ford), well outside the specified time frame and well above the required weight limit. Both the Ford and Willys versions “borrowed” quite a bit from Bantam’s design.
The Bantam vehicle, Bantam GPV (General Purpose Vehicle), was delivered on time, met the majority of the specifications, and performed well in the tests. By all accounts Bantam should have been awarded the contract, and there was a large controversy over how the contract was handled. The military, unfortunately for Bantam, identified strengths and weaknesses of each vehicle. The Bantam was to high off the ground and was underpowered, while the Quad was well over the weight limit but had a more powerful engine, and the Pygmy was underpowered and had suspect steering components but handled best of the three vehicles. The military still concerned about the capability of two of the companies, Bantam and Willys, decided to place an order for 1500 vehicles with each company producing 500, as long as they met the original specifications with the only change being an increase in the weight limit to a little over 2200 pounds.
All three companies took the best ideas from each other and from Bantam’s original production design to further develop their vehicles causing the 3 vehicles to be extremely similar. In mid 1941 the military decided that the 1500 vehicles should be of a standardized design and not three different types. They ultimately chose the Willys design due to its lower cost, and that version was adopted as the standard army vehicle. Willys went on to secure the contract to provide the next 16,000 Willys. This contract award called for a series of alterations to the design, which lead to the classic standard Jeep design.
Bantam continued to produce its production version, known, as the Bantam 40 BRC, but the US Army did not want it because it was non-standard. The already produced vehicles and the new production units were forwarded to the Russian and British armies. It is very interesting to note that after watching the testing trials the Russian military actually chose the Bantam over the Willys’ and Ford’s units. The eventual Willys’ design closely resembles the 40 BRC.
In the winter of 1941 the army wanted to develop a second source for the vehicle because Willys couldn’t keep up with production requirements and a wanted a safeguard against the possible sabotage at the one production facility. In November the US Army awarded Ford to build 15,000 jeeps to the Willys design and drawing. The Willys MB and the Ford GPW vary in minor details only as the military required that the parts be interchangeable. The GPW in the Ford model’s name was reference to G for government vehicle, P referred to its wheel base size, and the W was for designating that it had a Willys’ engine. The one change Ford made, which was adopted by the military as standard design, was the now all-familiar grill. With Ford now producing the jeep along with Willys, the military was able to provide the jeeps to its allies and production of the Bantam 40 BRC was discontinued.
Combined production of the Willys MB and Ford GPW during WW II was over 500,000. A total of 2,675 of the Bantam 40 BRCs were built. The company reportedly never produced vehicles again. The US military awarded Bantam contracts to build trailers as a way to make it up to them for not receiving the jeep contract.
So, who created the original jeep? Well historically this has seen a bit of controversy going back as far as 1943 when the Fair Trade Commission ultimately charged Willys with false and misleading advertising claims stating that Willys had created the Jeep. The court determined that the Jeep was fostered and conceived in Butler, PA, by the American Bantam Car Company. The primary designer who worked on the Jeep project for Bantam was Karl Probst, and, now you know who really created the first Jeep!
In his pare time, Al likes to learn more about one of the true American Automotive Legends, The Jeep. When he is working, Al is a marketing manager for one of the leading on-line retailers of aftermarket Jeep parts and accessories, Xtreme Terrain Concepts. They can be found at http://www.xtremeterrain.com.
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