All of us here at Base Brands would like to wish you and yours a very happy holiday season. It is coming down to the final stretch, and by the looks of traffic around here, people are busy with last minute shopping. Hopefully, you’ve been able to use some of our previous green shopping tips as you head out to the mall!
So, in the spirit of the holidays, we’d like to share some simple ideas to be a bit greener this holiday season, and start the New Year off right.
Buy in bulk or large packages: ‘Tis the season to cook and bake. Try to plan out your recipes so you can buy bigger containers/boxes and make lots of batches of your favorite recipe. Buying lots of little containers of ingredients creates a ton of extra waste.
Be stingy with the gas logs: Running a gas fireplace really eats up gas and costs a small fortune! Try to run it just for special occasions, not all day long, like the kids want. This makes it more special anyway.
Time those lights: Plug in a light timer for your outside and tree lights. It’s silly to waste electricity when no one is around to enjoy the pretty tree.
Recycle paper and ribbons: It’s amazing how much you can save and reuse if you’re careful. Especially gift bags; they’re expensive and a huge shame to throw out. And don’t put labels on the outside of the bag! Then they’re ruined for sure.
Say no to paper plates: Invest in cheap but attractive buffet plates and cups and ditch the paper plates and cups at your next holiday open house. Plus it looks so much nicer anyway.
Here’s hoping your time with friends and family is joyous and safe this year. We’re going to spend some quality time with our loved ones so we’ll see you back in 2010!
Ken Kreafle, CEO of Base Brands
December 21st, 2009
Not to sound old-fashioned, but most household products appeal to women, not men. Women buy them, use them, store them, throw them out when done, and buy new ones when they need them. This is a generalization, I know, but still very true. Any smart marketer knows this to be fact. So, at Base Brands, when we develop new and different household products, we talk to our consumer and listen to her too. But, one of our most recent product launches got me thinking. What makes a typical household product “crossover” to the other side? When does the male of the house start to notice a particular household item and care enough to give his opinion to the ultimate decision maker?
A friend of a friend’s husband, who is pretty traditional (not a lot of help with household or childcare chores), told his wife he wanted them to buy this well-known high-end vacuum cleaner. He doesn’t vacuum, has never vacuumed and probably never will. But he wanted them to have this vacuum. Why? Because it had a great design and looked cool. It had a “mechanism” to it that made it different.
And so it is with our new Reduce™ Compactor Can. It’s a kitchen garbage can that features great design and looks cool. And it has a revolutionary feature unlike any other can out there— it has a compacting feature built into the lid so you can compact 2 times your household garbage, all without plugs or batteries. You just push down on the lid handle and a compacting disc then squishes down your garbage. No more sticking your hand into the trash! So it is a sanitary solution to a common problem, that also saves money on trash bags, and sends less bags to the landfill, making it eco-friendly too. And to brag a bit, the Reduce Compactor Can, has recently been selected as a finalist in a housewares design contest! The 2010 Housewares Design Awards chose the Reduce Compactor Can as one of only 65 finalists out of over 300 entries because of its innovative and eco-friendly design. Check it out at http://www.housewaresdesignawards.com/hda/main.asp.
We have found that men really like the Reduce Compactor Can. It has man-appeal. Is it because men take out the trash? (Again, generalizing here.) Is it because they have a gadget to play with? Is it because it appeals to their ego because they can one-up the neighbors with the coolest garbage can in the cul-de-sac? Not sure here. Women still make the buying decisions no doubt, but with more and more household products, they may hear more input from their other half. The big question is will they listen. What other household products do you think have “man-appeal”? Let us know. We’re curious.
Ken Kreafle, CEO of Base Brands
December 8th, 2009
