Somewhere... probably now happily retired, is the marketer who came up with the idea of Black Friday. But what started out as a simple marketing idea has grown - as these things will, into an uncontrollable monster of a day for marketers. Here's what you've got... one day. One day during which you slash your margins and hike up your ad spend to try and to beat your competitors to be the trader making the least money on every sale. He who makes the least wins. And the more of the less you make the better... somehow. So we have educated our customers to wait. Wait until Black Friday to get that TV they were going to get in time for the holidays. Wait to buy those Christmas presents that were already on Santa's list. And shop around like never before because, well, that's how you'll get the very best deal going. It's a race to the bottom...

Over the past month or so, two friends of mine have contacted me about emails they have received. Take note: these are smart people. They are well educated and, well, let's just say they are as long on the tooth as I. And yet both were asking me to verify the emails they had received about having won some kind of cash prize in an online lottery (click on the image to see the entire letter). I know what you're thinking - How could they be so gullible? Right? Well, yes and no. There is no such thing as a free lunch... we all know that. But these letters are very plausible and convincing. In the example featured here, the logic is; this is Google's way of "giving something back" to their users and getting some goodwill going their way. Look at the argument. You have won as one of Google's users. And you are a Google user. You use their products all the time - so why wouldn't they enter you into their draw. And you've won, not only..

Well played Burger King. In case you missed it, Burger King sent an open invitation to McDonalds to join forces on World Peace Day to put aside their differences and sell a combined burger - the McWhopper in a pop up restaurant that would combine elements of the two brands. They even built a website to present the invitation. It's impressive... ... and McDonalds turned them down. On the one hand this seems a shame. It would have been good to see them do this together. But on the other it seems like a very, very clever marketing move by Burger King...

So what do you do if you are in charge of attracting tourism to a tiny country in the Pyrenees known for it's skiing... in the summer months? This is the problem faced by the Andorran tourist board. Great in winter - empty in the summer. Their brilliant solution? Host a show by the Cirque du Soleil and give away free tickets...