POM Wonderful

When B and I started TwoDC just over a year ago, we never imagined that this blog would bring us much in the way of cool opportunities. We figured that we would post some pictures of our adventures in DC and hope that our parents would remember to read it.

I've been a devoted follower of a number of healthy living blogs (see list on the right) and was always a bit envious when the bloggers would receive product samples in the mail. Imagine my delight when a PR person from POM Wonderful offered to send us some pomegranate juice to try!

Now I guess you're probably wondering how pomegranate juice fits into the TwoDC theme. Well, this blog is a space for us to share our life in DC and a big part of our life is one that you don't often read about: what we eat when we're not eating out. Though it might seem like we eat out every day, we actually spend a fair amount of our time cooking meals, packing lunches, and trying our best to incorporate healthy foods into our diet. In the last year I've transformed my diet by eliminating most uber-processed foods and high fructose corn syrup. I've been attempting to stick to the "eat real food" mantra as best I can, and I've never felt better. It just so happens that pomegranate juice fits rather nicely into TwoDC - the home edition.

Our package of POM Wonderful arrived containing 8 adorable little bottles of 100% pomegranate juice and a letter explaining the health benefits and antioxidant power of the pomegranate. I once read an article in an airplane magazine that told the story of POM Wonderful's founders, and their quest to find a somewhat economical way to juice such a funky fruit. I was also fascinated by their determination to create a distinct "double bulb" packaging design after countless packaging producers told them that a stacked pomegranate design was too difficult to mass produce.

While I don't know if POM Wonderful is the medical miracle that some claim, I do think it is a tasty way to get a dose of antioxidants. Pomegranate juice can be very tart (think cranberry juice) so it might not appeal to everyone. For those that don't like the juice plain, the people at POM Wonderful have developed a comprehensive website with a huge collection of recipes featuring the juice or the pomegranate itself.

One thing that scares a lot of people (including me) away from POM Wonderful products is the price. I think the steep cost is likely due to the fact that it can't be cheap to juice a pomegranate and POM Wonderful doesn't use inexpensive fillers such as grape juice. While it is a bit pricey to become an every day staple in our house, I am likely to pick up a bottle or two from time to time. Plus, it's hard to resist those cute bottles....

Second Thoughts from B

Coming to DC has been a wonderful adventure for both of us, and becoming TwoDC was another step in that journey. We've alluded to it before but let me further the point; starting the blog has been one of the best things that we could have done as a new couple in a new city.

At a time when the city was a dauntingly large and foreign place, we stumbled across a way to connect with it. But at the same time, we connected with each other by sharing in this creative outlet. The blog has become a central force in our lives in Washington, and really, in our life together.

So what a bonus that people - perfect strangers and companies alike - care about what we have to say! Cynics might say that we are just being bought or used by "the man" to perpetuate a marketing campaign through social media. For the price of a pizza, Domino's got us to encourage readers to give their new recipe a shot (see post here). And now, in exchange for a case of POM, we're telling you about the wonders of pomegranate juice.

Some offers and products are better than others. Granted. But doesn't the effort alone say something fundamental about a company that is nimble enough to adapt to new ways to market their products? I would argue that this out of the box innovative thinking is not exclusive to the marketing department. Instead, it is likely to be present in all aspects of the company, which makes it reasonable to assume it is reflected in the products that we consume.

Of course, there is no free lunch and it is no mystery why we're being sent these products. It is all part of the new, and ever evolving, marketing shift that has come with the web. And we're happy to be a part of it. Not because we get free stuff (well, maybe a little), but because this is who we are, and consequently, what our blog is about. This is our life in DC.