Yesterday, I was perusing the sky-high stack of articles and web posts that have been pushed to the side of my desk the past ten days. It’s been a crazy-busy week and a half, as numerous retailer clients and I have been working through their concerns.
During one of those conversations, someone pointed out to me I’m not really a consultant. I’m a therapist-—an observation also voiced by customers during my storefront days. I took it as a complement, but it got my wheels spinning. No particular direction. Just spinning. [click here to continue…]
1. You don’t work for [insert: name of a financial institution], who most of the public distrusts despises hates wants to see on a skewer over raging flames.
2. You’re part of the solution-—not the problem-—where the economy is concerned.
3. You have the ability to make adjustments to your business on a moment’s notice without waiting for board approval or risking corporate pushback. [click here to continue…]
My thoughts about “buy indie” programs are pretty well defined. I’m not a big fan of sites that make unachievable promises like high Google rankings, streams of new customers, and exponentially increased revenue-—especially when they ask retailers to pay a hefty fee to participate (see here). I do, however, stand behind programs that support stores through online referrals, set realistic goals, and provide materials that can be used to build campaigns from the grass roots up.
Enter stage right: The American Booksellers Association, arguably the king of the mountain when it comes to promoting independent brick and mortars. Their website, IndieBound.org, is not only info-packed, but hyper-hip in that hyper-hip-but-safe-for-middle-agers kind of way. [click here to continue…]
It’s not just radio ads that are getting strange. This one popped up on t.v. last night, promoting a local auto dealer’s featured special (tip: read aloud, in your biggest booming announcer voice):
“We’ll only tell you the price once. We’ll only tell you the price at the end of this ad. We’ll only tell you the price at the end of this ad because once you hear it, you’ll lose track of the facts.”
Lose track of the facts? The sad thing is that I lost track of the price. Was laughing too hard to hear it by the time it finally rolled around. Weird.
by Cinda Baxter on February 17, 2009
in Real World
Sorry about the messed up blog most of this afternoon. I unwisely did an upgrade on both WordPress and my theme during business hours, derailing the entire thing while most of you were trying to check it out.
Have since dumped the upgrades and restored the old versions after a couple of hours, several Advils with a Pepcid chaser, and the patient guidance of two DIY Thesis gurus-—kyled and kirstarella.
I promise not to try this again until it can be veriied all will fly as expected. Lemme tell ya…there’s no surer way to stop my heart than by wiping the entire blog down to a plain white screen (which it was for about an hour). Yeeowser.
Tonight’s the big night-—the annual Gift for Life fundraiser, this year’s theme being Casino Night.
This equates to hilarity for anyone near me at the Blackjack table. I stink. Unless I stand next to Randy Eller, in which case I gleam. He’s my lucky charm that way.
This also equates to a lot of big hearts coming together in support of a worthy cause as we raise funds for our new partner, DIFFA (Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS). We may not hear it with the frequency of the late 80’s, but rest assured, there’s still a lot to be done in the battle against this gut wrenching disease, and every dime counts.
I’ve lost friends to AIDS. Good friends.
This industry’s lost friends to AIDS. Talented friends.
Tonight, we do our best to chip in as an industry built by those talented souls. Tonight is our chance to fight back.
From Katie Couric on CBS News:
”There will be gifts for the new President and Vice President, by the way: A framed official photograph of their swearing ins, taken by a Senate photographer; flags flown over the U.S. Capital during the ceremony; and engraved crystal bowls by the Lenox company…”
There’s a certain irony-—albeit timely irony-—in the fact the commemorative bowls are produced by a company currently in bankruptcy. Despite being the oldest crystal and china manufacturer in the U.S. (and sole provider of the keepsake since the tradition began in 1989), Lenox exemplifies the condition of our economy and its impact on even the most established business.
Something tells me this is one president that fact won’t be lost on.
This morning, Dave Price from the CBS Early Show did his remote segments from the riverbank in downtown Minneapolis, with lips so frozen he was fighting to enunciate his own name.
This afternoon, the local CBS affiliate sent their meteorologist, Chris Shaffer, into the heart of the city with a bullhorn. He stepped to the curb, then announced to the world:
“Attention, citizens of Minneapolis-—after 86 hours below zero, the temperature has risen to above zero. What do you think of that?”
Yes, there was raucous cheering…and hollering…and whistling…and clapping…and jumping up and down by everyone within earshot. Not unlike when the Twins won their first World Series, and all for 2 measly degrees.
Of course, that guy in Mankato who made the national news demonstrating how to hammer a nail into a 2 x 4 with a frozen banana might be less than enthusiastic, but hey-—been there, done that, ready to turn up the temps.
