Posted on November 20th, 2008 by Brent Allan
Much has been said in recent days regarding the financial distress that American auto makers are in. It 
would seem their fate rests on the decision by congress as to whether they will get an AIG-esque bailout. Yet there is still a bad taste in the mouths of Americans from the ridiculous behavior of AIG and their wild spending AFTER the bailout.
Recently, a video has gone viral on YouTube and other video hosting sites, illustrating the dire consequences that will befall this country if the Big Three don’t get their handout.
This is actually quite a brilliant ploy. But will it…
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Posted on November 19th, 2008 by Brian
For most car owner out there, the worst situation you can find yourself in is getting a flat. While you can always change it with your trusty reserve tire, the whole ordeal may become a harrowing one, especially if you don’t know how to go about changing the flat tire.
There has been a lot of solutions to change flat tires starting from the usual jack-ups to the sealant for punctured tires. Slime® Tire Sealant products has done just that by introducing a revolutionary one step solution for repairing tires.
So if you want to be safe on the road with hassle-free solutions,…
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Posted on November 19th, 2008 by Brian
A picture paints a thousand words and in the world of advertising, if you don’t know how to really express the message you are trying to make, expect some bad karma coming your way. At least this was the scenario when by J&J’s McNeil Consumer Healthcare unit made it appear as if children were a burden to new mothers.
As a result due to a mass lambasting of the said ad seen at the motrin.com, many furious mothers showed what they thought of the ad through one of the hottest social media devices in the world today, Twitter.
The ad has since…
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Posted on November 19th, 2008 by Kristie Lorette
Branding your business used to be about the colors you chose to use on your company brochure and the logo that you used on everything from your business card to your letterhead. In these modern times, your branding has to extend to 21st century marketing collateral like all of the amazing resources you (and everyone else) have access to on the Internet.
3 modern branding exercises
1. Be Google friendly. Probably the most popular search engine in the world is Google. Who hasn’t sat down at their computer and Googled themselves and everyone else they know? The same premise holds true for…
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Posted on November 18th, 2008 by Brian
The United States has been known to provide American muscle cars and when that is mentioned, three names come into mind:
1. Chrysler
2. General Motors
3. Ford
If you look at it, these are some of the best car brand names in the industry. You would think they had it made. But they have not been spared from the economic turmoil and from all indications, it seems like unless they are given financial aid, they may be closing shop before the year ends.
The U.S. is seriously taking the matter at hand. For one, should these three shops close, it will deeply hamper the…
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Posted on November 18th, 2008 by Brian
Yahoo Chief Executive Officer Jerry Yang has stepped down and with this development, Microsoft Corporation is knocking on the door once again.
Microsoft has reportedly made an offer of $31 per share to which the Transaction valued at approximately $44.6 billion in cash and stock; provides 62 percent premium to current trading price for Yahoo! shareholders; combined entity to create a more competitive company, providing superior value to shareholders, better choice and innovation for customers and partners
Via
Now those are big and lucrative numbers to consider! If you are in the shoes of taking over the cudgels of Yahoo (which has reported that…
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Posted on November 18th, 2008 by Brian
You don’t really have to luck at the tough economic times to know that people will come charging into your store each time you hold out special sales like the Black Friday specials that has been scheduled in most stores like Walmart and Best Buy.
Each time these sales are announced, bargains and specially priced items are bound to be the talk of the town. Now the only thing you have to do right now is be there early. For sure you will find a long line and a lot of people aching to check out which items are up for sale.
Be…
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Posted on November 18th, 2008 by Brent Allan
Women tend to pay greater attention to how they look than men. Women are far more selective about which salon they go to, how their hair is done, etc. Men need haircuts, too. However, they tend to just go wherever is convenient.
Yes, I know I am generalizing here, but most generalizations have a basis in fact.
There is a new face in town (at least in MY town) called Sport Clips. Sport clips is going after one demographic. Men. Even more specific, men who like sports.
You walk into the salon, and there is sports memorabilia all over. In the waiting area,…
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Posted on November 17th, 2008 by Brian
We all know that Facebook is the hot social media on the buzz right now and apparently many companies and entrepreneurs are trying to vye for ad placement on their site. But while that is a hot topic in the presses, step on the brakes. Are you really expecting results by placing ads on Facebook?
First, you have to do the numbers. Consider your target audience, check out the potential help it can provide in generating revenue and see who are already there. Marketing research still has to come into play and for most companies, feasibility studies are still a must.
As for…
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Posted on November 17th, 2008 by Brian
A change of path seems to be on Pepsi management as it has reportedly ended a long standing relationship with BBDO which was responsible for familiar monikers like “The Choice of a New Generation” and “The Joy of Pepsi”.
This has apparently surprised a lot of people particularly because their ties were seen to be solid since 1960. But taking its cue from the aggressive advertising and promotional tactics that its rival, Coca Cola, has taken, a change of advertising partnership may be the best solution for PepsiCo at this point.
The agency that will replace BBDO is also owned by Omnicom. It…
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Posted on November 17th, 2008 by Kristie Lorette
Do you ever sit back and wonder, with all the social networking, email blasts, and online endeavors (article marketing, online banners, SEO, and more), does grassroots marketing still exist? And more than that, is grassroots marketing still an effective way to advertise your business?
The answer to both is yes.
Types of grassroots marketing
There are several types of grassroots marketing efforts still in existence today. Some of them don’t have anything to do with, or have very little to do with, the Internet. Special events, partnerships, and permission marketing (getting permission from your target audience members to keep marketing to them) are…
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Posted on November 17th, 2008 by Brent Allan
No, Nintendo has not come right out and said that their gaming console is just for kids. But their actions 
have communicated the message loud and clear.
It began with the choice of game that came with the system, Wii Sports. IN this sports game, you can play sports with little bobbleheads.
Then, the last straw was when they the Wii’s version of Madden 09, the perennial game for sports fans, was released as a bobblehead game.
For those unfamilair with this franchise, let me shed some light. This year marks the twentieth year the Madden football games have been out for a…
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Posted on November 17th, 2008 by Christine Babick
The late Milton Friedman, who shaped the University of Chicago's economics approach during his 30 years there. AP/Wide World photo
Inside academia for the past 25 years, Ronald Reagan’s Washington, and even Margaret Thatcher’s government, the Univ. of Chicago’s Dept. of Economics enjoyed rock star status, racking up Nobel Prizes like records gone platinum and producing a superstar, the one and only Milton Friedman, whose influence on economic policy has been unparalleled. With its free-market philosophy, the “Chicago School” has maintained its dominant image as a libertarian stronghold, providing the rationale for a very small governmental role in the economy.
Now, after the…
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Posted on November 16th, 2008 by Brian
Now that companies are suffering from the turnstile economy, expect branding to take a plunge as well. People in various positions are bound to focus a lot on what measures they can do to save their companies from experiencing losses although it is apparent that they are imminent occurrences that all business ventures are bound to experience soon.
So where does brand marketing go from here? For sure, it will become a forgotten alternative. Marketers will still push for it but bulk of the marketing and promotional strategies will be cut.
Branding has been an overlooked hindsight and from the looks of…
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Posted on November 16th, 2008 by Brian
Using products or services in a storyline can probably help a gain consumer attention. Normally, scripts and storylines would initially capture their attention but eventually, it may all boil down to what brands they may see in the setting.
The holidays are fast approaching and for some people, spending the holidays with their loved ones with that of their true stories of the past is something that helps push products with twists as enjoying products now compared to before mainly because they never saw it when they were away from home.
Check out this campaign made by Best Buy in time for…
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Posted on November 16th, 2008 by Brent Allan
Halloween ended two weeks ago. So, of course, we are right into the midst of the Christmas season.
Wait, what? Christmas?
What happened to Thanksgiving? You know, with the being thankful, and the turkey, and the pilgrims?
All I know is the malls already have Christmas music going all day long. The commercial fervor of Christmas tramples all over Turkey Day. In fact, Thanksgiving has lost much of its meaning, and just becomes an excuse to eat a big meal.
My suggestions would be this. Merge the entire period of late October through late December into one holiday season, that of Christhanksoween. It will…
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Posted on November 16th, 2008 by Brent Allan
Six months ago, America was cursing the oil companies. Gasoline was over $4 per gallon, and the gas companies were explaining to the United States congress that prices were as low as they could be. Yet Exxon Mobil broke their own company’s previous record (which was also a national and perhaps global record) for quarterly profits.
Fast forward several months. Gasoline prices have plummeted nearly 50%, and Americans are experiencing a little breathing room. The global economy is going haywire, the markets are down, and this is likely the cause of the price drop. Speculators are going broke, and the demand…
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Posted on November 16th, 2008 by Brent Allan
As a sports fan, one of my guilty pleasures is sitting down on Sunday afternoon and watching 6+ hours of straight football. I get all comfy on my couch, with my snacks handy, and settle in for a wonderful day of watching men pulverize each other while trying to move an oblong ball around.
Because I am so entrenched in my comfy seat with blanket, snacks, etc., I do not get up and go to the fridge when one of the numerous commercial breaks comes along. I either chat with my wife, or actually watch the commercials.
Of recent, one commercial has…
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Posted on November 15th, 2008 by Brian
Not even the big names like Nokia can do something about the impending economic problems today as it has announced lower sales and perhaps decline in revenue towards the end of this year and early of 2009. The demand for mobile phones has been affected by consumer spending, a signal to which most consumers prefer to hang on to their current phone rather than get a new one.
The turnover for replacing mobile phones is astounding before the economic downturn. People would change mobile phones as often as they could, regardless of the price. While the large part of people wanting…
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Posted on November 15th, 2008 by Brian
For pizza store owners, trying to balance the amount of stuff you put into you pizza is a dilemma. However, one thing you should watch out is ripping of your customers and at the same time adhering towards franchise standards and requirements, something that cannot be negotiated.
Hell Pizza made that prime mistake and outside that some franchise owners placing their rights in jeopardy, they may find themselves worst off than where they started.
Such is a medium for most franchise owners. Do not compromise product quality for the sake of greed. There is a certain level of quality that they have…
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