One Second and a Heart Attack

Ok the Cavs/Magic games are keeping my stress level up and my heart pumping. Is this good? Game one was tough as we shot ourselves in the foot too many times. Game two we adjusted much better and LeBron is the ultimate champion. Nice to see a game winning buzzer beater, but to win the series we need to play our second half with the same focus and energy as the first half. Don't get me wrong I am happy we won, but would like it to be a bit more comfortable. Yes we are now playing with the big boys and we have the stuff to do it right. Just like in marketing you need a game plan, talent and the ability to run the play and make the right adjustments.

What does this teach us? Well never underestimate the competition or the market place. Look ahead, but stay on course. Like the Cavs we all want the win, so teamwork is the key. Hard work and true messaging will prevail.

Bruce Felber

CLEAN SWEEPS ADD TO MARKETING OPPORTUNITIES

The second sweep by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the the playoffs elevate the marketing of two brands. It seems that the stage is being set for the ultimate match between the Cavs and the Lakers and the hype is helping push two brands. Nike and Gatorade are airing commercials pitting LeBron James and Kobe Bryant in head to head high spirited competition to bring brand awareness to their respective companies.

This is all in fun, but with very focused brand positioning and I for one love it. As a Cleveland fan in search for a champion this national attention is great. But remember that Cleveland is more than sports and has a rich manufacturing history with the hardest working people around. Support our local companies as we lift our spirits. Afterall it is "all for one and one for all" in these challenging times. Go Cavs, we are all behind you.

CELEBRATE EARTH DAY

Help the earth stay green with this very special earth-friendly promotional. Order before 4-24 and save an additional 10%.




Contact Bruce for more details.

Misspellings Should Never, Ever Happen

Misspellings in today's world is inexcusable. I cringe when I see it in an advertisement or in a newspaper article. Yes, sometimes things happen and you can't help it but really, with so many eyes on everything before its gets printed or produced, it should never happen.

So why this proofreading reminder? When I was watching ESPN yesterday, the story of the Nationals' new uniform caught my attention. Thanks to this blog post, we have a visual of how "Nationals" was misspelled in front of millions of viewers.

From approving the design to physically producing them to the players wearing the uniform... many should have caught the error. So how did this mistake get this far? I'm sure yesterday and today will be spent trying to figure out where the process of proofreading failed.

So what can you do to prevent mistakes like this? Proofread, give it to someone else, sleep on it, then proof again. The more eyes the better. Read copy backwards. Read copy out loud, including punctuation. Look things up if you don't know what something means. Call phone numbers in your ads to make sure you have the right one. Check zip codes. In our days of having everything at your fingertips, there is no excuse. Even text boxes in Mozilla Firefox has a spell check!

~ Michelle Hirsh, Felber & Felber Marketing

Can your brand survive a crisis with a million YouTube hits

Is your business able to respond to this level of scrutity? Years of positive brand building gone in seconds.

From the New York Times:

Video Prank At Domino’s Taints Brand

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/16/business/media/16dominos.html?_r=1&src=twt&twt=nytimes

April Showers Bring More Than Flowers

April showers will bring May flowers, but they also bring a fantastic promotional marketing opportunity.

The following are just a few items that will help you brand your products and services to your customers and keep your name around for many years. Reach your target audience with a very affordable promotion.

What else can you do this time of year? Consider umbrella’s with your logo. Your clients will appreciate the extra touch.

For more promotional ideas, click here: Promotional Products

And for wearing apparel click here: Promotional Apparel & Accessories

Advertising is looking up at you!

Ok just when you thought it was safe on the road we have another twist. Read this article:

No Logo: Kentucky Fried Pothole

Kentucky Fried Chicken is diversifying its business model - now moving in to privatized road repair.

Starting in Louisville, KY, KFC is filling city potholes. And then, of course, branding them with KFC logos.

According to the KFC press release:
The KFC Colonel and his professional road repair crew got started in their hometown of Louisville by filling up potholes and re-freshing roads around the city. KFC also issued an open offer to mayors of cities nationwide, asking them to describe their city streets' state of disrepair. Four of these lucky cities, chosen at random, will receive KFC's road re-"fresh"ment, promising citizens a smooth drive that is fit for a Colonel.


This just goes to show you that every cloud has silver lining and that that opportunities are out there.

Bruce

It’s Time for Green and Health to Marry

Here's a great article from our friend, colleauge and resident green expert, Colette Chandler.

For those of you who know me or know what I’m most passionate about it’s the intersection between green and health. I feel this is the missing link, it’s the reason I speak about it regularly and created my newest speaking topic: Creating the green and health marketing balance©
It’s been a popular topic for all of my national speaking engagements including my keynotes. I would expect it will be as popular for international ones as well.

I really think it’s time for the green groups and the health groups to marry each other and combine their households.

Yet, I see few groups, organizations, companies who truly understand this marriage and that it is a match made in heaven. It only makes sense that the green side work with the health side of things. It all balances out in the end. Let me explain...
Everything we do that is moving toward being more environmentally friendly impacts our overall health and wellness. Our environment impacts the air we breathe, what we put into our bodies and so forth. Research has even shown that since 90% of our time is spent in buildings, green buildings could help companies reduce 58 billion in sick time. I heard that great statistic from L. Hunter Lovins.

Yes. I understand we are building more green buildings and many of the builders understand this. Why then aren’t more of the green business groups working with the health groups toward a common goal? Doesn’t it make sense?
I am on a mission to see that this happens. So if you know of a green business group and a health business group, please email me at cchandler@marketing-insider.com. I’m keeping a list of these and will start offering support to both sides to make sure they see what kind of impact this could have.

Helping You Understand and Profit from Consumer Health and Green Trends

Colette Chandler

To see the full HTML article, click here: http://www.keyboard-culture-green-marketing.com/2009/03/its_time_for_green_and_health_to_marry.html#more