Spring has finally sprung. The warm air has finally moved in, enough rain has fallen to green up the grass, and the recent bright sunshine has the trees in bloom. But last Sunday afternoon was not as seasonable. The skies were cloudy, the air was downright cold and windy, and there was rain and snow squalls in the air. It was just perfect to go...

...to the ball game! The area in which we live has not seen organized, professional baseball in the past 47 years. That all changed on April 11. A brand new stadium was built and opened that day, show casing our new baseball team. We did a blog on this new team in 2007, because of the way they were able to attract national attention. Last Sunday we welcomed the Iron Pigs to the Lehigh Valley.

We have never attended a minor league baseball game, and the Iron Pigs are the AAA affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies. We did not know what to expect. Coca-Cola Park is exquisite! It seats 8100, (9989 showed up opening day, over 7200 last Sunday) and has no bad seat in the house. But the show this team put on was unbelievable. Here are some tips we picked up about running a business from attending the game:

Promotion. There is always something happening before, during, and after the game. The game is the show, but the never ending promotion is the product. From a state-of-the-art speaker system booming music between each and every pitch to the competitive events (potato sack race, for example) between innings, there is always something other than the game to keep everyone involved. And always a message to deliver to an accepting captive audience.

Events. Friday night is "Fireworks Night". Bring the kids out to see the fireworks, every Friday night we are at home. Sunday is the "Kids Run the Bases After The Game" day. Bring the kids out to run the bases every Sunday when we are at home. Last Sunday was whiffle ball and bat day for the first 2500 kids 14 and under. Events fill the seats and expose the product to people who normally would not attend, except for the event.

Affordable. Providing a product that anyone can afford is the key to marketing success, especially in these times of ever skyrocketing costs. For just $6 one can stand behind home plate, under cover, at a standing table and drink $5 beers while enjoying the game. And if one drinks too many $5 beers, bring a blanket and you can camp out in the grass behind the center field fence, and continue to drink $5 beers. This is less expensive than going to the movies. The sign of a successful product is if it's perceived value exceeds it's actual cost.

By the way the Iron Pigs lost to the Richmond Braves this day, 6 to 2. Doesn't matter though, the product presentation will get us back for more. And as always, we welcome your comments.

The Plain Page Prophets

Everything in the world is created for a specific reason. The reason is the real question, and the quest for the reason can become a life long pursuit. The design of all items has always intrigued us as there appears to be good design, bad design, functional design, irrelevant design, emotional design, irrational design, and design just for the sake of design. To seek, find and admire new design is one of the noblest quests in life. And so it is that on March 30th we renewed our annual quest of design with our trek to that Bastian of new design...

...The International Auto Show in New York City. There one finds all of the new, current, and worn designs of all of the world's automobile manufacturers, under one roof. Concept cars, the imaginative ideas of engineers of what the future car can be and sometimes slowly becomes, are center stage for all to worship. The cars are generally on rotating platforms, with beautiful models explaining features about the concept car's design. These people know presentation is everything, and sexy sells.

Power, prestige, and emotion still drive the marketplace in the automobile industry.  But times, they may be a'changin'. In opposition to the golden marketing messages of the past are the quiet rumblings of the future. Here are three themes we noticed on the floor of the show. Perhaps they can be utilized in your business.

Alternative Fuel Sources: The internal combustion engine is under attack. Oil is getting just too expensive to continue using in powering automobiles. What are the answers? Electric cars have been around for more than a decade but they lack the ingenuity of providing sustained acceleration, or power. Great for around town but on the open road? Green is in and water, hydrogen, vegetable sourced ethanol, are all sharing the stage with the electric option. Hybrid is the now term which will save you money while providing the power you have come to expect. Why not have it both? Find a way to make your business message echo in the now concept of GREEN.

Personalization of the User experience: The optimal number of down loadable tunes to your automobile's on board computer should be 2900 songs. This allows more freedom in not having to load up a trunk load of Cd's for enhancing the driving experience. Besides, with the trunk space now available without the Cd's, more and bigger speakers can be installed to further enhance the personal driving experience. The question begs to be answered, what is your business doing to enhance your customer's personal use experience? Are you doing as much as the auto industry?

Emerging World Markets: The Buick name has always had a place in our family as the car to buy if a Cadillac was out of reach. Dad said to strive for a Cadillac, settle for a Buick. Buick had a Riviera concept car on display, sleek, contoured, eye catching light metallic blue, reminiscent of early versions of the car. But as it rotated around, the name "Riviera" was on the left hand side of the back of the car, and quietly on the right hand side were five characters spelling "Buick", in Chinese. Are we to believe this will be the car to dominate the China market, or are we to believe it is time to learn a second language so we will be able to afford this product? Is your business sending a mixed message to appeal to the emerging world market?

And as always, we welcome your comments.

The Plain Page Prophets

Your business faces major challenges in the days, weeks, and months ahead.  There are rising prices, markets destabilizing due to tighter credit restraints, and an obvious feeling of general helplessness by everyone. 

But we are the lucky ones!  We have our own businesses, allowing us the freedom to choose our own course toward the future. We all need to focus on what is most important during these times of uncertainty.  Here are three focal points with which to begin...

1.  The pursuit of excellence is overrated.  The more your business provides to a customer, the more they in turn, expect.  Never mind that it may cost you ever more to provide what they request, raise the prices and you are the villain. It is much better for your business to satisfy as many people as you disappoint providing better balance for your business.  Trying to satisfy everyone all the time will drive you crazy, and the insanity may just appear in the performance of your business.  It is not worth the risk!

2.  Service to the community of mankind is impossible.  The world is in such great need that no single act of kindness will ever make a difference in the grand scheme of things.  You will be wasting your time giving anything away for free.  Do not volunteer time, money, or resources to these lost causes.  There will be no direct value if your business chooses this suicide run.  And who is going to pay for these free rides?  Your customers, after you raise prices and become the villain once again. Will you enjoy being the villain?

3.  Respect of the individual is irresponsible.  Why sacrifice the  good of the many in catering to the few?  Every business has it's 1% of customers it will never satisfy no matter what is done.  Gear your business efforts to the appeal of the masses, ignoring individual differences.  One generic advertising message will suffice reducing  your advertising overhead.  Everyone will just have to discover their own significance in the message. Marketing to the individual will only serve as a catalyst for raising prices and leading us to being a villain.

There is no Fool like and Old Fool, unless you are a Business Fool.  We hoped you all enjoyed "our rant".  Happy April Fools Day!  Snicker on, Garth, chuckle on, Wayne.   And as always, we welcome your comments.

The Plain Page Prophets

This just happened before our very eyes.  Marketing genius comes in different forms, in different venues, and from different approaches to the same problem.  The problem is that we all have a product to share and we need a message that conveys value so other people will want to support our product.  This support not only includes thought and deed, but also through monetization of that support.  True supporters share their money.

In February, marketing genius surfaced in the form of one organization...

...The Barak Obama Campaign.  Before we go any further, this is not a political message. But one does have to sit back and admire a campaign that has come virtually from nowhere, and in the course of less than four years, has risen to great heights.  In February, the Obama campaign raised $55 million dollars, more than any of the more "experienced" campaigns.  What is most remarkable is that the average donation amount was $100.  And there lies our marketing lesson.

The Obama campaign is setting new political fund raising ground.  The days of the "$1000 a plate" dinner fund raiser as a primary means of support may be dwindling because of the financial exclusions it creates.  Obama appeals to the masses through a created viral presence  and has been rewarded with a flow of support dollars that is unprecedented.  The "good old boy" money system may be on the verge of being replaced by the "what about the rest of us" money system.  Here are three tips for your business that can be realized through the study of the Obama campaign:

1. Get started.  The campaign does not just happen.  It takes goals, planning, and execution of the plan.  Our view of the Obama campaign may suggest that the campaign started in 2004 with a speech at the Democratic National Convention. More conventional wisdom may point to the start of the campaign when a book was first published in the 1990's. Still others may say his campaign really started in February. This is all so true for your marketing campaign, as well. There is always a beginning point.

2.  Don't quit.  Create your message, believe in your message, and broadcast your message.  If the going gets rough, and you begin to fall behind, do not quit because conventional wisdom says you should. Make your message louder,  broadcast it more often, and make it more exciting each time it is repeated. Take small, forward, and calculated steps to move the journey toward its successful conclusion.

3.  Do something different.  Distinguish your campaign from all the others with new ideas, processes, and values.  It may not be enough to win over an existing market, it may be essential to your success to create a new market. It will take vision to recognize the opportunity, create the  message to attract  the desired market, and communicate the benefits to the market for support to be provided.  Remember, true supporters share their money.

And as always, we welcome your comments.

The Plain Page Prophets

Too much to do, not enough time.  This week is amazingly jam packed with events, and opportunities.  Today is the First Day of Spring, a time of great optimism with renewal.  Birds are being to chirp, and trees are trying to awaken with blossoming buds. 

There was the great annual celebration of St Patrick reminding all of us how lucky we are, and can be, when we focus "on the green" each and every day in our business.  But the biggest event of the week was...

...March Madness!  Yes, college basketball's annual tournament celebrating streaming video to your desk top so you can still be productive, and not miss the games. It is a wonderful time in which we live.  May your next marketing effort be as successful as the three big events of this past week.  Here are three tips to help you spring, into green, with the fervor of business madness: 

Use Viral Marketing to your advantage.
Viral marketing allows you to spread the word about your company and product with little to no costs involved. This is a marketing method where you can attach your company’s name, product or link to specific media such as a funny video, entertaining game, an interesting article or a gossip or buzz. With this method, people get infected with the creativity and entertainment of the medium and will pass it on to friends and other people.

Write Articles that can lead traffic to your site.
Submit articles to sites that mirror subjects that appear on your site. For example, if you sell car parts write press releases and articles about cars and car parts. Attach a description of your site and services at the end of the article as well as the link. Encourage readers to provide feedback through your link.

Create and offer free newsletters.
When many people know what you are about and your existence is shared with many others, you will find loyal traffic that can provide you with referrals for more traffic through your newsletter. If you arouse the curiosity of your subscribers they will be motivated to help you with your traffic. A newsletter provides a forum for introducing new ideas, messages, and comments when done correctly.

And as always, we welcome your comments.

The Plain Page Prophets

And suddenly there is concern across the land.  Experts disagree, politicians exhibit caution, and the media scares up nightmares of the approaching uncertainty.  There is one factor to always be certain, and that is the fact that the marketplace is cyclical, and as sure as there are booming times, there will also be lean times. And the lean times have a name...

...Recession. We all need to prepare for the lean times.  How many businesses have you been associated with that were self-proclaimed "recession-proof"? Yes, we have known some of these, even so far as having been laid-off by a few.  Generating sales and profits in good times is challenging.  Creating sales in profits during lean times is critical.  Here are some three tips to help you create good times when the lean times roll:

1.  Invest in yourself.  Stay positive, exude enthusiasm, be goal oriented, and focus your efforts toward results of accomplishing you goals. Lean times begin with a state of mind, the recurring broadcast and bombardment of dire information, and the belief that one is a victim of the situation. Choose carefully who to listen to, what they are saying, and believe in what makes the most sense to your inner self.  Think you way through lean times.

2.  Be service intensive.  In good times and bad, other people are always looking for somenone who will and can do things for them in a timely fashion.  Develop an ability to accentuate your skills of providing service, and how your skills can help others.  Everyone has personal skills of value, both to the open marketplace and for themselves.  Tapping into these skills will go a long way to geting one through lean times.
 
3.  Network.  Make contacts, build relationships, create friendships, and enlist your network for help in accomplishing your goals.  You  are not alone, unless, of course, you choose to be alone. We are all worth something and your ability to let the world know about your availabilty can be priceless. Volunteer time for it may return to you in countless other ways.

As always, we welcome your comments.

The Plain Page Prophets

We enjoy observing and gathering information about what works in business.  Information is all about, and it takes a keen eye and a wilingness to focus in order to capture and share ideas.  Just one new idea, adapted to a situation, and then correctly applied can be priceless to a business.

If the information comes with little to no cost, all the better. There is a television show on CNBC called "The Big Idea" which features entrepreneurs and how they launched their businesses. This week they featured a billionaire, and the secrets they use to acquire wealth. The billionaire featured was...

Donald Trump, Jr. He had several points to share, including how he was expected to work through his father's businesses from the bottom up to gain an understanding of how they worked. We came away with three main points to success in his interview:

1.  Do what you love and be passionate about your mission. Passion breeds entusiasm, and enthusiasm is contagious.  It is easier to work long hours with something you love in order to achieve the dream.  Most entrepreneurs only need between four to five hours of sleep per day, including Donald Trump, Jr.

2.  Develop your own products, and build your brand around those products.  It is always easier to be entusiastic about a product you have a personal vested interest in seeing succeed. Be aware that there are always new markets and directions in which to expand the brand.

3.  Pay attention for opportunity, and be prepared to seize an opportunity when it is discovered.  This is true whether one is trying to launch their own business, or climb the corporate ladder.  There will always be tasks and areas that other people either will not dare to tread, or do not want to tread.  By being the person willing to go to these places creates opportunity for the individual within any organization. Then being successful at a daring task makes one a superstar.

There they are.  The not so secret "secrets".  How many of us already knew about them?  How many of us already implement these secrets?  The difference is in the head count of us who obsess ourselves and our businesses with these secrets.  That is truly what it takes, obsession.  And as always, we welcome your comments.

The Plain Page Prophets

Today is the day for bold initiative.  Imagine having been born on this of all days of the calendar year, only to be able to mark your birthday once every four years? Or at least that is how we have been taught it works.  But there are calendar rules that exist to determine when, and if, this day occurs on your calendar.

In the Gregorian calendar, the calendar used by most modern countries, the following three criteria determine which years will be leap years:

1. Every year that is divisible by four is a leap year

2. Of those years, if it can be divided by 100, it is NOT a leap year, unless

3. The year is divisible by 400. Then it is a leap year.

According to the above criteria, that means that years 1800, 1900, 2100, 2200, 2300 and 2500 are NOT leap years, while year 2000 and 2400 are leap years. It is interesting to note that 2000 was somewhat special as it was the first instance when the third criterion was used in most parts of the world.

Which now brings us to the promotional aspect of the day.  We have always held dear to the idea that February 29th is marked as "Sadie Hawkins Day", the day that eligible females, in the face of breaking all traditions, reserve to propose marriage.  The Sadie Hawkins tradition is born from the Al Capp comic strip Li'l Abner, where the character was so ugly that her father, the Mayor of Dog Patch, feared he could never marry her off. It was a race of females chasing males, who were given a ten second head start, across a football field.  If the woman caught the man, Marry'n Sam would do the honors immediately after the race at the goal line.

But the first Sadie Hawkins Day race actually was held at a football homecoming game of Morris-Harvey versus New River State on November 1, 1938.  The race and mock wedding were the feature between halves of the football game.  Al Capp attended one of the annual Sadie Hawkins rituals during the 1940's at Morris-Harvey. Unfortunately, football and Sadie Hawkins Day, have ceased to exist at the college.

Use today as a spring board into action.  Take the leap and race toward your goal, with all the fervor of Sadie Hawkins, and catch the prize. The ceremony of winning is at the goal line, and many of us fall short of reaching the goal.  The run at the goal is challenging but sprint out completely today, for it will be over quicker than the time it took to arrive.  Celebrate with the Leap Day Babies, for only they know how to really celebrate a birthday.  Take bold initiative and make something extraordinary happen in your business today.

And as always, we welcome your comments.

The Plain Page Prophets 

We noticed the buzz this week has been over the annual President's Day holiday.  Tourist areas in Colonial America have advertised for years that George Washington slept here to get more people to vist. How appropriate that we should celebrate the holiday with mattress sales. Kia took it one step further this week when they had their "Unheard of Presidents Sale" by honoring Millard Filmore in the advertisement. On and on, History collides with Madison Avenue.

However, there was another buzz this week in the media about Presidential Candidates.  The messages came from two different directions, crafted to collide with each other, in an attemopt to help party members decide which one to choose. Those messages were...

"I am the agent for change", versus "We offer solutions".  The first message has been steady, sure, and from the beginning, a building block for a campaign. It conjures hope for a better future and for a change in the direction of policy. One caution, we heard it before.  The second message is a newly manufactured message, created to draw new attention to an older attraction. It presumes past successes from a time gone by can be applied to the future to provide hope and a change in the direction of our policy.  One caution, we may get, for better or worse, two for the price of one.

Also this week Lewis Black hosted "The History of the Joke" on the History Channel.  The most significant piece of information derived from the show was the importance comedians place upon timing.  A group of people can tell the same joke over and over but only person can deliver "the timing" in the rhythm of how the joke is told to truly make it the funniest joke any of us has ever heard. And this is also true in messages being delivered.

To deliver your business message it is important first of all to define what  it is.  It should be a mirror of what you believe and hold true in your heart and mind no matter how many times you are called upon to deliver the message. Conviction, it should have conviction.  The timing of the delievery of your message is critical.  You need to choose your spots carefully to be sure that it is appropriate and draws attention with its rhythm.  The final part of the equation is to back up the message with action.  Definable, believable, deliverable action is what separates business owners, who know how to make money, from politians, who know how to spend money.

Yes, Virginia, take the cue from the Bee Gees: "It's only words, and words are all I have, to take your heart away".  As always, we welcome your comments.

The Plain Page Prophets

Many times you see things in passing that seem so inconsequential at the time only to have them reverberate later with that famous "Uh Huh!" moment. And so it is with this installment.  Too busy during the holidays to take a moment for observation, we quickly dismissed a concept at a local mall kiosk that deserves some business retrospection.

Everyone offers every kind of food delicacy during the end of the year holidays.  There's popcorn, candy, cookies, cheeses, sausages, and the time honored favorite, fruitcake.  A friend of ours believes that there is only one fruit cake in the world, incessantly passed around from person to person, preserved forever, never spoiling, never eaten. But the one we missed was the most innovative twist on an old product standard and favorite.  It is passionately known as the....

UPCAKE!  So, "What is an upcake?", you ask. Well, they start with cake and bake it in a paper cup mold.  There is chocalate cake, yellow cake, devils food cake, you get the idea.  And then they add the twist.  After they are baked they dump them out of their molds upside down and add the icing.  But instead of adding icing to the top of the cake, they add icing to the bottom and sides of the cake.  Voila! An UPCAKE is born!  The company that makes them Is called Dixie Picnic and they sell them via mail order as well as in their store and restaurant. The concept is so simple it leads to the question, "Why didn't I think of that?"

Innovation requires that you sometimes choose to "turn the world upside down".  This may have to be done with your product, your business, your marketing, and perhaps, yourself.  Take a long hard look.  Are you missing something so obvious that if you began implementing it tomorrow it will dramatically improve your world? True innovation requires research, thought, and action.  Insipration for innovation can begin with the simple exposures, like in passing by a mall kiosk and suddenly recalling the inspiration two months after the fact.  Strive to turn the world upside down. It can be rewarding.

And, as always, we welcome your comments.

The Plain Page Prophets