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