“Like It” or Leave It

May 2nd, 2011

According to a 2011 National Online Consumer Behavior study by CityGrid Media and conducted by Harris Interactive, the Facebook “Like” button is the new consumer preference to show support online for local businesses. However, no single factor or source overwhelmingly influences the final choice, including highly-touted deals and discounts, according to the report. Read the rest of this entry »

Don’t Say It. Be It.

April 14th, 2011

Some people dream of success, others make it happen. Of course, you can dream as much as you like but waiting for things to happen gets you nowhere. Get active and start making things happen.

Whatever journey your path takes you on, the most important thing is to have passion in what you do.

Did you go to college, get your degree, and end up doing something totally unrelated to your major? Studying it did not make you passionate about it. It wasn’t your path.

Education or even talent aren’t worth much without passion. So do the stuff that you love and you’ve always wanted to do because without it, you’ll feel stuck and unfulfilled. If you work in a bank but your dream is to be a naturopath, then make those changes now. Make this year the turning point in your life. When you do what you love you will be rewarded — it will just flow naturally.

Look at those around you who just make things happen. They have a clear goal in mind and they know where they want to go. They don’t always have a plan but they have the passion and the tenacity to make it work, and they achieve their goals as the end result.

Trust us when we tell you this. If something important to you, you WILL find a way. If it isn’t, you’ll find an excuse. It’s that simple. Find your way. Make it work, whatever it takes. Are you 10 kilos heavier than you should be? It is simple: Commit, go to that gym every day, no excuses, and train until you lose those 10 kilos. When you accomplish this, you’ll have the confidence to do more. Set a goal and make it happen.

Want to stop smoking? Stop making excuses, take control of your circumstances before they take control of you.

Success isn’t just about what you accomplish in your life, it’s about what you inspire others to do and when you do accomplish something as simple as quitting smoking or losing weight, you’ll inspire others to do the same. Anyone can change the world, and everybody should try. And it all starts with your own life.

Stop waiting for the perfect time to do what you want to do. Do it now.

Thanks, Cool Hunter.

The Myth of the “Right People”

March 2nd, 2011

I had lunch with a radio sales rep a couple of weeks ago and invariably, as it always does, the conversation turned to reaching “the right people” and how this group of stations could reach exactly the customer my client was after.

Now, honestly, I’ve never seen a business fail due to reaching the wrong people. But if you listen to advertising sales reps, “reaching the right people” will solve all your problems.

And guess who has exactly the right people for you?

The conversation usually goes something like this: the sales rep says, “Tell me, who is your customer?”
“Blah, blah, blah.”
“Really? That’s exactly who we reach! What a fit! It’s like a hand in glove, a marriage made in heaven! We reach your exact customer profile!”

Get the picture?

Here’s an idea. Call every advertising sales office in your city and tell them you want to advertise with them. Let’s see how many of them say, “Sorry, your customer isn’t who we reach.”

The myth of “the right people” is a myth every business owner wants to believe because it keeps them from having to make uncomfortable changes. “Our selection isn’t off-target, we’re just reaching the wrong people.” “Our prices aren’t too high, we’re just reaching the wrong people.” Traffic isn’t down because our ads are flaccid, we’re just reaching the wrong people.”
Read the rest of this entry »

Being For What Is

February 3rd, 2011

“The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends upon the unreasonable man.” – George Bernard Shaw

“Every man with a new idea is a crank until the idea succeeds.” – Mark Twain

A friend of mine has a saying that I never quite understood, but think I do now. “Be for what is.” Here’s what I think:
There are basically two ways of seeing:
1. the way things ought to be.
2. the way things are.

Do you find yourself moaning about the injustice of it all and wishing that things were different?
Be for what is.

Do you hear things like this? ‘If only my boss liked me better.’ ‘If only I had married someone else.’ ‘If only I had invested in Wal-Mart, Apple or Microsoft back when.’ There’s a little bit of that in all of us. Read the rest of this entry »

What I Taught in College Last Week

October 26th, 2010

For those who didn’t know, I teach at the University of SC in the Journalism School; Mass Communications and Information Studies to be “proper.” But being a graduate of the “Journalism School,” back in the day when that word was still used in the name, it will always be the “J-School” to me.

I teach Advertising Campaign Strategy to graduating seniors. (at least they think they are graduating. They have to pass this class first.) And it’s the time in the course calendar where we discuss “communication tactics” as part of the strategy. In the lecture portion of my class last week here were a few general points I made about communication tactics that sometimes get overlooked: Read the rest of this entry »