The Advertising of Yesterday Part VIII

No girls allowed! I guess women didn't like a gin Collins back in July of 1965.



Sounds like a refreshing beverage to me, but then again, I am a "MAN." Actually this is one of several ads in a long running campaign from the mid-60's that attempted to make 7-up the preferred mixer of choice. Most of them did target men. As I run across the others I will make sure I post them as a follow up post to this one.

I want to offer up another sincere thanks for stopping by The Big Bald Blog. Again, if it weren't for you, the reader, I wouldn't be doing this.

Have a great weekend everyone!

 

Do You Want To Win An iPhone 3G?

Well I do and that's why I am putting up this post. I have been reading JohnCow since the day it hit the net and now he is going to reward me for all of my dedication by giving me an iPhone 3G. I guess I am telling you about the contest just as something to talk about. Don't expect to win, even in you enter. Anyway, go here to find out about all the ways you can get tickets in the pot.

I would wish you good luck but, your not going to win.

 

Nope, I Still Don't Like It

Things that are an irritation to me.

• Expensive social reform programs that accomplish no reform at all.
• Flat Pillows.
  
• 12 year old girls having babies.
• Women who wear next to nothing and get mad when you stare. You give up your rights to be mad when you wear a skirt that shows your underwear and tops that barely cover your raisins.
• Water in my basement.
  
• Not allowing drug testing for welfare recipients. A portion of my check goes to welfare and I have to get drug tested (not really, just making a point).
• Having to push "1" for English.
• Wood ticks and mosquitoes
  
• Never had a job, never plans to work, 4 kids, on welfare and pregnant.
• Cars with stereos that shake my windows when they drive by.
  
• A war waged supposedly for the oil but gas prices continue to climb?
• Slow computers.
  
• Misbehaved or spoiled rotten kids
• How it's accepted to promote and encourage "alternate lifestyles" but not allow "religious" discussions in the same circle. Free speech is free speech regardless of your beliefs.
• Compact cars that only get 30 MPG.
  
• People who don't vote but loudly complain about the current state of affairs.
  
• Compulsive text messaging.
• Bartenders who use their position to push their propaganda.
  
• Chunks of stuff sticking to the bottom of my feet.
• A sticky table or bar top.
  

I cut the list short so as not to appear too mental.

What are yours?

 

"What I Found In My Email" Mondays. Vol.2 - Issue 20

Happy Monday! I know I missed a couple of these but I am back on track now that the flood waters have receded. Remember, the WIFIMEM posts are not verified or confirmed in anyway. I just post 'em as I get 'em.

Here's the story as I received it.

It happened in Shishmaref, AK. Shishmaref is in the Nome-region of Alaska, up north, on the west coast.

A photographer was attempting to take some pictures of a polar bear when a game of "Alaskan Tag" ensued. I guarantee you don't want to be it! If you ever feel like you're getting the run-a-round, just remember this guy.













I don't know why the guy didn't just get in the truck! Maybe he didn't have time. Obviously he ran to another vehicle. If you will notice the truck in the first 2 pictures is different than the last 4. The first truck and the photographers tripod are to the left of the 2nd vehicle.

I'll have to admit, the 4th picture is my favorite. I think the bear was playing with the guy but that doesn't explain why the person taking the pictures didn't help out. He just kept snapping pictures. Thanks a lot buddy!

Even though this wasn't a very big bear, I can honestly say that I never want to be in this situation with a polar bear. Polar bears are VERY dangerous critters.

Have a great week everyone!

 

The Advertising of Yesterday Part VII

Ah yes, the age old concept of a cross brand promotional partnership. However, this is a very unique pairing to say the least.

This ad for Crosman Air Rifles featuring Green Giant green beans comes from June of 1966. The copy states, "Enjoy the delicious flavor of Green Giant brand products, then save the cans for target shooting with America's newest, most exciting fun gun... Crosman's Powermaster 760 BB repeater rifle! A "giant killer" with power to spare."

What ads can you think of that have paired oddly matched products? I have one in mind and I will see if I can find a copy of it somewhere.

Have a great weekend everyone!

 

It's Getting Foxy Around Here

Firefox 3.0 is out! OH, you aren't using the Fox yet? So what are you using, IE? Silly person, check out what you have been missing.

In case you need some more data, here are the numbers.

• In the first 24 hours over 8 million people downloaded FF 3.0 to set a new world record
• Firefox is said to have cured ringworm in 29% of the cases
• As of today almost 12 million have downloaded it since "download day" on June 17th
• Studies have shown that the installation of Firefox on a computer reduces the chance of ingrown toenails by 42%
  
• There have been almost 600 million downloads to date. The 500 million mark was hit on Feb 21st 2008.
• People who use FireFox are reported to have minor hair growth in areas where there once was no hair.

So there you have it. What are you waiting for.

 

Advertising In Things That Are Printed On Pulp

I am specifically referring to the newspaper and the yellow pages. How much do you spend on advertising in the yellow pages? Are there 2 or 3 yellow page books in your market and are you in all of them? Does the newspaper work for you?

I have published several posts about the death of newspaper and how the industry is in turmoil. Newspapers across the country have been taking hits in circulation and ad revenue for the last 10 years.

I was thinking about how information was disseminated recently, during all the flooding. People were desperately seeking information about weather, water levels, evacuations etc. Those that could, got online to find out the latest information. They didn't wait for the newspaper or turn on the TV. Granted this was a time of crisis and people needed information rapidly. I would propose that this instant need for information is not isolated to times of crisis. After all, we are in the age of instant information and a low deferment of gratification.

If consumers have to wait for information they are going to move on to the next source as fast as they can and we all know how the Internet has, well you know, a bunch of sources (reliability to be determined). For this very reason, companies that charge more for their services and don't have an auto attendant on their phone system will often times get more business. Customers want to talk to people, and they want information now.

But what about the yellow pages? Isn't this fast enough? There is still a following for the good ole' phone directory, but do you need a $3000 per month ad? I say NO. As part of a long term plan, we have been systematically pruning back every one of our client's yellow page ads with zero effect on the amount of calls they receive from the pulpy paperback. The dollars saved from this reduction have been allocated to other forms of advertising and marketing (mainly the web) and have been more successful from an ROI standpoint.

When I need a service, if I absolutely CAN'T find it on the internet, only then do I blow the dust off my 2004 yellow pages. Most of the generation behind me also operates this way. The bottom line? Take a leap of faith and cut your half page yellow page ad to a 1/4 page and track the results. You will be pleasantly surprised. BUT, you have to be disciplined to take the dollars saved and apply them to areas that WILL get you results. The same thing goes with newspaper. Limit your display ads to event or promotion based ads and see what you end up with.

If you get nothing else from this post take this one piece of information. Track your results. When someone buys something from you, ALWAYS ask them how they heard about you. Keep a log and evaluate your most effective means of advertising on an annual basis. Be diligent about this. So many business owners set out to do this but never end up following through. They are missing some valuable information by neglecting this simple little tool.

If you have a story about your reduction in yellow page spending or how you are handling your newsprint ads, let me know about your results.

 

2008 Flooding in Iowa

Finally I am able to get back in the office and establish some sense of normalcy. For those of you who were wondering what was going on, here's the scoop. Pretty much the entire state of Iowa has had massive flooding. In fact, 83 (at last count), of the 99 counties in Iowa have been deemed disaster areas. I didn't think I had anything to worry about. Heck, I didn't even think we were in the flood plain. However, the levee up the street failed and started dumping water into our street and the surrounding neighborhoods.

I need to say that we were lucky! The poor families in the neighborhoods behind us didn't fare as well. There has been some unprecedented loss of property. Our surrounding area was the first hit followed by complete devastation in Cedar Rapids. Tens of thousands of people are now homeless and the last I heard, CR alone was expected to hit the $800 million mark in damage.

Here are some pictures of our building.







Here are some pictures from the town of Waverly, Iowa, also one of the first to be devastated by the floods.





Iowa really has been getting hammered this year. From devastating ice storms and killer tornadoes to floods. I think the only thing we are missing this year is famine and plague. Even though we are currently occupied with flood waters and flood clean up, we can NOT forget the people of Parkersburg, Dunkerton and other areas devastated by the F5 tornado. Also we can't forget the Tornado that hit the Boy Scout camp killing 4 and injuring 50. Granted, Iowa doesn't have a monopoly on suffering, but this is the worst series of disasters to hit the tall corn state since the mid 1800's.

The one thing I take away from all of this pride. I am very proud of the people. When volunteers were needed, people came. When neighbors suffered loss, people helped. When families lost their home, others opened theirs.

In a local town hall meeting a director from FEMA said that there was a difference between this disaster and New Orleans. It seem that in New Orleans some people sat on their front porch with their hand out and bitched. The people here, dropped what they were doing to volunteer, help their family, friends or neighbors and gave what they could to help those in need. The volunteers and their sandbagging efforts are actually what saved the downtown area of Cedar Falls. Here are some pictures of Cedar Falls near downtown.





And finally, this is one of the most amazing pictures from the Cedar Rapids area. This picture was taken before the bridge collapsed. Just look at the houses piled up against that bridge.



Even though the clean-up is going to take a while and it's going to be quite some time before businesses and residents are able to resume a normal life, I want to say thank you to all the people who volunteered and served. I have always been proud to say that I am from Iowa and now it means a little bit more for me.

Welcome to a new week.

UPDATE: Here are some additional pictures a friend emailed me.

 

Water, Water and more Water.

The Internet is down all over the place and is sporadic at best. I am at home where my ISP has just come back online. Will update you all soon.

 

The Flood

Our building has water up to the door. It may take a couple days before I get another post up.

I have pictures! Stay tuned.

 

A Heartwarming Story

Some of you know that the area I live in has been hammered by tornados, floods and other bad weather. But here's a story about a man who thought he had lost it all.

Dan Bleeker of Parkersburg, Iowa lost his Mother, his Home, his possessions, and his dogs during the EF5 tornado that devastated the small Iowa town.

Once Dan saw the tornado coming, his wife and grandson ran for the basement. Dan stayed in the garage for a few moments and tried to get the dogs, one of them a yellow lab, to follow but they wouldn't budge. He barely made it to the basement in time.

During the storm everything the Bleekers owned was destroyed, including their car. Their car was hauled to the auto salvage staging area near the fire station.

Nearly 2 weeks after the storm the Bleekers got a call and were informed that a yellow lab had been seen near the damaged vehicles. It turns out that the family's dog had returned and recognized the car and climbed in and waited for it's master to return. Dan immediately went to the area and called the dog by name and it came running. The dog had lost 12 pounds and had a few scratches on his face but was in pretty good shape. After a tearful reunion, Dan said obviously he'd rather have his mother back but it was good to see his friend again.

The Dog's name was Chance

 

The Advertising of Yesterday Part VI

In 1966 Ma Bell was running a full-on marketing campaign to get people to make long distance calls. This June ad from Sports Afield magazine was one of many that targeted people on hunting and fishing trips.



I remember in the late 70's how expensive long distance was. If I remember correctly it was close to .50 cents a minute. This of course was before the "Bell" was broke up into the numerous "baby bells." My parents were obsessed with not calling long distance if at all possible. This is something that I carried over to my adult life. Then one day I realized that, I was only paying 10 cents a minute. Strange how we are effected by our upbringing. My Mom also had me paranoid about kidnappers and how they lie in wait in public restrooms. You see, they would sneak up behind you and inject you with "kidnapper drugs." To this day I am looking over my shoulder in public restroom. Is that weird?

Have a great weekend everyone and stay safe (especially in public restrooms).

 

Lower Energy Costs

Wow, ask and ye shall receive. It was just yesterday that I asked for guest bloggers. This guest post comes from a reader named Jim Everett. The post is a little more political than I would normally publish but I think the subject is relevant to us all given current gas prices. It is definitely opinionated so I would expect some controversy over this one. At least he didn't bash pizza.

I've intended to write a letter on this subject, that could be forwarded to our representatives in Congress and the Senate, but hadn't gotten it done. Energy prices are hitting everyone's pocketbooks hard on a personal level, and strangling our economy as a whole. It's hard to believe that no action has been taken by our lawmakers. All they have done is drag the oil company executives in to grill them on national TV, about why their companies are making so much money. This deflects the attention away from them(the lawmakers), and their lack of action, by pointing all the blame on the "big, bad, greedy oil companies".

It's true, Exxon does make a lot of money - billions of dollars. But they are also one of the world's largest corporations, with millions of stockholders - including many 401k plans. 1st Quarter 2008 sales were $116.85 billion, with a profit of $10.89 billion. That's a 9.3% profit margin. Microsoft by contrast, had sales in the 1st Quarter of $13.76 billion, with $4.29 billion in profit. That is a 31.2% profit margin!

Why isn't Congress bringing the executives of Microsoft in front of the TV cameras, to chastise them for their "outrageous and unconscionable" profits??? Oil company profit isn't the problem - Congress is!!!

We need both a short term and a long term energy policy. The long term has to pursue alternative energy sources - wind, hydrogen, nuclear, etc. - we can't be dependent on fossil fuels forever. But in the short term, we need relief from the current dilemma we're in. We have many oil fields in this country, and in our coastal waters. The problem is that regulations pushed by extreme environmental groups and enacted by Congress, are severely limiting access to this resource and to the ability of oil companies to be able to build and get permits for new refineries. We're not talking about allowing belching black smokestacks, but a reasonable approach to allow some increased refining capacity.

Pricing is based on supply and demand. If we increase our supply of oil and refined oil products from our own country, pricing will go down. We need to let Congress know that they are the problem, and they need to act NOW!

If you agree, the National Association of Manufacturers has an easy way for you to get on a petition that will be sent to Congress. There are over 300,000 signatures already. Please sign yourself, and pass on to everyone you can. Let's show our lawmakers that we want action!!!

Thanks for your help!

Jim Everett

 

Backseat Bloggers

I get a lot of suggestions on what to blog about and topics that I should cover. Most of these are coming from people who know me or I have met in the blogosphere.

Here's a real opportunity for all you backseat bloggers. I want YOU to write a post for The Big Bald Blog! Just contact me and I will give you an address where you can send your post. I will take a look at it and make sure it gets put up.

I am serious here. If you give me a legitimate post about anything I will put it up. Unless of course the post talks about how much you hate pizza. Blaspheming pizza will get you nowhere and may get you banned for life.

I have had several guest bloggers in the past and the posts were well received! As summer approaches, the frequency of the posts may drop to 3 times a week as I will be engaged in various outdoor activities. Primarily heading to the north woods.

So what's bugging you about society? What are some of your pet peeves? What do you hate about the internet? What is your favorite TV commercial? What do you like about cheese? Why do bugs always get into a seemingly sealed light fixture on the ceiling? Have you ever been hit in the head with a Bocce Ball? These are the things that people want to know about. Write a brief literary masterpiece and send it to Big Pappa!

 

"What I Found In My Email" Mondays. Vol.2 - Issue 19

Welcome to another Monday and the next installment of the continuing saga that is... "what I found in my email" Mondays.

In the past a few have heckled me about the accuracy of the WIFIMEM posts. Remember I do not investigate for accuracy Nor claim that these posts are true. I simply get 'em and I post 'em.

And here we are with today's little gem.

The story is titled "Men's Restroom Mural" and goes like this:

"Edge Designs is an all-women run company
That designs interior office space. They had a
Recent opportunity to do an office project in
NYC.

The client allowed the women of this
Company a free hand in all design aspects.
The client was a company that was also
Run by all women execs.

The result.........well.....We all know that
Men never talk, never look at each other....
And never laugh much in the restroom....
The men's room is a serious and quiet place...
But now...with the addition of one mural
On the wall......lets just say the men's
Restroom is a place of laughter and smiles."



Simply brilliant! That's all I have to say about it.

Have a great week everyone!