In Pursuit of Excellence...Marketing Excellence

Magical Cruise Adventure Sweepstakes

2011-11-19T11:17:00.001-08:00

To join follow the instructions to complete and submit the entry form to be part of this Sweepstakes.

Open only to entrants who meet entry eligibility requirements.
Winner selection will be conducted by random drawing from all eligible entries on or about January 4, 2012.

Grand Prize is a 7-night cruise for four (4) people to the Mexican Riviera on the Disney Wonder Cruise Ship. There will only be one winner!

Trip package includes roundtrip coach-class air transportation for four (4) from a major commercial airport near Grand Prize Winner’s residence to Los Angeles, ground transportation from the airport to the Ship’s Homeport, one stateroom aboard the Disney Wonder with a maximum occupancy of four (4) people, plus more.

For more information visit the Official Rules. Sponsored by Disney Destinations, LLC.

Small Business Strategies: Hispanic market is an opportunity

2011-10-14T20:03:00.000-07:00

By Rhonda Abrams, USA TODAY

We're in the middle of National Hispanic Heritage Month, Sept. 15 to Oct. 15, and I've got a confession to make: Although my books have been translated into more than 30 languages worldwide, I've never had them translated into Spanish for the American Hispanic market.

That may make some readers of my column glad.

"Let 'em learn English," I can imagine you shouting.

The truth is, as a businessperson, I owe it to myself to take a realistic look at the opportunities in the large, vibrant American Hispanic market.

No matter how you feel about the hot-button issue of immigration, as a small-business owner you should not ignore the fact that Hispanics in the United States represent a huge marketing opportunity.

Like me, you need to consider reaching that market. And, like me, you don't necessarily need to learn Spanish or translate your marketing materials into Spanish.

About 83% of young Hispanics and 56% of Hispanics older than 18 speak only English or English very well at home, according to Pew Hispanic Center tabulations of Census Bureau statistics. That means you can reach large numbers of Hispanics in English — if you try.

Serving Hispanics can be a great business move.

A businessman I know had a struggling used-car dealership. Then, 25 years ago he targeted Hispanics in his community, including migrant farm workers, when no one else would. He learned Spanish, hired Spanish-speaking salespeople, and extended credit to customers when others wouldn't.

He became a millionaire.

This car dealer learned what many entrepreneurs have realized: Hispanics in this country have a lot of money to spend. The average median Hispanic household income in 2009 was $38,039. While that is less than the $51,861 for white households, it still means Hispanic consumers have money to buy your products or services. (While white is a race for U.S. Census purposes, Hispanic is an ethnicity and Hispanics can be of any race.)

More than 50 million people across the country are Hispanic, according to 2010 Census data. That's more than 16% of all Americans.

It's dumb to write off 1 in 6 people without even thinking about it. And that number is growing and will keep growing regardless of the immigration policies we adopt. By 2050, it is projected that Hispanics will be 30% of America's population.

Generally, Hispanic consumers are young: Hispanics' median age is 27, compared to a median age of 41 for non-Hispanic whites. These younger Hispanic consumers have families and homes, thus they need groceries, clothing and hardware. They also consume a lot of entertainment and gadgets.

If your company's customers are businesses, rather than people, Hispanic-owned businesses represent a huge business opportunity. In 2007, the United States had about 2.3 million Hispanic-owned businesses. And they generated a lot of money, $345.2 billion in gross revenues.

Those figures have almost certainly declined since the onset of the Great Recession in 2008. But Hispanic-owned businesses still have a lot of money to spend on business services, supplies, and equipment. They have to buy from someone.

Hispanics are a large market, but realistically, it's a challenge for a small company to figure out how to serve that market. The best way to get a piece of the Hispanic market is to go about it the same way you approach any other target market: Sit down and devise a marketing plan.

1. Assess your products and services. Is there any reason they are not appropriate for the Hispanic market?

2. Assess your competition. Who is selling your products or services to the Hispanic market now? Can you position yourself better?

3. Look for networking groups. You can join your local Hispanic Chamber of Commerce even if you're not Hispanic.

4. Advertise in local media reaching the Hispanic market. If you don't speak Spanish, advertise in English. Many English-speaking Hispanics read Spanish language publications.

5. Try translating some of your marketing materials or a website page into Spanish. You can hire translating services, hire Spanish-speaking employees or consultants, even hire a Spanish speaking student from a local college.

If you want to be stubbornly anti-immigrant, you can write off this critical market.

And, of course, you can build a successful business without Hispanics. But if you're a smart entrepreneur, you'll at least consider the American Hispanic market as you develop your growth strategy.

Now, can someone find me a good translator for my books?

Copyright Rhonda Abrams 2011.

Hispanic Household Wealth Fell by 66% from 2005 to 2009

2011-09-19T23:42:00.000-07:00

Washington, DC [CapitalWirePR] July 26, 2011 – Median household wealth among Hispanics fell from $18,359 in 2005 to $6,325 in 2009. The percentage drop---- 66%---- was the largest for any racial or ethnic group, according to a new report by the Pew Research Center's Social & Demographic Trends project. During the same period median household wealth declined 53% among black households and 16% among white households.

The Pew Research report provides the first look at how the Great Recession impacted household wealth. It finds that plummeting house values were the principal cause of the erosion in wealth among all groups. However because Hispanics derived nearly two-thirds of their net worth in 2005 from home equity and a disproportionate share reside in states that were in the vanguard of the housing meltdown, Hispanics were hit hardest by the housing market downturn.

The report also finds that the median wealth of white households is 18 times that of Hispanic households and 20 times that of black households. These lopsided wealth ratios are the largest in the quarter century since the government first published such data, and roughly twice the size of the ratios that had prevailed between these three groups for the two decades prior to the Great Recession.

These findings are based on a Pew Research Center analysis of newly-available data from the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP), an economic questionnaire distributed periodically to tens of thousands of households by the U.S. Census Bureau. It is considered the most comprehensive source of data about household wealth in the United States by race and ethnicity.

The report, "Twenty to One: Wealth Gaps Rise to Record Highs Between Whites, Blacks and Hispanics," can be accessed on the Pew Hispanic Center website and on the Pew Social & Demographic Trends website.

The Pew Hispanic Center and Pew Social & Demographic Trends are projects of the Pew Research Center, a nonpartisan, non-advocacy research organization based in Washington, D.C., and funded by The Pew Charitable Trusts.

Staples The To-Do's Done for Good Sweepstakes

2011-08-26T23:13:00.000-07:00

Winners selection will be conducted by random drawing from all eligible entries on or about September 23, 2011.

Grand Prize: (2 winners) $5,000 awarded in the form of a check made payable to winner. Additionally, Sponsor will directly make a $5,000 donation to each winner's choice of charity in their community.

Note: For more information visit the Official Rules.

With Great Startups It's All About The Execution

2011-08-21T22:42:00.000-07:00

Written by: Martin Zwilling

A startup begins with a great idea, but all too often, that’s where it ends. Ideas have to be implemented well to get the desired results. Good implementation requires a plan, and a good plan and good operational decisions come from good people. That’s why investors invest in entrepreneurs, rather than ideas.

People and operational excellence have to converge in every business, large or small. Microsoft found this out last year when their market capitalization, once at $560 billion in the year 2000, had fallen to $219 billion, allowing them to be passed by Apple at $222 billion, who grew from $15.6 billion during the same period. Both had access to the same technology, people, and market.

So what could have happened here? I found a good summary of the relevant keys to business operational excellence in a new book by Faisal Hoque, called “The Power of Convergence.” His focus is on repeatable practices to maximize business opportunities in large companies, but I’m convinced that these apply equally well to startups:

1.Clearly define your value chain. Your value chain consists of customers, partners, vendors, internal systems, and your own team. Make sure you understand this chain, as well as market dynamics, to drive operational innovations and every decision. Apple has been able to innovate at an amazing pace to define and meet new market opportunities.

2.Visualize abnormal or suboptimal performance. Recognizing and understanding deviations enables a startup or any business to take corrective action quickly. This requires executives and a team that understands the parameters, and is focused on customers, quality, and continuous improvement.

3.Facilitate the power of your team. Startups need to empower their people to take action in the absence of orders. That doesn’t mean abdication in setting corporate policies, which provide parameters to ensure that individuals have to ability to act collectively in the company’s best interest. Steve Jobs has a committed team.

4.Communicate effectively with the team and customers. Communication is a challenge in any organization, but it’s a particular challenge when you’re working in a startup, where customers, products, processes, and the team are new. Most founders forget that communication becomes exponentially more difficult as the business grows.

5.Measure value flow and performance. Measuring performance may seem self-evident, but many entrepreneurs mistake this task as a point-in-time or a one-time event. In operationally excellent startups, performance measurement is an ongoing effort throughout the process chain, not just at the outcome.

6.Define response mechanisms. Anticipating and planning for worst-case scenarios, and having a Plan-B, will enable the quick-response and pivots required to put a startup back on track. Metrics are required for ensuring the return to a known good baseline.

7.Maximize technology architecture and standards. Continuous innovation to maintain your competitive advantage does not mean that you can ignore current architectures and standards. These must always be leveraged produce optimal intended product outcomes.

What every business needs is a convergence of business and technology elements to optimize return and competitive positioning. All too often, entrepreneurs posit a new technology or idea, without understanding that a successful business is a never-ending process of adapting and improving all the elements in a business – especially business model, processes, and people, as well as technology.

Apple, with Steve Jobs, has demonstrated a rare convergence of technology, market understanding, business process, and people. Are you focused on all the right execution principles in your startup to do the same?

General-Market Shops Snatching Up Hispanic Business

2011-08-14T23:19:00.000-07:00

Posted by Laurel Wentz on 04.26.10

NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- After years of trying to convince the mainstream world of the size and importance of the Hispanic market, Hispanic agencies are finding that one group has started to listen: general-market shops. Pressured by cost-cutting clients, general-market agencies are taking on Hispanic shops for a bigger share of the fast-growing Latino market.

MULTICULTURAL: DraftFCB combines its Hispanic team with its general-market team. With 2010 Census data likely to show big growth in the Hispanic population, the fight is likely to intensify as general-market agencies poach talent and specialty shops protect their turf.

The ad industry was stunned earlier this month when Home Depot moved its $37 million Hispanic account from incumbent Vidal Partnership to Richards/Lerma, a little-known Hispanic capability at Home Depot's general-market agency, Richards Group.

Separately, Unilever is doing a pitch to consolidate its Hispanic business that doesn't rule out participation by general-market agencies. "The business should go to whoever pitches it best," said Tatiana Hansell, senior brand manager-multicultural at Unilever.

Since then, Wendy's has started a review of its Hispanic business that requires contenders to forward their information to Wendy's general-market agency, Kaplan Thaler Group, according to a critical statement issued by the Association of Hispanic Advertising Agencies about both reviews.

In a reference to the Wendy's review, Joe Zubi, chief operating officer of Zubi Advertising, wrote in the agency's ZubiNation blog: "One RFP was actually sent to us by the person who heads up the account at the general-market agency. The first question was to describe how well we get along with general-market agencies. If that does not send a clear message that the Hispanic shop will follow the footsteps of Big Brother, I don't know what does. Not to mention that Big Brother can then figure out how best to approach the market and tell the client that they can do it just as well for less money ... does the name Home Depot ring a bell?"

Pitch to 'band together'
Javier Palomarez, president-CEO of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, said he dispatched a letter April 14 to the CEO of Home Depot "voicing our disappointment and surprise," and sent copies to the Hispanic Chamber's 210 chapters across the country.

"As a community we have not done a good enough job of banding together," said Mr. Palomarez, who in the past headed multicultural marketing for Bank of America and early in his career developed Allstate's first Hispanic advertising. He said the chamber represents about 3 million companies generating more than $4 billion in revenue, with about 21% coming from businesses that work in fields such as construction, renovation and landscaping and are "great customers of Home Depot."

Although Home Depot represents the biggest Hispanic account to go to the least-known agency, other general-market agencies are gaining traction.

Havas Worldwide is hiring a top Hispanic creative director, Vidal Partnership's Mauricio Galvan, and Leo Olper, chief operating officer of Hispanic shop Lapiz, to build a Hispanic agency to serve Euro RSCG Worldwide and Arnold clients, replacing the moribund Euro RSCG Latino.

DraftFCB has assembled about 55 multicultural specialists at the agency's 1,100-person Chicago office, said Simon El Hage, senior VP-multicultural segments. Integrated in the general-market account teams, they work on multicultural business for the agency's general-market clients such as State Farm, Kmart and Taco Bell, whose Latino account it just stole from Hispanic shop Dieste. DraftFCB has even joined the Association of Hispanic Advertising Agencies as an associate member.

"Multicultural audiences are the pop-culture creators," said Ken Muench, who joined DraftFCB in December 2009 as senior VP-director of multicultural planning from leading Hispanic agency Grupo Gallegos. "You can't be a credible general-market agency without considering the multicultural segment."

One of the biggest changes shaping the market is the trend toward what many are calling the total market -- a melding of the general market and the growing multicultural market, partly due to the increasing numbers and influence of Hispanic and black consumers.

"Mainstream culture today is not the general market," Mr. Muench said. "It's a multicultural-inspired total market."

Ultimate Fan Room Giveaway

2011-08-04T19:07:00.000-07:00

Enter the Ultimate Fan Room Sweepstakes by Frito-Lay, Inc. and Cabela's Inc.

Winners will be selected weekly from among all eligible entries received.

Grand Prize: (8 winners - 1 per week) Two Flat Screen 3-d HD Samsung TVs; one Home Theater System consisting of a Blue-ray disc/DVD player, front, surround, and center-channel speakers, sub woofer, composite video cable, ASC microphone, and a wireless rear speaker module; four Theater-style Recliner Chairs; $1,000 NFLShop.com gift certificate; and PepsiCo Snacks and Beverages awarded as coupons.

First Prize: (1,600 winners - 200 per week) $30 NFLShop.com gift certificate.

For more information visit the Official Rules.

Why Senior Discounts (plus a sampling)

2011-07-28T20:22:00.000-07:00

Many organizations offer discounts to boost sales and to attract new customers. We recommend you use a discount as an investment. Seniors (55 yrs old and older) tend to be more product and brand loyal. Once they find something they like and or works, they stick with it. So why not generate trial by seniors by offering them a discount. Be careful with seniors as they tend to not complain. They just walk away. So attract them, reward them and listen to those subtle clues that you are doing a good or bad job. The long term rewards will be mutually beneficial.

Since many senior discounts are not advertised openly, we advice to the 55 and over to ALWAYS ask if they provide a senior discount (what age, % amount, day of week, or different location)?

Here is a list of senior discounts we found. Be sure to tell someone who can use it.
Restaurants

* Applebee’s: 15% off with Golden Apple Card (60+)

* Arby’s : 10% off (55+)

* Ben & Jerry’s: 10% off (60+)

* Bennigan’s: discount varies by location

* Bob’s Big Boy: discount varies by location (60+)

* Boston Market : 10% off (65+)

* Burger King: 10% off (60+)

* Captain D’s Seafood: discount varies on location (62+)

* Chick-Fil-A: 10% off or free small drink or coffee (55+)

* Chili’s: 10% off (55+)

* CiCi’s Pizza: 10% off (60+)

* Culver’s: 10% off (60+)

* Denny’s : 10% off, 20% off for AARP members (55+)

* Dunkin’ Donuts: 10% off or free coffee (55+)

* Einstein’s Bagels : 10% off baker’s dozen of bagels (60+)

* Fuddrucker’s: 10% off any senior platter (55+)

* Gatti’s Pizza: 10% off (60+)

* Golden Corral: 10% off (60+)

* Hardee’s : $0.33 beverages everyday (65+)

* IHOP: 10% off (55+)

* Jack in the Box : up to 20% off (55+)

* KFC : free small drink with any meal (55+)

* Krispy Kreme : 10% off (50+)

* Long John Silver’s: various discounts at participating locations (55+)

* McDonald’s : discounts on coffee everyday (55+)

* Mrs. Fields : 10% off at participating locations (60+)

* Shoney’s: 10% off

* Sonic: 10% off or free beverage (60+)

* Steak ‘n Shake: 10% off every Monday & Tuesday (50+)

* Subway: 10% off (60+)

* Sweet Tomatoes 10% off (62+)

* Taco Bell : 5% off; free beverages for seniors (65+)

* TCBY: 10% off (55+)

* Tea Room Cafe: 10% off (50+)

* Village Inn: 10% off (60+)

* Waffle House: 10% off every Monday (60+)

* Wendy’s: 10% off (55+)

* White Castle : 10% off (62+)

Retail and Apparel

* Banana Republic : 10% off (50+)

* Bealls : 20% off first Tuesday of each month (50+)

* Belk’s: 15% off first Tuesday of every month (55+)

* Big Lots : 10% off

* Bon-Ton Department Stores : 15% off on senior discount days (55+)

* C.J. Banks : 10% off every Wednesday (60+)

* Clarks: 10% off (62+)

* Dress Barn : 10% off (55+)

* Goodwill: 10% off one day a week (date varies by location)

* Hallmark : 10% off one day a week (date varies by location)

* Kmart : 20% off (50+)

* Kohl’s : 15% off (60+)

* Modell’s Sporting Goods : 10% off

* Rite Aid : 10% off on Tuesdays & 10% off prescriptions

* Ross Stores: 10% off every Tuesday (55+)

* The Salvation Army Thrift Stores: up to 50% off (55+)

* Stein Mart: 20% off red dot/clearance items first Monday of every month (55+)

Grocery

* Albertson’s: 10% off first Wednesday of each month (55+)

* American Discount Stores: 10% off every Monday (50+)

* Bristol Farms: 10% of on Tuesdays at ‘selected’ locations (60+)

* Compare Foods Supermarket: 10% off every Wednesday (60+)

* DeCicco Family Markets: 5% off every Wednesday (60+)

* Food Lion: 6% off every Monday (60+)

* Fry’s Supermarket: free Fry’s VIP Club Membership & 10% off every Monday (55+)

* Great Valu Food Store: 5% off every Tuesday (60+)

* Gristedes Supermarket: 10% off every Tuesday (60+)

* Harris Teeter: 5% off every Tuesday (60+)

* Hy-Vee: 5% off one day a week (date varies by location)

* Kroger: 10% off (date varies by location)

* Morton Williams Supermarket: 5% off every Tuesday (60+)

* The Plant Shed: 10% off every Tuesday (50+)

* Publix: 5% off every Wednesday (55+)

* Rogers Marketplace: 5% off every Thursday (60+)

* Uncle Guiseppe’s Marketplace: 5% off (62+)

Travel

* Alaska Airlines : 10% off (65+)

* Alamo : up to 25% off for AARP members

* American Airlines : various discounts for 65 and up (call before booking for discount)

* Amtrak : 15% off (62+)

* Avis : up to 25% off for AARP members

* Best Western : 10% off (55+)

* Budget Rental Cars : 10% off; up to 20% off for AARP members (50+)

* Cambria Suites: 20%-30% off (60+)

* Clarion : 20%-30% off (60+)

* Comfort Inn : 20%-30% off (60+)

* Comfort Suites : 20%-30% off (60+)

* Continental Airlines: no initiation fee for Continental Presidents Club & special fares for select destinations

* Dollar Rent-A-Car : 10% off (50+)

* Econo Lodge : 20%-30% off (60+)

* Enterprise Rent-A-Car : 5% off for AARP members

* Greyhound: 5% off (62+)

* Hampton Inns & Suites: 10% off when booked 72 hours in advance

* Hertz : up t0 25% off for AARP members

* Holiday Inn : 10%-30% off depending on location (62+)

* Hyatt Hotels: 25%-50% off (62+)

* InterContinental Hotels Group : various discounts at all hotels (65+)

* Mainstay Suites : 10% off with Mature Traveler’s Discount (50+); 20%-30% off (60+)

* Marriott Hotels : 15% off (62+)

* Motel 6 : 10% off (60+)

* Myrtle Beach Resort: 10% off (55+)

* National Rent-A-Car: up to 30% off for AARP members

* Quality Inn : 20%-30% off (60+)

* Rodeway Inn : 20%-30% off (60+)

* Sleep Inn : 20%-30% off (60+)

* Southwest Airlines : various discounts for ages 65 and up (call before booking for discount)

* Trailways Transportation System: various discounts for ages 50 and up

* United Airlines: various discounts for ages 65 and up (call before booking for discount)

* U.S. Airways: various discounts for ages 65 and up (call before booking for discount)

Activities & Entertainment

* AMC Theaters : up to 30% off (55+)

* Bally Total Fitness : up to $100 off memberships (62+)

* Busch Gardens Tampa : $3 off one-day tickets (50+)

* Carmike Cinemas: 35% off (65+)

* Cinemark/Century Theaters: up to 35% off

* U.S. National Parks: $10 lifetime pass; 50% off additional services including camping (62+)

* Regal Cinemas: 30% off

* Ripley’s Believe it or Not: @ off one-day ticket (55+)

* SeaWorld Orlando: $3 off one-day tickets (50+)

Cell Phone Discounts

* AT&T: Special Senior Nation 200 Plan $29.99/month (65+)

* Jitterbug : $10/month cell phone service (50+)

* Verizon Wireless : Verizon Nationwide 65 Plus Plan $29.99/month (65+)

*Check out our Secret Cell Phone Discounts to view all cell phone discounts available to you!

Beauty

* Great Clips: $3 off haircuts (60+)

* Super Cuts: $2 off haircuts (60+)

Don't forget to share!

Disney's Discover What You Treasure Sweepstakes

2011-07-26T00:03:00.000-07:00

Discover What You Treasure Sweepstakes

Grand Prize: (1 winner) A 5 day/4 night trip for winner and three (3) guests to Orlando, FL, on Sponsor-selected dates to visit Walt Disney World Resort, consisting of the following: hotel accommodations (one standard room/quad occupancy, including room tax) for three (3) nights; accommodations (one standard room/quad occupancy, including room tax) for one (1) night at the Cinderella Castle Suite in the Magic Kingdom Park; one (1) breakfast at Cinderella Royal Table; five (5) day Magic Your Way Tickets with Park Hopper Option; if winner’s residence is located more than 250 miles from the City, round-trip coach air transportation between major metropolitan airport near winner’s residence and a airport in or near the City; but if winner’s residence is located 250 miles or less from the City, round-trip ground transportation via winner’s residence and the hotel; airport/hotel transfers; One (1) Disney Character Dining experience; One (1) Disney Character Meet and Greet with photo opportunity; One (1) Disney’s PhotoPass Book and one (1) Disney’s PhotoPass CD for winner only; One (1) Disney VIP Guide for one (1) eight hour day; $250 Disney Gift Card for winner only; one (1) HTC Thunderbolt 4G LTE device valued at $249.99 preloaded with the Mobile Magic application, the opportunity to use the Verizon Mobile application in order to find a “treasure chest of Disney prizes” worth $500 by using clues provided by a representative during the Park Experience; $500 Verizon Wireless gift card to cover Verizon wireless activation, accessories and service.
Winner selection will be conducted by random drawing from all eligible entries on or about September 27, 2011.

For more information visit the Official Rules. Sponsored by ABC Cable Networks Group, dba Disney Channel, 3800 W. Alameda Avenue, Burbank, CA 91505.

Harley Davidson Free the World Giveaway

2011-07-06T01:23:00.000-07:00

Enter Harley Davidson Free the World Giveaway ( Dec-1 )

Winners selection will be conducted by random drawing from all eligible entries on or about December 12, 2011.

Grand Prize: 2 winners of a custom Harley-Davidson 1200C motorcycle for winner and a trip for two to Milwaukee, WI

First Prize: A Rider’s Edge Class.
For more information visit the Official Rules.

Six Common Misperceptions about Teamwork

2011-07-02T09:24:00.000-07:00

Six Common Misperceptions about Teamwork

by J. Richard Hackman

Teamwork and collaboration are critical to mission achievement in any organization that has to respond quickly to changing circumstances. My research in the U.S. intelligence community has not only affirmed that idea but also surfaced a number of mistaken beliefs about teamwork that can sidetrack productive collaboration. Here are six of them.

Misperception #1: Harmony helps. Smooth interaction among collaborators avoids time-wasting debates about how best to proceed.

Actually: Quite the opposite, research shows. Conflict, when well managed and focused on a team's objectives, can generate more creative solutions than one sees in conflict-free groups. So long as it is about the work itself, disagreements can be good for a team. Indeed, we found in our earlier research on symphony orchestras that slightly grumpy orchestras played a little better as ensembles than those whose members worked together especially harmoniously.

Misperception #2: It's good to mix it up. New members bring energy and fresh ideas to a team. Without them, members risk becoming complacent, inattentive to changes in the environment, and too forgiving of fellow members' misbehavior.

Actually: The longer members stay together as an intact group, the better they do. As unreasonable as this may seem, the research evidence is unambiguous. Whether it is a basketball team or a string quartet, teams that stay together longer play together better.

Misperception #3: Bigger is better. Larger groups have more resources to apply to the work. Moreover, including representatives of all relevant constituencies increases the chances that whatever is produced will be accepted and used.

Actually: Excessive size is one of the most common--and also one of the worst--impediments to effective collaboration. The larger the group, the higher the likelihood of social loafing (sometimes called free riding), and the more effort it takes to keep members' activities coordinated. Small teams are more efficient--and far less frustrating.

Misperception #4: Face-to-face interaction is passé. Now that we have powerful electronic technologies for communication and coordination, teams can do their work much more efficiently at a distance.

Actually: Teams working remotely are at a considerable disadvantage. There really are benefits to sizing up your teammates face-to-face. A number of organizations that rely heavily on distributed teams have found that it is well worth the time and expense to get members together when the team is launched, again around the midpoint of the team's work, and yet again when the work has been completed.

Misperception #5: It all depends on the leader. Think of a team you have led, or on which you have served, that performed superbly. Now think of another one that did quite poorly. What accounts for the difference between them? If you are like most people, your explanation will have something to do with the personality, behavior, or style of the leaders of those two teams.

Actually: The hands-on activities of group leaders do make a difference. But the most powerful thing a leader can do to foster effective collaboration is to create conditions that help members competently manage themselves. The second most powerful thing is to launch the team well. And then, third, is the hands-on teaching and coaching that leaders do after the work is underway. Our research suggests that condition-creating accounts for about 60% of the variation in how well a team eventually performs; that the quality of the team launch accounts for another 30%; and that real-time coaching accounts for only about 10%. Leaders are indeed important in collaborative work, but not in the ways we usually think.

Misperception #6: Teamwork is magical. To harvest its many benefits, all one has to do is gather up some really talented people and tell them in general terms what is needed--the team will work out the details.

Actually: It takes careful thought and no small about amount of preparation to stack the deck for success. The best leaders provide a clear statement of just what the team is to accomplish, and they make sure that the team has all the resources and supports it will need to succeed. Although you may have to do a bit of political maneuvering to get what is needed for effective collaboration from the broader organization, it is well worth the trouble.

J. Richard Hackman is the Edgar Pierce Professor of Social and Organizational Psychology at Harvard University and a leading expert on teams. The misperceptions that are summarized in this post are explored in greater depth in his new book Collaborative Intelligence: Using Teams to Solve Hard Problems (Berrett-Koehler, 2011). He is interviewed by HBR in "Why Teams Don't Work" (May 2009) and is the author of Leading Teams: Setting the Stage for Great Performances (Harvard Business School Press, 2002).

Disney Pixar's Cars 2 / L'Oreal Sweepstakes

2011-06-28T11:28:00.000-07:00

Enter L'Oreal Kids Cars 2 Sweepstakes

Winners selection will be conducted by random drawing from all eligible entries on or about January 6, 2012.

Grand Prize: (1 winner) a bedroom makeover awarded as a $3,350 Rosenberry Rooms gift certificate and a $150 Toys "R" Us Gift Card which may be used to purchase an assortment of Disney Pixar's Cars 2 bedroom items.

First Prize: (5 winners) a toy shopping spree awarded as a $100 Toys "R" Us gift card.
Second Prize: (50 winners) Disney Pixar's Cars 2 merchandise.
Third Prize: (25 winners) a set of four (4) L'Oreal Kids Cars 2 shampoo products.

For more information and complete entry details visit the Official Rules.

The End of the 'Average American'

2011-06-26T06:39:00.000-07:00

"Fifty years ago, the concept of John Doe, an average American in a relatively even society where vast numbers of people had similar consumer needs, was real," writes Karen Talavera at MarketingProfs. But results from the 2010 census—due to be released this summer—will show just how much that picture has changed. For marketers, the message is simple: There's no such thing as an "average American" anymore.

No racial or ethnic segment is a majority in our two most populous states—California and Texas—or in our ten largest cities.

Households headed by married couples are now a minority, down from a two-thirds majority 25 years ago.

Life expectancy is up, and elders often live with children and grandchildren.

"One-size-fits-all messaging isn't going to cut it," argues Talavera. "It will seem wildly off-base and irrelevant, especially if you attempt it in your email and social media marketing—avenues in which instantaneous feedback and listening is expected."

She has advice like this for your online, mobile and social media strategies:

Segment, segment, segment. The more you know about individual customers, the more relevant your messaging can be. Age, gender, location, household composition, marital/family status and ethnicity all matter. But don't forget about life stages like new parents, families with children and empty nesters.

Trust, but verify. As the population diversifies, customers might find themselves in multiple segments, making hard-to-predict decisions. Solicit their preferences with frequent surveys, but compare their responses to demonstrated behavior.

The Point: "Until you dig deep into your customer data—demographics, offer responses, media preferences, survey answers, and more—you may have assumptions about your customers that are entirely untrue," concludes Talavera.

Source:
Do You Really Know Your Customers? Marketing to a Rapidly Diversifying Population
by Karen Talavera

Sour Patch Million Dollar Challenge

2011-06-21T14:15:00.000-07:00

Enter Sour Patch Million Dollar Challenge ( Oct-14 )

To join follow the instructions to complete and submit the entry form to be part of this Sweepstakes.

Grand Prize: (1 winner) coach class air transportation for winner and three (3) guests from a major U.S. gateway airport nearest winner’s residence to New York City, three (3) days and two (2) nights standard hotel accommodations (one room, double occupancy), $1,000 for winner only and ground transportation to/from airport and hotel.

On November 12, 2011, the winner will determine the winning prize by selecting one (1) game piece from a pool of 100 game pieces at Dave & Buster’s in NYC. 99 game pieces will consist of a $10,000 Prize and one (1) game piece will consist of a $1,000,000 Prize.

Instant Win Game Prizes

First Prize: (10 winners) One (1) Alienware M11x Laptop. (ARV $599)

Second Prize: (40 winners) One (1) 32” Class Sharp AQUOS LCD HDTV (Model LC-32D59U). (ARV $399.99)

Third Prize: (50 winners) A GameStop $300 Gift Card.

Fourth Prize: (100 winners) One (1) Logitech Z506 Surround Sound Speakers (Model Z506). (ARV $99.99)

Fifth Prize: (1,000 winners) A GameStop $25 Gift Card.

Sixth Prize: (1,500 winners) One (1) Sour Patch Kids T-Shirt.
Seventh Prize: (9,500 winners) One (1) coupon redeemable for an 8 oz. or smaller bag of any Sour Patch product.

Note: For more information visit the Official Rules.
Sponsored by Kraft Foods Global, Inc.

Trading Places: A Smart Way to Change Your Mind

2011-06-19T13:00:00.000-07:00

Trading Places: A Smart Way to Change Your Mind

by: William C. Taylor

How's this for a neat idea about where to find new ideas and apply them to your business? Maxine Clark, founder and CEO of (publicly traded) Build-a-Bear Workshop, switched companies for a day with Kip Tindell, cofounder and CEO of the (privately held) Container Store. Both outfits are big, fast-growing, passion brands in the ultra-competitive world of retail — although they have little in common in terms of target customers, in-store zeitgeist, or corporate missions. Yet those differences are precisely what made the CEO switcheroo so valuable: When the two leaders spent a day working on the front lines of each other's operations, they encountered all kinds of ideas about merchandising, employee motivation, and in-store communication that worked in one place, and might just work in the other if those ideas were exported to and adapted for the new environment.

To give credit where credit is due, neither Clark nor Kindell had the original idea for this clever exercise in idea-swapping. In fact, credit goes to the editors of Fortune magazine, who were assembling their annual "Best Companies to Work For" issue. Build-a-Bear and Container Store both made the cut (Container Store is a perennial) and the editors thought it would be a neat trick if two CEOs on the list traded companies for a day. They were right; it was a neat trick. But it was more than that — it was yet another example of the power of a whole new mindset about innovation.

I've seen it time and again: Leaders who are hungry for new ideas don't just aspire to learn from the "best in class" in their narrowly defined field. They also aspire to learn from organizations outside their field as a way to shake things up and make real change. Strategies and practices that are routine in one market segment can be revolutionary when they migrate to another, especially when those ideas challenge the prevailing assumptions that have come to define so many market segments.

Which is not to suggest that it's mandatory for CEOs to swap jobs in order to change their minds about how their companies can compete. In its wildly successful "Disruption Day" innovation process, TBWA Worldwide, the legendary advertising agency, uses what it calls the "CEO Hats" exercise to encourage organizations to get beyond their business-as-usual mindsets. Participants search for out-of-the-box answers to important strategic questions by reaching into boxes filled with hats, shirts, and other paraphernalia from breakthrough organizations such as Apple, Virgin, Target, and Southwest Airlines. They wear the attire and try to adopt the mindset of those free-thinking companies as they think about the big questions facing their companies.

"We define possible strategies for companies through the eyes and values and under the leadership of a different CEO," explains Laurie Coots, TBWA's chief marketing officer. "The sheer act of being free to think like somebody else gives you permission to generate ideas that you might not get to otherwise."

It's a fun way to make a serious point: There's no reason to gamble on untested strategies and ideas if you can identify and apply strategies and ideas that are already working elsewhere. Proven insights from one field can become a powerful force for innovation when they migrate to another field. "What better way to 'think different' than to think like somebody else, to wear someone else's hat?" asks TBWA chairman Jean-Marie Dru (and author of Beyond Disruption: Changing the Rules in the Marketplace). "These hats are representative of powerful personalities or company cultures that have proven themselves in the business world. We use the hats to deliberately create a little theater, to get people out of their workaday personae and transport them to a totally new way of thinking."

Indra Nooyi, the change-minded CEO of PepsiCo, has her own language to capture the same phenomenon. She describes the new logic of innovation as "lift and shift." That is, search for great ideas in unrelated fields, lift them out of the context in which they took shape, and shift them into your company. Which is precisely what Kindell and Clark did. According to Fortune, the CEO of the Container store was struck by the effectiveness of Build-a-Bear's "Strive for Five" sales technique — aiming to sell customers five items during their visit. The CEO of Build-a-Bear was impressed by how well the Container Store communicated with its front-line associates — lots of simple gestures that sent big signals through the ranks. Both CEOs vowed to apply these (and other) outside ideas inside their organizations.

Here's the basic message: You can't let what you know limit what you can imagine. As you try to do something special, exciting, important, don't just look to other companies in your field (or to your past successes) for ideas and practices. Look to great organizations in all sorts of fields to see what works with for them — and how you can apply their ideas to your problems. Do you have new ideas about where to find new ideas?

William C. Taylor is cofounder of Fast Company magazine and author of Practically Radical: Not-So-Crazy Ways to Transform Your Company, Shake Up Your Industry, and Challenge Yourself

Southwest Airlines Dad's Day Giveaway Sweeps

2011-06-13T14:09:00.000-07:00

Enter Dad's Day Giveaway Sweepstakes ( Jun-13 )

To join follow the instructions to complete and submit the entry form to be part of this Sweepstakes.

Winner selection will be conducted by random drawing from all eligible entries on or about June 15.

Prize: (1 winner) $2,000 Southwest gift card.

Note: For more information visit the Official Rules.

You Are My Superdad Sweepstakes

2011-06-06T00:27:00.000-07:00

Enter You Are My Superdad Sweepstakes ( Jun-19 )

To join follow the instructions to complete and submit the entry form to be part of this Sweepstakes. Winners selection will be conducted by random drawing from all eligible entries on or about June 28, 2011.

Grand Prize: (1 winner) $2,500 Home Entertainment Package. Package includes large screen 3D LED-LCD TV (46"), a 3D Blu-ray Player, a Sony PlayStation 3 console and an Apple iPad 2 16 GB WiFi.

First Prize: (20 winners) $250 in eBay Gift Card.

Note: For more information visit the Official Rules. Sponsored by eBay Inc.

Intel Visibly Smart Moments Sweepstakes

2011-06-04T00:24:00.000-07:00

Enter Visibly Smart Moments Sweepstakes

To join follow the instructions to complete and submit the entry form to be part of this Sweepstakes. Winners will be randomly selected from among all qualified entries received on or about June 27, 2011.

Prize: (3 winner) a Toshiba laptop computer. (ARV $880)

Note: For more information visit the Official Rules. Sponsored by Intel Corporation.

Save Quality Child Care in California!

2011-05-28T23:15:00.000-07:00

Help save quality child care programs in California from being cut in the California State Budget. All child care programs in California have received a 15% across the board cut. But now, quality preschool and infant toddler centers that meet the highest quality standards are at risk of being cut by AN ADDITIONAL 10% CUT OVER the 15%. These centers will not be able to stay open if they are cut. Over 30,000 children will lose care. We are calling upon the Legislature and Governor to stop high quality centers being singled out for an unfair ADDITIONAL CUT.

They need 5,000 signatures! Please help our countries future. Studies show that appreciation for academics and education start as early as preschool.

Click on the following link to let our legislatures know that we value our children's future.

http://signon.org/sign/save-quality-child-care-2

Hawaiian Getaway Sweepstakes; Sponsored by Disney

2011-05-11T00:18:00.000-07:00

Enter the Hawaiian Getaway Sweepstakes for a chance to win teh following prizes:

Prize: 5 day/4 night trip for winner and three (3) guests to Honolulu, HI, in 2012, consisting of the following elements for the Group: hotel accommodations at the Aulani, A Disney Resort and Spa in Ko Olina Hawaii (one standard room/quad occupancy, including room tax) for four (4) nights; mid-sized rental vehicle with unlimited mileage for the duration of the Trip; $500 spending money for the winner; if winner's residence is located other than on the Island of O'ahu, round-trip coach air transportation on a Sponsor-selected carrier between a Sponsor-selected major metropolitan airport near winner's residence and the Honolulu International Airport and airport/hotel transfers. (ARV $6,560)

To join follow the instructions to complete and submit the entry form to be part of this Sweepstakes.

Winner selection will be conducted by random drawing from all eligible entries on or about July 8, 2011.

Note: For more information visit the Official Rules. Sponsored by Disney Online.

The Price is Right...'Wants You'

2011-04-19T15:44:00.000-07:00

The Price is Right TV game show is looking for military members and their families.

The show will tape a special military families episode May 2, with a scheduled air date of May 20, which coincides with Armed Forces Week. The show is open to all military family members 18+. This applies to husbands, wives, children, etc.

Timeline for May 2:

0830: contestant processing at CBS studios begins
1015-1130: on-site lunch provided
1220: filming begins
1340: filming wraps

There are more details so contact us if you are interested. If you know a military member or veteran that might be interested, send them our way.

Michael Porter's "What is Strategy?"

2011-04-15T21:39:00.000-07:00

This 1 minute clip from Micheal Porter highlights his view of what strategy really is!

The World’s Most Misunderstood Consumer Brands

2011-03-28T11:13:00.000-07:00

The process of brand valuation is more an art than a science, or at least that is the conclusion of research done by 24/7 Wall St. The most well-regarded “brand evaluators” rarely come up with similar figures–except for among the very largest brands. Some of their opinions diverge dramatically.

24/7 Wall St. looked at the brand valuations and methodologies of BrandZ, Interbrand, and Brandirectory. The first two list 100 brands each in their public studies. Brandirectory lists 500. Each would defend its valuations which use different “black box” systems for calculating value. That is probably because all three charge hefty fees for their services.

The explanations for their methodologies are even more convoluted.

Here is what BrandZ says: “The brand value published is based on the intrinsic value of the brand – derived from its ability to generate demand. The dollar value of each brand in the ranking is the sum of all future earnings that brand is forecast to generate, discounted to a present-day value. Given the high volatility of financial markets over the past 12 months, the brand value is in some cases high relative to current market capitalization, reflecting true value rather than current market swings.” Where is the heart of that exercise? It is impossible to say.

Interbrands has three criteria: “1) Financial performance measures an organization’s raw financial return to the investors, 2) Role of brand measures the portion of the decision to purchase that is attributable to brand – this is exclusive of other aspects of the offer like price or feature, and 3) Brand strength measures the ability of the brand to secure the delivery of expected future earnings.” Without the exact data that Interband uses and details of how it is arranged to derive a value, it is impossible say how its process works.

Brandirectory describes its methodology this way: “The methodology employed in the BrandFinance Global 500 uses a discounted cash flow (DCF) technique to discount estimated future royalties, at an appropriate discount rate, to arrive at a net present value (NPV) of the trademark and associated intellectual property: the brand value.”

All three brand valuation companies admit that sales play a critical role in brand valuation. All three claim that their forecasts of future contributions of the brands to earnings are part of their proprietary analysis. All link brand value to the overall value of a brand’s parent company.

Again, the most telling part of the comparison among the three firms is that they differ very little on the 20 most valuable brands. Oddly enough, the best way to highlight the flaw in the three valuations methods is to look at Marlboro. Its value is ranked seventh best by BrandZ at $57 billion, 18th on the Interbrand list with a value of $20 billion and 499th on the Brandirectory list with a valuation of $2.3 billion. Marlboro is the primary brand of both Philip Morris and Altria. Altria has annual sales of $24 billion. Philip Morris sales are $67 billion a year. Even in the most cerebral and bizarre world, Marlboro could not be worth as little as $2.3 billion.

24/7 Wall St., to make its point about whether brand values can be fairly measured, looked at ten brands which are ranked high on one of the three brand value lists and much lower on others. We considered the brand value from the lists, the extent to which each brand is internationally known based on overseas sales, total annual revenue, and in many cases the age and durability of the brand.

Each of the brands on the 24/7 Wall St. list is not only a well-known name in the US but also in most places around the world. A review of the BrandZ, Interbrand, and Brandirectory lists leads to the conclusion that most brands are not valued properly. The ten we have chosen are particularly notable because the so-called experts have widely differing views on how much they are worth.

1. Xerox

Interbrand Brand Value: $6.109 billion

Total Sales: $15.2 Billion
% sales international: 46%
Market Cap: $14.2 Billion

The name “Xerox” has become synonymous with photocopiers, as well as the act of photocopying. The company, which has been around for more than a century, invented the first electro-photography plain paper photocopier. Xerox is in the top 200 of the Fortune 500, and remains a well-known brand around the world. The company’s revenue was more than $15 billion in 2010, with just over $7 billion coming in from outside of the United States.
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2. Yahoo!
Interbrand Brand Value: $4.958 billion
Total Sales: $6.3 Billion
% sales international: 33%
Market Cap: $21.4 billion

Yahoo! was one of the first major web portals. Founded in 1995, the company survived the burst of the dot-com bubble and remains valuable today. Yahoo! is the second largest search engine in the US behind Google. Yahoo!, as of 2010, had the largest market share of online display advertising in the world, according to JP Morgan. Of the $6.324 billion the company made in 2010, just over $2 billion was made internationally.
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3. MTV
Interbrand Brand Value: $6.719 billion
Parent Company Viacom’s Total Sales: $13.4 billion
% sales international: N/A
Parent Company Viacom’s Market Cap: $27.2 billion

MTV has grown into an international media giant since its beginning in 1981. According to owner Viacom, the channel reached approximately 99 million television households within the United States in September 2010. On an international level, MTV Networks’ operations reached approximately 635 million households in more than 160 countries in September 2010. MTV has also expanded into film with its MTV Films division, which has produced such popular films as Zoolander and Jackass.
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4. Heinz

Interbrand Brand Value: $7.534 billion
Total Sales: $10.5 Billion
% sales international: 62%
Market Cap: $15.6 billion

Heinz’s 57 is easily the most recognized brand of ketchup the United States, and is featured on most restaurant and diner tables in the U.S. While it is the most recognizable in the U.S., more than half of the company’s $10.5 billion in annual sales comes from abroad. Besides ketchup, Heinz sells a variety of condiments, including mustard, relish, and horseradish. The last of these was actually the first product Heinz produced.
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5. Kellogg

Interbrand Brand Value: $11.041 billion
Total Sales: $12.4 Billion
% sales international: 37%
Market Cap: $19.7 billion

Battle Creek, Michigan-based Kellogg was founded in 1906, and is responsible for some of the most popular breakfast cereals in the world, including Corn Pops, Corn Flakes, Crispix, Frosted Flakes, Raisin Bran and Rice Krispies. Kellogg competes with General Mills as one of the two largest breakfast food makers in the world, producing other extremely successful products such as Eggo waffles and Pop Tarts.
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6. Phillips

Interbrand Brand Value: $8.696 billion
Total Sales: $25 billion
% sales international: ~98%
Market Cap: $31.3 billion

Dutch-based Philips Electronics is one of the largest electronics companies in the world, competing against Sony and Panasonic. The company employs about 120,000 people around the world and sells merchandise in more than 60 countries. The company invented or helped invent nearly every modern form of media storage. Along with Sony, the company has been the go-to brand for the compact cassette, the CD, the DVD, and the Blu-Ray disc. The company also sells electronics, including a popular line of televisions and sound equipment.
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7. KFC

Interbrand Brand Value: $5.844 billion
Parent Company Yum! Brands Total Sales: $11.343 billion
% sales international: N/A
Parent Company Yum! Brands Market Cap: $23.76 billion

Originally founded in 1930, KFC is now one of the largest brands owned by Yum! Brands, along with Pizza Hut. According to Yum!, as of the end of 2010 there were 5,055 KFCs in the United States and 11,798 in other countries. A surprising 3,244 of these restaurants are in China. KFC has restaurants in 110 countries and territories worldwide. In 2010, Yum! Brands had a total revenue of $11.34 billion.
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8. Danone

Interbrand Brand Value: $6.363 billion
Total Sales: $24.2 Billion
% sales international: 75% or more
Market Cap: $28.6 Billion

Group Danone, the French food-products company which markets its products in the United States under the brand name Dannon, had sales of just over $24 billion in 2010. According to the company, Danone is “the world’s leading producer in volume of Fresh Dairy Products.” The company is best known for its yogurts and bottled water. It moved into baby food after purchasing Numico in 2007.
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9. Caterpillar

Interbrand Brand Value: $4.704 billion
Total Sales: $42.5 Billion
% sales international: 70%
Market Cap: $68.2 Billion

Caterpillar is the largest manufacturer of construction equipment in the world, with annual sales of more than $42 billion, more than 100,000 employees and 178 dealers. Caterpillar’s “Cat” brand is well- known among the public and construction firms alike.
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10. Adidas

Interbrand Brand Value: $5.495 billion
Total Sales: $17.03 Billion

% sales international: N/A

Market Cap: $18.45 Billion

Adidas, the German sports apparel company, had sales of just over $17 billion in 2010. The company is the second largest sportswear manufacturer in the world, behind Nike, and the largest in Europe. Parent company Adidas AG also owns the popular brands Reebok and Rockport.

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Just remember Velvet Eyes

2011-03-23T11:30:00.000-07:00

An American Film Icon passed away today, Elizabeth Taylor. In the midst of the nice tributes are the attention seeking _____ (fill-in the blank) people who focus on the human things about her. To those people I say look in the mirror and realize that your closet has a few (or many) items in there. We all do!

Now I can't argue these items. Ms Taylor was sexually liberated in an era when woman "didn't have sex". She challenged studios when they had the power. She had a strut about herself when actresses were second to their male counterparts. She even befriended Michael Jackson during a period when most were running from him.

But her biggest contribution as a human being may be her dedication to the AIDS cause. She brought in her powerhouse name and status to help educate during a time when ignorance about the disease and the disease itself was out of control.

I don't know what it is to be in the spotlight every where you go. So I am sure the anxiety of being on your game can take its toll on a superstar like Ms Taylor. She was always elegant and classy. So if you have anything negative to say why don't you say nothing. If you don't know what to say, learn about her and then say a prayer for her.

She may have been different but she did a whole lot of good. So remember her as a great contributor to American society.

Lakers, NBA are reaching out to fast-growing Latino market

2011-02-21T10:57:00.000-08:00

The Lakers just scored a slam dunk in the Latino market.On Monday the team announced a 20-year agreement with Time Warner Cable to create the nation's first Spanish-language regional sports network, with the Lakers as its centerpiece, starting with the 2012-13 season.The groundbreaking partnership is just the latest in a series of efforts by the Lakers and the NBA as they reach out to the fastest-growing segment of the U.S. population.

"If you're not able to connect with [Latinos], then where's your sport going to be in 30 years?" says Adam Jacobson, a Miami-based marketing strategist focusing on Latinos.The NBA, which has seen attendance drop for 14 of the league's 30 teams this season, has reached out to Latinos since 1995. But it began targeting the market with new focus 16 months ago when it launched éne•bé•a — Spanish for NBA — an initiative of Spanish-language websites and ad campaigns, specially branded merchandise and an expanded schedule of national Spanish-language TV broadcasts.The campaign will ramp up again this week during the NBA All-Star Weekend at Staples Center."We want to build lifelong fans. And you do that by building an emotional connection with your consumers," says Saskia Sorrosa, the NBA's director of Hispanic marketing. "We have a significant portion of our fan base that are Hispanic but we do want to grow that."Consider longtime hoops fan Billy Sanchez, a third-generation Mexican-American. When he got his first driver's license, he knew exactly where to celebrate: at a Lakers game."All I wanted to do was just go down to the Forum, find a scalper and buy tickets," he recalls. "And I did that quite often."Two decades and five NBA titles later, the team has left the Forum for Staples Center and Sanchez, 35, has no need for scalpers because he works in sales for his father's beer distributorship in the City of Industry and they have a luxury suite.

But his passion for the Lakers hasn't faded. "I've been a fan ever since I can remember," he says. "I watch every single game."Early returns suggest the NBA's campaign is working. The league says about one out of six NBA fans is Latino and this season the NBA's Latino TV audience has grown nearly 20%, drawing more than 9.7 million unique viewers on the six national networks that carry NBA games.Viewership is particularly strong when the Lakers play, a fact that was instrumental in bringing the Time Warner deal together. During last spring's NBA Finals between the Lakers and the Boston Celtics, the middle three games were seen in nearly one of every five Latino households watching television, according to Nielsen Media Research, and the audience for the seventh game was nearly twice as large.

"They're a popular team," says Sorrosa, who grew up in Ecuador watching Michael Jordan's Chicago Bulls on TV. "The [Lakers] have a legacy. They have Spanish-language radio. They have a Spanish-language website."In fact, a 2009 survey conducted for ESPN found the Lakers to be the most popular sports team among U.S. Latinos, beating out baseball's New York Yankees and football's Dallas Cowboys. And in Los Angeles a Scarborough Sports Marketing poll showed 44% of Latino adults identified themselves as Lakers fans."The big change is that it's moved from the L.A.-born, acculturated Latino to the recent immigrant that's come from Mexico. [He] is wearing the Lakers jersey," says Jim Kalmenson, president of KWKW-AM (1330), the flagship of the Lakers' Spanish-language radio network for 15 seasons. "They've surpassed the Dodgers as the most important local franchise in the Hispanic market.

"Credit much of that to timing. KWKW's first season with the Lakers, when the team essentially bought broadcast time, was Kobe Bryant's rookie season. "Superstars just seem to draw people in from all cultures," Kalmenson says.Yet the Lakers, bucking the NBA's approach, insist they have built that huge fan base by ignoring ethnicity in a city that is nearly half Hispanic. "There's no discriminatory policies against or for any group," says John Black, the team's vice president for public relations.Black calls it a "commonsense approach," where marketing is not focused on any particular community but on the basketball court and through social media sites. A recent survey ranked the Lakers as the fifth most-popular sports social-media entity in the world. (The NBA, with nearly 10 million combined Facebook fans and Twitter followers, is No. 1, Fast Company magazine says.)Still, the Lakers do aggressively pursue the Hispanic market. Even before the landmark TV deal this week, the Lakers were one of 12 NBA teams whose games were heard on Spanish-language radio, and last March the Lakers participated in the league's Noche Latina program by wearing jerseys that read "Los Lakers" during selected games.

Sixteen years ago, the Miami Heat was the only NBA team that had an active outreach in Spanish.Now other teams are following that path.The Orlando Magic set up a Spanish-language phone line, staffed its offices with bilingual employees and is broadcasting 19 games on Spanish-language TV. The Minnesota Timberwolves, in a state with a Latino population of under 5%, extended their contract to offer selected radio broadcasts in Spanish. And in Phoenix, where nearly one in three persons is Latino, the Suns have reached out through Spanish-language ad campaigns, community events and cultural programs on game nights.

These grassroots Latino campaigns have a local impact, but it's hard to gauge their impact in growing the NBA's brand nationally. The league declined to give revenue figures for the Latino market. And ESPN Deportes doesn't even sell ad time exclusively for its NBA broadcasts, instead offering packages to sponsors whose spots will run during a variety of programming, including basketball games.In contrast, the Lakers were the focal point of a lucrative bidding war for TV rights — in both English and Spanish — before settling on Time Warner, a deal that will make the vast majority of Lakers games available on Spanish-language television.The Lakers are clearly an exception, because it is a rare team whose following spills beyond the immediate borders of its local market.And that is paying off in other ways, as well. The NBA's growing roster of Spanish-speaking stars — which includes Lakers All-Star Pau Gasol — helped lure overseas partners such as Spanish banking giant BBVA, which signed a four-year, $100-million sponsorship deal with the NBA in September.

Jose "Pepe" Mantilla, the color commentator on the Lakers' Spanish-language radio broadcasts, also tells about visiting his family in Oaxaca, Mexico, where, in the dusty town plaza, was a weathered basketball backboard with a Lakers logo painted on it. "That's amazing. Whenever you mention the word 'Lakers' people know what you're talking about. Anywhere in the world, anyplace where they speak Spanish.

"Closer to home, Rick Murillo, a 45-year-old Lakers fan from Alhambra, has been a fan from the team's Forum days.For him it's not a question of marketing or ethnicity. Or even winning. It's about loyalty. "My dog's named Laker," he says with a smile. "So I'm not going anywhere."

By Kevin Baxter
Copyright © 2011, Los Angeles Times

Marketing Excellence Inc getting the word out:Edison International scholarship opportunities

2011-02-19T01:53:00.000-08:00

Marketing Excellence Inc has partnered in the effort to get the word out about Edison International scholarship opportunities to as many students as possible.

Edison International, the parent company of Southern California Edison, welcomes applications for the Edison Scholars program, which supports the study of math, science, engineering and technology.The Edison Scholars Scholarship program is a part of Edison's long standing tradition of investing in the future by making the dream of a college education a reality for deserving students.

In celebration of our 125th anniversary, Edison has expanded the program from 75 to 125 scholarships. In addition, we have made changes to our current eligibility requirements. Recipients are no longer limited to attending an accredited four-year college or university within our service territory. The program has been expanded to include attendance at any accredited four-year college or university across the U.S. Each selected high school graduating senior will be awarded a $2,500 college scholarship. Awards are renewable an additional three years for a total of $10,000, provided recipients meet all eligibility requirements.

The Edison Scholars application postmark deadline is March 15, 2011. Please encourage potential scholars to visit www.edison.com/edisonscholars for more information.

Please encourage potential scholars to visit www.edison.com/edisonscholars for more information. And please remember who told you.

Public Service Announcement: Facebook Safety for Kids

2011-02-12T21:38:00.000-08:00

After tossing her books on the sofa, she decided to grab a snack and get on-line. She logged on under her screen name ByAngel213. She checked her Buddy List and saw GoTo123 was on. She sent him an instant message:

ByAngel213:
Hi. I'm glad you are on! I thought someone was following me home today. It was really weird!

GoTo123:
LOL You watch too much TV. Why would someone be following you? Don't you live in a safe neighborhood?

ByAngel213:
Of course I do. LOL I guess it was my imagination cuz' I didn't see anybody when I looked out.

GoTo123:
Unless you gave your name out on-line. You haven't done that have you?

ByAngel213:
Of course not. I'm not stupid you know.

GoTo123:
Did you have a softball game after school today?

ByAngel213:
Yes, and we won!!

GoTo123:
That's great! Who did you play?

ByAngel213:
We played the Hornets. LOL. Their uniforms are so gross! They look like bees. LOL

GoTo123:
What is your team called?

ByAngel213:
We are the Canton Cats. We have tiger paws on our uniforms. They are really cool.

GoTo123:
Did you pitch?

ByAngel213:
No, I play second base. I got to go. My homework has to be done before my parents get home. I don't want them mad at me. Bye!

GoTo123:
Catch you later. Bye

Meanwhile, GoTo123 went to the member menu and began to search for her profile. When it came up, he highlighted it and printed it out. He took out a pen and began to write down what he knew about Angel so far.

Her name: Shannon
Birthday: Jan. 3, 1985
Age: 13
State where she lived: North Carolina

Hobbies: softball, chorus, skating and going to the mall. Besides this information, he knew she lived in Canton because she had just told him. He knew she stayed by herself until 6:30 p.m. every afternoon until her parents came home from work. He knew she played softball on Thursday afternoons on the school team, and the team was named the Canton Cats. Her favorite number 7 was printed on her jersey. He knew she was in the eighth grade at the Canton Junior High School. She had told him all this in the conversations they
had on-line. He had enough information to find her now.

Shannon didn't tell her parents about the incident on the way home from the ballpark that day. She didn't want them to make a scene and stop her from walking home from the softball games. Parents were always overreacting and hers were the worst. It made her wish she was not an only child. Maybe if she had brothers and sisters, her parents wouldn't be so overprotective.

By Thursday, Shannon had forgotten about the footsteps following her.

Her game was in full swing when suddenly she felt someone staring at her. It was then that the memory came back. She glanced up from her second base position to see a man watching her closely.

He was leaning against the fence behind first base and he smiled when she looked at him. He didn't look scary and she quickly dismissed the sudden fear she had felt.

After the game, he sat on a bleacher while she talked to the coach. She noticed his smile once again as she walked past him. He nodded and she smiled back. He noticed her name on the back of her shirt. He knew he had found her.

Quietly, he walked a safe distance behind her. It was only a few blocks to Shannon's home, and once he saw where she lived he quickly returned to the park to get his car.

Now he had to wait. He decided to get a bite to eat until the time came to go to Shannon's house. He drove to a fast food restaurant and sat there until time to make his move.

Shannon was in her room later that evening when she heard voices in the living room.

"Shannon, come here," her father called. He sounded upset and she couldn't imagine why. She went into the room to see the man from the ballpark sitting on the sofa.

"Sit down," her father began, "this man has just told us a most interesting story about you."

Shannon sat back. How could he tell her parents anything? She had never seen him before today!

"Do you know who I am, Shannon ?" the man asked.

"No," Shannon answered.

"I am a police officer and your online friend, GoTo123."

Shannon was stunned. "That's impossible! GoTo123 is a kid my age! He's 14. And he lives in Michigan !"

The man smiled. "I know I told you all that, but it wasn't true. You see, Shannon , there are people on-line who pretend to be kids; I was one of them. But while others do it to injure kids and hurt them, I belong to a group of parents who do it to protect kids from predators. I came here to find you to teach you how dangerous it is to talk to people on-line. You told me enough about yourself to make it easy for me to find you. You named the school you went to, the name of your ball team and the position you played. The
number and name on your jersey just made finding you a breeze."

Shannon was stunned. "You mean you don't live in Michigan ?"

He laughed. "No, I live in Raleigh . It made you feel safe to think I was so far away, didn't it?"

She nodded.

"I had a friend whose daughter was like you. Only she wasn't as lucky. The guy found her, did bad things to her and then murdered her while she was home alone. Kids are taught not to tell anyone when they are alone, yet they do it all the time on-line. The wrong people trick you into giving out information a little here and there on-line. Before you know it, you have told them enough for them to find you without even realizing you have done it. I hope you've learned a lesson from this and won't do it again. And, please tell others about this so they will be safe too, okay?"

"It's a promise!"

That night Shannon and her Dad and Mom thanked God for protecting Shannon from what could have been a tragic situation.

Enter your guy to appear in a video (for Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez' book)

2011-01-12T10:50:00.000-08:00

Hey, chicas! I am convinced that we have some of the best-looking men on the planet in our communities, aren’t you? I mean, just look at my friend, New York Dominicano Reyniel (actor, musician, all-around cool guy) in the photo above, and tell me you’re not fanning yourself!

Is your male friend, husband, boyfriend or boy-toy just plain hot? Do you want the world to know just how cute/handsome/adorable he is? Send me a video! C’mon now, guys. Don’t be shy.

I am seeking short (clean) and sexy videos of hot guys speaking the following script, for a Youtube video for my blog, site and social media sites. A great way for an aspiring actor or model to get his face and name out!

Here’s the script. Please send your videos to me at valdes.alisa@gmail.com or post the link as a comment here. Spread the word! I want at least 5 cute guys on this vid, preferably 20. Ready, set….ACTION!

SCRIPT: I hear women asking this question all the time. Where are all the good men? We know what you’re looking for. Sincerity, good looks, education, style, a good job, maybe some muscles, and for sure a sense of humor. A good man is hard to find. But we’re out there. And I’m here to tell you there’s one place you can go to always find a man like that. A man like me. A novel by Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez. Good books, full of great guys. Get your read on.

--by Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez, NY Times Bestselling Author

Instead of Avoiding Risk, Prepare for It

2011-01-10T08:28:00.000-08:00

Risk management departments are springing up in companies across the globe. They categorize and analyze risk to the company before it happens and in most cases, they create systems and processes to prevent risks from occurring. But the reality is that all hazards can't be predicted or avoided. Instead of simply staving off risk, focus on building resilience so that when the unthinkable happens, you're better prepared to face it. Look at all the risks you face and play out what you would do if any of them were to come to bear. Having systems in place to respond could save you valuable time, money, and resources.

By Columbia Business School professor Rita McGrath

Sept 11 Float (Remember, Reflect, Renew) at the Rose Parade

2011-01-02T10:08:00.000-08:00

Sept 11 Float at 2011 Rose Parade (Pasadena CA)

If you watched the Rose Parade, you may have seen a float dedicated to Sept 11. We at Marketing Excellence Inc have a couple of friends that were responsible for putting the float together. We are proud to know them and want to say Thank You.

But seeing the image of the NYC Firefighters raising the American Flag and listening to comments made by the parade's TV host really moved me. It was very interesting when my children realized it will be 10 years this year.

It also brought back a memory of my childhood. When I was a kid, December 7, which marked the sneak attack by Japan on the US at Pearl Harbor, was a big deal. We discussed it in school; parents really reflected; WW II Veterans were somber; and the press really addressed it. By the middle of the second generation removed from December 7, it was becoming just a discussion point in the news and a 3 minute history lesson in the classroom. Today it seems to be just another day. People are so into the holidays that it has sort of been forgotten. Can you imagine how days after Thanksgiving and days before Christmas and Hanukkah our country was attacked by a country with the capability of destroying us?

So as the September 11th's Float's inscription suggested to "Remember, Reflect, and Renew", please do so now and well past the 9-11 generation.

Lets truly "Remember" our history both good and unpleasant. Lets truly "Reflect" on the lessons learned. And , lets "Renew" our Patriotism.

Usher's OMG Concert in Paris, France

2010-12-23T13:37:00.000-08:00

Enter OMG Excursion Sweeps ( Jan-3 )

Rémy Martin & GQ want to send you to Paris, France to experience USHER live in concert on January 24, 2011. Enter the "Rémy Martin OMG Excursion" sweepstakes to win the exclusive prize including a trip for 2 to Paris, 2 tickets to the Usher concert, and a private visit and tasting at the Rémy Martin Estate in Cognac, France.

Grand Prize (1 winner) will win:
two (2) business-class roundtrip airfare tickets from the major commercial airport nearest winner's primary residence in the US to Paris, France leaving January 23, 2011 and returning January 26, 2011;
one (1) standard hotel room (double occupancy) for two (2) nights in Paris, France at a hotel selected by Co-Sponsors;
two (2) tickets to the Usher “OMG" Concert on January 24, 2011 at TBD Venue; car service transportation to/from the Usher “OMG" Concert and hotel in Paris, France on January 24, 2011;
two (2) roundtrip train tickets to/from Paris, France and Cognac, France on January 25-26, 2011;
one (1) standard hotel room (double occupancy) for one (1) night in Cognac, France at a hotel selected by Co-Sponsors;
and entry for two (2) at The House of Rémy Martin in Cognac, France for an exclusive tour.
(ARV $13,170)

Winner selection will be conducted by random drawing from all eligible entries on or about January 4, 2011.

To enter and for more information click here

Chevrolet celebrates the Season with the magic of Macy*s

2010-12-19T09:47:00.000-08:00

Macy's and Chevrolet are teaming up to give you the chance to win the holiday gift of a lifetime. An all new Cruze, a trip to Macy's New York flagship store and a $5,000 personal shopping spree could all be yours.3 Enter now and let Macy's and Chevrolet help you celebrate the season.

To Enter click here.

FedEx 2011 NFL Draft Sweepstakes

2010-12-17T18:10:00.000-08:00

Here's your chance to win a four-day trip to New York City for you and a guest, complete with tickets to the 2011 NFL Draft, hotel accommodations, $1,000 spending money and more.

Click here to enter the FedEx 2011 NFL Draft Sweepstakes.

Better Homes and Gardens $8,000 Sweepstakes

2010-12-16T09:08:00.000-08:00

To Enter The Better Homes and Gardens Sweepstakes and for Official Sweepstake Rules click here

This is the season of giving. Tell a Friend about the sweepstakes and about us.

Sweepstakes for The Green Hornet Premiere

2010-12-12T21:21:00.000-08:00

Prize: (1 winner) a trip for two to Los Angeles, CA to attend the “Green Hornet” premiere currently scheduled to take place on or around the week of January 10, 2011. The trip will include: (i) roundtrip coach class air transportation for the Grand Prize Winner and Guest which shall originate from an airport of MTVN’s choice nearest Grand Prize Winner’s residence to Los Angeles, California; (ii) choice of either (y) round trip ground transportation for Grand Prize Winner and Guest (to be taken together) between airport and hotel in Los Angeles, California or (z) car rental for three (3) days in Los Angeles, CA; (iii) two (2) nights hotel accommodations in Los Angeles, California for Grand Prize Winner and Guest based on double occupancy (meals, telephone calls and other incidentals and costs are not included); (iv) tickets for the Grand Prize Winner and Guest to attend the Event. (ARV $3,500)

Open to legal residents of the 48 contiguous United States and the District of Columbia who are at least 18 years old at the time of entry. Void in Alaska and Hawaii.

Winner selection will be conducted by random drawing from all eligible entries on or about December 29, 2010.

We'll be there so come meet us.

For more information visit the Official Rules. Sponsored by MTV Networks, a division of Viacom International Inc.

Disney's Wizards of Waverly Place Sweepstakes

2010-12-10T08:29:00.000-08:00

Enter Stand Up For Fun Sweepstakes ( Dec-31 )
To join follow the instructions to complete and submit the entry form to be part of this Sweepstakes.

Grand Prize: (1 winner) four (4) day / three (3) night trip for winner and three (3) guests to Los Angeles, California to visit the Innoventions Dream Home at Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, CA. Includes: [a] visit to the set of Wizards of Waverly Place to see the taping of an episode subject to availability, scheduling and Sponsor’s selection and discretion, [b] an opportunity to meet cast members of the Show. Talent subject to availability; [c] Resort/Taping transfers; [d] hotel accommodations at the Resort (one standard room/quad occupancy, including room tax) for three (3) nights; [e] ground transportation at the Resort; [f] 3-Day Disneyland Resort Park Hopper tickets for Group, including access to Disneyland Park and Disney’s California Adventure Park; [g] if winner’s residence is located more than 250 miles from the City, round-trip coach air transportation on a Sponsor-selected carrier between a Sponsor-selected major metropolitan airport near winner’s residence and a Sponsor-selected major airport in or near the City; but if winner’s residence is located 250 miles or less from the City, then round-trip ground transportation via a Sponsor-selected method between winners’ residence and the hotel; [h] airport/hotel transfers, and [i] one (1) Xbox 360 4GB Console with Kinect. (ARV $6,794)

Winner selection will be conducted by random drawing from all eligible entries on or about January 18, 2011. Open only to legal residents physically located in the 50 United States or D.C., and 18 years of age or older at time of entry.

For more information visit the Official Rules. Sponsored by Disney Interactive Media Group.

Strategic Planning Office, the Pivot of New Samsung

2010-12-03T10:47:00.000-08:00

Samsung Group chairman Lee Kun-hee has revived its strategic planning office, which can be compared to the entire group's control tower, and appointed Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Kim Soon-taek to take the wheel. Many see it as an organization overhaul.

It is said that the office, after a 28-month hiatus, will reinvent the whole group under the motto of rejuvenated Samsung. Also expected is that it will focus on a smooth transition of the control over the conglomerate from the Chairman to his son Lee Jae-yong, chief operating officer of Samsung Electronics and the group's heir apparent.

At the same time, the office concentrates on finding out new growth engines for the next 100 years. To that end, Samsung's executives are handpicking the ones to lead the office with utmost prudence.

The corporate reshuffle is anticipated to give a boost to its businesses that have relatively lagged behind, including biosimilar manufacturing and healthcare. In May, the group announced its five future growth drivers -- solar and automobile batteries, LED (light emitting diode), biopharmaceuticals and medical equipment -- and its ambition to reach 50 trillion in those five alone.

By Kim Won-seok

Rialty Real Estate-Doing it RIGHT while others are just ...

2010-11-27T05:57:00.000-08:00

Today we highlight a business man and a business that is doing it right for home buyers. With the real estate market collapse and the lack of consumer confidence in banks, home buyers have become skeptical with all participants in the home buying process. And frankly should anyone blame them?

One company that is making a difference is Rialty Real Estate (Statesville, North Carolina). Their mission is simple yet extremely important to the home buyer. The Rialty Real Estate mission is "to connect consumers with the top REALTORS® in the country."

The company's president is Matt Reyes a graduate of West Point. As an Army Officer, Mr Reyes served in many leadership capacities including in combat during the Persian Gulf War. Following this, he worked in corporate America and was heavily involved in Human Resources where he continued to study and learn about people. He brings an extraordinary drive and desire to help home buyers make the best decision when selecting a Realtor.

We all know that in any profession there are top performers and not-so top performers. With access to a select group of 25,000 of the nation’s top Realtors, Rialty is able to find the best match of realtor for any home buyer. Rialty takes the guess work out of the decision. Rialty recommends Realtors after putting potential matches through a thorough and proven screening and evaluation process.

The incredible level of proficiency found in the nation’s top Realtors and a “just want something to do” attitude of some of the nation’s worst, is what inspired Mr Reyes to start this business in 2004 and continues to drive the business today. When asked, why choose to the work with Rialty? Mr Reyes responded, “Our focus is the home buyer first. We are able to ask Realtors questions that our clients (home buyers) would not normally know to ask. Our experience in the business is put to good use to screen out those bad Realtors and leave our clients to only have to decide which home is right for them.”

We invite you to learn more by visiting www.rialtyrealestate.com

This is part of an ongoing series of Marketing Excellence Extra Touch (MEET) Awards. This is a simple recognition of businesses and or service providers that go above and beyond expectations. If you find a business that you would like to nominate for a MEET Award, we'd like to hear from you. These blog posts are not sponsored and Marketing Excellence Inc does not receive any compensation for these posts.

Marketing Excellence Inc Honors US Veterans

2010-11-09T08:58:00.000-08:00

Marketing Excellence Inc sends a heartfelt THANK YOU to all the men and women who have proudly served in our military both past and present.

There are many great promotions for Veterans on Veteran's Day.

If you are a Veteran, check out the link below.

If not tell a Veteran.

http://www.military.com/veterans-day/veterans-day-discounts.html

Don't forget to thank EVERY Veteran you know today!

Happy Veteran's Day!
From a Proud Veteran

Search Engine Optimization: You Can Do It!

2010-11-05T23:56:00.000-07:00

For quite some time many of our clients have been asking about Search Engine Optimization (SEO). SEO is simply doing "stuff" so your website appears early on a search results (page 1 or 2) when someone conducts a search related to what your company provides.

Unfortunately, that is about as thorough an explanation given by "providers" of SEO services. Even worse, that is the extent of the understanding of those that contract out for this service.

Here are some tips and tricks that anyone with basic website development skills can learn and do.

1) To improve your position on a search engine result, ensure your metatags, page titles and homepage text have the key (aka common) words or words that searchers will use to search for what THEY need.
Those should include the goods or services your company provides, the industry and markets your company serves, the name of your business and the location(s) served by your business. The more inclusive and specific the list, the better your position will be.

2) Another important key to getting on or close to page 1 of search results is the amount of links to your site. How do you achieve that? Blogs, social media, partner websites and cooperative linking with other sites will improve your position on search engines.

3) Update your homepage often. Web crawlers like finding new stuff. Web crawlers look through your site for key words and relevancy to searches. Thus when content is changed, it triggers newness. When you add new or change text and key words, your position greatly improves and starts move closer to the top of the list. Why? Websites with old text are thought to be inactive or abandoned. Search engines provide value if they give you useful results. So the search engine's approach is that newer stuff is better and more useful so it gets move forward on the search results list.

If you have any questions or concerns about your current website or your SEO provider, contact us.

New class of Latino Hall honorees announced

2010-10-22T13:54:00.000-07:00

By Alden Gonzalez

NEW YORK -- They called it a "tsunami," this influx of Latin American players that has had such an impact in the Major Leagues over the past couple of decades. And nearly three years ago, some were suggesting that tsunami should be contained.

With that, the Latino Baseball Hall of Fame was formed.

And on Sunday morning at Yankee Stadium, where, a few hours prior, Latin stars like Jorge

Posada, Robinson Cano, Alex Rodriguez and Mariano Rivera were on the field as the Yankees completed an American League Division Series sweep of the Twins, a second class of Latin immortals to be enshrined was announced.

Making up the "Contemporaries" group were pitchers Luis Tiant (born in Cuba), Fernando Valenzuela (Mexico) and Dennis Martinez (Nicaragua), catcher Manny Sanguillen (Panama), designated hitter Edgar Martinez (Puerto Rico), outfielder Rico Carty (Dominican Republic) and first baseman Andres Galarraga (Venezuela).

The "Veterans Committee" honorees were Adolfo Luque (Cuba), Chile Gomez (Mexico), Hector Lopez (Panama), Horacio Martinez (Dominican Republic) and Vidal Lopez (Venezuela).
The Latino Hall of Fame, which has the support of Major League Baseball, also enshrined a promoter, Venezuela's Oscar Negro Prieto, and handed out a couple of awards. Late Yankees owner George Steinbrenner won the Tommy Lasorda Award, given to a non-Latin figure who helps enhance Latin America's presence in the Majors, and Alex Rodriguez, who hit his 600th home run this season, took the LBHF Excellence Award.

"We have something here that is historically very important," LBHP President Roberto Weill said.

The Latino Baseball Hall of Fame was founded, thanks to the joint efforts of Weill, a Cuban-born international entrepreneur, and Rafael Avila, the Dodgers' Latin American scout who founded the first MLB Academy in the Dominican Republic, to honor the best Latinos in baseball and house their evidence and mementos of their accomplishments.

The Hall is headquartered in the Dominican Republic, at the Altos de Chavon at Casa de Campo in La Romana.
"We have so many Latin players [in the Majors] that this makes sense," Yankees executive vice president and chief international officer Felix Lopez said. "Anything we can do to actually make our players feel at home, it's something that just makes sense. And we need to do as much as we can to actually make all our players feel that this is a family environment, that we actually are embracing them."

Last year, the Hall of Fame, which has Lasorda as its director and goodwill ambassador, used five international channels to induct its inaugural class.
Making up the "Cooperstown Historic" group were Roberto Clemente (Puerto Rico), Juan Marichal (Dominican Republic), Luis Aparicio (Venezuela), Rod Carew (Panama), Orlando Cepeda (Puerto Rico), Tony Perez (Cuba), Martin Dihigo (Cuba), Jose de la Caridad Mendez (Cuba), Cristobal Torriente (Cuba), executive Alejandro Pompez (Cuba), journalist Eloy "Buck" Canel (Argentina), broadcaster Jaime Jarrin (Ecuador) and broadcaster Felo Ramirez (Cuba).
From the "Veterans Committee" (for those active before 1959) came Pancho Coimbre (Puerto Rico), Beto Avila (Mexico), Alfonso Carrasquel (Venezuela), Tetelo Vargas (Dominican) and Orestes Minoso (Cuba).

The "Permanent Induction Committee" (active after '59) sent Roberto Alomar (Puerto Rico), Dave Concepcion (Venezuela), Felipe Alou (Dominican), Camilo Pascual (Cuba) and Hector Espino (Mexico) to the Hall.

Now, another class will join them, with the new immortals set to be inducted on Feb. 12.
Based on numbers, the idea to honor Latin American ballplayers was easy, and so was housing the Hall of Fame in the Dominican Republic.

In 2010, 28.3 percent of the players on Opening Day Major League rosters were of Latin American descent, according to the University of Central Florida's Racial and Gender Report Card. That number stood at 13 percent in 1990 and has been on an upward trend ever since.
As for the Dominican Republic, the island nation, which boasts more players in the Majors than other Latin American country, holds 30 Major League training camps and has won a record 18 Caribbean Series trophies.

"Playing against the Dominican Republic," Weill said, "is like playing against the Yankees [for Caribbean teams]."

More information can be found at latinobaseballhall.com.

Silly String, Now Silly Bands hhhhhhm!

2010-10-15T12:50:00.000-07:00

Every once in awhile I am amazed by the creativity of some marketing professionals. Some winners of my "amazement award" are the Cabbage Patch Doll, Pet Rocks, and Silly String. The most recent winner is SILLY BANDS. We never sit in judgement of a product's success. If we did, we would be questioning the judgement of consumers and users. We would never do that. If they (consumers) want to buy it, marketers should market and sell it.

We sell Silly Bands and alot of them. The real amazement comes from how fast they are flying off our shelves. We have all kinds of organizations buying these things from Girl Scout Troops to teachers to restaurants. What the heck is the appeal? It is a rubber band molded into different shapes which is not too flexible. Once you use it for whatever reason, it loses its shape.

We don't get the product appeal but know there was a great marketer behind the buzz. Can anyone tell us the message(s) that started this success?

Daily Give-Away in September at MarthaStewart.com

2010-09-03T19:21:00.000-07:00

Enter Daily Give-Away Sweepstakes To join follow the instructions to complete and submit the entry form to be part of this Sweepstakes.

Daily prize winners will be selected from among all eligible entries received each day from September 1, 2010 through September 30, 2010.

Please Note: "No purchase is necessary to enter. If you'd prefer to enter the sweepstakes without starting a trial subscription to Whole Living or if you are already a subscriber, click here."

Prizes:

September 1: Provo Craft Cricut Cake Personal Electronic Cutter. (ARV $399.99)

September 2: Jo-Ann $50 Gift Card

September 3: Xyron Personal Cutting System. (ARV $144.99)

September 4: OttLite High Definition Pink Task Lamp. (ARV $89.99)

September 5: OttLite High Definition 18W Hampton Table Lamp. (ARV $99.99)

September 6: Gingher 8'' Knife Edge Dressmaker's Shears. (ARV $36.99)

September 7: Smart Space Storage & Decor. (ARV $124.99)

September 8: Provo Craft Cricut Cake Personal Electronic Cutter. (ARV $399.99)

September 9: Jo-Ann $50 Gift Card

September 10: Rowenta DW8090 Pro Master Iron. (ARV $109.99)

September 11: Simplicity Bias Tape Maker. (ARV $109.99)

September 12: Cuttlebug Die-Cut & Embossing Machine. (ARV $89.99)

September 13: Dritz My Double Deluxe Dressform (20405) - Small. (ARV $249.99)

September 14: Melrose Trilobal Polyester Thread Assortment 24 Colors- Brights. (ARV $79.99)

Septmeber 15: Provo Craft Cricut Cake Personal Electronic Cutter. (ARV $399.99)

September 16: Jo-Ann $50 Gift Card

September 17: The Ultimate Sweater Machine. (ARV $159.99)

September 18: Rowenta IS8100 Commercial Garment Steamer. (ARV $159.99)

September 19: Organizing Essentials Creative Cut Center. (ARV $199.99)

September 20: Singer Heavy Duty 4423 Sewing Machine. (ARV $229.99)

September 21: Copic Ciao Markers Set - 36PK/Primary. (ARV $149.99)

September 22: Singer Heavy Duty 4423 Sewing Machine. (ARV $229.99)

September 23: Jo-Ann $50 Gift Card

September 24: Singer Heavy Duty 4423 Sewing Machine. (ARV $229.99)

September 25: Cropper Hopper Home Storage Rolling Organizer - 10 Drawer. (ARV $74.99)

September 26: Provo Craft Cricut Personal Electronic Cutter. (ARV $199.99)

September 27: Singer Heavy Duty 4423 Sewing Machine. (ARV $229.99)

September 28: Greenleaf Dollhouse Kit-Magnolia. (ARV $109.99)

September 29: Provo Craft Cricut Cake Personal Electronic Cutter. (ARV $399.99)

September 30: Jo-Ann $50 Gift Card

by Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Inc. More information can be found by visiting the Official Rules.

Let's Be Honest: Microsoft's Mobile Business Is A Fantasy

2010-08-27T09:43:00.000-07:00

Every one's excited about the forthcoming Windows Phone 7 software, which Microsoft bulls are hoping will mark Microsoft's return to relevance in the mobile industry.

Reviews of the software have been good, and the only major complaint is that it's a year behind the rest of the industry--namely Apple's iPhone OS and Google's Android.
In the rapidly evolving smartphone world, being a year behind is a recipe for trouble. If Microsoft focused huge resources on the problem, however, it might be able to close the gap.

But Microsoft actually has a bigger problem in mobile, one that could make the launch of Windows Phone 7 irrelevant:
Microsoft's mobile software business model is fatally flawed.

Why?
Microsoft is still trying to jam the square peg of the old PC-based operating system software model into the round hole of mobile. And that game is over for good.
Specifically, Microsoft is trying to charge handset providers a software license fee for every Windows-based smartphone they sell, the same way Microsoft charges PC manufacturers a software license fee for every Windows machine they sell.

Five years ago, before the iPhone and Android, when Windows Mobile still had a reasonable share of the market, this model made sense. Windows Mobile was still a tiny business for Microsoft--hundreds of millions of dollars on a revenue base of $50+ billion--but the concept of handset manufacturers paying for OS software was intact.

Now, however, Google has blown that concept out of the water.
Google gives its smartphone software, Android, away for free. Free is a good price, which is one of the reasons Android is rapidly taking over the smartphone world. Free is also ~$15 less per copy than Microsoft is reportedly planning to charge per unit of Windows Phone 7. But $15 is only $15, you say. It's not like it's hundreds of dollars per unit.

Yes, it's only $15--but it's $15 that either has to come out of the handset manufacturers' bottom line or get passed on to the consumer or carrier. And given the competitive pricing pressure in this business, it will almost certainly come out of the handset manufacturer's bottom line.

Carriers certainly aren't going to pay higher subsidies for Windows Phone 7 phones than they'll pay for iPhones and Android phones, especially if the software isn't state of the art. And consumers almost certainly won't pay, say, $214.99 for a Windows phone when they can get the latest iPhone or Android phone for $199.

So that means handset manufacturers will have to eat the cost. And when you take $15 a unit and spray it across hundreds of millions of units, pretty soon you're talking about real money. At least as far as the handset manufacturers are concerned (it will still be a rounding error for Microsoft).

Meanwhile, the other smartphone model that is working these days is the integrated hardware-and-software model, a la Apple and RIM.

Consumers and carriers DO pay for RIM and Apple software, but not explicitly, because it's included in the price of the phone. And because Apple and RIM have developed the software themselves, they don't have to cover someone else's profit margin in the sale.

In other words, Microsoft's mobile business is now stuck in the middle--caught between free software on the one hand (Android) and integrated hardware-and-software units on the other (Apple and RIM).

A few years ago, when the iPhone launched, Steve Ballmer ridiculed it as being the most expensive phone in history (oops). Then, when Android launched, Steve Ballmer ridiculed it, too, saying that he had no idea how Google possibly expected to make any money giving the software away for free (oops).

Steve's no fool, so we expect that the latter remark was probably just an attempt to get the rest of the world ridiculing Google rather than an actual misunderstanding of what Google was trying to do.

But now Google has done it. And now smartphone handset manufacturers have the opportunity to build their phones around a state-of-the-art mobile operating system that is completely customizable, has a large and growing base of app developers, and is available for free.
And that means that charging $15 a copy for Windows Phone 7 software has become a non-starter.

Meanwhile, Microsoft doesn't want to sell integrated hardware-and-software units because that would inhibit its ability to become a ubiquitous platform (like Android and, more importantly, like Microsoft Windows) that every developer wants to build upon. So the Apple and RIM mobile model is also a non-starter--at least until Microsoft realizes its predicament, throws in the towel, and buys RIM.

Put it all together, and Microsoft no longer has a business in mobile. Which makes its Windows 7 Phone strategy little more than a dream.
(How will this play out? We suspect it will play out by Microsoft deciding to give Windows 7 Phone software away for free. As noted, the business is a rounding error, and charging for a product that the market leader is giving away for free is just a non-starter. Microsoft has already demonstrated its willingness to flush billions of dollars a year down the rat hole of search, so we suspect it will just decide to throw a few billion down the mobile rat hole as well.

Unlike Google, however, Microsoft doesn't have another business that can subsidize the cost of Windows Phone 7. Giving Android away for free works for Google, because the incremental search revenue and profits pay for the investment. Giving Windows Phone 7 away for free won't cause consumers to buy more copies of Windows or Office. And Microsoft can't make the money back on search because its search business is already losing $2+ billion a year.

So this is indeed a predicament...).

BY: Henry Blodget, provided byBusiness Insider August 27, 2010

Customer Service as a Marketing Strategy by Marsha Buehler

2010-07-31T16:16:00.000-07:00

Where, oh where, did customer service go?

With a world full of automated phone systems, self-serve Web sites, and overworked and underpaid disgruntled employees, customer service has left the country. When was the last time you picked up the phone and called a company to actually speak to a real person without going through 15 prompts? Many companies actually disable their zero prompt on their PBX system, forcing customers to go through a labyrinth of touch-tone dialing hell in order to get to a real person who can actually help them with their issue.

Where does marketing and customer service come into play, and how do you realize the impact of your customer service (good or bad) to your bottom line?

Customer service plays a large role in satisfied customers who reward your company with loyalty and repeat business. Take a survey of your largest customers and ask them how you are doing as a company in the name of customer service. Times are tough, and time is a precious commodity for everyone these days. The last thing a customer wants is to spend five days figuring out where his or her order is when it was needed one week ago.

Customer service is also a great marketing strategy that should not be ignored. Customer service issues and resolutions should be a main concern of every executive, director, and supervisor and should be ingrained into each and every employee. It is essential this concept gets driven from the top down and should be a considered a high priority.

I once had a mortgage company (name not to be disclosed) that owed me $1,000, and it took me four months to get my money back. This included at least 40 hours on the phone (more than half the time on hold and the other half speaking to rude help desk employees), several certified letters, and the upkeep of a journal with dates and names of the idiots who were supposed to help me before I finally received the escrow payment they were by law supposed to return to me within 30 days.

I finally got creative and went to the smaller bank where my mortgage originated before it was sold to a large conglomerate. I explained my situation to the president. He gave me the phone number of an executive he knew at the unnamed mortgage company. I called and left a long voice mail. Guess what? He actually called me back within 15 minutes. Guess what else? I had my check within three days. It amazed me, but can you identify with the time, effort, and frustration involved?

I could relate to what going postal meant. Talk about a nightmare. Just imagine the thousands of people who went through the same nightmare with just this one company. I can tell you right now I would never do business with that company again. While the experience made a great impression on me as to the importance of good customer service, it also made me realize loyalty and satisfaction are brothers when it comes to business and a must to include in every marketing strategy.

My question to you: Is it time to take a reality check on customer service at your company? Here are some ways to take a serious check of the quality of your customer service.

Take the time and actually call your 800 number. Does it work? What is their call/resolution ratio?

Walk through the self-serve process on your Web site. Was it easy or difficult? Were you frustrated? Did you get the answer you sought? If it takes you less than five minutes to get your answer or resolve your issue online you’re doing great. If not, take a closer look at the process. the functionality of your Web site modules, and most importantly, the feedback you receive from your customers.

Take a closer look at your customer-service personnel. Do they need training? Are they polite? Are they disgruntled or unhappy?

Take the time to talk to your customers. Ask them how you are doing in the name of customer service.

Check with your Web site help desk. Are they receiving e-mail complaints about not finding answers to their problems and questions? Does your company have a customer advocate who oversees customer complaints?

Check with your staff. Ask them for suggestions on ways to streamline processes that would be more effective and efficient for the company and the customer. Less time, more efficiency promotes happy customers and good customer service.

Check with your order management department. Are customers receiving their products in the promised delivery interval? Do recurring problems with orders exist? Is it a process issue, or is it a training issue? How many complaints are received and resolved? What is the time frame involved in the resolution of issues? Most importantly, does your company track and measure problems and resolutions?

Check with your product training department. Are there issues with certain products over other products? Do you offer training on your products or services? Do you respond to customer issues regarding a particular product and address it on the production line?

Find a dedicated person or team to deal with specific customers. This provides a familiar person or team who knows your customers' habits, processes, and histories. Customers respond favorably to someone who helped resolve their issues.

Do not make promised you cannot keep. Once you tell someone you are going to do something and then do not follow through, you have made a negative impression. Yes, the unforeseen happens, but if it happens too often your customer will go somewhere else.

Provide training for your employees. One rude employee can make all the difference in the loyalty of your customers. Customers are people, too. They talk among themselves. Keep in mind you never know if you are talking to the person who makes vendor product/service decisions.

Throw in something extra for the customer when a mistake is made. This shows your appreciation of his or her understanding, patience, and trouble. This can go a long way with customers and encourages a strong allegiance.

Check your competitors’ customer service ratings and their response time to issues. Then beat it with your new marketing strategy to provide world-class customer service.

Implement your plan to improve main customer service issues and work your way down to the smaller issues. I cannot reiterate enough that customer service needs to be driven from the top down. A company should always strive to have a perfect record of customer service. The results will be happier customers who will want to return to you because you proved to be a company that has friendly, helpful professionals.

The focus on good customer service can be expensive in the training of personnel and with the effort-measuring issue resolution. Your expense and efforts will be worth their weight in gold when your bottom line displays sizable gains. Now is the time to get serious and get a handle on providing excellent customer service.

Why is customer service important to your overall marketing strategy? It becomes not only a competitive edge but makes a decided difference in your industry, and this keeps customers coming back for more.

Creating Competitive Culture (C3) Conference

2010-07-27T09:36:00.000-07:00

Inc., the magazine for growing companies, has partnered with Winning Workplaces to discover and recognize private companies with exemplary workplaces that motivate, engage, and reward employees. Honorees will appear in the June 2010 issue of Inc., and the achievement of these companies will be commemorated at the 2010 Inc. and Winning Workplaces Conference on Creating Competitive Cultures (C3).

The event begins October 27 with pre-conference workshops that delve deeper into one of three workplace topics before a welcome reception in the evening. The next morning opens on the main stage with a presentation revealing the tangible tools for creating competitive cultures before the day culminates with an awards dinner recognizing this year's honorees. The final day of the conference will offer more main stage presentations and more intimate sessions with opportunities for greater networking and education.

At C3, you'll learn about innovative approaches from award-winning companies and extraordinary entrepreneurs, the inspirational tools and processes they deploy to build teams and workplace environments that have a lasting impact on financial results and personal satisfaction. Creating Competitive Cultures presents the newest leadership strategies for developing the best possible company culture, one that results in a loyal, motivated, inspired, and focused team.

Conference Program
The conference runs from Wednesday, October 27, 2010, through Friday, October 29, 2010.

Features:

Keynote presentations by founders of prominent entrepreneurial companies and business celebrities
Breakout sessions organized by themes and audience that provide networking and learning opportunities among business leaders

Visit the AGENDA page for more details.

Price: Early Bird Rate: $595 (expires 8/31) Conference Rate: $895

Where
All conference events will take place at the Denver Marriott City Center
1701 California Street
Denver, Colorado 80202

Above All, Be Honest with Your Customer | Paul Saffo | Big Think

2010-07-15T21:21:00.000-07:00

Interesting observations about setting customer expectations.

Click to watch video: Above All, Be Honest with Your Customer Paul Saffo Big Think

Go to Costa Rica with the help of our client, Kodak

2010-06-30T13:19:00.000-07:00

Enter High-Definition Adventure Sweeps ( Jul-31 )To join follow the instructions to complete and submit the entry form to be part of this Sweepstakes.

Open to legal residents of the 50 United States who are at least 18 years old as of 6/14/10.

Winner selection will be conducted by random drawing from all eligible entries on or about August 10, 2010.

Grand Prize: (1 winner) a 8 day/7 night vacation package for four (4) persons to the Costa Rica Rios Adventure Package destination in Turrialba, Costa Rica, that includes: i) Four (4) round-trip coach airfares between a major international airport closest to the winner's residence and the Juan Santamaria International airport in San Jose, Costa Rica, ii) Transportation via shuttle service from SJI airport to Turrialba, Costa Rica, iii) Room accommodations [Double Occupancy] for a maximum of four (4) persons at the Costa Rica Rios headquarters accommodations in Turrialba, Costa Rica, iv) accommodations with Costa Rica Rios, including bed and breakfast lodging, freshly prepared meals, ground transportation, activity equipment, park entrance/activity fees, and access to professional staff and guides.

In addition, the Grand Prize Winner will receive a Kodak Prize Package which contains the following items: a) four (4) KODAK PlaySport Pocket Video Cameras, and b) four (4) KODAK 4GB high-performance memory cards. (ARV $13,000)

Note: For more information visit the Official Rules. Sponsored by Eastman Kodak Company.

Watch for opportunities to engage staff in strategic planning

2010-06-14T10:47:00.000-07:00

by Mimi Bacilek • June 8, 2010

Resource-based conversations usually focus on what is spent, by whom and where. They are filled with comparison-speak: who has more, how they got it and how to get more. They focus on the budget, reviewing variance reports and juggling cost-center allocations.

It all keeps the leader focused on the past. Savvy leaders take a future focus by seeing resources as investment commodities: time, information, relationships, talents and passions. Growth of staff capabilities and perspectives is a natural result.

Consider meetings that are the bane of your existence, perhaps where last week's numbers are rehashed and day-to-day problems are solved. Imagine the value staff members gain by attending in your place. They learn meeting processes and etiquette from different types of conversations. With advance coaching, they learn to speak out and up, provoke new thinking and constructively challenge other business units.

Watch for opportunities to engage staff in strategic planning. Send them to meetings where they learn from outsiders and participate in cross-functional teams accountable to different business units. These activities broaden employees' exposure, perspective and experience while the leader exercises coaching skills in the process.

Relationships are investment opportunities, too. Create active partnerships with peers, building robust and dynamic relationships. Connect people to enable improved information sharing and problem solving. Create conversations about how resources are spent or invested. Use meeting time to identify and report on outcomes.

Resources are often wasted when conversation focuses on action plans and task lists rather than results. Require proactive conversations on predictable problems versus applying energy, time and materials to fix them later. Limit "rearview mirror" conversations and focus on future outcomes. Be sure every meeting has clear purpose and that leaders skillfully facilitate to promote valuable use of time and agenda space.

Choose to be a resource investor and enable an amazing future.

Answer this question...if you

2010-06-11T07:15:00.000-07:00

We'd like to know what you think MARKETING is?

There is no such thing as a wrong answer. Lists, examples, opinions, questions, etc are all welcome.

Feel free to speak your mind as condescending responses to your comments will not be posted unless you say you are OK with them!

If this is how you conduct strategic planning, you may want to think again.

2010-06-05T06:03:00.000-07:00

Short, simple but full of lessons.

Mr Smith, feeling it was time for a shakeup, hired a new CEO.The new boss was determined to rid the company of all slackers.On a tour of the facilities, the CEO noticed a guy leaning against a wall. The room was full of workers and he wanted to let them know that he meant business. He asked the guy, "How much money do you make a week?"A little surprised, the young man looked at him and said, "I make $400 a week. Why?"The CEO said, "Wait right here." He walked back to his office, came back in two minutes, and handed the guy $1,600 in cash and said, "Here's four weeks' pay. Now GET OUT and don't come back."Feeling pretty good about himself, the CEO looked around the room and asked, "Does anyone want to tell me what that goof-ball did here?"From across the room a voice said, "Pizza delivery guy from Domino's."

Strategic planners do your research and follow proven decision making processes no matter how simple, inexpensive and "obvious" the answer may be. The results from not doing the research and proper planning could be more costly than you realize.

Marketing Excellence honors our fallen

2010-05-25T16:49:00.000-07:00

This Memorial Day (and everyday) Marketing Excellence Inc would like to express the utmost appreciation and admiration to those military service men and women who paid the ultimate price in defense of our country. May God Bless you and America.

Tickets to Donald Trump's "Intro Apprenticeship Workshop"

2010-05-04T10:25:00.000-07:00

Marketing Excellence Inc is giving away two (2) tickets to Donald Trump's real estate workshop. This is a $250 value ($125 a ticket). It is yours free just for being our Fan on Facebook. We only ask that you share with us your thoughts about the workshop and whether you would recommend it to someone else.

Though the name of the workshop has the word "Apprentice" in it, this workshop is not an audition for the TV show or affiliated. This is a workshop on buying real estate. To learn more go to TrumpULive.com.

Are they going to try to have you purchase something like a timeshare? Is Donald or his children going to be there? Is this a great workshop? The answers to these three questions is 'WE don't know!'. We have been told by other attendees that there is some good information shared at these workshops.

If you are interested, tell us so. We will contact you to get a mailing address to send the tickets. PLEASE DO NOT INCLUDE ANY CONTACT INFORMATION in your initial reply.

Workshop Location Dates and Times

Hilton Garden Inn Carlsbad Beach 6450 Carlsbad Boulevard Carlsbad, CA 92011
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
1:00 PM

Hilton Garden Inn Carlsbad Beach 6450 Carlsbad Boulevard Carlsbad, CA 92011
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
6:00 PM

Doubletree Golf Resort San Diego 14455 Penasquitos Drive San Diego, CA 92129
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
1:00 PM

Doubletree Golf Resort San Diego 14455 Penasquitos Drive San Diego, CA 92129
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
6:00 PM

Sheraton Mission Valley San Diego Hotel 1433 Camino Del Rio South San Diego, CA 92108
Thursday, May 13, 2010
1:00 PM

San Diego Marriott Mission Valley 8757 Rio San Diego Drive San Diego, CA 92108
Thursday, May 13, 2010
6:00 PM

The 11 Keys to Success

2010-04-23T08:42:00.000-07:00

By Julie Jansen, author of "I Don't Know What I Want, But I Know It's Not This"

In his best-selling book "Emotional Intelligence," Daniel Goleman writes, "There are widespread exceptions to the rule that IQ predicts success ... at best, IQ contributes about 20 percent to the factors that determine life success, which leaves 80 percent to other forces."

Goleman goes on to explain, "These other characteristics are called emotional intelligence: abilities such as being able to motivate oneself and persist in the face of frustrations; to control impulse and delay gratification; to regulate one's moods and keep distress from swamping the ability to think; to empathize and to hope."

This book is full of assessments, tools, resources and how-tos to help guide you in finding new work that will better meet your personal and financial needs. No matter which category you fit in, however, unless you are able to demonstrate and master a specific set of life skills and traits, you will find it difficult to find the work you want.

Observing people in the workplace has yielded 11 keys to success. Time and again, it is apparent that those individuals who exhibit these 11 keys and use them most productively are consistently the most successful and well-liked individuals overall. The good news is that most people are born with at least some of these keys or learned them at a very young age, and all of these keys can be developed or learned later in life.

These are the 11 keys to success:

1. Confidence: an unshakable belief in oneself based on a realistic understanding of one's circumstances; a trait that most people admire in others and strive to acquire themselves.

2. Curiosity: being eager to know and learn; always showing interest and giving special attention to the less obvious; always being the person who says, "I want to know more about . . . ."

3. Decisiveness: arriving at a final conclusion or making a choice and taking action; making decisions with determination even when you don't have all the information you think you need.

4. Empathy: demonstrating caring and understanding of someone else's situation, feelings and motives; always thinking about what it's like to walk in someone else's shoes.

5. Flexibility: being capable of change; responding positively to change; being pliable, adaptable, nonrigid and able to deal with ambiguity.

6. Humor: viewing yourself and the world with enjoyment; not taking life or yourself too seriously; being amusing, amused and, at times, even comical.

7. Intelligence: thinking and working smartly and cleverly; being sharp in your dealings; "not reinventing the wheel"; planning before acting; working efficiently and focusing on quality over quantity. (Important note: This is different from IQ, the common abbreviation for intelligence quotient.)

8. Optimism: expecting the best possible outcome and dwelling on the most hopeful or positive aspects of a situation; believing that the glass is half full rather than half empty.

9. Perseverance: having passion, energy, focus and the desire to get results. Motivation, persistence and hard work are all aspects of perseverance.

10. Respect: remembering that it is just as easy to be nice; protecting another person's self-esteem; treating others in a considerate and courteous manner.

11. Self-awareness: a sophisticated form of consciousness that enables you to regulate yourself by monitoring yourself, observing yourself and changing your thought processes and behaviors.

Which of these keys are among your strengths? Which of the 11 are among your weaknesses? Self-awareness, the 11th key, is really the foundation for understanding yourself. If you are not sure how self-aware you are, ask several people whom you trust which of these 11 keys they believe are your strengths and which are not.

Again, while no one person possesses all of these keys in equal amounts, each of them can be developed and improved.

How to develop a strategic plan, then make it work

2010-03-10T09:39:00.000-08:00

by Jim Kendall

Small business owners know there's only one thing tougher than developing a sensible strategic plan: Making the plan work.

Yet Rich Horwath says building a strategic plan and keeping it relevant doesn't have to be so imposing. The process, he says, starts with a good diagnosis, produces a two-page strategy print and includes "a monthly tuneup, maybe a two-hour lunch where just one question is asked: What has changed (that might impact our plan and our business)?"

As you should expect from someone who is president of the Strategic Thinking Institute in Barrington Hills, Horwath is into this strategy thing. What's helpful is that he seems to have a good feel for the planning and implementation issues small and mid-size businesses face.
The process begins with goals and objectives, then moves to strategy. "Strategy is the path that will get us there," Horwath says. First, however, comes a diagnosis, part of the goals-and-objectives progression.

In fact, Horwath puts significant emphasis on the diagnostic process. In the medical world, he explains, a prescription (or strategy) without a diagnosis (for us, the introspection that analyzes the business, its marketplace and its competition) leads to malpractice.

It's not much of a stretch to extend that example to the business world.
"We don't take enough time to diagnose our businesses today," Horwath says. "We need to take the pulse of the business. Use our competitive intelligence. Do some research. We have to think about the business differently.

"How can we approach things differently? What can we add that will add value to our customers' experience? What is our differentiated value?"

Differentiated value could be customer service. One of Horwath's favorite examples is Enterprise Rent-A-Car, which differentiates itself from Hertz, Avis and everyone else in a crowded sector by picking up its customers.

Differentiation for customers "isn't doing the same thing everyone else does a little faster. It is different activities than the competition," Horwath says. "We must find and focus on that differentiation."

With the diagnostics in place, goal setting becomes easier - though Horwath suggests "one, two or three goals at the most."

Then comes strategy development, the building of the path from Point A to Point B.
"It's best to go off-site for a day or two and challenge (the company) thinking," Horwath says. "Dive into new ideas and new insights."
The result should be the strategic plan and what Horwath calls "a strategy print, a two-page blueprint, or summary, that helps keep everyone focused so we're not distracted by each day's e-mails."

An everyday resource that connects the research, diagnostics and thinking that went into the company's strategic plan with resulting actionable activities, Horwath's strategy print is intended to keep the plan alive rather than gathering dust on the shelf.

Questions, comments to Jim Kendall, JKendall@121MarketingResources.com.

Best Practices: What to take into Account When Direct Marketing to Hispanics

2010-03-03T10:37:00.000-08:00

Portada talked to Karen Habib, Hispanic Marketing Director, at Eclipse Marketing Services about best practices in direct marketing to the Hispanic population.The Objective (Hispanic or not)…."Ultimately, marketing campaigns – Hispanic or not – are intended to appeal to the consumer, presumably with a value proposition that will make him or her buy your product. In that sense, a Hispanic and a GM campaign aren’t that different.” says Habib.
…and yet, there are Worlds apart….

According to Habib, on the creative front, the Hispanic campaign must speak to the cultural sensibilities of the Latino audience and not just be about the offer. “By customizing our message to their set of values, we will be more successful, and marketing budgets can be more efficiently spent’, she adds.

Another major difference between the Hispanic and the General Market campaign lies in the segmentation process. There are many additional demographic and psychographic criteria that must be considered when doing Hispanic marketing: acculturation level, language preference, multigenerational household, for instance. “As the Hispanic market becomes more complex, direct marketing becomes that much more relevant – vital even to the marketing mix”, says Habib.

Advice to Marketers
Advertisers need to recognize that cultural relevance, demonstration of product value, and language sensitivities playa higher role in marketing to Latinos. Campaigns that focus on offer alone to drive the response may not be as effective, nor create the brand loyalty the marketer is hoping to achieve. Good direct response campaigns (TV, direct mail, radio) will elicit an emotional response, regardless of target. “However, we must remember that although Hispanics can trend to be more emotional culturally, they tend to over-index on researching products online than their GM counterparts. Hispanics want to make sure they are getting value for their purchases and if the purchase experience and product use is positive, they will become loyal”, Habib concludes.

Leading Brands Converge to Discuss Outreach to U.S. Hispanics - Fastest Growing Consumer Market in America

2010-02-24T15:15:00.001-08:00

Latinum Network Brings Together Marketing Executives at 7-Eleven, Inc. HQ to Explore Market Shifts and Their Implications. Participating Companies Include The Clorox Company, H&R Block, Heineken USA, Kraft Foods Inc., Nestle S.A., Sara Lee Corporation and Subway(R) Restaurants

BETHESDA, Md., Feb. 16 /PRNewswire/ -- Marketing executives from at least 20 big brands, including The Clorox Company, H&R Block and Nestle S.A., will meet at 7-Eleven, Inc. headquarters in Dallas on Wednesday, Feb. 24 to examine the rapid evolution of the U.S. Hispanic market and the ways acculturation and other important social and economic forces are reshaping this growing demographic.

Led by the Latinum Network, the conference will focus on the practical implications of major demographic and cultural trends for Hispanic and multicultural marketing strategies.
According to Latinum Network principal Michael Klein, "The interplay between demographic changes and the multi-faceted acculturation of U.S. Hispanics is one of the foremost issues shaping marketing decisions by companies with well known brands. We will take this opportunity to share our analysis with these brands and take it to the next level through peer-to-peer interaction."

Through discussion of original new insights by the Latinum Network and interactive working sessions, business leaders from these top companies should gain a new understanding of what differentiates U.S. Hispanics from the general market and from one another. Other topics will cover the opportunities created by rapid shifts in Hispanic consumer demand and what capabilities these companies should invest in to build Hispanic marketing functions to better take advantage of these opportunities.

According to Irene Sibaja, 7-Eleven's senior director of Hispanic marketing, "Latinum Network is doing what nobody else is – pooling the minds and resources of sophisticated brands to develop solutions that better meet the needs of Hispanic consumers. Our willingness to host this meeting demonstrates our commitment to the Latinum mission. By working together with other executives, 7-Eleven will better understand the nuances of the Hispanic population, allowing us to create more value for this consumer segment, as well as the company."

About Latinum Network
Latinum Network is a business network that assists brands in taking advantage of the growing U.S. Hispanic market through collaboration, networking and cutting-edge research. The company was established by David Wellisch - founder and former GM of AOL Latino - and Michael Klein - former top executive at the Corporate Executive Board, the world's largest business network provider. Latinum Network assists executives and their teams in developing deeper insights into the market, more effective strategies for the segment, and the solutions required to successfully design and execute core marketing initiatives. Latinum Network enables CMOs and other designated executives how to identify shared challenges, interests and best practices, then apply analytical rigor and original content creation to develop solutions.

For more information, visit http://www.latinumnetwork.com/.

SOURCE Latinum Network

MARKETING EXCELLENCE INCORPORATED has been selected as one of the Top 500 Emerging Businesses in the U.S by DiversityBusiness.com.

2010-01-21T13:39:00.000-08:00

Marketing Excellence Inc has been distinguished as one of the top entrepreneurs in the country and are most deserving of this award and recognition.

Over 650,000 businesses in the United Sates had the opportunity to participate in our 10th annual business survey. The awards are based on annual gross revenue and the business profile you have on file with us. This award is the basis of our annual "Top Business List" which is seen by over 15 million people and is used by Fortune 500 companies and large buying organizations to find new business partners.

The list is the most comprehensive look at the most important segment of the United States economy - America's privately held companies. This esteemed, elite list is coveted by the most successful companies in the U.S. The list has become the most recognized and respected compilation of companies that truly differentiate themselves in the market place in a time when doing so has never been more important.

We will be honored at the "10th Annual National Business Awards Ceremony and Conference". The event on April 27 - April 29, 2010 brings together America 's "Top Business Owners" and the "Top Fortune 500" companies for promoting business opportunities. The ceremony and conference will be held at Gaylord National Resort and Conference Center in Washington, D.C.

Recommend us to your Facebook Friends

2010-01-10T18:04:00.000-08:00

Suggest to your friends that they Become Fans of Marketing Excellence Inc. If 3 or more of your friends become Facebook Fans, we'll give you 2 free tickets (while supplies last) to The San Diego Open Golf Tournament held January 25 to 31 2010 in Torrey Pines. This golf tournament is organized by the Century Club of San Diego and is part of the FedEx Cup.

Be sure your friends mention that you sent them so you get proper credit for the recommendation and the tickets. Tickets are good for any day of the tournament.

Happy New Year 2010!

Some Resolutions on Planning

2009-12-27T23:08:00.001-08:00

Some Resolutions on Planning

By KEVIN VANN

As the calendar turns to 2010, business owners and managers should be thinking about resolutions, especially those involving effective planning.

Here are several types of planning that decision makers should consider critical for the year ahead.

Strategic Planning: Take time to research how to go about doing strategic planning and with whom. Perhaps the company can do it on its own, or perhaps it should hire a facilitator. In any case, set aside one or two days for strategic planning. This is one of the most critical blueprints every business should have, and it should be done at least once a year. This process should include owners and key staff members and perhaps outside consultants and independent parties as well.

Technology Planning: Each business should minimally have an internal staff member or an outsourced consultant to guide every company through the rigors of changing and updating technology. Time should be set aside for owners and key staff to be educated on a continuous basis. Technology will drive efficiencies, productivity, and revenue for most companies.

Employee / Staff / HR Planning: Each business today minimally needs either a staff person or an outsourced consultant to keep them up-to-date with the constantly changing compliance issues involved with having employees. Additionally, this planning model should include internal company issues, benefit packages, recruiting, retaining, and staying competitive. Any company that has employees should have a handbook minimally. The handbook should be reviewed annually.

Succession and Long-term Planning: Depending on the size of the company and the owner’s philosophy about life and business, succession and long-term planning for a company, the owners, and key staff should be a priority. If the owner of a company has done a good job addressing his or her own retirement and succession issues, then the company will continue to thrive. Fear of the unknown is the greatest fear, so the more effort the company puts into proper planning for the owners and key personnel, the better chance it has to continue. Even if an owner indicates an unwillingness to do succession planning, then certainly having a plan that indicates when and how to sell or liquidate the company is important.

Tax Planning: This has been pretty much accepted as an annual task by most business owners and key personnel; however, it’s still surprising just how many businesses make decisions, take on risk, and do business without properly understanding the tax consequences of their decisions.

Budgeting and Financial Planning: I just can’t imagine a business — or an individual, for that matter — not making budgeting and financial planning a priority on an annual basis. Unfortunately, many, many businesses fail to do annual budgeting and financial planning. The budgeting process should include solid projections relative to revenue, expense planning, and profit expectations. This planning should also include cash-flow projections that take into account what capital expenditures need to be made, how much debt will be paid down, or how much debt or equity will be required to run or capitalize the business. The budget or financial plan should include the company’s ‘wish list’ for the coming year, and typically that list includes the items or initiatives from the strategic plan and all of the other planning during the year. The budget should be the by-product of all of the annual planning that has been done.

Hanes Cruise Giveaway

2009-12-23T23:12:00.000-08:00

Our client Hanesbrands Inc is giving away a cruise to the Caribbean. "It's the cruise vacation that everyone in the family will think was created just for them - and you could win a cruise for 4 from Hanes!"

Click here or the Post Title above for a chance to win a 5-night Disney Cruise Line® vacation from Hanes.

They are also giving away Hanes® Sock packages to the first 100 entrants each week. As always don't forget to tell them that Marketing Excellence sent you! :)

Congress trying to force College playoff. What priorities?

2009-12-11T03:33:00.000-08:00

"With all due respect, I really think we have more important things to spend our time on," said Rep. John Barrow, D-Ga. before the House of Representatives' Energy and Commerce subcommittee voted on a bill to change college football playoffs. With all the things going on in the world and the US, only one congressman actually questioned the urgency, importance and relevance of such a bill. The subcommittee debated and took a vote on Wednesday (12/9/2009) that if passed by the Congress would force the NCAA to have a Division 1 playoff system leading to a championship game. The bill now goes on to the full committee for a vote. Though it seems that it will not pass. However it still begs the question... What are the priorities of Congress?

GOP Rep. Joe Barton of Texas sponsored the bill out of sentiments that the current system is not fair and well structured. He also went on to say that it would not change unless Congress got involved.

Another sign of rational and clear thinking came from the NCAA's BCS executive director Bill Hancock who said, "With all the serious matters facing our country, surely Congress has more important issues than spending taxpayer money to dictate how college football is played."

Representative Zach Space, D-Ohio, said "that with people facing tough times, the decision to focus on college football sends the wrong message."

Some may remember that after the elections last year, then President Elect Obama had this to say, "I'm going to throw my weight around a little bit. I think it's the right thing to do."

All we can say is WOW! Maybe Congress can read the Marketing Excellence Blog to get a feel for what some of their priorities should be i.e. unemployment, small business, terrorism, veterans, and the list goes on...

Respond and tell us what do you think? Then be sure to share it with your local Congressperson. Let them know we are paying attention.

America can't advance without small businesses

2009-12-08T05:03:00.000-08:00

by Ed Riffle

Small businesses lead any economic recovery. My business puts me in close contact with dozens of small businesses all across the country and most of them are not even thinking of expanding ... so don't be looking for an end to the recession any time soon. Any temporary upturns in the stock market or any media reports of signs of recovery notwithstanding, most small businesses are showing no signs of wanting to expand and prosper.

The small business environment is harsh. Working capital is hard to come by. Government policies have made it impossible for the smaller independent banks that are preferred by small businesses to loan money. Two very healthy small businesses whose owners I have talked with have told me that in spite of their current sound fiscal standings (significant assets, little or no debt and long and cordial relationships with their banks), they are unable to renew their relatively small lines of credit. Without an adequate line of credit for working capital, they cannot expand their businesses.

The prospects for significantly increased costs are looming. The so-called "Cap and Trade" bill currently working its way through the U.S. Senate will dramatically increase the cost of virtually every product and service that small businesses use and those businesses that use significant amounts of electricity will see a huge increase in their production costs. In the current economic downturn, increasing prices to reflect increased costs of production is not always possible, thus businesses will face the prospect of shrinking profit margins.

Adding employees is out of the question for most small businesses right now. The high minimum wage often precludes them from hiring unskilled and untrained young workers and the prospects of government mandated and regulated benefits with unknown costs and potential liabilities makes it too risky to hire anyone new.

In recent months, government alphabet agencies ranging from the IRS to the FDA to the FTB have been on the warpath. Any small business that doubted that a single bureaucrat had the power to shut down any business at any time with an audit, a report or a leaked piece of information has had that doubt removed by virtue of stories in the media or their own personal experience and observations.

Add to all of that the current trend by political leaders to demonize all private businesses and you have the perfect storm that all but assures years of economic malaise.
What most people don't seem to understand is that small businesses are run by ordinary people who react just as any human being would under the same circumstances. When attacked, they assume a defensive position and don't move forward. If America wants to continue to move forward economically, it must first stop attacking small businesses.

* * *
Ed Riffle is a small business owner and writer and co-publisher of OurLittleCornfield.com, an Internet based comic strip.

Leagues Make Pitch to Hispanics

2009-12-02T14:42:00.000-08:00

By ANA CAMPOY

Thousands of Hispanic fans wearing bright yellow T-shirts and waving Colombian flags crowded Homestead Miami Speedway Nov. 22 to root for Juan Pablo Montoya in Nascar's final race of the season.
The Colombian driver finished 38th after a wreck, but helped pull in the largest proportion of first-time fans ever recorded at the racetrack: 55% compared with the usual 20%, according to Curtis Gray, president of the speedway, which keeps a database of attendees. "We've never seen anything like that before," Mr. Gray said.

Major U.S. sports, from car racing to football, are stepping up their efforts to draw Hispanic fans, in the belief that the rapidly growing group will drive sports businesses -- and fill enormous new stadiums -- in the years to come.

Hispanics make up 15% of the U.S. population and by 2050 are expected to make up almost 30%, at 128 million people, according to the Pew Hispanic Center. Their purchasing power, which doubled over the past decade, will expand a further 36% by 2014 to $1.3 trillion, or 10% of the country's total, predicts the Selig Center for Economic Growth at the University of Georgia.

According to a poll by Scarborough Research earlier this year, 51% of Latinos watched, listened to or attended a football game over the past 12 months, compared with 68% of the total population. For baseball, 50% of Hispanics follow the sport compared with 57% of the general population. Meanwhile, 36% of Latinos tuned in or attended a soccer match, compared with 14% of the general population.

Sports promoters uniformly refuse to say how much they are spending to attract Hispanic fans. But the Homestead Miami Speedway bumped up its spending on marketing to Latinos by 30% from last year, and teamed up with Spanish radio stations to sell tickets.
The National Basketball Association recently recast itself as "éne-bé-a," its Spanish pronunciation of its initials, for a marketing campaign that includes advertising in Spanish-language TV networks, a first for the league.

Eduardo Nájera, a forward with the New Jersey Nets who was born in the northern Mexican state of Chihuahua, expects the campaign to multiply the number of Hispanic basketball fans. "If we can somehow get to them and relate to them, they're going to respond," he said in an interview.

Similar efforts are under way by Major League Baseball and the National Football League, where salsa star Marc Anthony has bought a stake in the Miami Dolphins, or "los Delfines."
Many Hispanics hail from countries where soccer -- known there as fútbol -- is a national passion, which Major League Soccer is trying to tap. The U.S. league is sponsoring games featuring Latin American teams in the hope that fans will stick around for U.S. matches the same day.

"For us, the Hispanic market is incredibly important," said MLS commissioner Don Garber.
But catering to "the Hispanic market" is a big challenge for U.S. sports promoters, in part because Latinos here have ties to more than a dozen countries.

Eduardo Carvacho has been navigating the Hispanic market for U.S. soccer teams since 2007. He started out building a fan base for the Columbus Crew in Ohio, where most Hispanics were recent arrivals. To start a "porra," a group of diehard fans who set the tone at the stadium, he relied mostly on personal interactions, like eating tacos with community leaders.

Mr. Carvacho now works for the soccer team in Dallas, a much bigger market with established Hispanic institutions where he can proselytize through businesses such as Fiesta, a Hispanic-food grocery chain that sells FC Dallas tickets.
"You have to customize every single thing," he said of appealing to Hispanic fans, depending on the local community.

Back in Miami, Mr. Montoya, the race-car driver, is using his popularity to attract donations to a foundation he created to help children in his native Colombia. But he says winning races remains his main focus. "I'm not racing Nascar to create Hispanic awareness," Mr. Montoya said at a recent news conference. "I race Nascar because I want to kick everybody's butt."

Source: The Wall Street Journal (World) Nov 30, 2009

Could this be WHY Hispanics and Blacks have Highest Unemployment Rates

2009-11-25T21:28:00.000-08:00

A recent USA Today story highlighted that Asian Americans were the least affected by the current economic situation. They went on to say that it was due partly because of Asians taking care of their own.

We took a quick unscientific survey and found that the Hispanic and Black communities tended to not take care of their own and were more likely to scrutinize their own. Their scrutiny was worst amongst their own and quite less towards other ethnic groups.

So it appears that the economic struggles found in the Hispanic and Black communities are increasing partially due to the lack of confidence in their own people.

Best Practices in Strategic Planning

2009-11-15T22:39:00.000-08:00

As a business' fiscal year comes to a close many businesses are finalizing their strategic plans. Implementing some best practices can improve the plan's effectiveness and provide a business advantage.

Be sure to conduct extensive research to understand the opportunities and threats in your market or industry, the competitive pressures and customer demands. View research as an investment not as an expense. Internal experience is just not enough.

Give your strategic planning team enough time and resources to complete a through well thought out plan. Time must be managed because a business can not be in continuous planning mode and never produce a strategic plan. Be cautious of the opposite; insufficient time usually results in an "insufficient" plan.

Execution is where great plans always fail. Create supporting activities and tactics to ensure that execution is focused on achieving the business objectives set forth in the strategic plan.

The strategic plan must be continually reviewed and updated during the plan implementation phase. The business environment (markets, industries, competitive pressures, and customer demands) shifts over time. Implementing a plan over a longer period of time requires more reviews and updates to the strategic plan.

As part of your plan create measures to monitor progress. The only way to know that your plan is working is to monitor how well the business is growing or improving. As part part of your plan create metrics and baselines to be able to use as a measure success.

The Hispanic Market Is Set to Soar:

2009-11-13T08:41:00.000-08:00

The 2010 Census will radically alter the demographic map and the rules of engagement between Hispanic and general-market shops

by: Noreen O'Leary

Hispanic Americans continue to grow in number at a rate four times that of the general population, with the 2010 Census expected to show their total rising to nearly 50 million, from 38 million in 2000. And second-generation Hispanics are fast becoming the driver of the group's growth, with 88 percent of Hispanic children born in America, versus 61 percent of adults.

As a result, agencies that market to this segment are finding themselves in a strong position, armed with the skills and techniques to take on general assignments from big-name clients. Meanwhile, in a tight business environment, general agencies are starting to compete for work previously reserved for specialist shops.

Is an already competitive agency landscape set to become even more so?

"In the 2010 Census, we'll see confirmation of a shift from Hispanic consumers who are first generation, where Spanish is the dominant language, to second-generation, bilingual, bicultural consumers. It totally transforms how we market," says Cynthia McFarlane, chair of Publicis Groupe's Conill, a Latino agency. "These are consumers who are as influenced by American culture as the country of origin of their families. There is a new American culture forming, and these consumers are having a tremendous impact on mainstream America."

McDonald's, which sees higher brand loyalty among its Hispanic consumers, has added offerings like breakfast burritos to its national menu. In further evidence of the growing bilingual voice of Hispanic consumers, McDonald's runs ads with Spanish taglines in general-market media, and earlier this year used "Spanglish" in general-market advertising for the Quarter Pounder.

"We know the general market has become increasingly multicultural, with Hispanic music, Hispanic tastes, the Hispanic palate influencing a lot of general-market initiatives," says Cristina Vilella, director of marketing at McDonald's USA. "We lead with Hispanic insights but make sure they appeal to the general market.

"That blurring of distinctions within the Hispanic marketplace hints at the changes ahead for agencies and media firms. Hispanics now have about $863 billion in discretionary annual income, more than any other minority group in the country. (As of the third quarter, Americans overall had disposable income of $10.8 trillion.) Agencies argue that spending power is still underestimated and that upcoming Census findings -- expected to be released beginning in early 2011 -- will deliver a wake-up call to marketers.

"It will be a huge eye-opener when we see the growing affluence of the Hispanic marketplace, not just in buying power but also in household wealth," says Conill's McFarlane.

"We have 15 percent of the market but only 5 percent of the marketing dollars," says Ingrid Otero-Smart, CEO of Interpublic Group's Casanova Pendrill. "You're going to see more general-market agencies pursue Hispanic accounts. They didn't care when our budgets were $10 million or less, but now that we are dealing with more robust budgets and theirs are being cut, it's a different story."

Already, Hispanic agencies are extending their reach beyond Spanish-language media. Casanova Pendrill's recent California Lottery TV spots were used in the general market, while San Antonio-based independent Creative Civilization is lead agency for the San Antonio Express News and the San Antonio Spurs. In 2006, Toyota liked a Conill TV concept for the Camry so well, it turned it into a Super Bowl spot.

There are certain categories, geographies, brands where the Hispanic market is now the general market and the Hispanic marketing strategy will be the overriding strategy," says Alex Lopez Negrete, CCO at independent Lopez Negrete Communications in Houston. "The Census will confirm the cultural pervasiveness of Hispanics. When general-market assignments start going to Hispanic agencies, it will manifest itself regionally first and then move to categories."

And Hispanic agencies have to catch up to their ever savvier consumers: Earlier this year, Forrester Research said Hispanic Gen Y consumers 18-28 are "outpacing" their non-Hispanic peers in the amount of mobile activity and use of features in which they engage. Those young Hispanics are also more interested in technology; Forrester found 72 percent of them said it is important, compared to 44 percent of non-Hispanics.

Mark Gibson, vp of advertising at State Farm, says the insurer's Hispanic marketing is an area of innovation. "We're doing things in the Hispanic market that are driving things to other targets, platforms," he says. "Our Hispanic efforts are becoming a best-practices center at the company." Given those new approaches to the marketplace and the threat of competition from general-market shops, many traditional Hispanic agencies will need to reinvent themselves to survive. Last year, after spending 29 years at Hispanic agencies, Simon El Hage joined IPG's Draftfcb in Chicago as group management director of multicultural marketing. "The old ethnic multicultural approach is passé," he warns. "We have to look at integration not just from a channel but from a segment point of view. The reality is that Hispanic agencies got used to working with less. We fell into our own trap, and the expectations marketers have for us, we set ourselves. We've underestimated the sophistication of our consumers."

And that provides opportunities for upstarts like MDC Partners' Adrenalina. The agency says it uses digital executions as a starting point and bases its strategies on a behavioral model. "We speak in culture, not language," says Manuel Wernicky, Adrenalina's president. "Old-school agencies just focus on Census numbers, which are used to divide the whole into granular pieces. We try to understand the complexity of that consumer and how they are changing, regardless of language, whether they're male or female, Mexican or Colombian."Language does remain an important factor. Some 44 percent of Hispanic consumers say, at home, they speak Spanish only or more often than English; 25 percent say they are equally bilingual; and 31 percent use English only or more often than Spanish, according to research from Synovate and Nielsen. (That last number offers a glimpse of the future Hispanic marketplace: Among second-generation consumers, 93 percent say they are bilingual or English dominant.)

As general-market broadcasters continue to battle audience erosion, Univision, the country's No. 1 Spanish-language media company, posted a 5 percent gain last season. The company owns the most-watched single American TV station among adults 18-49 regardless of language -- KMEX-TV in Los Angeles. Univision also said last season it was consistently within the top five broadcast networks in the U.S., and on many nights it was within the top three."We're seeing a tipping point in Spanish-language media," says David Lawenda, Univision's president. "In our recently completed upfront, we saw shares shifting [from the general market] as we brought in new brands. The implications of the 2010 Census are huge. Marketers don't necessarily know the spending power of the U.S. Hispanic population. Their purchasing power makes them equivalent to the 15th-largest consumer marketplace in the world."

General broadcast networks posted a 22 percent decline in the last upfront, while Univision posted a 3 percent gain to $1.24 billion. In categories like quick-service restaurants, Univision posted a 25 percent gain, while consumer packaged goods rose 20 percent, Lawenda says. Unlike general-market shops, many Hispanic agencies still maintain full-service media departments. That business is also under assault. Media agencies at big industry holding companies have created operations dedicated to multicultural planning and buying. The industry is also seeing more media-only agency reviews, which is not typical in the Hispanic sector.

"The competitive landscape will shift as more people compete for the money," says Danielle Gonzalez, managing director of Starcom MediaVest Group's Tapestry multicultural unit. "The general market has very good [media] buyers, but they might be lacking in strategic insights. You'll see traditional Spanish agencies positioning themselves as saying, 'You might have the [volume benefit of] dollars, but if you don't have the insights or are smart at buying, then what are you bringing to the process?' "The stakes in those media plans have clearly changed over the past decade. While the 2010 survey is expected to show that two-thirds of Hispanics in the U.S. continue to live in four states -- California, Texas, Florida and New York -- there will be surprising new expansion of the population base.

"In the 2010 Census, we'll see dramatic growth east of the Mississippi in the Southeast corridor. This is going to be a profound game changer," says Don Browne, president of NBC Universal's Telemundo Spanish-language broadcast operations.Luis Miguel Messianu, president and CCO at Alma DDB, concurs: "This Census will change the perception of what a national Hispanic marketing plan will look like. Now, it's the 15 top markets. The reality is that it has grown beyond that in recent years."

© 2009 Nielsen Business Media, Inc.

PODCAST: What Great Bosses Know

2009-11-08T18:56:00.000-08:00

This is a PODCAST on the subject of presenting and presentation delivery. No matter how good you are you can always get better.

"What Great Bosses Know". Click this link to check it out: http://poynter.podOmatic.com/entry/2009-11-05T10_00_15-08_00

Media Decoder: Marketers Call for Multicultural Focus

2009-11-06T13:50:00.000-08:00

By By Stuart Elliott
Published: November 6, 2009

Increasing the attention paid to multicultural or ethnic consumers is a smart strategy, according to speakers at the opening general session of the 99th annual conference of the Association of National Advertisers.

If one way to outfox the economy is to stimulate growth, increasing the attention paid to multicultural or ethnic consumers is a smart strategy, according to speakers at the opening general session of the 99th annual conference of the Association of National Advertisers.
Neil Golden, senior vice president and chief marketing officer at the McDonald’s U.S.A. division of McDonald’s, devoted his presentation to what he called “leading with ethnic insights” – in other words, initiatives in multicultural markets can generate significant gains in sales and market share.

“The multicultural, ethnic segments are leading lifestyle trends,” Mr. Golden said.
Mr. Golden offered examples of how McDonald’s U.S.A. sells new products like the Angus Third Pounder and coffee drinks with campaigns tailored to groups like African-Americans, Hispanics and Asian-Americans.

For instance, a TV commercial for the Angus burgers shows a Hispanic man riding a bus enjoying his meal so much that he does not notice he has reached the end of the line and is sitting in an empty bus.

If McDonald’s U.S.A. conducts nine focus groups, Mr. Golden said, two will be composed of Hispanics and be conducted in Spanish, two will be for African-Americans, two will be for Asian-Americans and three will be composed of a cross-section of consumers.

Andy England, chief marketing officer at MillerCoors, the joint venture of the brewers SAB Miller and Molson Coors, said that advertisers not reaching out to young Hispanic consumers “are not going to win in the market,” whatever the category. Among the commercials he presented was one in Spanish for Coors Light.

Overqualified employees are a waste

2009-11-03T09:57:00.000-08:00

Having hired overqualified individuals, I can attest to some of the challenges and waste of resources. Overqualified individuals tend to get bored. That is a nice way to say they under perform. They find that the work they are doing is either beneath them or not where they want to be in their career. So they find it hard to motivate themselves to perform well. They tend to go through the motions to achieve bare minimum.

The other negative of hiring someone who is overqualified is that they will leave as soon as something "better" is offered. In this case the employer wasted time in the hiring and training process. When the overqualified employee leaves quickly, the employer is back to square one.

The last thing is that some overqualified employees try desperately to change the scope and responsibilities of their work so that it is closer to their career goal / path. They focus on what they like and tend to let the other things slip.

Eventually the overqualified employee will quit to do something "better" or get fired for poor performance. It may seem like over-qualified candidates are always a bad move. Not true...the always part that is. There are occasions when they work hard and become fast trackers to success. These are the real professionals who are not selfish and are keepers. The odds are not in the employer's favor, so employees and employers do both of yourselves a favor and match the skills and career path to the position.

360 Digital Influence | A New Communication Discipline

2009-10-31T21:57:00.000-07:00

This an interesting post by our partner, Ogilvy PR Worldwide, on their website.

"The emergence of blogs, wikis and RSS aggregators has put the spotlight on new patterns of influence, and search engines are transforming how we find information in the digital realm. These technologies are just a part of a larger transformation of how people get information, what they listen to and who ultimately influences them.

At Ogilvy PR, we map these patterns of influence to identify who is influencing who, how word-of-mouth influence builds momentum, and who emerges in specific fields of interest as digital influencers. Given this insight and intelligence, we guide our clients through the thorny landscape of engaging in these dialogues and participating to build word of mouth online and offline. “Conversation” has become the new ‘earned media.’ We use new digital technologies to activate discussion and amplify our advocates whether they are more traditional influencers or mom bloggers online. We measure performance of all our programs including as word-of-mouth measures in order to optimize programs underway and report progress."

Source: Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide

http://www.ogilvypr.com/en/expertise/360-digital-influence

Newport Beach Brewing Company winner of the MEET Award

2009-10-22T00:09:00.001-07:00

This week Marketing Excellence Inc. wants to recognize the Newport Beach Brewing Company located at 2920 Newport Blvd. Newport Beach, CA 92663. The Brewco, as it's regulars affectionately refer to this eatery / brewery, offers a nice environment for watching a sporting event, drinking one of their award winning beers or just kicking back to enjoy a great meal.

With all that, the Brewco did something extra special this past week. When asked to offer prizes for an Army Organizational Day event, Mike the BrewCo's owner went above and beyond. He provided merchandise, gift cards and a stack of coupon's for the troops. Now some may say Mike is just being patriotic. Well he certainly demonstrating patriotism with his actions. However we did not mention that the Brewco was the biggest donor to this huge event and the event was held in another town, Costa Mesa. That is right the event is not even in his own town. The Brewco is a must-go-to place. Service is excellent, food is really good and you have to try their award winning brews.

For the generosity in support of our American soldiers, great beer, food and service, the Newport Beach Brewing Company is awarded the "acclaimed" MEET Award.

This is part of an ongoing series of Marketing Excellence Extra Touch (MEET) Awards. This is recognition of businesses and or service providers that go above and beyond expectations. If you find a business that you would like to nominate for a MEET Award, we'd like to hear from you. These blog posts are not sponsored and Marketing Excellence Inc does not receive any compensation for these posts.

Chicken Pie Diner winner of the MEET Award

2009-10-06T23:08:00.000-07:00

This week Marketing Excellence Inc. wants to recognize the Chicken Pie Diner located at 14727 Pomerado Road Poway, CA 92064. Last Friday night myself and the family were buying some last minute gifts for a wedding. The evening had passed us by and it was approaching 9PM. We entered the Chicken Pie Diner at about 8:45 to 8:50 with closing time being 9PM. As we sat we asked the gentlemen (Chris) showing us to our seat, 'Is it too late? You close at 9, right?' He responded, "You are fine. Its not 9 yet. We take orders until 8:59." At first I just thought he was being polite. He went through the routine of drinks and getting our meal order. As we waited for our meal to come out, we decided to ask Chris if we could get our meals to go. He asked why. We responded, 'You folks are closing and we do not want to'... But before I could finish my sentence he said "It is fine. That is what we are here for." When Chris came with our food, I asked him if he was the owner. I assumed that he had to be the owner because he was very customer and service-oriented. He replied, "Oh no! I am just the manager." Let me tell you, Chris went well above and beyond to make us feel comfortable. He checked in on us. He asked if we wanted deserts. When we said no to the deserts, he mentioned that the kids meals came with deserts and suggested ice cream in a to-go container. We will definitely be back. Not only was the service excellent, the food was good too. The Chicken Pie Diner in Poway CA and Chris (the manager) get the "acclaimed" MEET Award for how we were treated during our recent visit.

This is part of an ongoing series of Marketing Excellence Extra Touch (MEET) Awards. This is a simple recognition of businesses and or service providers that go above and beyond expectations. If you find a business that you would like to nominate for a MEET Award, we'd like to hear from you. These blog posts are not sponsored and Marketing Excellence Inc does not receive any compensation for these posts.

Hispanic Business Owners are Different

2009-09-24T16:22:00.000-07:00

It is interesting how Hispanic Owned businesses approach their customers. Marketing Excellence recently conducted a Retention Marketing workshop to Hispanic business owners in San Ysidro California. The event was sponsored by the San Ysidro Business District.

During the workshop, it was interesting to note how the owners and senior staff viewed their customers. They all held their customers (and clients) to the highest regard. They shared that when a customer walks into their business, they try to treat them as if the customer was walking into their house. They want to make them feel welcomed and at ease. They were already implementing retention marketing strategies without ever being formally trained or introduced to this business strategy.

The big lesson learned was that they valued each and every customer. They are willing to do what is in the best interest of their customer. They understand that their main purpose is to provide the customer a solution. It could be clothing, furniture, insurance, food products or any other product or service. But they view the transaction with their customers as a "partnership agreement" for future business. They are certainly not looking to make one score or take advantage of their customers. They fully appreciate and embrace the concept of life time value of a customer. Some may argue that this is not really a lesson; this is good business sense. The difference demonstrated by the Hispanic business owners is the PASSION in their execution and business practices.

National Hispanic Heritage Month

2009-09-18T09:17:00.000-07:00

Each year, Americans observe National Hispanic Heritage Month from September 15 to October 15, by celebrating the histories, cultures and contributions of American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America.

The observation started in 1968 as Hispanic Heritage Week under President Lyndon Johnson and was expanded by President Ronald Reagan in 1988 to cover a 30-day period starting on September 15 and ending on October 15. It was enacted into law on August 17, 1988, on the approval of Public Law 100-402.

The day of September 15 is significant because it is the anniversary of independence for Latin American countries Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. Mexico and Chile celebrate their independence days on September 16 and September 18, respectively. Columbus Day or Día de la Raza, which is October 12, falls within this 30 day period. In Puerto Rico Sept 17 marks the emergence of self governance after 30 years of military control and direct rule by the United States.

Visit http://hispanicheritagemonth.gov/index.html to learn more

Source: www.hispanicheritagemonth.gov/about/

Could this be the reason American manufacturing is failing?

2009-09-08T06:00:00.000-07:00

Recently Marketing Excellence was invited to bid on a major contract. The contract involved some promotional products. Well actually a large volume of one product.

I looked up several American manufacturers (which will remain nameless). Being a veteran and with the state of the US economy, I wanted Made in the USA. I was excited by the size of the potential order so I quickly started contacting American manufacturers. When I called the first company to ask about product specifications, shipping details, and pricing, the person who answered the phone was very polite but a little overwhelmed by the large order. After the 3rd consecutive question that she could not answer, I asked if could speak to whomever she was asking. I had a lot more questions and the put on hold for a brief wait (30 seconds to 2 minutes) to answer every question was starting to frustrate me. The response was "I can help you, sir. Sir, please allow me to help you." My reply was 'I have about 17 more questions so I think it would be easier for both of us?' Well I got no where with that. So I ended the call immediately after the next question which of course was accompanied by the delay in responding while she asked someone else.

What's interesting is that this was my easiest call. The other American manufacturers were less knowledgeable about their product offerings and several had attitudes. After the fourth call I had enough. I asked the person if I was bothering them or annoying them. Her response was a candid "We get people who are always asking questions and don't buy, especially people asking for large quantities like you." I was stunned by her logic for dismissing my request. I tried to share some business 101 with her so I responded with, 'Don't you think that maybe they are not buying because of your attitude. Customers want to be treated like customers not like interruptions. Perhaps that is why you are not getting this or any large order.' I respectfully said good bye and hung up. I could only shake my head.

Attention American manufacturers: Treat customers like they are the customer!

I am not a believer that the customer is always right. But I do believe the customer should be treated with respect and professionalism even when they are wrong.

If 5 out of 5 did not know or present their product well and over half were rude, how can American manufacturing succeed?

What is branding?

2009-09-02T21:11:00.000-07:00

It is interesting how many non-marketing professionals use the term branding incorrectly. Branding is a powerful strategy and marketing objective. When implemented and created effectively, the brand can become a real competitive advantage.

Branding involves the analysis of four areas:

your capabilities relative to your competition for your target market and customers,

your marketing message that communicates your capabilities that are different and more desirable for your target market and customers,

the decoded marketing message understood by your target market and customers,

and, your target market's and customers' perception of your product and or service quality.

Branding is the mental and emotional connection that the consumer, customer, prospect or user of your product and or service has associated with your name. This connection could be good or bad.

A strong branding strategy is more than just creating an attention-getting advertising campaign or slogan. The communication campaign should infer a promise of a certain quality level. That quality level now becomes the expected quality for the consumer. So the company must at least deliver, but preferably exceed, that expected level of quality. The communications campaign should also position your company, product or service to differentiate it from your competition. The final component is delivering quality. That quality is the perceived quality of the customer. You must deliver better value, image, or solutions than what your competition can deliver. The use or your product or service will also convey a message and will help stimulate perceived quality.

If you miss the mark on any of these, you certainly do not have a strong brand and some might even argue that you have no brand.

Customer Equity thru Retention Marketing

2009-08-31T16:17:00.000-07:00

Customer Equity is a very difficult asset to measure. That's right I said asset. First let me explain what customer equity is. It is the combined present value of current customers and potential customers (not prospects). This equity grows with loyal (repeat buying) profitable customers.

Many marketing professionals and experts profess that customer equity is a much better measure of effective marketing (through retention marketing) than revenue and sales units. The logic behind this school of thought is that sales is a measure of past performance while customer equity is a measure of current and future performance.

One of the most important characteristics that improve customer equity is current customer age. A loyal younger customer will have a longer time to repeat buy than an older customer. Thus the younger customer has more life time purchasing power than an older customer. So looking at brands that have a loyal yet older customer base have a lower customer equity than a one with younger customers.

Now before you go and stop paying attention to your older customers...think again. Older customers tend to have more disposable income. They also tend to be trusted by their children and grandchildren. They in essence will become advocates for your product.

So what is the lesson. Keep your young customers happy forever until they become senior citizens and continue to bring in those potential new, especially younger, customers. In other words have a complete product portfolio that meets the needs and attracts the young and the old customer segments with different products of course.

Retention Marketing Presentation for Small Business Administration

2009-08-20T23:45:00.000-07:00

Retention Marketing - Your Current Customer is Worth More Than You May Think!
Location, Dates & Times:
9:00 AM until 12:00 PM August 26, Wednesday SCORE Entrepreneur Center Directions

Companies often forget about a valuable resource -- their current customers. Focusing on getting new customers can be hurting your business more than you think. On average, it costs five times more to get a new customer than to keep a current customer happy and keep them buying from you. Did you know that just one dissatisfied customer will tell nine other potential customers? We'll explore and develop customer retention strategies that will help you grow your business from within and the workshop will uncover:

Competitive advantages created by customer centric organizations

"Customer Centric" vs. "Customer Service

"Defining and measuring customer loyalty

Building customer centric action plans

Employee behaviors for improved customer loyalty

Value of complaints

Lifetime value of a customer

Costs associated with the loss of customers

Value and ROI from customer loyalty

Registration fee:$49 Pre-Paid / $59 On-Site

Featuring:
Emilio Vargas II is co-founder and President of Marketing Excellence Incorporated. In addition to over 17 years of marketing and business management experience, Emilio has worked as a marketing and business executive for several distinguished companies including Delta Airlines, Marriott Corporation, and United Parcel Service. Emilio graduated from Saint John's University with a B.S. in Public Accounting and went on to earn two master's degrees from Pace University's Lubin School of Business in New York - MBA Strategic Marketing and MBA Organizational Behavior. Emilio is active with several Marketing associations and Veterans' organizations. He teaches marketing, management, and leadership at Alliant International University and the University of Phoenix, and he also serves on the Alliant International University Academic Advisory Board for Marketing and Public Relations.

https://www.scoresandiego.com/workshops.asp?WorkshopID=110

Advertisers aiming dollars at Hispanics --Companies target Spanish media, community events

2009-08-17T22:27:00.001-07:00

MIAMI - -- Halfway through Univision's top-rated variety show, "Sabado Gigante," host Don Francisco yells out: "Vamos a cantarle a State Farm! Musica, maestro!" -- "Let's sing to State Farm! "The audience swings into a snappy rendition of a song that praises State Farm Insurance -- part of the company's marketing strategy that is pumping more dollars into Hispanic marketing than ever before.

An increasing number of advertisers, especially consumer-product companies and financial-services firms, are reaching out to U.S. Hispanics and putting a larger share of their ad budgets into Spanish-language media and community-event sponsorships.

Earlier this month, video-game publisher Sega announced its biggest Hispanic marketing campaign with the launch of its latest Wii title, Daisy Fuentes' Pilates. Kellogg is adding "a touch of honey" to its Corn Flakes cereal to court Hispanic consumers who prefer honey as a natural sweetener. Fifth Third Bank, based in Cincinnati, is expanding its reach to Hispanics in seven markets -- including four in Florida: Orlando, Tampa, Naples and Ft. Myers -- with radio, print and online ads. The bank is also sponsoring local workshops to help consumers with their finances during the recession.

More than $5 billion was aimed at the Hispanic market in 2008, according to TNS Media Intelligence, an advertising market research firm.The amount was down slightly (0.08 percent) from the 2007 figure -- far less than the 4 percent drop in overall marketing spending, from $126.7 billion in 2007 to $121.8 billion in 2008.

As for State Farm, the Bloomington, Ill., company is spending more money to reach U.S. Hispanics this year than it did in 2008, says Mark Gibson, assistant vice president for advertising for State Farm. State Farm, regularly among the top 10 marketers to Latinos, spent nearly $58 million in advertising in Spanish-language TV, magazines and newspapers in 2008, doubling what it had spent in the prior year, according to TNS Media Intelligence. Though the insurer has marketed to Hispanics for the past decade, it accelerated its efforts three years ago when it began to sponsor "Sabado Gigante." Last year, it added the Fiesta del Jonron (a traveling home-run derby and Hispanic baseball hall of fame) and added the Latin Billboard sponsorship. State Farm agents sponsor bike-safety fairs and local baseball and soccer teams. This year's increased dollars will go toward traditional TV, print, online and radio advertising as well as event and sponsorship marketing."Consumers are savvy today. They understand when they are being advertised to," says Gibson." But you can take a relationship deeper when you can connect with consumers in ways they don't necessarily expect."

Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune

Mexican Consulate recognizes Marketing Excellence Inc for an outstanding professional development seminar

2009-08-07T00:52:00.000-07:00

Below is the release by the Mexican Consulate after Emilio and Claudia of Marketing Excellence Inc facilitated a professional development seminar on customer service and retention marketing. Lydia Antonio of the consulate states "We immediately implemented some of the recommendations provided by Marketing Excellence and we are seeing vast improvements."

PERSONAL DEL CONSULADO GENERAL EN SAN DIEGO ATENDIÓ EL CURSO “CÓMO MEJORAR EL SERVICIO AL USUARIO”

17 Jul 2009

El sábado 11 de julio se impartió al personal de este Consulado General el curso “Cómo Mejorar el Servicio al Usuario” con la finalidad de mejorar la atención que se proporciona al público que diariamente asiste a las instalaciones de esta representación.
Este taller fue impartido de manera gratuita por los señores Emilio y Claudia Vargas, Presidente y Vice Presidenta de la empresa de relaciones públicas Marketing Excellence Inc., en colaboración con SCORE San Diego, organización no lucrativa que brinda apoyo y asistencia a pequeños empresarios a nivel nacional.

Cabe mencionar que este curso, además de brindar herramientas para mejorar el servicio que proporciona el personal de esta representación, ofreció la oportunidad para reflexionar sobre cómo mejorar los procedimientos de expedición de documentos y los servicios que se ofrecen al público en general”

Paula Abdul leaving American Idol changes the AI product

2009-07-23T23:39:00.000-07:00

There are rumors that Paula Abdul may be leaving the hit show American Idol. Now I must say this is not an endorsement of Ms Abdul but she is a key part of the American Idol product. She is goofy, sweet and a shrewd business women. That is right she is a shrewd business women. She knows that the show is hot and that she is key. She is part of the product. Her arguing and flirting with Simon adds a dimension to the show. Every once in a while when she does say something not pleasant, she shocks everyone.

As a marketing professional lets look at the product called American Idol. It is made up of many ingredients and sub components. Paula Abdul is a key part of that product. If she goes, the product will change. Will American Idol survive without her? If its about the singing contest, then yes. But anyone who watches it knows that the singing contest ends when the top 10 or 12 are selected. The weekly audience vote is nothing more than a money making machine. The best singer does not always win. And the "losers" that do not get crowned the American Idol still have received tremendous exposure. The ones that are motivated and have real talent go on to bigger and better things. Look at Clay Aiken, Jennifer Hudson and Chris Daughtry.

Is Paula contributing to that success? Absolutely not...kind of sort of. Do her silly yet compassionate advisory statements help refocus some of the losers. The three mentioned above would say absolutely YES! So losing Paula Abdul changes the product which may turn off many customers aka viewers.

So if you were giving marketing advice to American Idol, what would you advice?

SWOT Analysis for Uncovering Core Competencies

2009-07-18T19:59:00.000-07:00

When conducting the SWOT Analysis of your company, you will end up with a list (preferably long) of strengths. Some of these strengths are valid but may not provide any value to your customer. The useful strengths that add value to your customer solution and showcases your capabilities better than those of your competition are called core competencies.

Scenario: Your product is far superior than your competition's product; though a strength, it is not a core competency. The competition can reverse engineer (copy) and improve your design to improve their value position in the market. The competition may be in a reactive mode, but they will overcome that with their own core competency of rapid reverse engineering.

Still left unanswered in this scenario is: what is your core competency? It could be innovation, better development teams, better research to determine true customer needs, etc. You have to really analyze your strengths to determine the root cause of your strength. Likewise you can start to fend off the competition's core competency by making your product more "copy proof". If they have a difficult time reverse engineering your product, you have just neutralized their core competency of rapid reverse engineering.

In order to be a core competency, a strength must:

add to the perceived benefits for a customer
be difficult for the competition to imitate or implement

Some questions to ask when analyzing (not compiling) your strengths:

What are some advantages created by a strength or combination of strengths?
What value do these strengths add to my product or service that is unique or difficult to imitate by the competition?
Which of the four elements of marketing strategy (product, price, promotion and placement) or what combination of the four elements is driving a perceived customer benefit?
What are the main contributors to that element?
Does the customer value the strength or combination of strengths in the form of repurchase, loyalty, positive word of mouth, paying more or going out of their way to buy your product?

To read more on SWOT Analysis see the following post:
Using a SWOT Analysis to Develop Business Growth Strategy

CA Hispanic Chambers of Commerce (CHCC) 30th Annual State Convention

2009-07-16T00:29:00.001-07:00

The California Hispanic Chambers of Commerce (CHCC), will host its 30th Annual State Convention on August 19-22, 2009. This year’s convention will take place at the beautiful and historic U.S. Grant Hotel.

US Grant Hotel 800-237-5029
326 Broadway San Diego, CA 92101USA Map and Directions

Come meet Emilio or Claudia during the Convention or stop by our booth Friday August 21 from 2PM to 7PM during the Supplier Diversity portion of the conference.

The CHCC serves as the leading Hispanic statewide business and professional organization promoting the interests of more than 720,000 Hispanic businesses and over 65 local Hispanic chambers in California. The goal of the CHCC's Annual Convention is to elevate discussion and participation among Hispanic business owners, corporate business leaders, community leaders, and government officials to address issues of relevance to the Hispanic business community.

The CHCC State Convention is the premier minority/ethnic business convention in California, offering participants the opportunity to learn the latest trends in business development, network with outstanding business professionals, and gain insights into growing and maintaining a successful business. Throughout the convention, participants have the opportunity to celebrate the educational, political, and economic success of the Hispanic community.

Convention participants will be exposed to some of the most dynamic, enterprising and informative speakers discussing current issues pertinent to the economic growth and development of California business and our communities. Past convention speakers include: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Governor of California; California Attorney General Jerry Brown; Former Governors Gray Davis and Pete Wilson; Former SBA Administrator Hector Barreto; Oscar, Grammy and Tony Award winning Actress Rita Moreno; Linda Alvarado, owner of the Colorado Rockies; and many more.

This year, the CHCC convention will feature business procurement/matchmaking sessions designed to bring business owners together with corporate and state procurement officers. The CHCC convention has featured the matchmaking session at previous conventions and has proven to be an extremely effective and successful tool for expanding business opportunities in the Hispanic and minority business community.

Also being featured is the CHCC’s Access to Business Capital (ABC) program. Through this innovative program, the CHCC helps companies receive private investment or equity financing beyond the traditional financial institutions. Additionally, the ABC program provides the business owner with practical tools and training.
Conference participants are invited to join in and engage in the various convention activities, including:

Discussion of the vital legislative and economic issues affecting our business community with key elected officials and policy makers.
Informative business development and chamber development sessions.
Networking opportunities.
One-on-One Procurement Matchmaking meetings.

Register Now
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Contact Information
Telephone: 800.299.6033 Email: convention@cahcc.com
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My Day at the Michael Jackson Memorial Ceremony July 7 2009

2009-07-08T21:58:00.000-07:00

Los Angeles California--On July 7 2009, my daughter and I had the honor and privilege to attend the Memorial Service for Michael Jackson. It was an interestingly moving experience. I am not going to go over too much of what you saw on TV. I want to share with you what you didn't see or feel if you were not there.

We arrived at 8:30 AM for the 10 AM service. The LA Police had created a 5 block perimeter of limited access around the Staples Center (a sports complex in LA where Michael Jackson was rehearsing for his come back). It was not as chaotic as I thought it was going to be. The Los Angeles Police Department did an excellent job of maintaining control and preventing the scene from becoming a circus or riot. As we walked from the car to the arena, we went past dozens of street vendors selling all kinds of Michael Jackson souvenirs. They had posters, portraits, books, CDs, t-shirts, sparkling gloves, black hats, vintage red leather jacket with the zippers, and many more. If you could image something associated with Michael, it was out there for sale.

We entered the Staples Center at about 9AM. We were pleasantly surprised and excited that we had great seats. We were 11 rows up from the main seating area for all the celebrities and honored guests. For the hour before the ceremony started, we just watched star after star arrive and walk by us about 20 feet away. I noticed that there was a ritual amongst the celebrity community that requires that they enter almost on cue without the distraction of another celebrity entering the area at the same time. Then they have to look for people they have to mingle with. It was like a party where everyone knew each other.

As the hour approached 10AM an announcement was made to take your seats as the service was about to begin. Everyone seemed to comply with eager anxiety about what they were about to witness. At exactly 10AM the announcer introduced Smokey Robinson. Smokey read several letters from individuals who could not attend. And after he was done there was a pause of about 20 minutes. For those 20 minutes, it was eerily silent. It was so quiet that you could here the band members talking (and it was NOT through the sound system).

At about 10:20 Michael Jackson arrived. The crowd rose to their feet and applauded like crazy. People were surprised as that was certainly not expected. Then the ceremony resumed. Many of the presenters and singers kept saying that this was a celebration of Michael Jackson's life. Though that may have been their intention, it was very very emotional in that building. Everyone was choked up through out the ceremony. If they weren't, they were passed out.

Each presenter seemed to out do the one before them. Several of the speeches were very memorable for me. Brooke Shields made many people cry. In my immediate vicinity you could hear a lot of people crying with passion. You know how you cried as a little kid where you stopped crying for a second or two to gasp for air. She was very moving. Reverend Al Sharpton was very inspirational. Now I am not a big Rev. Sharpton fan but he was amazing. He uplifted the crowd. Magic Johnson had people laughing with his grilled chicken comments.

After a speech you could tell how moved the crowd was by their lack of reaction. All the presenters received a standing ovation when they were done. But the more moving the commentary the less clapping. As I looked around it was because people couldn't clap as they were wiping tears from their eyes or hugging the person next to them. At one point the crowd started to cheer Michael, Michael, Michael but we just didn't have the energy to sustain it.

Jermaine singing Smile and Michael's daughter Paris' impromptu comments was tough for even the toughest of the toughest to not cry. I don't know how it came across on TV but being there was a powerful experience. I have experienced the death of both of my parents and many friends and family members. The love and closeness that the Jackson family has for each other is powerful. They really love each other. It showed throughout the ceremony.

When the ceremony ended, the Jackson brothers escorted the coffin out of the arena. Then the vacant stage had a microphone with a single spot light on it. The screams of "I love you Michael" came from all directions. The Jackson family pastor, Reverend Lucius Smith, asked us all to join hands in a moment of prayer. His prayer was so appropriate for the moment.

Even in death Michael Jackson can be amazing.

Outside the media was literally hovering to get interviews and fan reaction. I counted 11 helicopters flying above. There were lines of TV broadcast trucks lined up outside of the Staples Center. In the larger plaza outside the Staples Center, all the TV stations had set up their on site studio. They would grab people from the crowd to interview them and try to get an emotional reaction. We spent about an hour outside watching the Jackson family motorcade leave and the news crews try to get a scoop or a sensational story. My daughter and I "worked" our way into the press area and we had the best seat in the house. Both of us were interviewed by various TV stations. My daughter was interviewed by an Australian and Arab TV station. CNN was my moment.

Take a look at some pictures of the day at http://picasaweb.google.com/MarketingExcellenceInc

Getting Tickets for the Michael Jackson Memorial service

2009-07-06T22:15:00.000-07:00

San Diego California-- Today a very nice friend mentioned that she had won the opportunity to attend the Michael Jackson Memorial service to be held tomorrow July 7 at the Staples Center, Los Angeles. I congratulated her and jokingly asked her about her moon walking skills. After a brief discussion, she mentioned that she could not go and if we were interested. Without much hesitation I said YES. I can't say that I am as big a fan as I was in the 80's and 90's but his music does bring back some fond memories and allows me to relive some of the best times of my teenage and young adult years. My kinda smooth attempt to moon walk, do the Michael spin, and the rest of his dance moves were part of that time in my life. Also for me he was the most talented and creative singer, dancer and entertainer of my life time.

So anyway. After I said yes to the tickets, the real work began. I had to go pick up the voucher from her house and then drive about 2.5 hours to Dodgers Stadium in Los Angeles to pick up the tickets. The drive was uneventful except for the LA traffic that makes the trip longer and more boring than it should be. As we pull up to Elysian Park Ave to head into the stadium, we and all the cars making our way into the stadium are greeted by a bunch of fans begging and pleading for our ticket vouchers. They had signs that read 'I came from xyz place for Michael. Please give me your voucher' and one read 'I can't afford the scalpers prices look at the economy. Can I have your tickets?'

There were cops every where. A cop checked my voucher on one corner and then another cop checked it again at the next corner. A half a block later, a security person checks my voucher to allow passage to the gates of Dodger Stadium. At the gate they scanned the bar code on the voucher and give me some semi-intelligible instructions as to what to do next. I drove about 30 to 45 seconds to where the tickets were being handed out and one more check of my voucher.

I finally entered the real "holding area" of the tickets. First I am asked for my voucher again and I am handed two golden colored wrist bands. Then as I ask for my tickets I am told to pull up to the next line. That is where the golden tickets are. There are 2-3 police officers assigned to each person handing out the tickets. So as I approach I have my voucher ready. The person snatches my voucher and rips it. Just as I am about to jump out of my car and put him in a head lock, he pulls out the 2 tickets and hands them to me. He says "It starts tomorrow at 10Am. Enjoy!". As I pull away and exit the stadium parking lot, I think to myself ...Enjoy? Enjoy? What do you mean enjoy? This is a memorial service right? But then I remember this is not going to be any ordinary memorial service. I'll tell you all about in a day or two.

The Making of a Press Release: Part 3 of 3 (Content)

2009-07-01T00:15:00.000-07:00

The press release is a very useful marketing tactic to get the message out about your cause, products or services. Careful attention must be paid to present the content professionally and in a manner that is worthy of getting "picked up" and published. So, what are some some of the do's and don'ts?

BLUF Bottom Line Up Front. You must be concise and to the point. The important message should be in the first paragraph. Don't create an elaborate and wordy introduction that says nothing more than read the whole thing. If you do that the whole press release will not be read. Through out the press release be sure to avoid filler words, phrases and sentences that don't add to your message.

Speak easy. Don't write like you speak or write poetry. Avoid using too many if any colloquialisms, cliches and technical jargon. Remember you are trying to get some one's attention usually an editor or a member of the press. They are looking for something to fill their publication or some air time. Using words that have to be deciphered will cause your press release to not even be read.

Include your organization's information. It is acceptable and expected that the press release include a short paragraph about your organization. Include this paragraph at the end of the press release. Be sure to adhere to the two previous points. Don't lose it now. If they have gotten to this paragraph, they like what they have read so far.

Relevance. Be sure your press release can pass the 'So what' and 'Who cares' test. Also, try to tie your press release to current events and news stories. Make sure you send your release to publications and news outlets that can use your story. In other words don't send your story about successful tests of your drug that cures a disease to Sports Illustrated or ESPN The Magazine.

Where's the news? Make sure to tell the news story and don't overtly promote your product or service. If you have a lot of information to put out use multiple press releases.

Interestingly brief. Use short headers and sub-headers to make your press release easy to read and skim. Write in a direct and active voice. Include important information with the fewest words. However DON'T forget to include important details about people, products, services, events, places etc that will make your press release interesting and news worthy.

To learn more about PLANNING a press release see Part 1 of 3; and to learn more about the FORMAT of the press release see Part 2 of 3.

The Making of a Press Release: Part 2 of 3 (Formatting)

2009-06-25T23:47:00.000-07:00

Some formatting tips for your press release.

Use company letterhead if possible. Standard white paper will do if no letterhead paper is available.
Use 12 point font usually Times New Roman.
Create a headline and bold the font.
Provide a person's contact information at the top left corner with name, address (optional), telephone number and email address. The person listed should be the writer or someone who is knowledgeable about the content and intent of the press release so that the press can contact that person if they need more information or clarification.
Provide a dateline to start the 1st paragraph that includes originating location and date ie San Diego CA: May 7, 2000.
Double space so the reader (news member) can make notes and edit your content.
To inform the reader of additional pages add the work more at the bottom of each page that has a continuation.
The first paragraphs, which may be the only one read, should be an immediate attention getter and between 3 and 5 lines (not sentences).
If a paragraph will be split between two pages, move the text so the whole paragraph is on the follow-on page.
Follow the Associated Press Style Book and any published standards by the news or media source that you are sending the release to.

To learn more about PLANNING a press release see Part 1 of 3; and to learn more about the CONTENT of the press release see Part 3 of 3.

The Making of a Press Release: Part 1 of 3 (Planning)

2009-06-24T23:34:00.000-07:00

The press release also know as the news release is a very useful marketing communications tool. This commonly used public relations tactic is simply a document intended to provide "news worthy" information to the media ie newspapers, broadcast TV, radio and periodicals. The Wall Street Journal has publicly stated that approximately 50% of their content comes from press releases. Other newspapers and periodicals state that up to 75% of their content comes from press releases.

Why has the media placed so much importance and reliance on the press release? Its very simple. Journalist have moved away from gathering information and more into processing and editing information. Additionally the news industry has many players and this has made the industry very competitive. All the competition requires news outlets to be efficient and quick.

Special Reports and Breaking Stories used to be a very important story. Today the Special Report is virtually gone and the Breaking Story is nothing more than the most recent story that has some importance or has shock value. The news industry is all about SPEED and ease of getting stories. They need "good" stories now even if there may be some missing information and inaccuracies.

So how do the news folks do it. They use the unpaid reporter...the public relations writers of press releases.

When PLANNING a press release, one should identify the:

key message; usually in one or two sentences
primary public (audience)
benefits sought by the primary public that your product, service or cause will fulfill
desired outcome from the press release ie awareness, information, recall, follow-up, etc

After you have done this the next step is to write the press release as if you were a journalist. Make it easier for the journalist and the better your chances of having your press release read. Do a very good job and the press release will end up in the news.

To learn more about FORMATTING a press release see Part 2 of 3; and to learn more about the CONTENT of the press release see Part 3 of 3.

American car companies must refocus on the PRODUCT portion of the Marketing Mix

2009-05-23T11:03:00.000-07:00

The American car companies have been mismanaged for decades. The focus for this time period has been money and profits. Improving quality and addressing customer demands have not been used to drive the business objectives. It is terrible business practice when the accounting and finance departments are driving decisions that affect product quality and customer demands.

American car companies have no valid plan for getting it right. If they focused on basic customer needs such as extended reliability, defect reduction and increased miles per repair costs, they would have never needed bail out money.

Detroit ask car customers (yours and the competitions') what they want in a car. Ask them to elaborate so you can fully understand. Listen closely and read between the lines and then ask more questions. Then focus on meeting their needs. The Japanese get it and the Korean car makers are getting it. If you don't play correctly you are going to continue to lose and should just go away. It is that simple!

San Diego County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Mixer May 28 2009

2009-05-22T10:45:00.000-07:00

Come meet Emilio and Claudia Vargas from Marketing Excellence at this business mixer held by the San Diego Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.

To attend visit http://may-mixer-sdchcc.eventbrite.com/

We look forward to seeing you there.

Understanding Pricing Considerations Part 1 of 2

2009-05-06T14:36:00.000-07:00

Pricing is one of the least understood and researched of the marketing mix. It is but one of the perception builders of a product (aka goods and services); yet at times it is seen as the primary and even worse the only perception builder.

So how do you set prices for products (goods or services)? The complex answer is it depends.

Some companies let their finance and accounting department set price by using the cost-based or cost plus pricing model. This model simply takes the cost to manufacture and deliver the product to the retailer or customer and adds on a set profit margin to come up with the price. No real consideration to the competition, local economy or customer is taken into account.

Lets take a look at what should be considered when setting the price of a product or service.

Demand: The more customers that are seeking to purchase your product or service the higher the price you can command.

Competition: Customers are always comparing your products' prices to that of the competition. In today's information age where customers can find pricing information from the comfort of their laptop, competitor's pricing should be thoroughly researched. If there is a big price gap between your product's price and your competitions' product there better be a quick and perceptible reason ie quality, size, or some other benefit.

Legal: Some countries have anti-trust and fair competition laws. If you are cutting your price to push competition out there is some risk. If you have other products and you are leveraging their profits to offset the losses of the "under-priced" product that is illegal in many developed and developing countries.

So how can you command the highest price possible. Visit us soon to learn more.

Hispanic Marketing Day 2009 (May 7, 2009)

2009-04-29T16:25:00.000-07:00

“The San Diego Hispanic Market: An Economy Within An Economy”The San Diego Ad Club is proud to present the 16th Annual Hispanic Marketing Day designed to bring you the latest information on this vibrant economy within our economy. All attendees will receive the newly updated Hispanic Marketing Resource Guide.

11:30am – Networking and Check-in
12noon – Guests move to ballroom
12:30pm – 1:15pm – Presentation Panel discussion moderated by Robert Santiago, Director of Client Services, La Agencia de Orci & Asociados

Panelists:
Jeff Overton, Executive Vice President, Business Operations San Diego Padres,
Joe Benites, President,The Benites Group, Inc.
Laura Hernandez, Senior Hispanic Media Relations and Marketing Specialist, Sharp Healthcare 1:15pm – 1:40pm – Lifetime Achievement Award1:40pm –
1:45pm – Wrap Up, Adjourn

Location:
The Prado at Balboa Park 1549 El Prado San Diego, CA

Using a SWOT Analysis to Develop Business Growth Strategy

2009-04-17T14:38:00.001-07:00

Developing a strategy starts with a complete evaluation of a company's situation--both internal and external. This evaluation is called a SWOT Analysis. The acronym SWOT stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. The S and W refer to the company's internal environment; its own strengths and weaknesses. The O and T refer to the external environment. The company's external environment is composed of both the macro and the micro environment.

It is important for the company to analyze the entire external environment to find attractive opportunities and identify threats. The goal is to align the company's strengths to seize the opportunities and eliminating or minimizing weaknesses to overcome threats. The SWOT Analysis then serves as an input for strategy development.

To read more on SWOT Analysis see the following post:
SWOT Analysis for Uncovering Core Competencies

Sleeper Effect: A Public Relations Strategy

2009-04-16T18:11:00.000-07:00

In public relations as you attempt to communicate with your publics, TIME when used wisely can become your ally. Credibility is a key to success of any message whether delivered by a spokesperson, in writing or some other means. However what happens when the message is "good" but the person delivering it has potential credibility problems. In other words the person delivering the message is not believable because of past behavior or the perception of no or limited expertise on the subject.

The solution, keep sending the message and wait it out. With time the recipients of the message stop associating the person with the message and are able to just receive the message. With time the "Sleeper Effect" kicks in and people start to hear and believe the message.

Take for example President Obama. When he initially came out with his message of "Change" not too many paid attention. He was challenged for his lack of political experience, lack of experience running big organizations, and several other issues that affected his credibility initially. He stayed the path and the message of "Change" caught on. People stopped paying attention to any other issues and started listening and believing that he would bring good changes to the United States.

So PR professionals when challenged by believability of the deliverer of your message, stay the course and give it some time. Eventually the Sleeper Effect will take over if you have a good message. If its a good and worthy message it will be heard and will drive your relationships with your publics.

Believing the Vision

2009-04-07T22:39:00.000-07:00

A company's vision statement is made up of many important components such as who, what, when, where and a little bit of how. Much importance is placed on the purpose or why behind the vision statement. All of these are extremely important and should always be included. But what if its too "pie in the sky" and not believable, will it be effective?

The vision statement's purpose is to drive and motivate the organization's staff from the front-line employee to the top executive. In order for a vision statement to serve its own purpose, it must be believable. If you don't get buy in then it won't drive actions and decisions like it was intended to. Now it is important to put believable into perspective. If the head of the organization shows passion in sharing the vision statement, it may become believable. If the actions and decisions made by senior management are consistent with the vision statement, it may become believable. The key is for the strategic leadership of the organization to communicate and gain acceptance from everyone.

Public Relations Professionals: Remember the WHAT

2009-03-26T21:05:00.000-07:00

Many times public relations experts over-emphasize and are torn on HOW to say something. The HOW in a message is absolutely important. One of the weaknesses of communicating via email is the HOW is sometimes lost. There is no tone or attitude button on email to let the recipient of your message understand your position or intent.

I want to reintroduce a very important component to written and verbal communication. It is the WHAT that one says. The other morning I was listening to the news. The DJ, who dubs as a reporter, was reporting on a story of 4 police officers that were shot in Oakland. The reporter quickly reported the story and ended with "all four police officer are dead". The WHAT that was missing is some signs of caring. How about a little sympathy? She then went on to talk about some irrelevant story. It was almost like the 4 police officers were irrelevant. Now this blog is not a pro-cop statement but come on!

Let me share a different example of WHAT to say or WHAT not to say. Lets say I wanted to pay me wife a compliment and said "Your image can stop time". She would likely accept it as a compliment. Now if I were to instead say "Your face can stop a clock". I may not get the same happy response from her.

So marketing and public relations professionals, please pay attention to both the WHAT and HOW of your message. If you don't, not only will you send the wrong message but you may be creating a crisis.