In the Footsteps of Ben Franklin

Rewards Credit Cards

2012-01-18T10:19:00.000-08:00

In a January 16 article, the Wall Street Journal reports that credit card companies are increasingly promoting "rewards" credit cards to their business customers."It's easy to see why," they say. "About 42% of small-business owners carry a credit-card balance, according toJuly 2011 data from the National Small Business Association in Washington, D.C."

The article points out that the small business credit cards do not carry the same protection as consumer credit cards. "Small-business credit cards were excluded fromthe Credit Card Accountability Responsibility and Disclosure Act of 2009 thatoutlawed random interest-rate hikes and other practices on personal creditcards." Small business people are usually held personally responsible for the debt placed on these cards. The WSJ urges small business people to consider how using the card might impact their credit score.

I have another beef with the "rewards" cards. The "rewards" offered by these cards are not paid for by the credit card company. Rather, they are charged to the company that accepts the card for payment and deducted from the sale amount as part of the swipe fees. "Swipe fees" are the fees that a credit card company passes on to the retailer who accepts the card as payment. These fees vary, but I have seen rewards cards with fees as high as 4.6% of the purchase.

The seller who accepts the card has no way of knowing what the fees are until he receives his statement from the credit card processor. Moreover, there appears to be no limit to the fee that can be tacked on to the transaction in this manner. The consumer or small business person is happy to use the card for payment because he is collecting a "reward." It is the proverbial free lunch. But the reality is that retailers, and now suppliers who sell to small businesses, are simply jacking up prices to cover the cost of the fees. In essence, even cash customers are footing the bill for these cards.

The main benefactor in this arrangement is the financial services industry and, to a certain extent, those who have strong enough credit to qualify for a rewards card. If more businesses use rewards cards to pay for supplies, in addition to accepting these cards as payment for their products and services, prices will inevitably go up.

2012-01-17T15:04:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday Ben Franklin. Born January 17, 1706

Things We Need and Don't Need in 2012

2011-12-27T13:36:00.000-08:00

2011 was a year filled with dramatic events: a devastating 9.0 earthquake and tsunami in Japan; the killing of Osama Bin Laden; widespread uprisings in the Arab world, the ouster of Libyan dictator Muammar Kaddafi and Egypt’s Hosni Mubarak; the marriage of Prince William; the death of Apple Founder, Steve Jobs; a horrific car bombing and shooting atrocity in Norway; the occupy Wall Street movement; rioting in London; the phone-tapping scandal which closed Britain’s tabloid News of the World; the discovery of potential earth-like planets; famine in east Africa and North Korea; the survival of Gabby Gifford; the death of Kim Jung Il: and the end of the Iraq War. With all that has gone on, it has been an emotional roller coaster of a year.

As we stumble into 2012, it occurs to me that we may want a different kind of year than the one we just survived. Certainly, most of us would prefer to see less bad news and more good news. So I have started a modest list of things we need more of in 2012 and other things I would prefer to see less of in 2012.

What We Need Less Of:

In 2012 we need less earthquakes and tsunamis, less Reality TV, and less TSA pat downs of children and the elderly.

We need fewer people like Rod Blagojevich, Casey Anthony, Conrad Murray, Jerry Sandusky, Muammar Kaddafi, and Kim Jung Il.

We need a lot less drivers texting behind the wheel, less airline fees, fast food, and disappearing glaciers.

We need less traffic, less unemployment, fewer foreclosures, less hypocrisy, and dates that the world will end on.

We don’t need any more $100-a-barrel oil, or deranged people with guns, and we could certainly do without any more Kardashian family events.

What We Need More of:

We need more jobs, more food provided for starving people, and more discoveries of earth like planets.

We need more people like Steve Jobs, Andy Rooney, Elizabeth Taylor, Duke Snyder, Betty Ford, Harry Morgan and Seal Team Six.

We need more stuff made in the USA, more exercise and more good ideas like Forever Stamps.

We need more public transportation, locally owned businesses, educated graduates and ice for polar bears.

We need more time to spend with family, more banks that actually lend money, more Peace Prize winners, and more miles per gallon.

Those are just some of the things that came to mind about 2011. I am sure I missed a few. So feel free to add your own list of stuff we could use less of or more of in 2012 in the comments.

Have a Healthy, Prosperous and Happy New Year!

Twitter by Mail?

2011-12-20T11:42:00.000-08:00

What would happen if your Twitter tweets were sent via mail instead of online? That's what Giles Turnbull asked himself one morning. Would it work? What would happen? Some of the answers to his questions are obvious, it was sure to cost more in postage and take a lot more time. But there were other revelations about the nature of our communications with each other that were not so obvious when he began the experiment.

First he had to work out the logistics, buy a lot of stamps, get the postal address of his followers, and determine how to replicate a tweet via postcard. Sending a tweet to all of his followers meant writing out the same message numerous times, so he limited the experiment to 15 followers. Still, that meant writing out his "tweet" 15 times and mailing it to 15 different people, some in foreign countries. A direct message, as with Twitter, could be sent to just one person. His followers agreed to respond in the same manner - via mail.

While it sounds like a tedious process, the emotive results were surprising. Turnbull found himself getting excited to receive his mail. "I began to associate the sound of the postwoman’s approach with the arrival of new, unusually personal messages. I’d get jumpy with excitement, and rush out to the hall the moment they’d been delivered." It turns out that getting mail with personal messages is fun. He began to wonder what letters were like before the advent of email and made some interesting discoveries. "Simple, short messages. That’s what the post was for. People love updates."

Today's postcard, Turnbull observes, has become an "obligation" to inform friends about your vacation. That is too bad because the short message on a postcard can be as imaginative, as funny or as interesting as a tweet. He learned the unique value of the written message: "Conversations took longer, but they made just as much sense. If anything, they felt more real." He gained a new appreciation for the online and the offline.

Turnbull's article and samples of his postcard "tweets," can be seen at The Morning News.

Congress Grapples with Postal Service Solvency

2011-12-02T10:34:00.000-08:00

Last October the House Oversight Committee passed HR 2309, a bill that creates a control authority, a kind of receivership, to take over the Postal Service in the event it defaults on its financial obligations. Legislation has now been introduced in the Senate, S. 1789, with a somewhat different approach. S.1789 passed the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committees in November and will provide a frame for reform legislation considered by the full Senate.

The Senate bill has a greater focus on cost reductions in order to get the USPS to solvency. Although both bills create processes to close post offices considered unnecessary, the House bill does so through a commission to oversee the closing while the Senate bill creates a more public process.

The Senate bill also reforms the federal workers compensation system to require that employees who are on workers comp but who are also eligible for retirement must take retirement. This is not now a requirement. There literally are USPS employees in their 90's on workers' comp. The USPS represents about 40% of the workers' comp program of the entire federal government. The National Association of Letter Carriers, NALC, has declared its opposition to the Senate bill saying it "would cause irreparable harm to our nation's Postal Service." The NALC has long maintained that the main problem for the USPS is the unique legal requirement to pre-fund future retiree health benefits.

Class Warfare and Ben Franklin

2011-10-11T16:22:00.000-07:00

With all of the political talk these days about "class warfare," I thought it would be interesting to examine what Ben Franklin had to say in his pamphlet "Information to Those Who Would Remove to America." Written in 1784, the essay was intended as information for Europeans whose view of American society was distorted by persistent rumors of vast wealth and limitless opportunity for those born into a life of privilege in Europe. America, he maintained, did not need those talented in "Belles-Lettres" or "fine Arts," and would give no deference to "Persons of Family" and "Gentlemen,doing nothing of Value, but living idly on the labour of others." Instead, America valued the working man, the farmer, craftsman or mechanic who provided useful products and services for society.

He writes: "It is imagined by Numbers that the Inhabitants of North-America are rich, capable of rewarding, and dispos'd to reward all sorts of Ingenuity; that they are at the same time ignorant of all the Sciences; & consequently that strangers possessing Talents in the Belles-Letters, fine Arts, etc., must be highly esteemed, and so well paid as to become easily rich themselves.that there are also abundance of profitable Offices to be disposed of, which the Natives are not qualified to fill; and that having few Persons of Family among them, Strangers of Birth must be greatly respected, and of course easily obtain the best of those Offices, which will make all their Fortunes."

This image is simply not true, he says: "These are all wild Imaginations; and those who go to America with Expectations founded upon them, will surely find themselves disappointed." No, he says, America is a country with "few people so miserable as the poor of Europe," and few people who would be considered rich by European standards. Instead, America is dominated by a middle class, "it is rather a general happy Mediocrity that prevails."

No doubt, Franklin was happy with this kind of America. Franklin was not born into wealth, but had to work and use his native abilities for any success he achieved. He was suspicious of those who were born into wealth or who had inherited a title. He argued against such an aristocracy in America and even favored taxes that would limit land and wealth being passed down from generation to generation.

Are the Yellow Pages Dead?

2011-09-01T15:27:00.000-07:00

News&Tech.com is reporting that a study done by Borrell Associates predicts the end of yellow page directories. Writing for News & Tech, columnist Marc Wilson reports "A panel of industry experts predicts that printed Yellow Page directories will be dead within five years."

According to Wilson: "Fifty-four percent of the panelists believed printed Yellow Page directories will die within the next three to five years. Another 12 percent believed the books will die within one to two years, while 29 percent said they thought printed directories will die within 11 to 20 years. Only 2 percent believed the printed Yellow Page directories will last 20 years or more."

Of course, the demise of the Yellow Pages is not a new prediction. And it is no secret in the business community that revenues from yellow page publications have fallen dramatically in the past few years. Anyone with a mouse or keyboard could have reached the same conclusion. Yet, somehow, these ubiquitous volumes keep popping up on my doorstep. They're not just "Yellow Pages," anymore, but "Super Pages," and "Real" Yellow Pages. There is even an "eco-friendly" sized "Yellowbook." To be sure, these books seem smaller than they were in years past, when they were less "eco-friendly" I suppose. But they are clearly not dead ... at least, not yet.

I always toss last year's into the recycle bin and dutifully stash the current volumes in the cubby-hole that has become their nesting spot. I confess that I have even used one of them within the past year, and not as a door stop. I can't remember what I was searching for or what circumstances led me to forsake Google in that moment of eccentricity. Perhaps the power was out, or I was on a "buy local" binge. Or maybe it was just a chance resuscitation of a dying habit that hadn't completely expired.

Perhaps that is the way the Yellow Pages will die off. One day we will notice some dusty volumes in the cubby hole and it will suddenly dawn on us that we have not received an updated version in several years. We may even toss the world's last Yellow Pages into the recycle bin ... unless the power is out and we are looking for an electrician.

Mountain Lion P-18 Killed while Crossing 405

2011-08-31T14:44:00.000-07:00

From a National Park Service Press Release:

On early Tuesday morning, P-18, one of the mountain lion kittens born in the Santa Monica Mountains in May, 2010 was hit and killed while attempting to cross I-405 just south of the Getty Center southbound onramp.

The 15-month-old mountain lion’s movement was being followed via radio telemetry equipment as part of a decade long National Park Service mountain lion study in the Santa Monica Mountains. The mountain lion had been tracked since it was three weeks old.

Earlier this summer, P-18 departed from his mother’s home range in Malibu Creek State Park and slowly began making his way east through the mountains. Male mountain lions have an extremely large range of movement, and often seek out open space away from other male mountain lions as they mature. There are two other male mountain lions with GPS collars in the Santa Monica Mountains. It is possible that P-18 was attempting to disperse out of the Santa Monica Mountains to find unoccupied open space. Previous mountain lion tracking has shown that individual male mountain lions frequently move throughout the entire Santa Monica Mountain range, from the 405 to Camarillo on a regular basis.

P-18 Shortly After Separating From His Mother - NPS Photograph

Freeways are a known significant barrier to wildlife crossings in the Los Angeles area and other urban centers around the country. Caltrans, in partnership with numerous local, state, federal and non-profit organizations is working to identify funding sources and suitable wildlife crossing locations along the 405 and highways 101 and 118 to construct wildlife crossings that would facilitate wildlife movement between the Santa Monica Mountains and other protected open space in the Santa Susana Mountains and Los Padres National Forest. These wildlife crossings would allow animals to move freely between large areas of protected parkland, and increase genetic diversity in the Santa Monica Mountains mountain lion population, a critical need for long term species survival.

“Investing in connected pieces of parkland and constructing wildlife crossings along major freeways around Los Angeles is essential for long term mountain lion survival in the Santa Monica Mountains,” said park superintendent Woody Smeck. “Mountain lions must be able to move freely between large parklands with suitable habitat throughout the course of their daily movements, as well as exchange genetic material to prevent inbreeding in specific parkland areas like the Santa Monica Mountains.”

The National Park Service began studying mountain lions in Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area in 2002. A total of 21 mountain lions have been tracked via radio telemetry and GPS collars in that time. In addition to studying mountain lion movement, a genetics study is also ongoing to discover indications of possible inbreeding among the mountain lion population in the Santa Monica Mountains.

There has only been one documented successful mountain lion crossing in the study for either of the freeways that surround the Santa Monica Mountains; P-12 crossed highway 101 in early 2009, and has lived in the Santa Monica Mountains ever since. P-12 is father to the young mountain lion who was killed on Tuesday.

Children's Books Exempt from Safety Law

2011-08-23T14:02:00.000-07:00

The Consumer Products Safety Improvement Act of 2008, CPSIA, has been amended to exempt "ordinary" children's books from third party product testing. The measure, H.R. 2715, was signed into law by President Obama on August 12, after being passed almost unanimously by both houses of congress.

The 2008 measure was originally passed primarily to protect children under 12 from exposure to lead in products designed for their use. The printing and publishing industry argued that paper and board products used to make books have never contained lead. Books have never been regulated and have never posed a safety hazard according to the industry. Libraries had also awaited the outcome of the revision, since the original law cast a shadow on their ability to lend children's books. The new law applies the requirements only to products manufactured since the original law went into effect. This effectively eliminates libraries’ concerns about lending older books. A stay of enforcement of the 2008 law had been in effect and, barring congressional action, would have expired in December of this year.

The amended law excludes "ordinary" books from third party testing and certification procedures. But it leaves testing in place for "novelty" books that contain materials other than paper and board or are printed on materials other than paper and board. So books with plastic, toy-like elements will still require testing.

A Whole New Dimension to Printing

2011-07-07T16:14:00.000-07:00

Old Media vs. New

2011-06-14T16:15:00.000-07:00

Here's a conversation I overheard between a man and his teenage son who were sitting next to me at a youth baseball game the other day. The boy was totally involved in text messaging on his cell phone and only rarely looked up to follow the game:

Dad: "You have been texting for almost an hour. What's going on?"

Boy: "I am talking with Wendy." (I've changed the name here, but for no particular reason.)

Dad: "Really? For the last hour?"

Boy: "Uh huh."

Dad: "Hmmm, well wouldn't it be great if you could just talk into your phone and have it send the message for you? Maybe it could even arrive in your own voice?"

Boy: "Hey, that is a really sick idea." ("Sick" here apparently means "rad" in an older teen lexicon.)

Dad: (After a few seconds in which he stared intently at the boy) "Yeah, well maybe someday someone will invent something like that."

Obviously, phones already have that "sick" capability. I may not have the entire conversation exactly right, but that was the gist of it. The Dad clearly knew what he was saying and was waiting for his son to catch on. Maybe he eventually did, but the game ended and they left before I had a chance to find out.

This episode got me to thinking about the nature of technology. Text messaging allowed the boy to talk to his girlfriend with a degree of privacy even while sitting on bleachers within earshot of a couple of dozen strangers. This is a good thing. But it also appears to have engaged him to such an extent that it numbed his brain to the obvious advantages of the older technology. He could choose to simply talk to her! Text messaging is not necessarily the best tool of communication all the time.

As a society, we have become so enamored with electronic media, that we have forgotten some of the more obvious advantages of print. Email, text messaging, websites, blogs, Facebook, Twitter, and every other electronic media you can think of, all have tremendous value. But their value does not negate or replace the value of print. Think about it, if you are one of those accomplished graduates who will be earning their degree or diploma this spring, would you want the certificate emailed to you?

Creating the Right Brochure

2011-06-01T12:01:00.000-07:00

There are few better selling tools than an attractive brochure placed into the hands of your customer or potential customer. Creating such a brochure does not have to be a difficult task. Here are a few steps to follow.

Decide on Your Purpose
Brochures fall into two broad categories — those that introduce a new product or service to a likely customer and those that turn an already interested customer into a buyer. To be successful, a brochure should have a precise objective and a target reader in mind. It's best to create the least elaborate brochure likely to achieve its objectives. The content of your brochure will depend on the specific service or product you want to promote. Product photos, testimonials, benefits, your unique selling proposition, and contact information are all components to consider.

Use Color
Today’s market place demands color. Full color is especially important if the product or service you are offering needs color to show its features. Most product brochures, for example, won’t work effectively in anything other than full color. Can you imagine any food, cosmetics, florists, or auto brochures being done in black and white? Even service businesses can benefit from a color presentation. Financial or legal services may get by with black and white or single color, but dental services, veterinarians, home improvement, hair stylists, or similar services will usually opt for color. Take a look at the mailers you receive or the ad inserts in the newspaper - color is now the norm.

Get Good Design
Of course, a lot more goes into an effective brochure than just color. Type fonts and sizes, white space, choice of images, and layout, along with the essential message, all combine to determine if your brochure will have the intended result. A professional designer who thoroughly understands your marketing message is the optimum way to go. If you do not use professional design, be sure to collaborate closely with your printer to insure that your final product will print as you intend.

Tie into Your Website
We live in a digital world. Your brochure, like your business card, should contain information that will direct your customer to your web site. You might even consider using a QR Code that will allow a customer or prospect to access your web site immediately with his smart phone.

10 Common Mistakes to Avoid
1. Not emphasizing the unique selling proposition of your business.
2. Being concerned with the looks, but forgetting the sales objective.
3. Omitting essential contact information.
4. Omitting product information critical to the reader’s decision-making.
5. Including details that become outdated too quickly.
6. Giving insufficient thought to how the brochure will be distributed.
7. Using text that is lost in the background color or too small to read easily.
8. Including low resolution or poor-quality images.
9. Allowing a busy or complex design to distract from the key selling message.
10.Not proofreading very carefully before submitting your file for printing

Promoting Your Brand

2011-05-06T11:15:00.000-07:00

You may not have the budget to employ a high powered marketing firm for your company. But there are some steps you can take to get started promoting your brand that won't cost you a lot of money. First, you must be clear about what your brand is, and what you want it to be. Only you can determine what you want your brand to be. But only your customers can tell you what your brand really is.

Perhaps you have built your business around great customer service, or the very best quality merchandise. You want your customers to think of you in those term, helpful service or top quality. But it is not enough to claim great service or top quality. Everybody already does that, so it won’t set your brand apart. Instead, focus in on a specific of that product or service. Ideally, the specific also conveys a benefit to the customer.

There’s a plumbing company that advertises its staff as the “smell good” plumbers. Now that is getting specific! Chances are, you may not want to go there. But you can hone in on something that will resonate with potential clients. A dentist who minimizes discomfort for his patients may claim “You’ll always leave with a smile.” A pizza restaurant that believes it has the best tasting product could boast “a taste of old Napoli in every bite.”

In each case, the brand, revealed by the specific attributes, is aimed at the consumer you need to attract. And, in each case, it allows for multiple means of expression. The pizza with a taste of “old Napoli” comes in a box adorned with colors or scenes of Naples. Similarly, the restaurant is decorated and plays background music to evoke the same theme. Ads or flyers convey the same message. Likewise the dentist, who wants you to leave with a smile, decorates his office, trains his employees, and manages the conduct of his practice to elicit a smile or good feeling from every patient. His office will be cheerful, maybe even a little whimsical, and his ads will be full of smiling testimonials.

“Okay,” I hear you say, “but I manufacture submersible water pumps. What can I do?” Start with who is buying your pumps and why. What is it that makes your pump successful in the market? Maybe it’s reliability. If so, build your brand around the reliability of the product. It becomes the pump that “will never let you down,” or “just won’t quit.” Associate it with the most reliable things you can think of – “the Acme Pump, as reliable as tomorrow’s sunrise.” You might put a bright, golden sun in the background in your marketing collateral. You could also stress a benefit that is very important to your customer – “You’ll never get a call-back with an Acme Pump!” What is important is that your materials evoke your brand – whatever it is – and stress the benefit. Of course, developing those materials, brochures, ads, web pages, or whatever, may take professional assistance. But having a clear central message already spelled out, will save you time and money in the development of your marketing materials.

How do you know if your branding is successful? Well, as I said at the beginning, only your customers can tell you that. And that would be the subject of another post.

Every Door Direct Mail

2011-05-03T15:44:00.000-07:00

Direct mail is usually regarded as the most effective advertising medium there is. But for a lot of small businesses, acquiring mailing lists and postal permits and meeting all of the requirements of the USPS appears to be too much of a hassle. This is especially true if your market area is small. Now, suppose your business could reach all of the potential customers in your neighborhood without the need for a mailing list, permits or the associated fees? Well, that is exactly what Every Door Direct Mail is designed to do.

With Every Door Direct Mail, you can create a saturation mailing without applying individual names and addresses to each mail piece. You can target a location by a specified distance from your retail site. Your target area could be a city or a specific neighborhood within that city. Want to reach only those households on your side of the bridge? You can do that. Want to blanket all of the doors in the industrial section? You can do that too. By selecting specific carrier routes, you can pinpoint the geographic area best suited for your marketing message.

Of course, there are some requirements. You have to mail at least 200 pieces but fewer than 5000 pieces. They must be Standard Flats and each piece must weigh 3.3oz or less. You can plan your mailing yourself using tools provided online by the USPS. Or you can use a mail service provider, like CR Print, to plan, prepare, and deliver to the post office. Either way you save the cost of buying a mailing list, a permit, and individually addressing each piece. It is a great opportunity for small businesses to take advantage of the effectiveness of direct mail at a minimal cost.

USPS to Offer a Sale on Postage

2011-04-14T15:13:00.000-07:00

Does postage ever go on sale? It looks like it will this summer. The USPS is set to offer a special 3% discount in July and August for any letters or flats that include QR codes.

QR Code for CR Print website

QR codes are those two-dimensional mobile barcodes that can be read by smartphones like the iPhone, Blackberry or Android. Smartphone users have to first download an app to read the code. Scanning a QR code with the phone's camera opens the app which launches a browser taking you directly to a page on the internet. The uses of this technology are limited only by your imagination. A printed ad can immediately take you to a web page with detailed information about the product or service in the ad. A postcard promoting a restaurant could have a QR code that opens to the menu, a view of the dining room, and a link to make an online reservation. Want to know what seats are available for a performance? Scan the QR code on the poster for a seating chart. The QR code on any packaged item might provide detailed information about assembly, warranty, accessories, nutrition, or innumerable other options.

So why is the Post Office offering a discount to mailers? The Post Office believes that, over time, QR codes can increase demand for mailing services. According to Thomas Foti, the Postal Service manager of marketing mail, “As customers continue to use QR codes, we think this increases the effectiveness of mail, which encourages the demand for mail, and hopefully longer term it increases our volume.” Marketers already know that direct mail is an very effective advertising medium. Adding the ability to connect quickly and efficiently to an internet landing page increases the power of that medium exponentially.

What is Branding and Why Should it Concern You?

2011-04-06T13:23:00.000-07:00

The condition of the economy over the last couple of years has brought an increasing emphasis on marketing and, with it, lots of talk about “branding.” Just what is “branding” and why should it concern you?

Let’s deal first with why it should concern you. You have a brand, even if you do not know it. That brand may be something positive or negative. In the mind of your prospects or customers, you or your organization are identified with certain attributes. You can be identified with speed, integrity, youth, sophistication, comfort, fun, prestige, masculinity, reliability, pride, romance, the opposite of any of these, or a thousand other attributes impossible to list here. Your customers consciously or unconsciously connect you with your “brand.” Years ago my kids rented videos from a store where the owners did some cooking in the back room. To them, it became the “smelly” store. I don’t think this is what the owners intended, but we discovered that lots of people could easily identify the store by that attribute rather than its name. Hopefully, your brand is not an aroma – unless you are Chanel #5.

Your brand is the principal attribute, or sum of attributes that your customers associate with you or your organization. It can be elusive, a feeling or emotion, as in “the ultimate driving machine,” “you’re in good hands,” or “the happiest kingdom on earth.” Or it can be more tangible or measurable like Wal-Mart’s “lowest price” brand. Of course, these slogans are not the brand, but merely material that carries the brand. Large companies generate marketing collateral, their advertising, brochures, business cards, jingles, etc., all intended to convey the attribute they want you to associate with them. Thus, Nike will choose material for its marketing collateral, like the slogan “Just do it,” or the swoosh symbol, or the star athletes in its commercials. All are intended to convey athleticism or physical performance. You are not just buying the shoes; you are buying the brand - performance.

Odds are you don’t have the budget these large companies have to promote your brand, so you have to use your more limited resources wisely. There are steps you can take to get started that won’t cost you anything. I'll write more about those in another post.

Google Uses Print Advertising to Promote Adwords

2011-03-24T14:18:00.000-07:00

In September of 2009 I wrote a post about Google using direct mail to solicit customers for its online advertising program, AdWords. I did a follow up post last February when I received another direct mail solicitation from Google. This week, I ran across a magazine ad also promoting Google's online advertising program. It appeared in Target Marketing Magazine and also in Fortune. Clearly, Google, the undisputed leader in online advertising, still recognizes the value of print media. It is interesting that the magazines they chose to run the ad in are popular with marketing executives and CEOs.

The ad is very well done. It uses the tag line "Make your business top of mind," and includes a $75 offer to promote Adwords. No one is in a better position to use online self promotion than Google, yet they choose to add printed communications to their list of marketing tools. The marketing folks at Google understand the impact of print advertising. Online advertising has a value, but it is not a "replacement" for print. If you really want your business to be "Top of mind," don't abandon print, but integrate it into your total marketing strategy. That's what Google has done.

Disaster Unfolds in Japan in Real Time

2011-03-12T09:52:00.000-08:00

Communications technology has brought us to a point in human history where the world has very nearly become a single village. As the devastating earthquake and tsunami occurred in Japan, people all over the world were able to watch the horrifying events on television and mobile devices in real time. Within the last few months the same technology gave the world a very personalized window into the events on the streets of the Middle East. What this new level of connection means for the future relationships among nations and diverse peoples is open to question. But one cannot help but feel that we are on the cusp of profound changes.

Here is what spiritual author, Deepak Chopra, has to say as quoted in today's Los Angeles Times: "We are living in a very interesting time. What is emerging is that you cannot separate yourself emotionally or in any other way from what is happening anywhere in the world. We are a global community. We need to feel this pain. We need to act upon it. We need to realize that we are now entangled with everything that happens - everywhere."

Should our $1 Bill be a $1 Coin?

2011-03-09T12:23:00.000-08:00

The GAO, the U.S. Government Accountability Office, says that replacing the $1.00 bill with a $1.00 coin will save the government approximately $5.5 billion over the next 30 years. See: U.S. Coins. The catch is that the government would experience a net loss in the first four years because of the cost of increasing coin production at the mints. Experts also say that the use of a $1 coin will not catch on unless the $1 bill is eliminated at the same time. Canada and the UK have been successful at implementing coin usage by eliminating their lower denomination currency. The European monetary system does not have a 1Euro note but does have 1Euro and 2Euro coins.

The change from bills to coins will require some cash intensive businesses to re-tool or make adjustments. Vending machine and toll booths would have to be modified and armored car drivers would have to heft more weight. LasVegas, however, already has $1 slot machines that use coins, and $1.00 bills aren't taken very seriously there anyway. I am no expert in this, but I think a $1 coin will provide a big boost to the economy. The reason is simple: It is much easier to spend a coin than it is to spend a bill. You don't have to pull out a wallet or bill fold to spend a coin. Coins are generally considered "spare change," but bills are never thought of that way. (Maybe that's why casinos use chips instead of bills at the tables?) Coins just rattle around in your pocket. Some people even casually throw them into a jar at home at the end of the day.

Coins just don't get the same respect as bills! That makes them easier to spend. That $3.00 cup of coffee at Starbucks may not seem so expensive if you are paying for it with pocket change. Take our poll at the top left and tell us what you think.

Print in the Mix: Fast Fact - Nine Out Of 10 Unsubscribe to Permission-Based Emails

2011-03-07T11:08:00.000-08:00

Print in the Mix: Fast Fact - Nine Out Of 10 Unsubscribe to Permission-Based Emails

Google Still Using Direct Mail

2011-02-07T10:43:00.000-08:00

Back in September of 2009 I wrote a post about Google using direct mail to solicit customers for its online advertising program, AdWords. Today's mail brought another direct mail solicitation from Google, this one bearing a coupon worth $100 toward AdWord advertising. I have used AdWords in the past and, frankly this is a tempting offer. $100 would allow me to place an online ad in front of a lot of people searching for products my printing company supplies. But then something occurred to me.

I am online and using Google all day, every day that I am working and whenever I am online at home. But I hadn't given a thought to re-instating my online ads with Google until I received this printed offer! This printed ad, received by mail, had an impact greater than innumerable online ads I have been exposed to over the last 18 months.

Does Google's use of direct mail mean that I should never consider online advertising? No, of course not. Online advertising does have a value. And yes, I have clicked on an occasional AdWord ad in a few of my online forays for products. But what it does mean is the marketing folks at Google understand the impact of direct mail advertising. No one is in a better position to use online self promotion than Google, yet they choose to add printed communications to their list of marketing tools. What they know is direct mail is still the gold standard for advertising response rates and ROI.

Catalogs Drive Sales - Free DVD

2011-01-31T14:07:00.000-08:00

A market study by comScore shows that among visitors to retail websites, twice as many online purchases are made by catalog recipients. Clearly catalogs drive retail sales, and now would be a good time to create one. The U.S. Postal Service has created “getting started in catalogs,” a promotional campaign featuring a free instructional DVD and live webinar series.

The free Postal Service DVD explains how Dell, Zappos, and other companies became market leaders by adding catalogs to their marketing mix. It’s so easy to forget that Dell and Zappos weren’t always the big names in e-tail they are today. Why not study and learn how they did it with the help of catalogs? The ideas and information from the Postal Service's promotional campaign can help you to promote your own business.

Learn how online retailers used catalogs to help reach their business goals by ordering this free DVD – “Catalogs and E-Tailing: Reaching Customers Beyond the Web.” Here’s is a link to order the Postal Service's free DVD for yourself: http://www.usps.com/promotions/catalogs.htm

2011-01-17T12:00:00.000-08:00

"I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality... I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word."
Martin Luther King, Jr.

Multi Channel Marketing

2011-01-13T12:48:00.000-08:00

Imagine that you are about to open a new business. You have a great recipe for gelato, that fabulous Italian ice cream, and choose to open a retail shop. Maybe your family made gelato in Italy before they migrated to the U.S., so you have an excellent product, but need to do some marketing. Traditionally, you open a retail store in a good location, put up a sign, hang out "grand opening" banners, print up some flyers, mail out a postcard, and run ads in the local papers, and on local radio. Maybe ten years ago, that would have been enough to launch a successful business.

Today's business environment is a little different. Your target customer spends more time online than reading a newspaper. If he even hears your radio ad, when not listening to his iPod or satellite radio, he may Google you for more information. And he may do that from his cell phone. In the past, it took months or even years for word of mouth to spread the buzz about a hot new product. But today, a good word on Facebook or Twitter can reach hundreds of people in seconds. Conversely, a negative word, about poor quality or service, can do the same thing. How do you establish a loyal customer base?

Consider the problem from your potential customer's point of view. They would love to hear about a great new spot and they would love to share that information with friends; "Wow, wonderful gelato just like we had in Florence!" But they don't want too many invasive or annoying emails. And they aren't giving their email address out to just anyone. There is a fine line here. You have to get your message repeated often enough to enough people so that your brand stands out, but in a favorable light.

You're a candidate for multi-channel marketing. You don't have to be a big business. In fact, small businesses stand to gain the most from this approach. Multi-channel marketing allows you to get your message out by multiple means with maximum potential of having that message spread to a larger audience. With data collected from your existing customers, you can broaden your customer base into ever widening circles. You control the expense, while getting the biggest bang for your buck.

Any business can benefit from the multi-channel approach, not just start ups. In fact, businesses who have been around for awhile may have a significant advantage because of data they have already gained from existing customers. Today's marketplace is more competitive than ever. The old marketing techniques, like advertising and direct mail, still work, but you need to add the digital media as well to maximize your business's potential.

New iProducts Destined for the Future

2011-01-03T13:55:00.000-08:00

Now that the iPod and the iPad are huge successes in the marketplace, there are sure to be other iProducts that we will all find useful in the future. Here are a few suggestions that come to mind:

We are all going to need an iPaddle. The iPaddle will be designed for use on and in the water. It will tell us all about depth, fish, water quality, current, whether that distant roar is a waterfall, and how far up the creek we actually are.

The iPayCheck could have a interface that will allow you to move various deductions from one box to another on your pay stub. This could simplify the usual mortgage application process. However, there may be a government override that will generate entirely new boxes.

In some circumstances, an iPlunger will come in handy. The read out might indicate the nature of the obstruction, your chances of actually clearing it, and the phone number of a local plumber.

An iPlate would be useful for picky eaters or Moms who want to make sure their kids eat right. It could be programmed to move food around the plate in anticipation of where the fork will land.

Law enforcement may wish to make use of an iPerp (not to be confused with the iPunk). The iPerp could feature real time video of crimes in progress, built in hand cuffs and audio of the Miranda notice in a celebrity voice.

It won't end there. Dog lovers will want an iPoop. Optometrists will have to have the iPatch and Proctologists will most certainly need an iProbe. And an iPunt may be necessary for fans of the Carolina Panthers.

Of course, there will be other iProducts we may need in the future. Your suggestions are welcome in the comments section below.

Stuff I Don't Want to Hear Any More About in 2011

2010-12-27T17:25:00.000-08:00

I am a news junkie. I read two newspapers, listen to news radio, read news online and watch whatever news programs I can catch on TV. But some news stories tell me things I really don't want to know. Here is my list of the top 10 in that category from 2010.

10. Bernie Maddoff's life in prison.
9. Mel Gibson's church.
8. Naomi Campbell's anger management.
7. Bret Favre's retirement plans.
6. Bristol Palin's dancing ability.
5. Lebron James' attempts to rehabilitate his image.
4. Rex Ryan's wife's feet (or anyone else's feet).
3. Anybody and anything about "Jersey Shore"
2. Lindsay Lohan's explanations to the judge.
1. BP's explanation of who is at fault for their oil spill.

I am sure there are other stories that merit the same lack of attention in 2011. Feel free to add your own choices in the comments below.

Use Color in Your Communications

2010-12-22T17:05:00.000-08:00

Using color to send messages has been around for centuries. The Aztecs considered red dye, made from the female cochineal beetle, more valuable than gold. Around 1518, the Spanish explorer Cortez brought the dye to Europe. The beetle based dye was used in the color of British army uniforms; they were called the "Redcoats." It was also used by Michelangelo in his paintings and frescoes, and possibly in Betsy’s Ross’s first flag. The Romans used a purple dye made from mollusks to color the robes of the most honored among their senatorial class. Of course, these were generally the wealthiest senators, because it took four million mollusks to make a pound of the purple dye. In the middle ages, bibles and religious manuscripts were “illuminated” by monks who hand painted the documents with colorful dyes and gold leaf. Perhaps they thought the message needed the embellishment to stress its importance.

Putting color on printed documents was once a cumbersome task. Not any more. Today’s printing devices no longer require beetles, mollusks, or monks to produce vivid and attractive color. Progress in the development of color copier/printers and color printing techniques has led to dramatic expansion in the use of color for business documents. Whether it is marketing materials, training materials, or other information, if you are not using color, you may be losing in the competition to get your message across. To make the most of your business communications, you do not have to crush any beetles. But it does help to know the various methods available to produce color documents and the advantages and disadvantages of each.

Rain in Southern California

2010-12-20T17:33:00.000-08:00

We have had a little rain here in Southern California. Actually, it probably isn't a whole lot in comparison to some parts of the country. But for us weather snobs here in Southern Cal, it is akin to the flood that landed Noah's menagerie on Mount Ararat. It has been raining steadily for an unheard of 5 days! Cars on the 101 Freeway are driving at a 60 mile per hour crawl, except when they are totally stopped to allow the CHP to clear the inevitable crashes. Apparently, rain makes us crazy. We drive off the road. We plow into the back ends of otherwise sane people who are driving at an insane 35 miles per hour on the 405. Trucks roar ahead sending blinding Niagaras of water crashing on our windshields and so we find ourselves going 70 miles per hour on the I-15 with zero visibility. There is no reason to slow down; we will recoup our vision in a half minute or so. Besides, slowing down only insures that the blinding torrent raised by the truck in front of you will last even longer. To make matters worse, they will tell us that the rain won't end the current drought and it will only aggravate the next fire season by promoting more growth of "fuel." I guess next September we will be driving through smoke on the PCH.

Holiday Card Orders Being Filled Now

2010-12-01T11:09:00.000-08:00

Yes, there are some people who have already ordered their holiday cards. Of course, I am not one of them, and chances are, neither are you. In mid December when holiday card orders start to pour into CR Print with urgent messages (and voices) attached, it dawns on me that I am not alone in my perennial procrastination. I will probably wait until the last minute to order my cards, but you don’t have to. No, really.

Our online holiday card collection makes choosing your holiday cards easier and faster than ever. Just go here. This will take you to our all new 2010 selection of holiday cards. You can make your choices and place your order all on line. It is a great time saver.

But, and here is the hard sell, don't wait too long. The more popular cards sell out and you need to leave enough time to get them addressed, mailed and delivered.

Print Delivers

2010-11-30T11:18:00.000-08:00

Unions and USPS Headed for Arbitration?

2010-11-22T14:32:00.000-08:00

Negotiations between the Postal Service and the unions representing postal workers ended at the midnight deadline last Saturday without an agreement. With prospects appearing dim, the deadline was extended until Tuesday, Nov. 23. Because the Post Office is designated an essential service by law, postal employees are not allowed to strike if negotiations fail. Instead, the Postal Service and unions representing over 324,000 employees will go to an arbitrator who will make the final decision. The arbitrator does not have to consider the economic condition of the USPS in making his decision, but the economic situation may be an 800 lb. gorilla in the room.

The current recession and migration to digital communications have resulted in the greatest loss in mail volume since the Great Depression. The mail has gone from 213 billion pieces in 2006 to 170.6 billion in the fiscal year ended last September. This represents a net loss of $8.5 billion for 2010. And mail volume is expected to decline to 150 billion pieces by 2020.

The Postal Service does not operate with government subsidies, but relies entirely on the sale of stamps and services for its operating funds. As a quasi-government agency, however, it must follow operating rules established by congress. That has occasionally made the USPS a political football. One suggestion for cutting operating costs has been to eliminate Saturday delivery. That could save $3.1 billion annually. The Postal Regulatory Commission will consider that idea and give its recommendations to congress next month.

It will be interesting to see if politics will be put aside long enough to give the USPS a chance to operate within congressional mandates and at a cost acceptable to the public.

Who Do You Trust?

2010-11-15T12:06:00.000-08:00

Do you trust the government when it comes to safeguarding your personal information? In its annual survey, the Ponemon Institute found that most Americans did not put a lot of faith in government's ability to protect their privacy. The average score among the 75 federal government agencies covered by the survey was 38%.

Not surprising, the agencies given the lowest scores were Customs and Border Protection, and Citizenship and Immigration Services, at 16% and 17% respectively. The Federal Trade Commission fared much better at 79% and even the IRS showed a level of trust at 71%. But the highest score, at 87%, went to the U.S. Postal Service. Actually, the annual survey has consistently shown the USPS at the top. People have trusted and still trust the mail more than any other agency of the federal government.

For a link to a complete copy of the survey, go to Federal Computer Week, the June 2010 issue.

Email Marketing

2010-11-04T16:04:00.000-07:00

Here is something to keep in mind if you are marketing your products via email. Some email programs, like G-mail and Yahoo, provide sponsored links along side the emails they deliver to their email recipients. If you are sending an email promoting your particular product, the target of your email will receive a list of sponsored links along with your message. Those sponsored links come from companies who are buying advertising space from the e-mail provider based on the content of your email.

Google is very good at this. If you send an email blast promoting your shoe store, for example, don't be surprised to find that it arrives in your potential customer's email box with a whole list of ads from competing shoe retailers. Your ad may arouse your potential customer's interest in a new pair of shoes only to have them click on one of your competition's ads that appears to be a better offer. Even if there is no sale, you will have succeeded in introducing your customer to a whole range of competitors offering the same or similar products.

Of course, this doesn't mean that you should never use email marketing. Like any marketing tactic, it needs to be applied within an overall marketing strategy to develop your business. An integrated marketing plan will use email along with direct mail and other media to achieve the most effective combination and timing of your messages.

No Postal Rate Increase For Now

2010-10-27T14:16:00.000-07:00

On September 30, the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) denied the Postal Service's request for an "exigent" (emergency) rate increase averaging 5.6%. The vote by the PRC was a unanimous 5 - 0 in opposition to the increase. This is good news for mailers. Periodicals would have been especially hard hit with the proposed 8% increase. First class postage would have gone from $0.44 to $0.46 or 4.5%.

The rate increases would have severely impacted businesses that rely on direct mail and catalog distribution as well as magazine publishers and printers. It is generally believed that a rate increase at this time would result in a further erosion of mail volume, driving the USPS even deeper into the red. There is already significant pressure on marketeers to shift communications to electronic media. Most in the industry are well aware of the superior performance of direct mail over e-mail advertising. But a big jump in cost for mail would likely push some into cutting volume or switching to the less effective, but cheaper, electronic media.

On that same day, Congress chose not to allow a delay in a required payment of $5.4 billion to the USPS retiree medical account which it had allowed last year. This action, along with the rate denial, keeps pressure on the USPS to find more ways to cut costs or find new sources of revenue.

2010 Holiday Cards Now Available Online

2010-09-30T11:48:00.000-07:00

CR Print's 2010 Collection of Holiday Cards is now available online. Click here to see the biggest selection on the internet. Free envelope printing is available for a limited time.

You haven't even thought about it yet? Well, there are some people who have actually ordered their holiday cards already. Of course, I am not one of them, and chances are, neither are you. In mid December when holiday card orders start to pour into CR Print with urgent messages (and voices) attached, it dawns on me that I am not alone in my perennial procrastination. I will probably wait until the last minute to order my cards, but you don’t have to.

CR Print's online holiday card collection makes choosing your holiday cards easier and faster than ever. Just go to CR Print and click on the Holiday Card icon. Or click here. This will take you to CR Print's all new 2010 selection of holiday cards. You can make your choices and place your order all on line. It is a great time saver.

And here is a great marketing idea to get a leg up on the competition. Send a Thanksgiving card. Your card will celebrate the holiday that most Americans find to be the most enjoyable time. It will not get lost in a stack of cards from your competitors. And the first holiday card people receive usually gets the most attention.

Take the stress out of the holidays and order your cards online.

Most E-mail Deleted Within Two Seconds

2010-09-13T15:46:00.000-07:00

After studying the behavior of some 14 million e-mail recipients, the marketing measurement firm, Salted Services, concluded that "On average, 51.1% of readers spend less than 2 seconds looking at your email." That is, 51.1% of those who even bothered to open it. Two seconds to convey a message or make an impression is not a lot of time. That doesn't mean you should abandon your e-mail marketing efforts, but definetly learn to make the most of them.

One way to improve the receptivity of your e-mails is to couple them with a direct mail campaign. Direct mail may seem old fashioned, but it is still the undisputed leader in securing a positive response. See "Do You Know the Facts?" Using both direct mail and e-mail in a coordinated campaign will improve response rates in both media and that is better than a single, two second, shot at success.

Young Adults Prefer Direct Mail to Online Offers

2010-08-30T10:55:00.000-07:00

North American consumers in the 18-34 year-old demographic prefer to learn about marketing offers via direct mail and newspapers rather than online sources such as social media like FaceBook, according to survey research from ICOM, a division of Epsilon Targeting. The ICOM research shows that attitudes toward the trustworthiness of mail versus online offers increased for all age groups from 2008 to 2010. The study, based on 4778 households in the U.S. and Canada, focused on consumer preferences for receiving marketing information, offers and promotions. Responses came from consumers ranging in age from 18 to 55 and above. With the exception of travel related promotions, which show a slight preference for online, direct mail offerings were preferred by a ratio of two or three to one.

"A key takeaway from this research is that marketers targeting coveted 18-34 year olds, who are tempted to invest solely in social media could be missing a significant portion of their audience," said ICOM Vice President Warren Storey.

Product	Offline Preferences	Online Preferences
Food Products	66%	23%
Cleaning Products	66%	20%
Personal Care	62%	22%
Over the Counter Medicine	53%	21%
Sensitive Health Products	46%	21%
Prescription Medicine	45%	22%
Financial Services	44%	19%
Insurance	43%	21%
Travel	35%	42%

Social Media Flops as Source of Business

2010-08-03T17:34:00.000-07:00

Here is an interesting report on the impact of social media in buying decisions from Print in the Mix:

"According to ForeSee's 2010 American Customer Satisfaction Index E-Business Report, which looks at trends in customer satisfaction with e-business industries, social media is not found to be a significant source of product recommendations or purchases for most American Internet users.

Of the four social media sites covered in the survey (Facebook, MySpace, Wikipedia and YouTube), there was little differentiation in regards to users seeking out product or service recommendations from these sources. More that eight out of 10 users say they do not seek out product recommendations from these sources."

That people aren't using social media to help them make buying decisions is probably not a surprise to most users. That is not really what they signed up for. Business people who hope to capitalize on social media, are using it to develope a closer relationship with potential clients. But is a closer relationship what really happens with FaceBook or MySpace? Maybe not. At least one marketing blogger, Rich Meyer, doesn't think so. He is predicting the decline of social media. He links social media use to the frustration people feel with big business or big government. Being connected, he asserts, "is more of a hassle than it's worth." Could it be that real relationships still require personal (as opposed to electronic) interaction?

Postal Price Increase in the Works?

2010-07-28T10:29:00.000-07:00

The USPS filed a price increase request with the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) on July 6. Most of the changes are under a six percent increase, but that could still impact mailing budgets. Some products, like catalogs, could see their prices rise by 5.1%. Direct mail is still the most effective way to reach potential customers, (see Direct Mail Tops) but an increase in postage costs may give some marketers pause. The PRC has 90 days to make a final ruling; if they approve these price increases, how will it affect you?

For more details, see Mailing Systems Technology.

Choose Print

2010-06-29T10:40:00.000-07:00

Choose print. The paper industry plants more than it harvests and today there are 25% more trees in the developed world than in 1900. Paper is biodegradable, renewable and sustainable. Growing and harvesting trees provides jobs while forestry plantations provide clean air, clean water, wildlife habitat and carbon storage. A decline in the demand for paper products risks a decline in sustainably managed re-growth forests. Use print, it is tangible, it is effective in getting your message across and when recycled it will come back to us as paper or board.

Do You Know The Facts?

2010-06-11T11:57:00.000-07:00

What is "The Big Opportunity" for Marketing in Today's Internet Focused Climate?

2010-05-25T10:31:00.000-07:00

Direct Mail Tops Overall for PBS Fundraising

2010-05-19T10:10:00.000-07:00

Public television stations have reversed their decline in acquiring new donors through direct mail campaigns, new research shows. The study, conducted by DMW Direct Fundraising, a direct response advertising agency which supplies fundraising services to public television affiliates nation wide, analyzed data from more than 700 campaigns for 73 stations from 2005 through the end of 2009, representing 34 million pieces mailed.

According to their findings, PBS stations in 2009 raised $295.21 per thousand pieces mailed, up 16.3% from 2008, with an average gift of $42.10, up from $41.64. Performance had bottomed out in 2006 with $236.58 per thousand and an average gift of $39.80.

Based on a review of the overall retention rate, the group's findings show that direct mail is the channel that generates public television's most loyal donors.

Re-posted from Print in the Mix. Sources: The Philanthropy Journal, Public TV direct-mail drives on the upswing, May 12, 2010, and DMW Direct Fundraising, DMW Direct Study Shows Major Turnaround for Public TV Direct Mail Donor Acquisition, April 29, 2010.

Printing Solar Cells on Paper

2010-05-14T11:23:00.000-07:00

Scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, MIT, have found a way to put solar cells on paper with an ink jet printing process. Although the technology is years away from commercial development, it does raise interesting possibilities for future applications. Apparently, the cells do not generate the same amount of power as current solar cells, but their low cost may offset their lack of efficiency. Imagine solar panels that can be easily transported and then mounted with only a staple gun. Maybe you could even print up a batch at home and take them on camping trips to keep your coffee warm. As a paper product, it may have the added benefit of being completely recyclable.

MIT's discovery is not the first nexus between the printing industry and the production of solar panels. A company called Nanosolar uses printing equipment to produce solar electric foil at very high speeds. The foil is then laminated onto a substrate material to produce the solar panel. This is a significant breakthrough in reducing the cost of solar power.

I can't help thinking that Ben Franklin would have loved these innovations. He was a genius at applying a practical application to known technology, as he did with his invention of the lightening rod. If he were around today, he would certainly applaud the efforts to improve production methods for the newer technology of solar power with traditional methods from his own chosen field.

2010-05-07T08:27:00.000-07:00

"Buying printing on the internet is like buying fast food. It's cheap and convenient... but you can't live on it." Mike Corridori

It is OK to Print Out an E-mail

2010-04-30T17:07:00.000-07:00

It has become commonplace to say that not printing an email can "save a tree." But the truth is a little more complicated than that.

More than half the forests in the USA are under private ownership. Many of these forests are under sustainable management that provides jobs and income to the property owners. If the demand for forest products disappears, the economic incentive to maintain the forest disappears with it and forest lands could conceivably be sold for development. The result would be a genuine loss of forests that provide wildlife habitat and protect watersheds and air quality. Today's savvy environmentalists are working with the forest products industry to insure viable forests and sustainable harvesting.

As a result, there are more trees on paper industry forest lands today than there were 70 years ago. Of the 873 million acres that supply commercial forest products, only 2% are harvested each year. Today's responsible companies recognize that forests are a sustainable resource that can supply us with wood and wood products, like paper, indefinitely if they are properly managed. Forest stewardship in America has grown increasing more responsible to environmental concerns. So there is no need to feel guilty over printing something because you want a paper copy. However, if you fail to recycle paper when you are through using it, go ahead and feel guilty!

The Metafore Fiber Cycle Project provides a wealth of information about forests in North America.

Is it Time to End Saturday Mail Delivery?

2010-04-07T11:21:00.000-07:00

It is no secret that the Postal Service has been hard hit by the precipitous decline in mail volume. From a peak of 213 billion pieces of mail in 2006, mail volume has declined to a projected 167 billion pieces for 2010, and is expected to level off at about 150 billion beyond this year. That represents a nearly 30% decline in revenue. The Postal Service has been scrambling to find places to cut to make up the shortfall. Post Offices have been closed and some 300, 000 "under performing" mail drop boxes have been eliminated. A slew of new mailing specifications have been put into place to further automate bulk mail. But approximately 80% of costs for the Postal Service is in employee pay and benefits. Short of reductions in work hours, there is no way to achieve savings that will make up for the shortfall. Eliminating Saturday delivery is estimated to save the postal service over $3 billion.

The Postal Service has requested that they be allowed to discontinue Saturday service, and have been working on operational changes that will have to be made if and when that happens. So far, Congress and the Obama administration have been reluctant to allow the change. Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, says that Saturday delivery gives U.S. businesses a competitive advantage. Cutting Saturday delivery on the day before Mother's Day or Christmas, he says, is "Probably not a good idea." Chaffetz suggests adding 12 more non-delivery holidays to the postal calendar, whether they fall on Saturday or not.

Clearly, the Postal Service is important to the economy of this country. Printed communications have unique value that is not matched by email which can be easily lost, ignored, or deleted in the surge of electronic data we are subjected to every day. And with today's reduced mail volume, mailed communications get more attention than ever before. But does that mean we should require mail delivery on Saturday, and at what cost? Polls suggest that most Americans do not object to elimination of Saturday mail. What do you think?

E-mail Marketing

2010-03-26T15:34:00.000-07:00

Most emails get deleted faster than you can say “twitter,” but people still read personal letters. Okay, so maybe they toss out the semi-personalized form letter after reading the first few lines. But it still gets opened and scanned over, and if the letter appears to be meant specifically for them, it gets plenty of attention. This is very different than the reaction given an email even though emails always have a name on them. Why?

I think it has to do with a perception of value. It takes very little effort to send an email. My inbox is full of them every morning. Unless I already have a relationship with the person who sent the email, I don’t give it much thought before hitting the delete button. It doesn’t have enough perceived value to justify my time. The media downplays the value of the message.

Unsolicited emails are like junk faxes. They remind me of the recorded message I sometimes get: “Your call is very important to us; please stay on the line and someone will assist you shortly.” Five minutes later I am saying: “Hey, if my call is important to you, answer the d… phone!” The action, or rather inaction, tells me exactly how important my call is. So it is with emails. You can blast out emails by the thousands, but that won’t give the recipient the idea that his needs are important to you.

If you want your message to get attention, pay more attention to the people you are sending it to. That doesn’t mean you should never send emails. By all means, use every tool in your toolbox. Just don’t expect the screwdriver to be a very good hammer. Your online marketing effort should be teamed with direct mail. How important is that? It is so important, even Google uses direct mail. Give your prospects something they can hold in their hand.

Marketing as Education

2010-03-02T12:57:00.000-08:00

It is not really a new concept, but more and more companies today are adopting a marketing approach that incorporates education for customers and potential customers. Today’s newsletters are less about self promotion and more about providing useful information. More and more companies are providing free seminars. These efforts aim at building relationships and establishing value in the community, not just selling products and services. Small businesses are often uniquely positioned to take advantage of this kind of marketing.

One such business that has become a great source of information for clients and potential clients is Westlake Village’s AXICOM. AXICOM, a provider of technology services since 1996, specializes in computer and network support services for businesses in the Los Angeles and Ventura counties. I asked AXICOM CEO, Jake Nonnemaker, about his marketing philosophy.

Q. Jake, how did you decide to provide education as a key part of your marketing program?

A. The decision to offer free technology education came about because we wanted a new way to provide value to our customers. After talking to some of our customers and asking them what else we can do for them, quite a few asked how they can get the most out of their tools like Microsoft Office and mobile phones. So we started to deliver exactly that to our customers. Our seminars and workshops help differentiate us from other computer support professionals. As you can imagine, there isn't much barrier to entry in the IT support arena. A guy can get laid off from his corporate job at 9am and be Joe the Computer Tech LLC by noon. And with the economy the way it is, a lot of people have done just that. So the field is pretty crowded and I've found that educating our clients on technology really sets us apart. Our education seminars can introduce new products to our existing customers but also give prospects an opportunity to check us out and see that we are people they will want to do business with. We also show our customers how to get the most out of their technology and in today's economic environment that is crucial.

Q. What kinds of education programs has AXICOM provided or sponsored?

A. We recently upgraded to a larger office in Westlake Village after 9 years in Agoura Hills. With our new office, we opened the AXICOM Technology Learning Center. We hold free seminars and workshops which are generally about an hour long and cover topics such as social networking, Windows 7, Microsoft Office products, Blackberry and iPhone, mobile computing, PC maintenance, and cloud computing. We also bring in other expert speakers to talk about things like email marketing, paperless office and simplifying your office.

Q. What has been the response?

A. The topics have been very well received so much so that we've been maxing out the capacity of our Learning Center which holds about 12 people. So we've started doing online webinars as well to accomodate more people and also provide reach to people who live outside the immediate area.

Q. What would you recommend for other businesses who might be considering education as part of their marketing efforts?

A. I would recommend staying committed to an education program for at least 6 months if you decide to do one. That's when our customers seemed to have realized that we were serious and it wasn't just a passing marketing scheme. Don't be discouraged after the first couple of seminars because those are the ones that you are going to cut your teeth on. It becomes much easier once you develop a system of doing seminars or webinars.Don't just use seminars as a platform to hawk your products. You really need to make sure people go away with valuable information that they can use. Also, don't make it all about "you." Bring in guest speakers that complement your product or service. You will find that your customer will value you more as a resource and it will solidify your relationship.

For more information about AXICOM, you can reach Jake at (818) 865-9865 or jake@axicom.net.

Who Pays for Your Credit Card "Rewards?"

2010-02-11T14:27:00.000-08:00

When you use that credit card that provides airline miles, cash back or other "rewards," who pays for the reward? Most people assume that credit card companies pay for these rewards out of the money they make from consumers using their cards. But that is not how it works. The retailer pays fees, called "swipe fees," for the service of accepting the credit card. The card company pays for the "rewards" by charging additional percentage points in the swipe fee to the retailer who accepts the card as payment. This is a cost over and above the normal fees charged to the retailer for using credit card services. Thus, if a retailer pays a normal swipe fee of 1% to 2% for a credit card sale, a rewards card sale might cost him an additional 2% or 3% of the sale price. Total fees for a rewards card transaction can approach 5% of the price of the merchandise.

The use of these rewards cards is growing and businesses, like convenience stores, that operate on low profit margins are particularly hard hit. A percentage point or two may not seem like a lot of money, but if your profit margin is normally 10%, paying 5% of the sale for the transaction essentially means you have to double your sales to get back to normal. Moreover, there is no ceiling on the percentage that credit card providers can charge back to the merchant. Small retailers are not in a position to negotiate these fees or to refuse credit card purchases altogether. They cannot determine what fee they will have to pay by just looking at the card. So most retailers are forced to raise prices to cover the rising cost of these fees. Price increases apply to cash sales as well as credit card sales. Every buyer is subsidizing the use of the rewards cards even if they do not use one.

Credit cards are a convenience, but they are not free even if you pay the whole balance every month. Visa and MasterCard collected about $48 billion in swipe fees in 2008, triple what was collected in 2001. In 2008, the average American family paid about $427 in swipe fees. Convenience stores have organized to fight back and have a web site called Fight Swipe Fees. If you want to see what your credit card fees really cost, there is a great little site called True Cost of Credit that gives you the fees charged on your particular card for various sized purchases. It is an eye opener.

Office Depot's Ben the Barber

2010-01-27T10:26:00.000-08:00

Have you seen the new Office Depot ad featuring Ben, the barber? There is a really interesting marketing tactic at work here. Ben is depicted as a typical small business person with a local barber shop. A big chain store moves in across the street, advertising $6 haircuts. Ben is chagrined, but he is resourceful. He goes to Office Depot and buys a banner that says "We Fix $6 Haircuts." Five months later the big chain haircut spot goes out of business and Ben's business is saved. According to the ad, Office Depot's low prices helped Ben to compete. It is a victory for the little guy.

When I saw this ad, I wondered how many people would see a connection between Office Depot and the big chain that moved in across the street from Ben? Office Depot is a big chain that advertises low prices. How many small office supply businesses were driven out of business because they could not compete with advertising and pricing offered by a major chain like Office Depot? Clearly, the producers of this ad do not expect the public to make this connection. Office Depot is not the big bad chain store, like the $6 haircut chain, but the "good guy" on the side of the small business person.

Like Starbucks unbranding some of its stores in order to appear local, Office Depot is attempting to position itself as the champion of local, small businesses. Are they tapping into a growing sentiment among some consumers that local businesses are good for communities and major chains are not? Or is it simply a recognition that their customer base is not big chain stores, but small community businesses? Or both? In any case, it is clear that they do not expect the public to pick up on the irony implicit in their ad featuring Ben the barber.

Paper or Firewood?

2010-01-21T15:22:00.000-08:00

It might surprise people to learn that more wood is consumed in New York State in residential fireplaces than is used for paper. Finch in the Forest, a blog done by the Finch paper company, reports that the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation estimates a million cords of firewood are used in homes in New York. That is approximately 2.6 million tons of firewood, compared to 1.1 million tons of pulpwood used by all the paper mills in the state to produce paper. Pulpwood and firewood come from the same parts of the tree.

That may sound like an alarming amount of wood, until you consider that wood, unlike heating oil, is a 100% renewable resource. Responsible paper companies, like Finch, work hard to insure that our forests will be around for hundreds of years to come. The forest products industry plants an average of 4 million trees per day, about 5 trees per year for every person in the country. Properly managed forests sustain wildlife, water quality, air quality, and provide recreation opportunities as well as a sustainable source of wood products.

In Search of the Genuine - Ladyface Alehouse

2010-01-12T10:37:00.000-08:00

The Region's first Micro Brewery has opened in Agoura Hills. Ladyface Alehouse & Brasserie is sure to be a big success for local owners, Chef Ray Luna, Manager Cyrena Nouzille and Brew Master David Griffiths. They have a great selection of on site brewed ales as well as some hard to find imports. The menu is also terrific, featuring items styled after a French or Belgian Brasserie. The Ale battered Fish & Chips is not to be missed. On top of the great food and brew, the atmosphere of the Alehouse is casual, warm and inviting. There is a nice view of Ladyface Mountain from the patio. Above all is the sense that you have arrived at a place that is genuine, a reflection of the unique personality of the owners, and not another predictable grill or sports bar.

Regular readers of this blog (both of them) will know I don't ordinarily do restaurant reviews here. So why this one? The emergence of this restaurant says something about the future of the region. People are looking for places that are unique and different when they want to get away or relax. The Conejo/Las Virgenes region is gradually emerging as that kind of place. It is finding its identity. The City of Ventura has done the same thing over the years and Oxnard has struggled to shape an identity for itself. The Ladyface Alehouse, the vineyard at the Westlake Village Inn, and the City of Thousand Oaks acquiring property near the Civic Arts Plaza are all indications of the emerging identity of the Conejo/Las Virgenes region.

Stackpole on The Future of Commercial Printing

2010-01-08T14:43:00.000-08:00

From Wired for Leadership:
"There's still plenty of life in commercial printing albeit not in the same historical sense we used to know. I don't get much junk mail in my Outlook inbox mostly because I filter the daylights out of my inbound e-mails. That's a problem for advertisers and others who think e-mail promotion can replace print promotion. While we are sure to see shifts in the future, direct mail still delivers $10 in revenue for every $1 spent. The mistaken trend by some to eliminate direct mail as part of their marketing plan only serves to showcase those firms still using the medium to their advantage. I don't know about you but I got more than my share of holiday catalogs and bought plenty of gifts at their websites. The data is clear---direct mail drives online commerce---for catalog marketers and retail. The world of printing is changing, but printers are the most resilient and innovative entrepreneurs on the planet. I wouldn't count them out anytime soon."

Kerry Stackpole, CAE IOM President - Printing & Graphics Association MidAtlantic

Oxnard Public Library Hosts Ben Franklin Exhibit

2010-01-04T11:48:00.000-08:00

The traveling exhibit “Benjamin Franklin: In Search of a Better World” will be on display at the Main Branch of the Oxnard Public Library from December 17, 2009 to February 17, 2010. Here is a great opportunity to look into the life of this uniquely American genius, Benjamin Franklin. The exhibit has 1,000 square feet of photographs, artifacts and documents. It will also feature films about Benjamin Franklin and talks from Franklin impersonators that will be informative and entertaining for children and adults. The link above will take you to the Oxnard Public Library site which lists a schedule of events surrounding the exhibit.

One of the reasons I chose to make Benjamin Franklin a featured part of my blog, apart from the obvious one that I am in the printing business, is that I felt he was the embodiment of so many American ideals. He was proud of his "leather apron" status as a tradesman and wary of inherited titles or inherited wealth. He believed each man was responsible for himself, but also organized his community to take care of common problems. He cautioned against creating a dependent poor class, but was very generous and charitable with his time and money. He was not quick to join the movement toward revolution, but when he did, he put his entire heart into it, risking all that he had.

Franklin was not perfect. His family life certainly left a lot to be desired. But the public Benjamin Franklin was the near model American. Industrious, intelligent, civic minded, generous, ambitious, courageous, practical and inquisitive, Benjamin Franklin was precisely the kind of person it took to forge a new country based on democratic ideals. "Greatness" is a term often associated with conquerors and political leaders. It is not often associated with Benjamin Franklin. He is too much the common man, too much like us. But therein is precisely where his greatness lies. Go see the exhibit at the Oxnard Public Library.

The Top Ten Stories or People I Don't Want to Hear Any More About in 2010

2009-12-31T09:32:00.000-08:00

Here's a list of the top 10 stories or people I really don't want to hear any more about in 2010:

10. Rod Blagojevich
9. Nadya Suleman
8. Jon & Kate Gosselin
7. The Balloon Boy
6. Roman Polanski
5. The Salahi's
4. Levi Johnston
3. Charlie Sheen
2. Carrie Prejean
1. Tiger Woods

For good measure, at number 11, I'll throw in anyone named Kardashian. Please feel free to submit any names you would like to add.

Blue Moon to End 2009

2009-12-30T14:25:00.000-08:00

2009 ends on a blue moon. A blue moon is the second full moon in a month. Since the lunar cycle is about 29.5 days, an occasional month will contain two full moons. When that happens, the second full moon is considered the "blue" moon. Blue moons are a relatively rare occurrence; hence the expression, "once in a blue moon." For a deeper perspective on blue moons, follow the links.

A Happy, Healthy and Prosperous New Year to all.

Happy Holidays to Everyone

2009-12-21T10:32:00.000-08:00

This is a winter scene from upstate New York. After a heavy snow, these deer found the best forage on the snowmobile paths. The paths were closed to snowmobiles to allow the deer to forage. It is a intriguing picture, but is there also a lesson here? We have all been through something of an economic winter storm, and maybe we need to look for opportunities where we might not have expected them in the past. Or maybe this is a reminder of the beauty of the natural environment that is in our power to preserve or destroy.

McDonald's is Going Green - At Least in Germany

2009-11-30T16:01:00.000-08:00

Spiegel Online is reporting that McDonald's will change the sign colors on its German restaurants. The mustard yellow arches on a bright red background will change to yellow on green. The idea is to reposition the burger chain as an environmentally responsible company.

While it may not convince many vegetarians, the company is working hard to change its image. The new restaurants will feature wood and stone facades, a radical departure from the garish Mickey-D's we see here in the states. McDonald's has already been moving in a more enviro-senstive direction with the introduction of its recycled napkins and packaging. They have even taken measures to save the hedgehogs.

The savvy marketing types at McDonald's have seen the future and they plan to be part of it. I hope they recognize that their American customers would welcome those same changes here that they are implementing in Germany.

2009-11-25T15:57:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone

Gold Line Provides Successful Getaway

2009-11-18T09:15:00.000-08:00

It looks like public transportation is finally getting a foothold in car-addicted Los Angeles. The L.A. Times reported this morning that two robbers who swiped a cell phone made their getaway on the Gold Line, the new Eastside leg of the Los Angeles rail system. The theft took place in a restaurant at Central Avenue and 2nd Street. From there, the thieves fled toward the Little Tokyo/Arts District where they boarded the Gold Line train heading for Union Station. They apparently made a clean getaway. If the trains are reliable enough for robbery getaways, they can probably get people to work and back - no problem.

In an unrelated story in this morning's Times, the City of Claremont has suspended its recently launched trolley service for lack of riders. I guess there will be no quick getaways in Claremont!

Is "www" Still Needed for Printed Stationery?

2009-11-10T09:40:00.000-08:00

Recently, we have had some customers request that the "www" part of their web site be omitted when printing up their business cards or letterhead. The assumption is that having ".com" or ".net" or ".org" at the end clearly indicates that this is a web site and therefore the "www" is not needed.

There are two schools of thought on this. One says that the "www" is unnecessary, and redundant, like putting the word "phone" in front of the phone number. People of this mind say everyone knows what it is and the extra letters are graphic clutter. The opposite view says that there are still some people who won't recognize it as a web site without the "www." If you are only marketing to the young and savvy, they say, no problem. But if your target market is broader than that, you still need to add the "www" to insure that the web address is recognized as a web address.

What do you think?

Americans Prefer Print Media for Reading

2009-10-29T14:05:00.000-07:00

A recent survey done by Harris Interactive shows that the majority of U.S. adults think that printed media is easier to read than its digital equivalent. Adults report that they are more comfortable when they have something on paper. 64% of workers said they prefer words on paper, to words on a screen when it comes to reading. An even larger percentage, 70%, of workers in technology and telecommunications agreed that reading in print was easier than reading online. See Reuters.

This does not mean that online documents won't continue to grow in number, replacing a shrinking number of printed documents. But it does mean that print media has a value that needs to be understood. Businesses that have marketing and training requirements should recognize when print will give them the results they are looking for and digital media, by itself, won't.

Gas Station to Become Vineyard

2009-10-28T11:03:00.000-07:00

The Westlake Village Inn will turn the former gas station site on the corner of Agoura Road and Lakeview Canyon Road into a vineyard. See: Hotels. The economics of this conversion are interesting. It is an axiom of real estate that property should go to the "highest and best use." In economic terms that typically means the use that provides the largest return on investment, or ROI.

It is hard to imagine that an agricultural use like a vineyard would produce a greater return than a gas station. I don't remember any lines of customers forming up at vineyards in the past. But, clearly, this is a whole new day. For the Westlake Village Inn, the vineyard may well be a more valuable asset to their property than a gas station or mini mart. Staying at an Inn near a vineyard is a more attractive prospect than staying at an Inn behind a gas station. The property will also provide a venue for wine tasting and weddings or other gatherings.

Perhaps it is also a harbinger of fundamental changes in the economy to come. Places that are attractive for people to gather or view do not always produce the maximum ROI for their owners. Political battles are often waged to keep property owners from turning their attractive property into a less attractive commercial enterprise. Here, an unattractive commercial enterprise will be supplanted by an attractive place - a garden, more or less. If we can have economic success by making our communities more attractive, then everyone wins.

Painting it Black

2009-10-05T11:44:00.001-07:00

Back when Henry Ford said you could have any color you wanted as long as it was black, he assumed, rightly, that the color of his Model T was not terribly important to anyone. He might be surprised to hear some of the names car makers have for “black” today. There is Onyx Black, Jet Black, Black Pearl, Black Sapphire, Black Ice, Obsidian, Charcoal Black, Midnight Black, Ebony, even “Black,” and a whole host of others. Today’s car buyers can see and appreciate subtle differences in these colors.

Likewise, when Ben Franklin was in the printing business, “black” ink was only important for legibility. Only the density of the pigment mattered. Not so today. The Pantone Ink Color Guide recognizes 6 different blacks in addition to process black. These blacks are numbered 2 through 7 and each has a slightly different tint, based on the pigments mixed into the ink. Savvy designers know how to use black and they know which black to use.

In addition to the Pantone blacks, there is process black. Process black is one of four colors, the “K,” which make up the CMYK used in color printing. Process black can be altered in subtle ways by adding additional ink colors to it. By adding Cyan, the blue or “C” in the process formula, you get a “Cool Black.” Adding Magenta, the red ink or “M,” gives you a “Warm Black.” And both C and M added together yields a “Rich Black.”

Unfortunately, I can’t illustrate these nuances of black here because computer monitors use RGB instead of CMYK. And that is a whole other topic. But differing shades of black can be used by a skilful designer and printer to great effect in a printed piece.

For a sample of our printed newsletter, send email to: ed@crprint.com

Saturday Mail Getting the Sack

2009-09-25T14:20:00.000-07:00

What will it mean to American business if the Postal Service eliminates Saturday delivery? A majority of businesses will probably be unaffected. However, there are a few businesses that will have to make adjustments. As a printer, we occasionally ship packages that need to arrive on Saturday. These usually go to hotels or convention venues for use at trade shows, exhibits, or training sessions. We typically use FedEx, so it is not a problem. But I am sure there are other companies who rely on the USPS. Some retail businesses routinely time their direct mail to arrive on Saturday to target weekend shoppers. And some people expect their Netflix to arrive on Saturday.

The last time congress decided to eliminate Saturday delivery was during the Eisenhower administration. There was such an uproar from outraged citizens, that service was restored almost immediately. It seems unlikely that will happen again given today's digital alternatives. But who knows? Whatever the case, eliminating Saturday delivery will only put more snail in the mail.

Google Using Direct Mail to Promote Adwords

2009-09-15T13:50:00.000-07:00

In case you think that print advertising has gone the way of the horse and buggy, here's a news flash. Google is using direct mail to promote Adwords, its online advertising program. Today I received a letter from Google along with a brochure and coupon for Adwords. If Google, the largest venue for online advertising in the world, chooses to mail printed brochures to solicit potential customers, what does that mean for the rest of us? Clearly, Google could flood the internet with online advertising for its own services at minimal cost. By choosing to use direct mail, Google is acknowledging that print media still works. Their marketing people have probably calculated that direct mail is well worth the cost of printing and postage. They would be right. Print lends credibility and drives customers to the electronic media. An integrated campaign, using electronic and print media in a coordinated manner, may be the most effective way ever to get your message across.

2009-08-28T10:34:00.000-07:00

From Maira Kalman's Blog

Starbucks Going Stealth

2009-08-20T13:09:00.000-07:00

Are big corporations sensing a new marketing trend - a growing preference among consumers for local businesses? According to the New Rules Project, Starbucks is "unbranding" three of its Seattle locations in an attempt to make them appear as locally owned businesses. New Rules says this is part of a corporate trend to "imitate and co-opt local-ness." This is a significant departure from the normal policy of large retailers to keep their image, or brand, precisely the same in every location. Fast food chain buildings and menus, for example, are darn near identical wherever they happen to be. If a savvy outfit like Starbucks is breaking with that trend, what does that mean?

Is "local-ness" now a selling feature? Has the reliable predictability of national brands become a disadvantage? Or are corporations attempting to improve market penetration by keeping branded and unbranded stores in the same location? My guess is the latter. If the corner Starbucks has 25% of the market, why not put a phoney independent, "Jake's Java," (my apology to Jake if there is a real Jake's Java out there) on the opposite corner and snag an additional 25%? A different question, albeit related, is whether they can get away with it? As a consumer, I am usually looking to enjoy something with a local flavor - especially when traveling. But how will I know that Jake's last name is really "Starbuck?"

I'd like to hear from the marketing experts out there on this one.

Decline in Direct Mail Means Opportunity

2009-08-18T15:42:00.000-07:00

CNNMoney.com reports that the volume of direct mail has declined precipitously in 2009, after gradual declines in 2007 and 2008. And that's bad news for the economy, so they say. "Less junk mail means fewer companies want to sell you their services -- whether that's personalized checks or rug cleaning -- which reflects wider problems in our economy."

Yes, they call it "junk mail," but, hey, it isn't "junk" unless you fail to recycle it. Direct mail is a 100% renewable resource, and the most credible and least intrusive way to reach potential customers. Which brings me to the point. If there is less junk mail arriving in local mail boxes, now is the ideal time to launch a direct mail campaign. There are fewer distractions and a greater chance of your marketing piece getting full attention. This is an especially good time for business to offer discounts or coupons. People still need products and services and they will go to the suppliers that get their attention with a good offer. You can bemoan the state of the economy, or you can seize the initiative to gain a bigger share of the market. And that is not junk.

No Soliciting

2009-08-14T09:24:00.000-07:00

Every once in awhile, when I am out prospecting for customers for my printing business, I encounter a "No Soliciting" sign. Those signs always remind me of a cartoon I saw years ago. In the cartoon, a young cavalry officer who looks suspiciously like Gen. George Custer, is telling a subordinate: "Tell him to get lost, I am too busy fighting Indians to talk to some salesman!" On the other side of the tent, out of view of the two cavalrymen, is the salesman, patiently waiting for his opportunity to demonstrate a Gatling Gun, the most sophisticated automatic weapon of its time. I wish I had kept a copy of that cartoon. At the time, I was not in a position of selling, but it taught me to keep an open mind and never close doors to potential opportunities.

To be sure, some sales people are annoying and refuse to accept a polite "No, thanks." But for the most part, the people who call on me are courteous and not offensive in any way. And occasionally, they do have something that interests me. Why shouldn't I at least give them a chance to speak? What does "solicitation" mean anyway? It sounds like some kind of crime. But prospecting for business is about as American as you can get, and it is certainly not a crime. So give the next sales guy a break. Maybe he will have just the Gatling Gun that your business needs.

Nevada "Poaching" California Businesses?

2009-08-11T11:51:00.000-07:00

If California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger wants to battle Nevada to keep business here, he need only point out that when California loses jobs, Nevada Casinos probably lose customers in the same proportion. According to a study done for the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority by GLS Research, some 28% of visitors to Las Vegas in 2008 were from California. That is almost one third of all the visitors from the USA to the neon city. And the percentage was even higher in prior years. Why else would Nevada Senator, Harry Reid be interested in a high speed rail line from L.A. to Vegas?

Here's a modest proposal. The Govenator might suggest that Californians take a 30 day hiatus from travel to the gambling mecca on our eastern border. He could temporarily "terminate" the flow of California's silver to the Silver State. Maybe then Nevada Governor Jim Gibbons, and Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman might notice the 800 pound guerrilla in the room. This would have the additional benefits of reducing traffic and air pollution in the dessert, and might also be a boost to California's own gaming and entertainment venues.

L.A. Chamber President, Gary Toebben, says that he takes the threat of losing buisnesses seriously. But he rightly points out that the current economic situation demands immediate attention and relocating won't change that. In truth, this Hatfield-McCoy style battle for businesses benefits neither state. It would be far better to work together to improve infrastructure, and cooperate on trade and transportation issues. If western states cooperate, they may find innovative solutions for some of the common problems we all face like energy, water, agriculture, illegal immigration, and health care. Seriously addressing these issues with less rancor could help build the economies of both states.

L.A. City Council Passes Billboard Ban

2009-08-07T13:42:00.000-07:00

It looks like the L.A. City Council is trying to get its arms around the billboard blight that is so pervasive in parts of that city. They will find it tough going. The opposition is well funded and politically well connected. Over the years, state and federal laws have been skewed in favor of the outdoor advertising interests and against advocates of local control. The city of Agoura Hills banned new billboards twenty years ago, but several existing ones remain to this day.

Billboards and huge pole signs are among the most obnoxious forms of advertising. TV and radio ads can be turned off. Newspaper, magazine ads and mailers can all be ignored or quickly dismissed to the recycle bin. Even pop ups on the internet, annoying as they are, can be clicked off or avoided. Not so with mammoth signs. They intrude on our views with no recourse. The equivalent in sound would be a TV commercial with the volume turned all the way up that can't be turned off.

Cities should have local control over this type of signage. Some cities, maybe Las Vegas, may actually want them. Perhaps there are billboards that are actually attractive or perform an important public service. I will concede that possibility. But the value of these mammoth signs, their placement or restriction should be in the hands of the local authorities whose constituents are most directly affected by them. I wish the L.A. City Council success in getting control over the appearance of their great city.

Top 10 reasons why you never have to order printing again

2009-07-30T15:42:00.000-07:00

10) People don’t really pay attention to printed information anymore.

9) Anyone can find your web site by just googling the right words.

8) Facebook is better than a printed newsletter.

7) Spam filters couldn’t possibly block your emails.

6) Your training manuals are easy to read online.

5) People are happy to download your data and print it themselves.

4) No one would ever delete your email without opening it first.

3) People don’t pick up printed brochures anymore.

2) Business cards or letterhead printed on your desktop ink-jet are professional enough.

1) Everything there is to know about your product is already on your website... somewhere.

All of your customers will follow your tweets.

Nothing on the web could distract someone away from reading an online item.

An emailed “Thank You” is just as good as a personal note.

2009-07-23T10:55:00.000-07:00

"Print is absolutely, positively, the most intimate way to connect with a market."
Mark Potter, Publisher, Canvas Magazine, June 2009

2009-07-22T13:07:00.000-07:00

"What gunpowder did for war, the printing press has done for the mind."
Wendell Phillips (1811-1884)

I am not sure that this is an entirely positive comment about the printing press, considering the carnage of the civil war. But it is interesting that a 19th century American credits the printing press with revolutionizing human thought in a manner similar to the way gunpowder revolutionized warfare. Unquestionably, the printing press brought education to the masses, something that was not possible before Gutenberg. Having education available to anyone who could read was in turn instrumental in the birth of democracy in the American colonies. The colonists were avid readers of newspapers, books, and circulars of all kinds. They were not distracted by television or radio, so printed material was recreational as well as functional. Politics became a common topic of conversation and eventually the colonies united against King George. The Declaration of Independence received widespread circulation both as a "broadside," or flyer, and in the newspapers of its day.

If the printing press eventually led to a broader educated public, where does the internet lead? My first inclination is to say that it leads to a more "savvy" public if not a better educated public. The internet reveals secrets more readily than any other media because it allows for audience participation on a grand scale. If your auto mechanic, or insurance company does you wrong, you can readily tell everyone your story. If your government cracks down on your peaceful demonstration, you can be certain that the entire world will know about it. At the same time, however, the avalanche of information we now receive is not necessarily accurate or free of bias. We are forced to make judgments about what is reliable and what is not. We have more information and more opportunities to connect with like minded people, but what will be the eventual outcome? A more cohesive world with people banning together for the common good? Or fragmentation into tribes of self interest in continual conflict with each other?

Printing in Tehran

2009-06-24T14:15:00.000-07:00

On June 24, 2009 at a corner of Republic Street, in Tehran, a main center for printing shops, a young engaged couple fled into an alley to escape a charge by club-wielding security forces. "Why are they attacking me?" the woman cried. "I only came here to print my wedding cards!"

National Debt

2009-06-24T13:51:00.000-07:00

An economist with an eye to the frugality of Ben Franklin gives his view of what is needed to pay down our national debt.

http://finance.yahoo.com/expert/article/economist/172169

"Charles Wheelan is a lecturer in public policy at the Harris School of Public Policy at the University of Chicago. He teaches several master's level courses on understanding the policy process, and was voted Professor of the Year in a Non-Core Course by the Harris School student body for the 2004-'05 academic year."

Iran

2009-06-24T09:32:00.000-07:00

2009-06-23T10:26:00.000-07:00

"The people are like water and the ruler a boat. Water can support a boat or overturn it." From Shakespeare's The Tragedy of King Richard the Third

Iran

2009-06-16T11:17:00.001-07:00

I have been riveted by the news coming out of Iran. You Tube and Twitter messages are flooding the internet. Upheaval in a foreign country is not that unusual and reliable reports typically reach us via our news media. But here we have eyewitness accounts and pictures on a scale that has never been seen before. Watching the videos made on the street, and reading the tweets coming in from people risking their lives is fundamentally different than watching a reporter provide the details. You feel a connection to these people like nothing you feel from a news broadcast or a newspaper article. Suddenly, they are just like us. You find yourself cheering for them, anxious that they are unharmed and that justice prevails in their country. It is no longer abstract or political theorizing. We are one with them. We want them to be free - to make their own choices.

Can you imagine what the videos and tweets would have been like coming out of Tienanmen Square or Nazi Germany? How different would the world be, if today's technology had existed at crucial times in history?

Where is Mel's Church Anyway?

2009-06-09T22:40:00.000-07:00

Google Alert brings me the online news about Agoura Hills. Almost every day there is an article somewhere about Mel Gibson and his church. The media thinks that Mel’s church is in Agoura Hills, or maybe Malibu, but it isn't in either city. It is in an unincorporated area of L.A. County that has an "Agoura" address. No wonder the media is confused. The political and geographic boundaries in our area are enough to confuse even those who live here.

Agoura Hills is a city in L.A. County, but it is contiguous to a large unincorporated section of the county which has always been called “Agoura.” The post office in Agoura Hills services this part of L.A. County as well as the community of Oak Park, which is actually in Ventura County. It also services a section of another L.A. County city, the city of Calabasas. That section of Calabasas is sometimes called “Calabasas Hills.” To make matters even more confusing, a section of the city of Agoura Hills is widely known as “Old Agoura.” Old Agoura is a community on the east side of the city that enjoys a unique identity as an eclectic, equestrian area.

Confused? It gets worse. Agoura’s neighbor to the west, the City of Westlake Village is an incorporated city within the County of Los Angeles. But although the City’s political boundary stops at the county line, the designation of “Westlake Village” spills over into several neighborhoods on the Ventura County side of the line which is actually in Thousand Oaks. The body of water called Westlake Lake straddles the county line, one side in Westlake Village, the other in Thousand Oaks. But people living on both sides say they live in Westlake Village, or maybe just “Westlake.” The Westlake designation, along with the county line, extends north of the 101 freeway and takes in Westlake High School on the Ventura County side, and the area to the west of the high school up to and possibly including the auto mall. But, of course, Westlake High School is in Thousand Oaks and high school students from Westlake Village don’t go there. They actually go to high school at Agoura High. Whew!

Thousand Oaks includes the communities of Westlake (not the “Village”) and Newbury Park. I am very familiar with the political boundaries of Agoura Hills, and less so with the neighborhood boundaries of Westlake and Newbury Park. But it does seem like the residence of Newbury Park, having their own unique name, are somewhat less confused than some of the rest of us. Their high school aged kids actually go to Newbury Park High School.

In spite of this political balkanization, the communities of this region share a wonderful, and readily defined, geographic area, the Santa Monica Mountains, and the neighboring Las Virgenes and Conejo Valleys. The Ventura Freeway, U.S. 101, is a common link and commercial corridor that ties the region together. The communities in our region share a common ecology and economy. When the mountain lion known as P-1 crossed into the Santa Monica Mountains from the Simi Foothills, he didn’t care what city he was in. And I don't think he was looking for Mel's church.

Ben on the Power of a Jury

2009-06-02T15:29:00.000-07:00

"If it is not law, it is better than law, it ought to be law, and will always be law wherever justice prevails." Ben Franklin

Since I just received a summons to jury duty, I thought it appropriate to find out what Ben Franklin had to say about the jury system. The quote above was Franklin's reaction to the verdict in the 1735 trial of John Peter Zenger. Zenger, a printer and editor of the "New York Weekly Journal," was charged with sedition and libel for exposing the corruption of the King's appointed governor. Although what he wrote was the truth, writing it was clearly against the law at the time. Zenger freely and defiantly admitted what he had done. His only defense was that he had told the truth. The judge directed a guilty verdict and told the annoyed jury that "the truth is no defense!" But the jury was persuaded that the truth of what Zenger had written justified disregarding, or "nullifying" the unjust law. Zenger was aquitted.

Franklin approved of the decision and spoke here in favor of a jury having the power to acquit someone found to have violated a law, if the law itself is unjust. Of course, today's courts frown upon jurors sitting in judgement of the law itself. And, given the verdicts in some highly publicized celebrity trials, maybe the public would not want juries to have that power either. I don't know. Franklin's views may have arisen in a simpler time. Even so, I don't think I could vote for conviction if I thought the law that was violated was completely unjust.

Today's Technology and Ben Franklin

2009-05-29T14:37:00.000-07:00

How would Ben Franklin react to the new technology available today? Would he be on Face Book or Twitter? Would he be Linked In or have his own blog? As a printer by trade, he would be watching a lot of his customers gravitate to online communications and buying less printing. That could be disconcerting. After all, putting words on paper with ink is how Ben Franklin made his living.

But my guess is that Ben would be among the first to embrace the new technology. As a scientist and inventor, he would immediately grasp the tremendous benefit of this new form of media. He would experiment with it and find ways to make it more useful or efficient. That’s what he did with the wood burning stove, and with street lights, chimney flues, and other technologies of his time. I can picture him, in front of a computer monitor, mulling over in his mind all of the ways he could take advantage of the new media, a resolute expression on his face, like the day he flew the kite in a thunderstorm. No, Ben Franklin would never be one to lag behind the technology of his time.

As an experienced printer, however, Ben would also be keenly aware of the tremendous value of his own trade. The printed word has always been, and still is, an extremely powerful tool. Ben would not give it up. He would use the electronic media to boost the value of what he put into print – and vice versa. He would immediately recognize the different impacts a message can have if it is on paper or in cyber space. And the Declaration of Independence? For sure, it would be on paper.

The Role of the Printer

2009-05-13T16:08:00.000-07:00

"If all printers were determined not to print anything till they were sure it would offend nobody, there would be very little printed." Ben Franklin

In Ben Franklin's time, the printer was usually the publisher and often the writer of what he printed. It would be only natural to have some concern for the reception his printed material would receive. Today's printers would rarely share that concern. There is a lot more distance between the creator of the document and the pressman who puts it on paper. Business or political leaders may come up with a message, but it goes through several stages of the creative process, like marketing people, ad writers, and designers, before it reaches the person we call the printer. And even then, the first stop within the print shop is a graphic technician, not the "printer." Franklin was intimately involved with every step of many of the documents his shop produced. Today's printer does not even read what he is producing.

This is not entirely a bad thing; productivity is certainly far greater today than in the 1700's. But something can be lost when the printer is kept out of the loop. The printer knows the capabilities and limitations of his equipment. He knows how different inks will perform on different kinds of paper. And he knows how different processes, like foil stamping, laminating, coating, die cutting, folding, etc. will effect the final product. If his shop includes mailing services like many do today, he can probably also advise on postal requirements and reduce costs if the printed piece is designed to be mailed. There is something else: An experienced printer has seen a lot of great marketing ideas and programs. He is a wealth of information and ideas about what has worked and why. A good printer should be brought in early in the process as part of the creative team.

Economy Headed For The Hudson?

2009-03-03T15:15:00.000-08:00

Like the rest of the U.S., the California economy has apparently hit a flock of geese and lost power in both engines. We need a wide strip of smooth water like the Hudson to negotiate a safe landing. But, unfortunately, we don't have anyone trained in this sort of emergency landing at the controls. Instead, we have a lot of political leaders with conflicting visions of what emergency measures are necessary. It could be a rough landing. Fortunately, it is not our lives at stake here, only our pocketbooks. I am not a pilot, and certainly no economist, but there may be some lessons from U.S. Airways Flight 1549 for our current economic crises.

First, avoid panic. Rash decisions to sell off assets, lay off employees, or jump off the building should be avoided. It may be time to do all of those things, but let's think it through very carefully first.

Second, let's not let our individual pessimism contribute to the problem. This is America. Who in the world has a better chance of recovering, and emerging stronger, than we have? Take a cue from our late night comedians; we have laughed in the face of bigger crises than this one.

Finally, give the pilot(s) a chance to do his job. Our legislators, our Governor and our President were chosen to be in charge whatever the circumstances. Sure, there will be lots of disagreement on what needs to be done. There always is. But once all the opinions have been expressed and the decisions made, it is time to get behind them. Once Flight 1549 landed in the Hudson, lives were saved by following evacuation procedures. I am not saying that our political leadership won't get any of this wrong, only that we can't afford to push for their failure.