Anyone out there? I am looking for Social Media pet bloggers...

Okay...I admit it...no one voted on my social media question for the week. I know.

Even cats get voters on there blogs. What is up with pets blogging now anyway?

I am going to try it...kitty...kitty...come here (me in high pitched annoying voice)

Cat --- on my lap.

ijoewawiojarawrojfk;awe

Putting my cat on my keyboard doesn't do anything.

Cat --- goes down to pee and hisses at my other fat cat on the way.

My vote...social media guru's out there...

Do not blog about how pets find your brand attractive...it won't work.

Marketing Trust and Scandals

Due to the popularity of my post on Trust. I am choosing to write another blog entry on the marketing subject.

Due to corporate scandals, people are skeptical about the ethics and morals of companies and corporate management. These attitudes pose a major challenge to the marketer because without loyalty and trust, a company’s ability to continue business is in jeopardy. Companies must act in a moral and just manner in order to minimize distrust.

Managers face tough decisions, there is no doubt about this. Therefore, it is important to understand the concepts for ethical decision-making. With this knowledge and understanding, decisions are less challenging. These approaches provide a basis for decisions, especially when the answer is not black or white. A marketer understanding the moral tendencies can talk to the audience with the proper voice.

Textbooks define common terms. The first approach is the utilitarian concept. Using the utilitarian approach a manger chooses whichever outcome produces the greatest good for the greatest number of people. Another useful approach is the concept of individualism. Using this approach the moral decision promotes the decision-makers long-term interests and these interests lead to the greater good. The third approach is the justice concept. This concept holds that moral decisions are based on equity, fairness and impartiality. The last concept is the moral-rights approach. A manager using the moral-rights approach ensures that the decision does not infringe on the rights of others.

How does this concept play out in Marketing?

Marketers are faced with communicating and convincing the public to pick the product they are selling, and knowing which approach to take is key. For example, a simple and easy concept would be selling cigarettes. A cigarette marketer knows that they are going to have a PR nightmare using a utilitarian positioning statement. Rather a cigarette marketer may chose to the justice approach to marketing. The company's PR department would take the stance that everyone has the right to choose to smoke or not smoke and this is fair, and there is fairness in choice.

Moral and proper marketing voice is very important in today's world. As consumers we chose to distrust, and this ignorance cannot continue on the part of successful companies.

Red Train vs Blue Train

Insights from Red Train/Blue Train

This week I am trying to account for when I am on the Red Train filled with negativity and when I am on the Blue Train to positivity. I found that I got on Red Train fairly frequently and had a very hard time getting off of it. In fact, I was on it for one whole day because I had to deal with confrontation. For me, confrontation puts me immediately on Red Train. I see confrontation as negative and my thoughts center around this negativity.

Another thing I noticed during this exercise is that my thoughts are extremely important while I am running. I am a runner and I am currently running about 15 miles a week. I was on the way to the gym on Sunday morning and I caught myself thinking, this is going to be a long hard run. Indeed it was a long hard run. I more than likely created that situation in my head. I also noticed my thoughts run very quickly through my head while I am running, and a lot of running in general is about playing mind games and telling yourself to keep going, and envisioning positives to run further and faster. On Monday I pushed myself by telling myself positive statements. This worked out well for me.

After I spoke with my husband about the task he got on board very quickly. In fact a couple times during the week he told me to get off the Red Train and on to the Blue. That pissed me off. Back on Red. Don't make a joke about the trains.

I think if I make an effort to think positively and talk to myself positively I can be more effective and focused in the things that I do every day. Paying attention this week made me very aware of what my thoughts are doing to my actions, and what I put in to things and get out of the things I do.

SEO Your Resume

Today I was reading yahoo news and there was an article about keyword use in a resume. The article went on to stress the importance of keyword repetition. How about teaching job seekers to not only spell check, and properly format resumes but properly optimize for a job. Although this is not a new concept with job boards and resume websites, I do think it is a new way of being diligent and setting yourself apart in the job market. I also argue that most jobs are not advertised but rather found through networking, so optimization is a wasted effort.

Social Media?

Take 5 minutes to read the marketing blogs and you will see at least 20 posts on social media. My company is dabbling and toying with the idea. But lets face it...it is challenging. It has to be done right and with intent. If the company is risk natured, and red-taped, then good luck...it may be a long time coming. More than the internal politics of the company, using social media is hard. It is much more than creating a myspace page, or better yet a facebook page. Social media is about managing the brand on-line in a way consumers find engaging, savvy, and - yes fun. It can be informative, educational, or it can be raw and consequential. Don't fool yourself , for most companies it is a strategic, and deliberate way to do hard core brand management in this digital age.

I started a poll - just for my own curiosity...who's company is using social media?

Melaleuca: The Wellness Company and Trust

A key concept in the marketing world is Trust. But what does this mean? This means that when a customer choses your brand or grabs your product they are trusting that it meets certain expectations and criteria. Let's take one of my favorite companies, Kashi. Why do I love Kashi? Because I like to be healthy. I believe in having an energized, healthy balanced life - all the things Kashi embraces. While I don't like to diet, I love choosing the healthy alternative. I reach for Kashi knowing I will get a product full with a nutritional boost and packed with grains. I have always gotten just that.

Getting back to Melaleuca whose tagline is: A Wellness Company...

I reached for the FiberWise bar from Melaleuca and bang-boom...I happen to turn it over to look at the Nutritional Information and I find - High Fructose Corn Syrup. Trust Broken. Now I look twice when considering Melaleuca products. In a world of competition, it doesn't matter if customers still purchase your product. It is important that they chose your product every time without hesitation - this is why Trust is so important.

Marketing Genius: PF Chang's Sweet Win

I went out to PF Chang's this weekend, ate all my desert, and felt wonderful. I enjoyed one of PF Chang's Mini Deserts. I must give credit to the marketing folks on this one. They have tackled the #1 reason why most people say "no" to that tasty treat at the end of the meal. Size.

Desert servings at restaurants have quadrupled in size over the past 10 years. One piece of cake is typically 1/2 the size of a full bakery sized cake. Restaurants say that these are meant to be shared. Who can agree on the chocolate or the cheese cake? Now we can each have our own at about 3 spoonfuls 3/4th's of the original price.

Does anyone want to compute the ROI on this idea?