Coordinated Marketing

Leed's Called It Mugs and More

During the normal course of the year a typical products supplier within ASI will release products two or three times.  During the dark years most companies skipped that entire process and instead just stuck with the main introductory catalog at the end of the year.  This year as the economy rebounded most rolled out a June catalog.  Leed's took it a step further and introduced hundreds of new products for the fall season.

Little did they know at the time - or perhaps they did know - several of their products are calling the economy on the nose.  Drink-ware has been their fasting growing catalog so it is no surprise the Double Dipper Ceramic Mug with Stainless Base was part of the launch.  The double name doesn't really explain anything about the mug itself so the theory that is currently bouncing around the industry is that the name relates to the state of financial affairs in the nation.  In some circles that would be seen as inappropriate but I find it funny. 

The market dropped over six hundred points and overseas markets are getting hammered today.  Futures for the markets are down sharply again.  Tuesday is not going to be a great day and the carnage will continue for weeks and months ahead.  Spending has stopped and even though credit has not yet locked up it doesn't matter.  People are scared and they aren't spending their money.  Maybe the more appropriate name for the gift would have been the double recession mug.

Ultimately the NY Times hit it on the head in their opinion piece today.  We are a debtor nation.  We are a nation that doesn't generate enough revenue to pay for all the social programs we desire or have committed to over the years.  Our Treasury owes about 10 trillion dollars to the public sector.  Think about that for a moment and you will better understand the extent of the problem.  Our nation will never recover and it is time that we all start to realize that.  Times have changed and we need to recognize our place in the world sadly has changed.

 

Rapid Decrease in Daylight Signals Blanket Season

The days are rapidly growing shorter with the sun rising later in the day and the sun setting much earlier each evening.  What follows is cooler nights and eventually even cooler days.  At the same time we are all heading to our kids football games, soccer games and our local professional team games.  For those looking to catch a few last days on the beach the need for warmth becomes more obvious.

There is nothing you can do about what mother nature has in store but you can head out prepared.  That means bringing with you what you need to stay warm and that's where custom blankets excel.  The Leeds Picnic Blanket has the advantage of some weatherproofing which will keep it from absorbing moisture from the surrounding ground area.  That's important because the cool nights tend to lead to condensation which can dampen the ground or benches even on an otherwise clear night. 

Do you remember the parkas people would wear to games years ago?  A couple of years ago Sweda came out with the fleece equivalent with the Snuggle Me Micro Coral Fleece Blanket which is basically a giant fleece blanket with sleeves for your arms.  That's pretty cool because it will allow you to wear it on your way into a game instead of having to carry it.  Security checkpoints at many stadiums now prevent you from entering with anything in your hands.  The ability to put this blanket on and wear it like a jacket is a unique advantage that very few products can offer at this point.

So what is to be made of the general business situation?  There is really nothing that anyone can do at this point other than to go about their normal business.  CNBC and other outlets go from one extreme to the other and are so busy injecting their political viewpoints into their broadcasts that getting the straight story is difficult but here it is in a nutshell.  You will work harder to make the same or less over the next several years.  That is the new paradigm.  Market yourself and your business appropriately as it is the only thing you can do at this stage.

Drilling Deep to Lift the Economy

With the announcement today from President Obama that hundreds of miles of the Atlantic Seaboard will be opened to oil exploration in the near future hopes are rising that energy Independence may finally arrive.  In an unprecedented expansion of available territory the President may have potentially curtailed future rapid advances long after his tenure.

Not long ago when the dollar was gaining against foreign currencies oil prices remained stable or climbed even in the face of slack demand.  Today oil prices and prices at the pump rose sharply despite a larger than expected build in crude inventories and a weak jobs report.  Why?  Because investors "focused" in on the weak dollar.  We are now paying roughly 80 cents per gallon more than we were just a year ago and one has to wonder why when demand is still sinking, there are millions of people out of work and prospects are dim.  Why are oil prices rising?  Because they can and because consumers have no say in the matter.  If 30% of us stopped driving tomorrow the oil companies would just reduce capacity so they could create artificial shortages and pass it off as "meeting demand."  It is a circular game that benefits big oil while hurting the national and global economies.

I applaud President Obama for opening up potential domestic sources of oil.  I hope along with it are some restrictions to prevent gouging of the populace.

Do the Right Thing by your Pet

While typing out the previous entry I was watching a DVR rerun of "Flip This House."  In the episode "Brotherly Love" JD and Paul are up to their old antics renovating and flipping a home in Connecticut.  Apparently the home was previously occupied by tenants that were tied to the previous owners.  Unfortunately when they go to inspect the property they find an abandoned dog nearly starved to death on the property.

After doing the right thing and calling Animal Control the dog is taken away to be adopted by another owner.  The officer responding to the scene thanks the crew for "doing the right thing" and calling animal control.  I did not notice any official designation on the vehicle nor a State ID Plate so I am going to guess doing the right thing in this case cost the crew some money.  It was nice to see as these guys do seem to be legitimate on the order of Trademark Properties down in South Carolina before they bailed for another network.

With that said I figured it was worth a minute to mention that almost all shelters will take your pet for free or for a minimal donation.  Although it may seem that leaving your pet is the best idea or letting it go wild those are horrible solutions.  Roaming free pets live a horrible life and can do damage to the environment around them before often succumbing to a miserable death.  If you are forced to give up your pet do the right thing and leave it at a local shelter.

A great place to start your search would be the ASPCA and from there you should be able to find a list of local shelters if there is not a state branch of the ASPCA in your area.  You can search your favorite search engine with your state and SPCA to find your local branch.  For those looking for a pet you can help significantly reduce the population and financial strain of unwanted pets by adopting.  There are thousands of local and state organizations such as Animal Shelter and PetFinder that help in both the search for a pet you want to adopt and a pet you need to drop off.  Do the right thing with your pet and leave it with responsible individuals, not abandoned and starving.