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Since the For Every Home seminar starts tomorrow and school starts Monday I figure that I really need get my diatribe out there. I am so tired of hearing about how the airline industry is losing money and can’t survive, which seems even more prevalent now that oil prices are increasing so rapidly. This is America, the free land of captilasim. Guess what, if you aren’t making money in your industry then you aren’t doing an adequate job. I don’t care how important and special airline travel is, if it ain’t making money then changes have to be made. (The same case could be made for government, but I will go into that later.)

I don’t claim to know the industry of air travel, but I do know a thing or two about marketing and in turn advertising. It seems painfully obvious that keeping the price of flights down is as simple as inviting well run companies to display their logo and message on various parts of the plane. Companies have a captive audience who for hours have nothing better to do than see the advertisements and think about how it’s products can benefit their lives. I also know companies are willing to pay this since the ad-rate for the cover of the Sky Mall magazine is upwards of 30k an issue.

 I did read a hopeful article about how an airline is going to start putting ads on the back of their boarding passes, but was brought back to earth when I read the companies stance. “The airlines said they have worked to make sure they do not annoy customers with the ads.” What the (expletive)!?! If an ad is annoying…its not a good one first off, but the fact those displaying the ads publicly said they don’t want them to annoy the customer just shows how out of it they are. As a customer who travels via the air I would be thrilled to be bombarded by ads as long as it meant I would save money! Newsflash, its not the ads that are annoying its the constant delays, higher prices, the inefficiencies, and lack of comfort.

Its time for an inefficient industry to start making some changes or just simply go under. I guarantee an airline will arise from the ashes and give us what we want…comfortable, affordable, and convenient travel with entertaining ads!

Wow! I am watching the most amazing display of power. Josh Hamilton is now at 22 home runs in the derby and isn’t slowing down. It is amazing…23…to hear all the stories about how he overcame his addictions and now…24, just tied Abreu…speaks to kids about what he went through.

25!! He now has the record. I remember watching Abreu do this and it wasn’t nearly as impressive. The distance on these home runs is out of control. It’s also awesome that he chose his mentor and high school batting practice coach to pitch to him. He did say that he told his coach if he ever made it to the Home Run Derby he would pick him to pitch to him. It is all a great story. By the way he just hit number 27!…and there goes 28!

Now he finally has a chance to hit the gold ball $17k will go to charity…and he just missed it.  Wow, what a show!!

Over the past year I discovered that getting my MBA at ASU and going through a career change take up a lot more time than I thought. Since my last post I have finished my first year at ASU, did countless projects on my home, decided to start a family, and joined For Every Body. I’ve really got to get back to blogging and learning more about the Internet like I told the world last year, but obviously failed at doing…at least I can now analyze financials.

One of the biggest changes in my life has been a new found interest in Soy Candles. For Every Body was one of the first companies to start selling Soy Candles over a decade ago and has since grown in size every year. It has been great being a part of a company with such a great passion for what it does and knowing that our products are helping people fragrance their homes all over the country. An even more exciting challenge has been getting For Every Home, the party plan division of the company, off the ground. Not only are we helping to fragrance “every home” in America, but we are also helping deserving women make some extra money for themselves.

The Potato Chip Difference: The Four Principles of Brand Distinction

A couple years back, I ran across an interesting book entitled: The Potato Chip Difference by Michael A. Goodman. I think we all have been to the grocery store to buy a bag of potato chips. How do we make a distinction about something as ordinary as fried thinly sliced potatoes? Some of us make a decision on price, what is on sale or other of us decide on brand because we always buy that brand or on the packaging — yellow it sells better for some reason. Eventually, we make a choice and we select a brand.

Similarly, we need to create our own brand and that brand is YOU. There are four simple principles of developing your brand.

Principle #1: Stand Out. Stand for Something.

How do you distinguish your brand of potato chips? It is not just loyalty or it has always just been done that way. You need to create your personal brand - adding value beyond others in similar positions, experience, and or education. You are not just another bag of potato chips. You want to create a niche to distinguish yourself. You want to stand out and stand for something special.

Principle #2: Be Your Own Boss — You Incorporated.

Whether you are working inside a major corporation or you have started you own consulting firm. You need to take the helm and steer toward your future, treating yourself as your own boss. Making decisions about what challenges you take on, how much effort to invest, identification of allies and opponents all play in being your own boss.

Principle #3: It is not a Ladder. It is a Ramp.

Many people still think of their career as a ladder with their ultimate goal being on that top rung. Step by step rung by rung you climb the imaginary ladder only to see others fail to make the next rung or in some cases fall off the ladder or for that matter the ladder was defective or just does not go any higher.

It is much more effective thinking you are on a ramp that you do not stop and relax — you are constantly advancing, in perpetual motion toward your professional goals. An old adage that is ever so true:” Time and Tide Waits for No One.” The Universe likes speed. Don’t delay. If you have a goal, do it now, not later. In this scenario, you do not wait for a trigger to move you to the next step in your career. You manage that movement yourself, every day of your life and with everything you do — every project you manage, every meeting you attend, and every phone call you place.

Principle #4: Build Your Personal Brand of Potato Chip — That is You.

Millions if not billions of dollars are spent on marketing and branding. You are your own ad agency. By the way, who could better be an ad agent for you than yourself. You know your product, your values, your crispness, and your unique combination of taste - not too sweet and not too bitter. You are a 24/7 billboard and an interactive ad campaign. Every day, in everything you do, you tell the world about yourself, your values, your goals, and your skills. In fact, you already have a brand — even if you do not know what it is, and even if it is not working for you the way you would like it to. Clarify and create your personal brand in order to achieve career distinction. Like in marketing and branding, keep your advertisement fresh. We all have seen the same old ads, but one thing that does not go away is quality and value.

Dr. Joe Cater, Economist in Residence@FENG

I’ve seen Transformers three times now, and couldn’t help but comment on a few of the marketing tactics that are embedded in the movie.  The most obvious and most discussed is the testosterone driven GMC commercial.  I lack the ambition at this time to really analyze the GM stock, but it does appear that in the last month, since the sneak previews and innundation of Transformers in the media, the stock has climbed from the 20s to the 30s.  I would presume that sales of the vehicles should receive a boost as well.  After all, who didn’t walk out of that theater talking about how sweet the new and improved Bumble Bee (Camaro) was?  I was all over google trying to find the release date of the best looking American made sports car since the most recent Mustang.

As far as Mustangs go,  Barricade (the cop car) was a mustang.  That adrenaline filled chase seen created a brilliant marketing platform that GM is already missing out on.  In front of millions of viewers, GM showed that the new Camaro is faster, more stylish, and more beloved then the Mustang.  Yet, when I went to find how to get my hands on one, al I found was a handful of blogs filled with car lovers speculating that I may be able to buy one in over a year.  Over a year!

Perhaps, GM is planning on a Camaro release with the Transformers DVD release, but what more could a corporation ask for then millions of people paying to see a two hour commercial for a car that truely could turn the GM image around.  I still think it will be one of the best selling cars that GM produces, especially if they make the car affordable, but let it be noted that GM is already missing out on giving the consumer what they want, and that is the essence of marketing.

I came in contact with Printsmart when I was looking for marketing opportunities on Craigslist.  (A great way to find anything!) After a few meetings and a job offer we realized that my career at HYATS would be more beneficial over the next two years as I pursue my MBA.  However, my wife ended up as their Office Manager, which created a great printing contact. 

Currently, Printsmart is getting ready to expand into a larger more visible custom-built retail facility in Pleasant Grove.  They are also launching a web-to-print interface where customers can upload images and order printing online.

I’ve recently added a few links of websites, with which I am currenlty involved.   HogiYogi.com is being designed primarily by Wayne Dahlberg, who is the graphic artist for HYATS.   He has other side ventures which are sure to get more face-time on this website.

Fizook.com has been in the works for nearly a year now.  They are still undergoing revisions and test runs.  What I’ve learned from working with Fizook is how important simplicity is for a website.  During the Beta stages the test markets found the site confusing and too time consuming.  Fizook plans on making the customer interface more user friendly in hopes of driving more traffic to the site. 

Welcome to Jackman Marketing.  This is the beginning of my quest for understanding the dynamics of the World Wide Web. 

I will continue to post information about how to effectively market to your target audience without blowing the bank.  I’m currently the Director of Marketing for HYATS dba Hogi Yogi and Teriyaki Stix, and will be starting my MBA at Arizona State University in mid July.