Author Archives: John

hot rodding meets rocket science

Do you manufacture tech-related products? Do they involve paint, welds, metalurgy, clothing, synthetics, plastics, chrome, cnc, etc.?

While NASA the government agency might draw a laugh or two from time to time, nobody’s laughing when one of their majestic flying machines rockets into orbit. So here’s the deal: you’re a taxpayer, and they’ve got solutions. Boy, do they have solutions.

NASA’s loaded with engineering talent. And that talent’s available to the general public with surprisingly few strings attached. Only small business (less than 500 employees), no software or IT issues, a 40-hour research limit and your dilemma can’t be easily solved by the private sector.

Otherwise, SATOP — the Space Alliance Technology Outreach Program — is ready and waiting to help you solve your otherwise insurmountable mind-benders.

It’s a 12-year-old program that renders aid to the commercial sector in the form of really good answers to a bewildering array of questions. You work by e-mail, fax and/or phone, after having your problem reviewed and then matched to a NASA volunteer for peer review.

Seems like a good deal to us — after all, this is the outfit that came up with Teflon and Velcro.

these won’t be your grandpa’s harleys

This is what we’ve been able to discern from the few tea leaves scattered about. Change – big change – seems to be waiting in the wings for The Motor Company as demographics, competition and environmental regs continue to shape HD’s destiny.

Might this be the year for the beginning of the end of the air-cooled twin? With two BT radiator – in-frame coolant? – displacement versions ready to go, probably.

Big Daddy, with 2450ccs of tub-thumping water-cooled torque, would seemingly raise the bar quite a bit. And if this be the year, one coupled with the dropping of six popular models – ST (3), DWG, FL and XL883 – it would open a huge chasm between the original and the clones from the marketing and technology perspectives.

These changes could also signal a larger focus on touring rather than cruising, and if so then another seeming nod to the aging of the profile.

That’s the view from the front porch rocker. We’re saving the goat entrails for a group slam.

ride smart to ride safe

Motorcycle Safety Foundation president Tim Buche announced a new campaign to help curb injuries and fatalities with soon to be released web content on YouTube and Break.com, local market PSAs and a targeted short aimed at drivers ed programs across the country.

While different factions argue over the percentage increases in death and injury against registrations, actual numbers continue to rise. Given increasingly crowded highways jammed with drivers text messaging, coordinating their GPSs and scrubbing through their iPods while rolling along in cruise-controlled comfort at 85 mph, it’s not getting any safer.

Add in the steadily deteriorating condition of most of the worst roads and interstates, and it’s a cinch we need all the help we can get. Find out how, from the source.

rate ’em, dan-oh

Fact: 32 per cent of commercial airtime is devoted to commercials.

Fact: if we can skip through them, we do.

What’s to be done? The traditional model for ad base rates stems from program demos and ratings. The new model could switch to ad content based ratings instead. In other words, if networks were paid by ad favorables instead of gross program viewership, then it’s a whole new ball game.
Look for networks, working with rating services, to start factoring ad content as rated by viewers. Result? Ads with high positives get better position. Got a crummy ad not even your mother likes? It won’t be dragging down the program content with it if this new plan works out.

Advertisers whose ad content is graded highly by viewers wins. If you’re tired of Head-On and Depends, then their future could be in your resourceful hands, so the next time you get a chance to zap or view, make sure it’s a dog before you skip.

meanwhile, back at the beach

The crew at The Shop is hosting their 9th Annual Back to the Beach Kustom Kulture Festival April 21st. Time’s short, it’s just around the corner, at the Ventura County Fairgrounds. Oh, and guess what? No tow or trailer ins! Yup, if you’re going to enter, you’re going to ride/drive/push.

bud tv – alternative alternative?

Budweiser’s celebrated $30-million push into internet media over at bud.tv is a looker for several reasons. Rich content defined, it may well be a glimpse at the immediate future of the internet, at the expense of the networks and cable. It’s certainly a lot easier to remember “bud.tv” than to keep track of every over-the-air and cable program sponsored by Bud if you’re hooked on their message. If it’s this good in the beginning, it’ll only get better down the road.

tip: check out the fake celeb salon spoof — then think of that the next time you’re forced to choose between bottled or tap in front of strangers.

did you know…

That nearly half of e-mail subscribers purchases are influenced in their decision making by e-mail? That’s a qualified summary, conditional on the kind of content received and the relevance of the content. But it’s too large a percentage to dismiss as irrelevant, regardless of the actual number cited.

Keep in mind thats a measurement of subscribers, not just receivers who may be on a forward or broadcast list. But regardless of what’s parsed, one major conclusion is that ignoring your web visitors by not capturing data and sign-up info and then following up with rich content media delivery may be sacrificing a significant revenue stream.

globalshop ’07 – christmas in march

globalshop

(LAS VEGAS, NV) Just back from the 2007 edition of Globalshop that took place March 7th-9th. If you’re in the visual marketing business, this is like being stranded in Santa’s workshop and all the goodies are yours to keep.

What’s it about? Anything and everything having to do with retail marketing — print, digital, dimensional, audio — Globalshop puts it all out on one floor, and you’d better be wearing track shoes to keep up.

We’ll put a full report up on the web site later, along with a short slide show. For now the excitement’s still palpable, reviewing the fascinating methodology behind the manipulation of consumer instincts. Say what? Ka-ching ka-ching, that’s what.