Rising like a beacon in the night from a sea of mediocrity and sameness, Florida independent dealer St. Pete Powersports starts every day fresh by sticking to the basics. The basics of good housekeeping.
After one more disappointing trip to a local one-time Top 100 dealer I began to despair at ever walking into a showroom that was clean, well lit, organized and inviting. Then I wandered into General Manager Mike Siano’s pride and joy. Continue reading
As ESPN’s Lee Corso says, “Not so fast, my friends!” The Associated Press recently suspended its distribution of source material from the U.S. Army’s Public Information Office after receiving this clumsy alteration of Ann Dunwoody, the first female four-star general.
What’s the powersports connection? PR 101 teaches that above all never poison the well. Product enhancement is not only routine but expected, but if your goal is communicating actual events and one of the proofs is an authentic visual record, risking acceptance by changing content is a big no-no. Continue reading
This isn’t about politics. No. The just concluded election turned the corner on how America communicates and in the process opened the door to the new face of marketing that’s savvy, smart and hip.
Reporting in the October 13, 2008 edition of Powersports Business News, editor Neil Pascale singled out brand consultant Paul Leinberger’s comments from the Suzuki national dealer meeting in Las Vegas. Ready? “The most important thing you have at your dealership is your web site.” Continue reading
We’re on the side that says the jury’s still out on Pepsi’s latest logo revision. Gone is the 3-D look, as is the all caps logotype that’s been in use since 1962.
Pepsi’s revisited their image 11 times over their century plus history of serving a frosty alternative to That Other Cola. Cost to revamp, according to Ad Age, is $1-mil plus for the design, but implementation will likely be well in excess of two hundred million by the time all the signage and applications are accounted for and delivered.
The lesson here is that shareholders wouldn’t sit still for an instant if the revamp didn’t have a dollars and sense basis. In other words, logos aren’t carved in stone these days. It’s pixels and plastic and the right look means more cha-ching at the end of the day.
To paraphrase, marketing makes strange bedfellows. The Assoc. of National Advertisers named presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama Marketer of the Year at their annual meeting in Orlando, FL two weeks ago.
Though not unanimous, Obama’s 36-percent of the votes cast by the 750 CMOs in attendance eclipsed runner-up Apple’s 27-percent. Nike, shoe retailer Zappos and Coors were also in the mix, while the McCain campaign managed a 4.5-percent showing. (One thing’s for sure: after this election you’d better have a grasp of e-mail knowledge and computer literacy.
Sunday night a little over a week ago I was in one of my top five eating, drinking and hanging out spots, the bar of Sammy’s Grill in Zachary, Louisiana, busily gettin’ down on a plate of catfish and crawfish.
On the hi-def screen in front of me the Tampa Bay Bucs were shoving the Seahawks around on Sunday Night Football. Over my shoulder the (Tampa Bay) Rays, mercifully shortened from the previous God-awful Devil Rays coined under former no fun allowed owner Vince Naimoli, were sewing up the ALCS with a final game whuppin’ of the Red Sox that would match them up in a series setup against the Phillies, which – as luck would have it – train just up the road in Clearwater
There’s a lot to mull over when T. Boone Pickens starts pushing his part public service, mostly private profit plan for achieving energy independence.
What I like, aside from the mostly common sense approaches to a rational energy policy, is the sophistication of the site itself.
Public relations? This campaign defines the genre. He’s out to change the way our country thinks, and he’s having some success.
Web design? Over the top. Clever and sophisticated without seeming elitist, the modules are quick to load and nothing short of brilliant in execution.
Our followup to POP Part One, which features background on structural merchandising elements, continues the theme of how best to use point of purchase materials to boost sales and manage brands.
The opportunities to utilize POP are endless, but the most popular applications include banners, pop-ups and counter mats. We examine all three for effectiveness and ROI.
Head over to the main web site for an inside view of the fascinating world of POP.
This week Cycle World summons riders from across the globe to again gather in the fabulous Sierra Nevadas for the annual installment of the legendary Trek offroad adventure.
As in year’s past I’ll travel from the comfort of sea level 362 days of the year to 8,000 feet give or take and a chance to freeze my butt off, ride hours in sleet, get soaked to the bone, eat enough dirt to start a large sized garden, and otherwise get back to basics.
Trek is the great leveler. I’m packed, psyched and ready for the challenge.
Powersports industry headliner Scot Harden moves from KTM back to Husqvarna, where his corporate involvement with off road riding first got its start.
After charting KTM’s performance course for the past 20 years, a stint that includes significant Baja and Dakar marketing coups that linked the orange and black mark with energy drink apex predator Red Bull, Harden will now split his time between his West Coast home in Temucula and Husqvarna’s New Jersey headquarters.