April 28, 2010

Phoenix marketing agency wonders about . . .

Filed under: Marketing Quick-Tip — admin @ 10:42 am

What effect will the “Boycott Arizona” movement have on the state’s citizens and businesses? Here’s one effect:  http://bit.ly/deqEFu

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April 27, 2010

Phoenix-based SF publication vows AZ boycott support

Filed under: Marketing Quick-Tip — admin @ 4:23 pm

Village voice Bay Area affilate joins boycott. See article here: http://bit.ly/cn2KCg

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April 26, 2010

How much steam will the “Boycott AZ” movement gain?

Filed under: Marketing Quick-Tip — admin @ 5:35 pm

The Jon Garrido Blog

by Jon Garrido on Apr.26, 2010, under Politics

Boycott Arizona

PHOENIX (By Jon Garrido, The Jon Garrido News Network) April 19, 2010, updated April 24, 2010 ―

Governor Brewer signed Senate Bill 1070, April 23, 2010

Arizona needs to attract visitors, conventions and new businesses to grow our economy; unfortunately, the approved law, Senate Bill 1070, considered the toughest state immigration measure in the United States because it now makes being in Arizona illegally a state crime, will lead to acts of civil disobedience and adverse economic consequences for Arizona’s economy.

Arizona for the past forty years has realized an influx of whites from the mid-west moving to Arizona with conservative values into enclaves called Sun City, Sun City West, Sun City Grand, Sun Lakes, etc. duplicating the South in the days of Jim Crow.

Now with the passage of SB 1070, Arizona fully embraces a period of Jim Crow actions.

During the time of Jim Crow in the South, the majority of the white, voting population rabidly supported segregation. Only the intervention of the federal government, economic boycotts against businesses that discriminated, and a prolonged Civil Rights Movement finally prevailed over the great mass of whites who wanted the color line to remain intact.

The Jim Crow laws were state and local laws in the United States enacted between 1876 and 1965. They mandated de jure racial segregation in all public facilities, with a supposedly “separate but equal” status for black Americans. In reality, this led to treatment and accommodations that were usually inferior to those provided for white Americans, systematizing a number of economic, educational and social disadvantages.

Nearly identical to Jim Crow was apartheid used in South Africa.

The crime of apartheid is defined by the 2002 Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court as inhumane acts of a character similar to other crimes against humanity “committed in the context of an institutionalized regime of systematic oppression and domination by one racial group over any other racial group or groups and committed with the intention of maintaining that regime.”

Hispanic News believes Arizona has become the new apartheid for America brought about by overt hatred of Hispanics.

The only immediate defense available to Arizona Hispanics of this overt hatred is to put into practice an economic sanction, rather than Burn, Baby, Burn! used in the Watts Riots of 1965 lasting 6 days in Los Angeles.

The Hispanic News letter to Gov. Brewer, dated April 19, 2010, stated if SB 1070 is approved, Hispanic News would proceed to implement a national boycott of Arizona.

Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.) providing sage advise said, “Our economic sanction is: Do not do business with a state that is propagating the idea separate but equal treatment under the law can be codified.”

Grijalva, who represents a southern Arizona district (Tucson) called Senate Bill 1070 “racist.”

Grijalva added, “The governor and legislature are blind to what this bill will really do to citizens, law enforcement and the state economy. Tourists will not come to a state with discriminatory policies on the books. Businesses will not move here. Hispanic workers and taxpayers will leave. If state lawmakers don’t realize or don’t care how detrimental this will be, we need to make them somehow understand.”

“Conventions are a large source of visitors and revenue, and targeting them is the most effective way to make this point before it’s too late. Just as professional athletes refused to recognize Arizona until it recognized Martin Luther King Jr., we are calling on convention planners, organizations and companies not to schedule conventions and conferences in Arizona until it recognizes civil rights and the meaning of due process. We don’t want to sustain this effort any longer than necessary. It’s about sending a message.”

Tuesday on MSNBC’s Countdown with Keith Olbermann, in a segment amusingly entitled “State Out of Mind,” Olbermann interviewed Rep. Grijalva, who laid out a plan for a tentative boycott.

“We’re asking organizations,” he told Olbermann, “civic, religious, labor, Latino, organizations of color to refrain from using Arizona as a convention site, to refrain from spending their dollars in the state of Arizona until Arizona turns the clock forward instead of backwards and joins the rest of the union. Indeed, Arizona needs to be quarantined from the rest of the nation, isolated and sanctioned until there’s a regime change, much like South Africa under apartheid was in the 1980s.”

Arizona SB 1070, which will become Arizona law 90 days after the state legislature’s present session comes to an end, will bring havoc on Arizona directly turning Arizona into a Gestapo state violating the civil rights of Arizona Hispanics by significantly increasing police profiling of everyone with a brown face.

A new movement now begins to spread the message across America of anyone who visits or considers Arizona to expand or start a new business, condones Arizona becoming a police state.

Sheriff Joe Arpaio under the auspices of the new Police State will expand his immigration sweeps and knock in the dark of night and state to Hispanic households “identification papers.” It will not be a request, but a command from the Nazi Gestapo.

Arizona’s economy is also directly impacted by tourism and convention attendance.

The purpose of this letter is to officially notify all concerned, with Arizona now moving forward with SB 1070, Hispanic News on Monday will send out its first letter regarding “Boycott Arizona.”

Our first action will be to contact Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele to strongly oppose bringing the 2012 national Republican convention to Phoenix. If the GOP national convention comes to Arizona, it will send a message the GOP condones Arizona becoming a hate state toward Hispanics.

We will not single out Republicans but any Democrat or Republican event in Arizona will not be welcomed. In addition, we will directly contact every business considering locating to Arizona to make them aware Arizona has become a police state.

Not only tourism/conventions and businesses but also sport owners/teams will be strongly asked not to come to Arizona.

In addition, we will strongly recommend tourism and conventions programs funded by Arizona cities be brought to a halt.

On Monday, a letter will be sent to the Phoenix city manager notifying him Boycott Arizona will target all conventions using the Phoenix Convention Center.

Our strong recommendation to the city manager is he now has a responsibility to notify all convention planners considering Phoenix to be apprised of possible protests and a picket line at the Phoenix Convention Center. In addition, Boycott Arizona will also proceed to boycott the service or product nationally sold by the company.

All convention planners should be notified of caveat emptor for it would be prudent and advisable to warn all conventions coming to the Phoenix convention center their service or product will be boycotted by Boycott Arizona. We strongly recommend full disclosure to all considering usage of the Phoenix Convention Center.

Next week, a letter will be sent to the City of Phoenix requesting the dollar amount funded to the Phoenix Visitors Convention Bureau this year and requesting these funds be immediately frozen and used for other programs and services.

The Grand Canyon is our number 1 Arizona tourist destination. This summer, we will take Boycott Arizona to the entrance of the Grand Canyon.

This will be where we host our first national rally inviting Hispanic groups from all over the USA to come to Arizona to advance Boycott Arizona and promote Immigration Reform in Washington. Boycott Arizona will make the national evening news programs and become highly visible everywhere in the USA adding to its success to close down Arizona.

To spread the message Arizona becoming a police state, a network of supporters across America will work with us to spread the message of Boycott Arizona.

In addition, an advertising blitz sponsored by Hispanic News will be part of a national campaign to apprise all tourism agencies and travel agents to make their clients aware Arizona is now a Police State.

Efforts to have national and/or regional companies Boycott Arizona will result by notifying large national commercial real estate brokers and public and private economic development agencies in the USA by email blasts. Economic development agencies charged with bringing new companies to their cities and states are highly competitive. They will all use Arizona’s Police State as a tool to locate companies to their jurisdictions in lieu of selecting Arizona.

For a company or any part of a company operation proceeding to locate in Arizona, we shall boycott their products and/or services not only in Arizona but we will utilize our network of supporters across America to boycott their products and/or services across America.

For companies already in Arizona, we shall request their endorsement of Boycott Arizona and add their names to a list to be published here. For companies already in Arizona who fail to endorse Boycott Arizona, their products and/or services will be added to the boycott list.

In addition, Hispanic News will recruit public officials to support Boycott Arizona.

Boycott Arizona will also use the COPS model used in San Antonio, Texas in 1974, to effectively close down economic development growth in Arizona as San Antonio’s Communities Organized Public Service (COPS) brought growth to a halt in San Antonio.

In tandem with other pro-Immigration Reform groups, we will make crystal clear without federal Comprehensive Immigration Reform in 2010, we will sit out the 2010 and 2012 elections unless Immigration Reform becomes the law of the land prior to the next presidential election.

The use of Tweeter to spread the message of hate showered on Arizona Hispanics will spread across the USA as a fire spreading across the prairie. Nothing will be able to stop it.

Arizona is our home state. SB 1070 will have the same racist action as the Germans requiring Jews to wear a Star of David on their upper left chest to identify them as Jews. Will SB 1070 require Hispanics wear brown armbands? As Germans arrested Jews prior to and during WW II and then sent Jews to concentration camps for extermination, Sheriff Joe Arpaio will expand his immigration sweeps and knock in the dark of night and state to Hispanic households “identification papers.” It will not be a request, but a command from the SB 1070 Nazi Gestapo.

“Those Who Forget History Are Doomed to Repeat It.”

Hispanic News will continue Boycott Arizona until SB 1070 is rescinded.

Jon Garrido
Jon@JonGarrido.com
Boycott Arizona

Jon Garrido, formerly responsible for attracting companies to Arizona and Texas, was the economic development coordinator for the City of Tucson, executive director of economic development for the City of El Paso, director of community and economic development for the Salt River Indian Community and vice president for planning and development for Valgroup (formerly the largest real estate development company in Arizona). On retiring at age 55, Jon Garrido started and publishes Hispanic News.

Google, Bing or Yahoo “Hispanic News” to find the number 1 ranked website in the United States.

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April 22, 2010

Marketing in Phoenix: The case for one-way communication

Filed under: Marketing Quick-Tip — admin @ 4:50 pm

 

 

By Allan Starr

 

As head of a marketing agency in Phoenix since 1976, I long have understood that the fundamental premise on which all marketing is based is the following:

 

If the consumer isn’t aware that you exist, you can’t sell your product.

 

When encountering a prospect on the showroom floor or at a trade show, in every case, he or she was “delivered” to that critical point by an awareness of you; whether through an advertisement, a referral or, in the trade show circumstance, merely because you were there.

 

What takes place at that point is two-way communication (you standing face to face with the prospect, closing the sale). Though your degree of success will be determined by your persuasiveness, product, knowledge, price, etc., something that happened before that gave you the opportunity: a prospect had to be delivered.

 

The associates who are working closely with clients at our Phoenix advertising agency have come to realize that in today’s highly competitive marketplace, real success is largely a numbers game. To survive, let alone be a leader in your category, you have to close many sales. In order to do so, you have to have ample numbers of prospects with which to work.

 

A friend at another Phoenix public agency recently agreed that the key point is this: Developing adequate numbers of prospects cannot be accomplished through two-way communication, either face to face, by phone, the mail or, even, the Internet. Neither you nor your sales staff has anywhere near the time necessary for this crucial function. Prominent publisher McGraw Hill & Co. has estimated that the average sales call requires approximately 45 minutes, and that an average of three calls is required to close a sale. Surely, it’s no way to prospect.

 

Prospecting is what marketing ¾ the one-way communication element of sales ¾ is ideally suited for. Expensive, time-consuming two-way communication simply isn’t efficient, nor is it effective in developing prospects in the numbers sufficient for business success. Marketing communication, in one form or another, is the answer.

 

Most anti-marketing hard-liners got that way because they, at some point, were turned off by poor marketing efforts that failed to produce results. This is understandable, because much marketing is misguided or misplaced ¾ but it is not justifiable, and more than likely will be hazardous to bottom-line business health.

 

Is marketing foolproof? Will it always produce infallible, guaranteed results? No it won’t, nor is it fair to expect it to (after all, what does?). But it is more science than art, and, as such, has something very important on its side: LOGIC.  Marketing is measurable, quite often yielding predictable results, and as practiced by good professionals, should ¾ and most often does ¾ more than pay for itself.

 

Marketing Partners of Arizona (MPA) was founded in 1976 by Allan Starr, and serves a local, regional and national clientele with diverse services including strategic marketing, advertising, public relations, sponsorship procurement, e-mail marketing, Website optimization and other online initiatives. Starr is former governor of the Southwest District of the American Advertising Federation (AAF), two-term president of The Arizona Small Business Assn. and is serving a sixth term on the board of directors of The Greater Phoenix Chamber of Commerce.

 

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April 16, 2010

16 Steps to Improve Your Network

Filed under: Marketing Quick-Tip — admin @ 12:21 pm

Here are some general suggestions for expanding your network:

  • Know Your Goals – determine the types of people you want to build relationships with. Remember, smart networking is a quality over quantity thing. Set goals for yourself, such as meet five reporters that cover my industry or develop relationships with the CEOs of two public companies. If you know who you want to meet, list them out. Tip: remember to set an achievable goal and a deadline, such as X number by Y date.
  • Keep Score – if you set your goals, track your progress. Did you achieve your goal or not? While I don’t advocate counting cards, it’s a good measure of how many people you’re meeting (the same goes for Friends, Followers or Connections through various social networks). If your network isn’t expanding proportionately with the people you’re meeting, revisit your strategy.
  • Target the Right Engagement Points – if you’re looking to build relationships with media, attend events or conferences where there is the largest concentration of these journalists. If possible, pick venues where people will be in a networking mood. Using the journalist example, a big tradeshow isn’t the best place to meet a journalist. A media industry happy hour might be. Ensure that the event you choose is an appropriate networking environment. The holiday party at a newspaper might be good, but journalists could also frown on this activity. A great example would be a media relations event with a lot of journalist guest speakers.
  • Have a Good Opener – you’re going to have to introduce yourself at a networking event. You should be able to answer the “what do you do?” question consistently, with a clear and memorable message. It doesn’t hurt to prepare this statement and practice it – just don’t sound like a robot when somebody asks you (unless of course you are a robot).
  • Get Digits – exchange business cards with the people you meet. This might seem like an obvious approach, but I often overlook this when I get caught up in conversation. While it’s easy to find people via social media these days, a card is an invitation to follow up. Throw an idea out there to the people you meet, and ask if you can follow up to discuss more. This gives you an excuse to follow up. If you don’t have a pen, email the person with your contact info on the spot. Bonus points if you Bump somebody.
  • Follow Up – it’s easy to throw a stack of business cards on your desk and never touch them again. You should always follow up a first meeting with an email or phone call. Do this within 48 hours of meeting somebody. If you skip this step, you might as well toss the cards. I’ve made this mistake before and have kicked myself later when I needed to connect with a person I had lost touch with.
  • Stay In Touch – don’t let your relationships die off. Keep in touch with people. Some job hunters I met back in the late 90s are now directors at big brands. When you keep in touch with contacts over the long haul, you’ll be surprised how many interesting connections you’ll have down the road. You’ll quickly become one of those people that knows somebody that “does that” or “works there.” Of course, you want to stay in touch with people so they’ll remember you too. People forget who you are and what you do – you have to remind them regularly if you want to get value from your network.
  • Dress Appropriately – a morning meeting of CEOs (or bankers or lawyers) is a suit and tie event. A happy hour event with marketers is business casual (or jeans). Leave the flip-flops at home. Some people will think you’re cool, but some will roll their eyes. I’ve never been one to get caught up in what people are wearing, but others care about this sort of thing.
  • Deliver Value – I’m pretty passionate about this point. I regularly scan my contacts to see what ideas pop into my head. If I come across some information that would be interesting to one of my contacts, I share it with them. If I see synergies between people in my network, I share it. If somebody asks me for help, I offer it willingly. Don’t miss the opportunity to pay it forward, you’ll feel great and will find people often reciprocate.
  • Don’t Judge – people don’t always make the best first impressions. Don’t judge a book by its cover and don’t make assumptions about people after only a few interactions. I can’t tell you how many times my opinion has changed about people over time, as I got to know them better. At the same time, our personalities change over time. People grow. Don’t base your opinion about somebody on outdated information. At the same time, don’t brush off a contact because they don’t have an important-enough sounding title or work for a famous brand.
  • Look in the Mirror – it’s one of the hardest things to do, but take a good self-assessment on a regular basis. Are you putting your best foot forward in networking situations? Do you tend to make more requests from your network than you do give back? Don’t be greedy when building relationships. If you’re constantly turning to your network when you need something, versus trying to find a way to help people in your network out, the strength of your relationships will weaken.
  • Keep It Fun – meeting new people is fun. It’s a great way to expand your circle of influence, to learn more and to advance in your career. I am fortunate to have a large network of peers I can interact with. It’s okay to have a sense of humor and to be relaxed with people – just be conscious of your environment and your audience.
  • Build Relationships When You Don’t Need Them – don’t start networking when you need to find a new job. This is the most common no-no I see with networking. On the same note, don’t expect a journalist to give you a warm reception when your first interaction is a pitch. Get to know people before you have a request for them. Things are much easier in any area of business when you know the person already. Of course, this is one area where journalists have it a bit easier – most people are willing to talk to a journalist (but it’s still easy if the connection already exists).
  • Say Please and Thank You – when people say ‘please’ or ‘thank you’, they make more of an impact on people (at least me). It’s common courtesy, and it’s right.
  • Be Sincere – if you just care about the connection, and not the person, it will show. Don’t bother spending any time on networking unless you are willing to spend the time it takes to establish and nurture those relationships. It’s corny, but relationships are like plants in your garden. If you don’t water and fertilize on a regular basis, they’ll die.
  • Everybody is Important – the Barista at Starbucks? She’s working on her MBA and is going to be your boss in five years. The guy working on your car? He’s going to coach your kid’s soccer team next season. And that woman wanting to interview you for her school paper? That’s the CEO’s daughter. Everyone is connected. Never – never ever – assume somebody is not relevant to the type of relationships you’re looking to build today. You never know who will be important, so assume everyone is.

Start With One New Connection Today

You might not remember this, but I bet your kindergarten teacher tried to get you to play with the other kids. You should do this as an adult too. I’ve never regretted taking the time to get to know somebody else. Have I met some people that annoy the heck out of me? Maybe. But I probably drive them crazy too. More often than not, you’ll be amazed by other people. It’s the best investment in your personal and professional development you could possibly make.

 

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April 6, 2010

A tiger of a different stripe

Filed under: Marketing Quick-Tip — admin @ 12:52 pm

The Tiger Woods “Apology Tour,” whose fourth and latest installment was staged via a press conference at The Masters golf tournament on April 5, reminded us of a simple rule in public relations and life: Close the barn door before the horses get out! In other words, if your company screws up (pun intended), face up to your transgressions quickly and clearly before they are allowed to take on a life of their own. Indeed, while prevention always trumps repair, needed repair – like those dreaded windshield cracks – work better if they’re tended to quickly.

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April 1, 2010

10 Fatal Flaws in Marketing

Filed under: Marketing Quick-Tip — admin @ 5:03 pm

 

 

Marketing mistakes may be better than not marketing at all, but, nonetheless, avoiding some of its inherent pitfalls can be quite beneficial to your business health. Here are 10 things to avoid:

 

 

  1. Thinking that being best ensures success

 

Sure, it can be helpful to proclaim your status, but don’t forget to tell prospects why you are best, and just how this can benefit them.

 

  1. Disregarding the power of the “Three-Foot Rule”

 

     Don’t fail to take advantage of “close encounters” by at the very least  introducing yourself. This could lead to new business relationships.

 

  1. Failing to stake-out your unique position

 

       Focus your marketing on saying what your competitors can’t say.

 

  1. Portraying features as benefits

 

In marketing communication, be specific in conveying “what’s in it” for your prospect. Don’t tell them what it is, tell them what it does for them.

 

  1.  Thinking that a lot of brilliance compensates for a lack of reliability

 

      People aren’t easily dazzled, but they do need to know they can count on you.

 

 

  1. Being too “wordy”

 

Theatrical producer David Belasco said, “If you can’t put your idea on the back of a business card, it’s not a clear idea.” .  .  . And remember, the confused mind says “No!”

 

  1. Choosing style over substance

 

     Don’t worry about style. Focus your marketing appeals on substance, and always be informative.

 

 

  1. Ignoring “Drucker’s Law”

  

“Business has two basic functions: marketing and innovation. These produce results. All the rest are costs.”  — Peter Drucker

 

 

 

  1. Letting prospects and customers/clients forget you

 

Maintain visibility in multiple ways, and keep “selling to” those whom you may think are already “sold.”

 

10.      Buck Fever

 

Don’t forget to act on your best ideas. Remember: You’ve got to pull the trigger, to hit the target.

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