I can’t believe 2009 is over already. It sure has been interesting to say the least. The Auto industry has seen lows it hasn’t seen for years, as the government tried to bail out the Big Three. Fortunately we only lost 2 clients to the GM/Chrysler downsizing, and most of our clients have endured the wave. Heck, we even picked up a Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep store!
In many cases this year, we’ve seen our clients gain market share and actually grow their bottom line. Can you believe that? We have some incredible leaders at the realm of our dealerships. Leaders who know when it’s the right time to trim their expenses, and where the best places are to do this. As an agency who’s client base is 85% Automotive, we recognized the Automotive crisis as far back as 2006-2007 and shifted our focus away from traditional media to interactive. Notice I say shifted- not abandoned- that is the key to their success. We have designed inexpensive ways for our clients to reach both “right now” buyers as well as keep them out in front of the masses. It takes careful planning and execution, but we have seen tremendous results for our clients, which in turn has helped us to grow our business in 2009. I am proud of the team I have at Bravura, and the success our clients have had- despite the economic recession of 09.
Now, as we move into 2010 - Here’s to a turn in the right direction, a SAAR of staying over 10 million, and to shiney new cars in everyone’s driveway!
St. Patrick’s Day is associated with huge parades, tons of green beer, Irish recipes galore, and even a green river (thank you City of Chicago!). But what’s with people pinching other people who aren’t wearing green on St. Patrick’s Day? It’s called the “St Patrick’s Day Pinch”, a tradition started by school children. They pinch classmates who don’t wear green on this holiday. Wearing green is strictly a U.S. custom, as the color green is not popular in Ireland. Green is connected to the old green flag and a time when Ireland was not free.
Some other St Patrick’s Day traditions include eating Irish food such as Irish Stew, Corned Beef and cabbage and kissing the famous Blarney Stone. Kissing the stone is supposed to give you the ability to talk your way into or out of most anything. The legend says that an old woman cast a spell on the stone to reward a king who had saved her from drowning. Kissing the stone while under the spell gave the king the ability to speak sweetly and convincingly. It’s difficult to reach the stone. People must lie on their back and bend backward or downward, holding iron bars for support.
St. Patrick’s Day customs and traditions vary significantly far and near. Whether you celebrate in a big way or not at all, wear green and clink a toast to the amazing St. Patrick. Remember, a Toast on St. Patty’s day is as much a tradition as anything else. Here are few Irish standards to get you by. Sláinte!
(Pronounced ‘slawn-cha‘, meaning Health! A common toast in Ireland, the equivalent to ‘Cheers’)
‘Lucky’ Irish Toasts
Wherever you go and whatever you do,
May the luck of the Irish be there with you.
If you’re enough lucky to be Irish…
You’re lucky enough!
May you have all the happiness and luck that life can hold—
And at the end of all your rainbows may you find a pot of gold.
May your pockets be heavy— Your heart be light,
And may good luck pursue you each morning and night.
Irish Toasts to Friends & Family
May you have warm words on a cold evening, a full moon on a dark night, and a smooth road all the way to your door.
There are good ships, and there are wood ships,
The ships that sail the sea.
But the best ships, are friendships,
And may they always be.
May the hinges of our friendship never grow rusty.
Here’s to you and yours, And to mine and ours,
And if mine and ours ever come across you and yours,
I hope you and yours will do as much for mine and ours,
As mine and ours have done for you and yours!
May the lilt of Irish laughter lighten every load…
May the mist of Irish magic shorten every road…
And may all your friends remember … all the favors you are owed!
Here’s to the land of the shamrock so green,
Here’s to each lad and his darlin colleen,
Here’s to the ones we love dearest and most.
May God bless old Ireland,…That’s this Irishman’s toast!
Irish Everyday Toasts
May you be in heaven a full half hour before the devil knows your dead!
May you live as long as you want and never want as long as you live.
May your heart be light and happy,
May your smile be big and wide,
And may your pockets always have a coin or two inside!
Always remember to forget the troubles that passed away.
But never forget to remember the blessings that come each day.
May neighbours respect you,
Irish Birthday Toasts
May you live to be 100 years, with one extra year to repent.
We drink to your coffin. May it be built from the wood of a hundred year old oak tree that I shall plant tomorrow.
May God grant you many years to live, for sure he must be knowing, the earth has angels all too few and heaven is overflowing…
May the good Lord take a liking to you…
But not too soon!
May you die in bed at 95, shot by a jealous spouse.
Trouble neglect you,
The angels protect you,
And heaven accept you.
May you have the hindsight to know where you’ve been, The foresight to know where you are going, And the insight to know when you have gone too far.
May the saddest day of your future be no worse than the happiest day of your past.
May misfortune follow you the rest of your life, and never catch up.
First down, no yellow feet
If you watch football on TV, you’re familiar with the first down line that appears on the field as the players are running around. It’s usually a bright yellow line that moves with each play, and it’s pretty obvious that it’s not really on the field but is superimposed for TV broadcast. I figured it was just some simple overlay done in the TV studio. Then one day, I happened to stop on a game while flipping through the channels and noticed that when a player walked across the line, his feet didn’t turn yellow. In fact, the line never once encroached on any solid item that crossed it.
THE CURVEBALLS THAT Wall Street keeps throwing are enough to drive an investor crazy. For many, the pressure is too unnerving, and they choose to back out. Similarly, many businesses choose to sit on the marketing sidelines until the economy rebounds.
Neither is a smart strategy. Just as any wise investor knows that the best opportunities are found in down markets, the savvy marketing executive knows that this is the perfect time to proactively market their product or service.
Recessions are periods of opportunity that can be taken advantage of or can take advantage of you. Make certain you know how to capitalize on the great marketing opportunities provided by a recessionary period.
Here are four reasons why you should market during a down economy and how to go about doing it best:
I stumbled across a very interesting web site this morning that caters to the baby boomer generation. Baby boomers can now meet and chat just like their younger counterparts Myspace.com and Facebook. BOOMERTOWNE.com is an ad supported web site designed to be a credible resource for baby boomers to learn, collect and share information about everything boomer related.
Here is some demographic information about boomer towne.
Aug. 20 (Bloomberg) — Intel Corp. and Yahoo! Inc. are creating software to give televisions the ability to display the Web without interfering with the programming, allowing a viewer to check the bio of an actor in the movie on the screen.
TV watchers can access a news story, sports score or weather forecast from the Web by clicking an on-screen icon with the remote control, Intel Senior Vice President Eric Kim said today at the Intel Developer Forum in San Francisco. The software will be given for free to TV-service providers.
A drop in the price of computer-processors brought on by increasing competition has sent Intel, the world’s largest chipmaker, seeking growth with consumer-electronics devices. For Yahoo, owner of the second most-used Internet search engine, offering content on TV may yield more viewers for its Web ads.
“Consumers are ready for more,” said Kim. Internet traffic increased during the Super Bowl, one example of TV watchers wanting simultaneous access to more information, he said.
Televisions will need a device for the set-top box that enables them to pull up content from the Web, Kim said. Intel will sell chips for such devices, which will be available next year. Later, the capability will be built into set-top boxes and televisions directly, he said.
Comcast Corp., the largest U.S. cable-TV service provider, said it will begin test services in the first half.
Two Shows, No Waiting
The Intel chips will also be capable of displaying two high- definition programs on the screen simultaneously, allowing the viewer to pause and fast-forward each independently, Kim said.
Companies such as Samsung Electronics Co. have already received samples and are working on products based on the chips, Kim said. Intel will start making the processor, known as system- on-a-chip, in larger quantities in a few weeks, he said.
Intel, based in Santa Clara, California, fell 20 cents to $23.39 at 4 p.m. New York time in Nasdaq Stock Market trading. The shares have fallen 12 percent this year. Yahoo, in Sunnyvale, California, dropped 25 cents to $19.17 and has declined 18 percent this year.
To contact the reporter on this story: Ian King in San Francisco at ianking@bloomberg.net
I’ve heard this time and time again. In fact, my ex-employer (a prominant business man and a Mega-Auto Dealer) always preached that when everyone else cut back, it’s when we need to stay visible. The article below highlights a few reputable national chains that like so many other advertisers, cut their marketing dollars in this down economy, but it seems it may have been the means to an end.
I am a true believer in no matter what the size of the pie, you still want to get your piece of it. When the pie begins to grow, your business will reap the benefits.
