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:

(more…)

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.

(more…)

By Ian King

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

Last Updated: August 20, 2008 17:45 EDT

Courtesy of Common Craft

The inaugural Pig Roast was a huge success! City BBQ catered the event and homemade Sangria was enjoyed by all. The weather was a sticky 94 degrees, but that didn’t stop many of our media friends and clients from coming! Thank you for all who were able to join us, and if you couldn’t make it this year, we hope to see you next!

Click the “Read More” tab below to view photos from the event. Also, click on the image to view a higher resolution version - you can then print the photo and use it to blackmail your friends!!!

(more…)

Think of your advertising budget as a water pitcher (containing your monthly budget) and a cupboard full of glasses (your marketing choices), all the same size and shape. How many glasses do you need to achieve the best level of marketing your business each month? The answer is less than you think!

Media fragmentation, time demand on consumers and endless choices to market to the consumer all tug at our marketing pitcher. Many of us pull out seven or eight or even more glasses and fill them each with a certain amount of the budget. Then, at month’s end, we are disappointed because our marketing goals fell short. The reason; too many glasses were only being slightly filled diluting the overall marketing message.

Instead of buying too many different newspaper publications, a little cable, a little broadcast, a little radio and direct mail, choose only two or three and fill those “glasses” to the rim. You may reach fewer people, but you will reach them a greater number of times. Realistically, only 2% of the population is looking for a new vehicle at any given time, so reducing the number of ways you attempt to reach this market should not affect you negatively. The converse is true; you should see a positive impact by reducing the number of glasses (reach) and filling them fuller to achieve a greater frequency.

To learn more about how to fill less glasses and achieve better results contact the Bravura Advertising & Design team.

- Thanks to Automotive Consultant Jim Doyle for assistance with this article.