Marketing Thought

Even though I now pursue higher education as a discipline, I still see the world in marketing and advertising terms very often, since my undergraduate degree is in marketing. Marketing thoughts creep into my mind quite often, and every once in a while, I think I come up with a great idea. This morning's otherwise horrific commute happened to be one of those days. Today, I thought of what I believe to be an absolutely brilliant marketing slogan. Before I tell you what it is, let me first set the stage briefly.

I think this message would be targeted to college students, or those who are shortly thereafter removed. It would play on people's reluctance to go out once they are already home because they are tired, unmotivated, or otherwise just plain lazy. So, without further ado, here it is:

Because tonight could turn out to be "remember that night?"

I think it's fantastic. It creates a sense of urgency and maybe even a little bit of jealously, because everyone wants to be part of the night that his/her peers talk about for the rest of their lives. Still don't believe me? Consider one of these possibilities:

Bacardi (r) - "Because tonight could turn out to be "remember that night?"
(Fine Dining Restaurant) - "Because tonight could turn out to be "remember that night?"
Sure (r) Deodorant - "Because tonight could turn out to be "remember that night?"

Who knows? I could have been a wealthy corporate suit thinking these things up, testing them out on target markets, and trying to impress people at coffee shops with my accomplishments.

Mirroring Others

There was a time when I was really into reading self-help books such as The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People and How to Win Friends and Influence People. While I don't discount the merits and utility of this popular genre, I do question how much they reinforce simple solution and a dominant leader paradigm. Nonetheless, one of the most valuable lessons that I remember and still use very regularly from them is the importance of mirroring others; that is, to use the language, body language, and mannerisms of others when trying to relate to them. If your supervisor is talking to you about a project he'd like done with her legs crossed, it might be to your benefit to do the same. If she's resting her head on her arm, you might consider doing the same, and so on. The key is to mirror nonchalantly and inconspicuously. Doing this, some argue, puts the others at ease, builds rapport, and helps break down barriers that might otherwise be an interference. Let me explain using some examples I've had in my life, including one from today.



I was a leadership consultant for my fraternity after I graduated college, which meant that I visited 34 chapters at different campuses all across the country. My job was to help strengthen their chapter operations in the course of three days. This proved to be challenging because who wants to take advice on how to improve your student organization from some strange guy living out of his vehicle who shows up for three days and then leaves? Mirroring came in extremely handy on each and every visit I did. When the chapter members would tell me about their school, their house, and their chapter, I paid very special attention to the words they used to describe them. Sometimes they'd refer to their Greek community as "frat row" or "Greek row," which I always tried to repeat later on during meetings with members of the chapter. If they spoke slowly and calmly, I did, too. If they referred to their president as "J-Scruggs" instead of "Justin Scruggs," I did, too. Further, if the person I was meeting with used a lot of hand gestures, I would, too. This did a lot to reduce barriers quickly, and, hopefully (I'd like to think so anyway), a lot to make me more effective at my job.

Another example occurred just a few hours ago. My auto mechanic called to give me an update on some repairs to my vehicle. When I dropped off my vehicle this morning and spoke with the mechanic, I was dressed in a shirt, tie, sweater, dress pants, and dress shoes, while he was wearing typical mechanic garb, complete with grease and stains. There was an obvious barrier there. I'm not incredibly repair-savvy, but I knew enough to pay very close attention to the language he used as he speculated what might be wrong. When he called me a few hours later to explain what the problem was, I incorporated his language into my questioning, and I quickly noticed a shift in how he spoke to me. It was almost as if I was able to shatter his typical explanation of what was wrong just by paying attention to the language he used, his inflections, and his tone.

I've sort of internalized this "mirroring" thing now, so it's a part of who I am at this point. I do it in face-to-face interactions, emails, and even trade proposals in fantasy sports. If someone offers me a trade and the comment sections reads something like "if you dont want him, make me an offer when your ready," I'll respond back with the same poor grammar and lack of capitalization, which I'm programmed not to do. That way, he/she doesn't feel like I'm above them in any way.

Mirroring can be a great way to diffuse barriers between people, in addition to a way to check one's own assumptions and privileges.

NASCAR Fans Now Their Own Demographic

Fresh off the Kentucky and Oregon primaries, a leading poll now has Barack Obama with an 8% lead of John McCain. Good news, but there is one troubling segment in the article when it breaks down the demographics of who's likely to vote for whom. Here it is:

Barack also leads among independents and some demographics that he has struggled with in the primary: Catholics, Jews, union households, and the working class. McCain led among whites, NASCAR fans, and voters over 65.



I understand the importance of breaking down voters across demographic lines to get a better understanding of voter preference, but when did "NASCAR Fans" become its own demographic? Why not bridge players? Why not gardeners or those who fall into watching ping pong on ESPN 2 at one in the morning on a Friday night? Why can't I have Peter King on my TV with his magical map telling me who fares better with voters who enjoy the likes of Agatha Christie novels? Tell me that Peter King. Tell me that.

Also, I give John McCain three weeks before he's uttering the words "Gentlemen, start your engines!!!" Heaven please help us.

McBush

There's a bigger connection there than you think....

Sexism

I'm always puzzled when people say that sexism and racism don't exist in today's society. There are scores of examples in contemporary America, but sometimes it's worthwhile to look back in history to see how overt oppression was. Take this recently unearthed example about women in the workplace in 1943 from Transportation Magazine written for male supervisors.

Eleven Tips on Getting More Efficiency Out of Women Employees: There's no longer any question whether transit companies should hire women for jobs formerly held by men. The draft and manpower shortage has settled that point. The important things now are to select the most efficient women available and how to use them to the best advantage.

Here are eleven helpful tips on the subject from Western Properties:

1. Pick young married women. They usually have more of a sense of responsibility than their unmarried sisters, they're less likely to be flirtatious, they need the work or they wouldn't be doing it, they still have the pep and interest to work hard and to deal with the public efficiently.

2. When you have to use older women, try to get ones who have worked outside the home at some time in their lives. Older women who have never contacted the public have a hard time adapting themselves and are inclines to be cantankerous and fussy. It's always well to impress upon older women the importance of friendliness and courtesy.

3. General experience indicates that "husky" girls - those who are just a little on the heavy side - are more even tempered and efficient than their underweight sisters.

4. Retain a physician to give each woman you hire a special physical examination - one covering female conditions. This step not only protects the property against the possibilities of lawsuit, but reveals whether the employee-to-be has any female weaknesses which would make her mentally or physically unfit for the job.

5. Stress at the outset the importance of time the fact that a minute or two lost here and there makes serious inroads on schedules. Until this point is gotten across, service is likely to be slowed up.

6. Give the female employee a definite day-long schedule of duties so that they'll keep busy without bothering the management for instructions every few minutes. Numerous properties say that women make excellent workers when they have their jobs cut out for them, but that they lack initiative in finding work themselves.

7. Whenever possible, let the inside employee change from one job to another at some time during the day. Women are inclined to be less nervous and happier with change.

8. Give every girl an adequate number of rest periods during the day. You have to make some allowances for feminine psychology. A girl has more confidence and is more efficient if she can keep her hair tidied, apply fresh lipstick and wash her hands several times a day.

9. Be tactful when issuing instructions or in making criticisms. Women are often sensitive; they can't shrug off harsh words the way men do. Never ridicule a woman - it breaks her spirit and cuts off her efficiency.

10. Be reasonably considerate about using strong language around women. Even though a girl's husband or father may swear vociferously, she'll grow to dislike a place of business where she hears too much of this.

11. Get enough size variety in operator's uniforms so that each girl can have a proper fit. This point can't be stressed too much in keeping women happy.

Original article can be found here.

#1

I just received an article that I'm pretty excited about. It seems Maryland is a pretty good place for graduate school.



"The Department of Counseling and Personnel Services (CAPS) in the College of Education has earned another No. 1 ranking in education in the 2009 edition of U.S. News & World Report’s guide to “America’s Best Graduate Schools.”

The Department Chair says, "Our programs work because of our collaborative leadership. Everyone—that includes faculty, students and staff—is focused on working together and gives more than the minimum expectation.”

I'm a big fan of collaborative leadership, so that's music to my ears. I can tell you that I got a real sense of this kind of leadership described in the article when I visited there.

Although I don't put a lot of stock into US News & World Report rankings, it's nice to have some positive ink spilled on the place you've just committed the next four years to.

Should you feel compelled, the full article can be found here.

The Graduate

After two years, Erica has graduated! Sometimes it seems like it's been much shorter, other times it feels much longer. Either way, it's a remarkable accomplishment, and one that we celebrated in grand style. Erica's parents, grandparents, my mother, my sister and brother-in-law, Erica's friend Dianna, and her little one, Aidan, all came to commemorate the event. Ardent followers of Irresponsibly Responsible know that we live in a very small apartment, so playing host to 9 people proved to be a bit challenging, but we made it work wonderfully. It was a good thing that Erica and I are both trained in supply chain management and work flow, or else we would have been in trouble! Luckily, we were able to house them in adjacent rooms to our apartment, and we made good use of common areas in the residence hall for dining and lounging. It was a very memorable weekend -- certainly one that we'll never forget.

I'm very proud of my wife for graduating from a very challenging program. I also learned a lot about myself during the last two years, specifically how to be supportive during stressful times. I think I did pretty good at it, although Erica may tell a different tale. (Kidding, of course.)

Erica had to fly out to an on-campus interview on the following Monday. To say that she is exhausted would be an understatement. To say that I'm extremely proud of her and so excited to see what's next for her in her life would also be an understatement!



You can see all of the pictures from the festivities here.

Further Proof that Today's Music Stinks

In my late night surfing tonight, I stumbled across the historical archive of the Billboard Top 100 Charts. Curious, I began to look at the top five songs from when I graduated high school compared to when my parents graduated. Here's a smattering.

The Top Five Songs When I Graduated Include: TLC - "No Scrubs"; Britney Spears - "...One More Time"; Cher - "Believe"

The Top Five Songs When My Mom Graduated High School Include: The Beatles - "Hey Jude"; Otis Redding - "Sittin' on the Dock of the Bay"; Rascals - "People Got to Be Free"

The Top Five Songs When My Dad Graduated High School Include: Three Dog Night - "Joy to the World"; Rod Stewart - "Maggie May"

I think I'd much rather be associated with great bands and songs as opposed to horrific music from the likes of Britney and TLC, but who am I? You can access the whole list here, if you'd like. Feel free to post your graduation songs in the comments below!

Thanks, George

Everybody's favorite president (well, 29% isn't bad, I guess) just deposited $1,200 into our bank account. Lucky us. I'm surprised it wasn't supplemented with some sort of pro-spending, patriotic, do your part, propaganda (see below).





We get ours first because the last two digits of my social security number are 02, so that puts us towards the top of the list. We'll receive our checks a full 8 weeks earlier than those who have higher numbers of the last two numbers of their SS. I told Erica that it's another benefit for having married me. They just keep on coming.

Our check is going to aid us in our move to DC coming up in less than two months. Nothing is more sexy than spending money on gas and UHauls. Nothing.