Get top marketing stories of the week.
February… For a Short Month, You Squeeze a Lot In. Thanks.
February is a lot of things. It is the second and shortest month of the year…. sometimes with 29 days, but mostly with 28. In leap years, it is the only month that begins and ends on the same day of the week.
In the United States (and Canada) it is Black History Month. It is also National Bird-Feeding Month. Go figure. And there are some cool days as well.
February 2 is Groundhog Day. The first Sunday of February is the Super Bowl. February 11 is Lincoln’s Birthday, and the third Monday of the month is President’s Day (banks will be closed). George Washington’s Birthday is the 22nd.
February 14 of course is Valentine’s Day (guys, don’t forget this). And February 29 is Leap Day; Tigger will be thrilled.
It appears that February was the last month to be added to the Roman calendar back in 713 B.C. (previously the Romans considered winter to be a “monthless” period). Anyway, for the next 250 years it was the last month of the year. Then it became the second month, and at times it had as few as 23 days in it. Eventually, between the Julian and Gregorian calendars, they worked out the kinks.
February even has its own poem:
Thirty days hath September,
April, June, and November;
All the rest have thirty-one,
Excepting February alone
Which hath but twenty-eight, in fine,
Till leap year gives it twenty-nine.
But perhaps most intriguing to me is that today (February 9… the day after my son’s birthday) is National Toothache Day. In reverence for this important occasion, I ask everyone to stop what they are doing at 2:30 for a moment of silence.
Is It Possible the World Already Ended and We Just Don’t Know It?
Maybe I am just suffering from overload… I’m sure there’s a syndrome, a drug and an app for that.
But lately I’ve been feeling a little like Charlie from the first season of LOST, who notably asked his island pals, “Guys, where are we?” After watching more than a few of the Republican debates and listening to the occasional Coast-to-Coast radio broadcast in between viewing new TV shows like Alien Storage Pickers of Atlanta and catching the endless hype over the SuperBowl, the Academy Awards and whatever other “celebrity” news is out there, my head is about to explode.
That’s great, it starts with an earthquake, birds and snakes, an aeroplane -
Lenny Bruce is not afraid. Eye of a hurricane, listen to yourself churn -
world serves its own needs, regardless of your own needs. Feed it up a knock,
speed, grunt no, strength no. Ladder structure clatter with fear of height,
down height. Wire in a fire, represent the seven games in a government for
hire and a combat site. Left her, wasn’t coming in a hurry with the furies
breathing down your neck. Team by team reporters baffled, trump, tethered
crop. Look at that low plane! Fine then. Uh oh, overflow, population,
common group, but it’ll do. Save yourself, serve yourself. World serves its
own needs, listen to your heart bleed. Tell me with the rapture and the
reverent in the right – right. You vitriolic, patriotic, slam, fight, bright
light, feeling pretty psyched.
It’s the end of the world as we know it.
It’s the end of the world as we know it.
It’s the end of the world as we know it and I feel fine.
Six o’clock – TV hour. Don’t get caught in foreign tower. Slash and burn,
return, listen to yourself churn. Lock him in uniform and book burning,
blood letting. Every motive escalate. Automotive incinerate. Light a candle,
light a motive. Step down, step down. Watch a heel crush, crush. Uh oh,
this means no fear – cavalier. Renegade and steer clear! A tournament,
a tournament, a tournament of lies. Offer me solutions, offer me alternatives
and I decline.
It’s the end of the world as we know it.
It’s the end of the world as we know it.
It’s the end of the world as we know it and I feel fine.
The other night I tripped a nice continental drift divide. Mount St. Edelite.
Leonard Bernstein. Leonid Breshnev, Lenny Bruce and Lester Bangs.
Birthday party, cheesecake, jelly bean, boom! You symbiotic, patriotic,
slam, but neck, right? Right.
It’s the end of the world as we know it.
It’s the end of the world as we know it.
It’s the end of the world as we know it and I feel fine…fine…
JCP Goes Wilde: The Importance of Being Earnest
“Gwendolen, it is a terrible thing for a man to find out suddenly that all his life he has been speaking nothing but the truth. Can you forgive me?”
- Oscar Wilde, The Importance of Being Earnest, Act 3
As an anemic economy continues to grind down many of America’s longest standing corporations and institutions, it is refreshing to see one of them fight back. JCPenney is one of our oldest and largest retailers, and it is taking a very bold risk. In the true spirit of transparency, JCP is launching an entirely new approach to retailing called the “Fair and Square” pricing strategy.
Awesome. The new model is designed to offer appealing initial prices that are not confused by multiple promotions, deep discounts and daily sales. In other words, no more smoke and mirrors, no more dog and pony shows, no more bait and switch. No more couponing, no more inflated discounts on inflated full retail prices.
In the words of J.C. Penney CEO Ron Johnson, “To think you can fool a customer is kind of crazy. People are disgusted with the lack of integrity on pricing.”
He is right, of course. And he ought to know, since his company is part of the problem. Still, if JCP has seen the light and is willing to invest heavily to make important changes, then good for them. And ideally it will be good for consumers.
I’m not going to say I am doubtful or even skeptical, because I am actually hopeful. But I am taking a wait-and-see attitude. Teaching old dogs new tricks – like being earnest – can be a difficult task.
“I do not approve of anything that tampers with natural ignorance. Ignorance is like a delicate exotic fruit; touch it and the bloom is gone. The whole theory of modern education is radically unsound. Fortunately in England, at any rate, education produces no effect whatsoever. If it did, it would prove a serious danger to the upper classes, and probably lead to acts of violence…”
- Oscar Wilde, The Importance of Being Earnest, Act 1
Fast Food Sector Wages War on Anti-Obesity. Let’s Fight Back!
While enjoying my dinner last night, my wife asked me if I saw the new circular from McDonald’s that came in the mail. A freestanding insert that boasted not one, not two, not three, but 12 “buy one, get one FREE” coupons. Free McMuffins, free Big Macs, free large fries, free shakes, free, free, free.
“That’s interesting,” I thought to myself. “I wonder what its objective is? Is McDonald’s trying to help the little guy during these tough economic times; you know, help him make is dollar go a little further? Or is the company doing its best to make you fatter and unhealthier by giving you twice as much food as you want for half the price?”
Okay, so maybe I let my imagination get the best of me. Then I see an Arby’s TV commercial later in the evening. You know, the Good Mood Food people. “For a limited time, buy one fish sandwich and get another for free.” And we aren’t even close to the Lenten season. That’s peculiar.
I am probably making a mountain out of a mole hill. But then, just before I turn in for the night, I decide to watch the Jimmy Kimmel Live monologue. And Jimmy (yeah, we are on a first name basis) reports that Burger King is testing home delivery service in target markets. Home delivery of fast food for that segment of the marketplace that’s either too busy or too lazy to use drive-thru? Great; now you can get massive calories from flame-broiled cows, deep fried potatoes and chocolate pies delivered right to your doorstep.
This is war. These fat food companies, sorry, fast food companies, need to learn the hard way that their billions of marketing dollars will not allow them to lure poor unsuspecting consumers (aka, baitfish) into the treacherous shark tank.
If the likes of Google and Wikipedia can successfully black out content and service in protest over anti-pirating legislation, American consumers can effectively turn off the faucet of fast food companies by refusing to buy their unhealthy offers. Yeah, I said it, “they made us an offer that we can refuse.”
We need to unite and galvanize. I am calling on all weight-challenged Americans to rally around the date of Thursday, February 2, 2012, and cast a giant shadow over the fast food industry by refusing – for one day – to patronize these bloated establishments and their insidious offers.
“Don’t go, just say no.”
“Don’t go, just say no.”
“Don’t go, just say no.”
Hey Fat Kid, You’re Fat. Hey Gay Kid, You’re Gay. Hey Stupid Person, You’re Stupid.
There’s a whole lot of talk these days about the child obesity ad campaign running in Georgia. Some think it is a great idea to get attention for this incredibly important issue. Some think it is terribly inappropriate.
They are both right.
There are a lot of important physical and mental and emotional issues that need and deserve national attention. And there are good ways and bad ways of going about it. Machiavelli would suggest that the direct and provocative approach is not only acceptable, but good if in the end it gets people to pay attention. More seasoned and learned experts would suggest that the damage caused by the approach actually exacerbates the problem.
As a human and a parent, here’s what I know: It is never – never – a good idea to berate, belittle and shame your children. And forget for just a moment that this type of personally insulting hyperbole is hurtful. It is ineffective.
Yes, it may get national attention, which may also result in awards for the agency creating the ads (yippee), but it will not change anything. It’s like using a hammer to loosen a screw from a piece of wood; you’ve got the wrong tool in your hand. You may eventually beat the screw out of its place, but you will destroy the wood in the process.
Child obesity is a very serious issue. As individuals and as a nation we need to start making a difference; first with ourselves – in our perceptions and our behavior – and second with those dealing with the issue. Help, don’t hurt.
You know that old saying, “Every time you point your finger there are three more pointing back at you”? Pointing your finger and telling a child he or she is stupid will not make them smarter. And it won’t make a fat kid fit.
Be part of the solution, not the problem
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jim Sweeney
Founder & CEO, Sweeney
jim@sweeneypr.com
Jim Sweeney is the founder and chief executive officer of Sweeney. A marketing and public relations expert with more than 30 years of experience, he has consulted with and served hundreds of consumer, business, industrial, professional and institutional brands.
BLOG ARCHIVE