Porsche to Slow Production

It seems that no automaker is safe from the current economic downturn. Even the wealthiest of people have slowed their spending. German sports car maker Porsche said it expects revenue in the four months through November to fall some 15 percent from a year ago as sales slump and demand weakens. Porsche executives stopped assembly lines for the day on Friday at its main plant and said it would halt production for seven more work days through the end of January to adapt to weaker demand and slowing sales. Typically people who are in the market to buy a Porsche are isolated from slow economic periods but not this time.

Bush Pardons Rapper John Forte

In one of his last offical moves as President, George W. Bush has granted pardons to several people including a well known rapper. The Grammy Award-winning hip-hop artist and a former Detroit police sergeant are among 16 individuals that were pardoned or had their prison sentences commuted by President Bush.
The new round of White House pardons announced late last night are Mr Bush's first since March, and come less than two months before the end of his presidency.
The beneficiaries' crimes include drugs conspiracy, tax evasion, poisoning bald eagles, dumping hazardous waste, bank embezzlement and theft of government property.
John Edward Forte, a Grammy Award-winning rapper, is arguably the best known of those pardoned. He was arrested at Newark International Airport in 2000 after being found with a briefcase containing $1.4m of cocaine and was sentenced to 14 years in prison.


On the latest pardon list were:
John Edward Forte, jailed for 14 years for cocaine offences, will also be freed next month, after serving half his term.
Leslie Owen Collier of Charleston, Missouri, who pleaded guilty in 1995 to unlawfully killing three bald eagles after he improperly used pesticide in hamburger meat to kill coyotes, but ended up killing many other animals. Collier was convicted of unauthorised use of a pesticide and violating the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act in 1996
Milton Kirk Cordes of Rapid City, South Dakota, convicted of conspiracy to violate the Lacey Act, which prohibits importation into the country of wildlife taken in violation of conservation laws
Richard Micheal Culpepper of Mahomet, Illinois, sentenced to five years' probation in 1988 for making false statements to the federal government
Brenda Jean Dolenz-Helmer of Fort Worth, Texas, convicted of concealing knowledge of her Dallas doctor father's involvement in medical insurance fraud. She was sentenced on New Year's Eve 1998 to four year's probation with 600 hours of community service and a $10,000 fine
Andrew Foster Harley of Falls Church, Virginia, convicted of wrongful use and distribution of marijuana and cocaine during a general court martial at the US Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs
Obie Gene Helton of Rossville, Georgia, sentenced to two years' probation in April 1983 for unauthorised acquisition of food stamps
Carey C. Hice Sr. of Travelers Rest, South Carolina, convicted 12 years ago of income tax evasion and sentenced to 120 days of home confinement
Geneva Yvonne Hogg of Jacksonville, Florida, who was sentenced to five years' probation in 1980 for bank embezzlement
William Hoyle McCright Jr. of Midland, Texas, a former executive vice president of First National Bank of Midland, who was sentenced to 12 years in prison in the 1980s for making false entries, books, reports or statements to a bank
Paul Julian McCurdy of Sulphur, Oklahoma, who was sentenced to five years' probation in 1988 of misapplication of $112,000 of bank funds
Robert Earl Mohon Jr. of Grant, Alabama, jailed for three years in 1987 for conspiracy to distribute marijuana
Ronald Alan Mohrhoff of Los Angeles, jailed for one year in 1984 for unlawful use of a telephone in relation to a drugs offence
Daniel Figh Pue III, a former production superintendant from Conroe Creosoting in Conroe, Texas, convicted of of illegally transporting and dumping more than 1,500 gallons of hazardous creosote sludge in a ditch
Orion Lynn Vick of White Hall, Arkansas, convicted of aiding and abetting the theft of government property.
Mr Bush commuted the prison sentence of James Russell Harris of Detroit, Michigan, a former police sergeant who was jailed for 30 years in 1993 for bribery, money-laundering and escorting shipments of cocaine. Mr Harris is said to have been co-operative with the government while in prison, and is now very ill.

Beyoncé Changes Her Name

In an effort to liven up her image, and market and promote her new album pop superstar Beyonce has created a new persona. Her alter ego is named Sasha Fierce. Beyoncé's new double album, 'I Am ... Sasha Fierce,' will introduce her new persona to the world. Beyoncé says, "Sasha Fierce is the fun, more sensual, more aggressive, more outspoken, more glamorous side that comes out ... when I'm on the stage."

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving is a time to give thanks for the what we have and to remember those less fortunate. The dates and whereabouts of the first Thanksgiving celebration are a topic of popular discussion. The earliest known Thanksgiving celebration was on September 8, 1565 in what is now Saint Augustine, Florida, the traditional "first Thanksgiving" is credited as having occurred at the site of Plymouth Plantation, in 1621. Happy Thanksgiving to all!

A Smart Idea

With big, over sized SUVs being out of favor and receiving so much bad press ranging on everything from their size to the vehicles poor fuel economy there is one company out there offering a different type of automobile. Ladies and Gentleman, meet the latest car to hit the streets.

It is marketed as the "smartcar". Using all lowercase letters, the "c" in car stands for compact and the arrow in the logo for "forward thinking". The idea behind the "Smart car" was to create a vehicle easy to park and short enough to allow "nose-in" parking. Its length equals the width of a regular parking space, allowing two or three Smarts to park in the space as one normal car. The car is also extremely fuel efficient which appeals to many during these tough economic times.
The project, started by Swiss watch manufacturer Swatch in partnership with Daimler-Benz has been underway overseas and has recently begun to pick up steam here in the US.

Recession? What Recession?

The country of Dubai teamed up with South African billionaire Sol Kerzner to market and promote the new Palm Atlantis resort. The extravaganza reportedly cost $20 million and included a firework display so large that it could be seen from space. The star studded jet setting crowd included 2,000 guests on a man-made island in the shape of a palm, and the champagne flowed freely at the grand opening reception. Guests were also served a dinner including Atlantic lobster and tiger prawns by star restaurateur Nobu Matsuhisa. The resort also features the most expensive hotel room in the world, a 924 square-meter Bridge Suite, which costs 155,000 dirhams -- that is $42,000 usd per night and does not include breakfast.

Come on -- for $42k, at least they should throw in a continental breakfast.

Citigroup Bailed out.....Again

The US Government, using tax payer dollars, has stepped in a injected $20 billion dollars.

The huge capital infusion follows an earlier one — of $25 billion. So in less than 6 months the Treasury Dept has shoveled $45 billion in the struggling deposit bank. In return for its investment, the US govt. gets an equity stake in the retail bank. Workers in the US auto industry, facing losing their livelihoods must be shocked as they sit by and watch the govt. drag its feet on a much needed bailout of the automotive manufacturers.

The Apple Ipod

Many innovative products have been introduced in the past 10 years, but none have had such a profound impact on their respective industry as much as the Apple Ipod. This little gadget has revolutionized the music industry, even more so than other mp3 players that hit the market first. This hand help device that easily fits into users palms and can be hidden away in a pocket has gained such popularity brought music industry. The Apple Ipod was born October 23, 2001 and is a brand of mp3 players designed and marketed by technology giant Apple.

The product was conceived when Apple CEO Steve Jobs saw weakness in what was then the existing digital music players market and decided to make a move. The tech companies general than ordered his engineers to design the iPod line, including software and hardware. The product was developed in less than one year and completed on 23 October 2001. Jobs introduced it as a Apple Mac-compatible product with a 5 GB hard drive that put "1,000 songs in your pocket." The creation of the Ipod was atypical to Apple's normal development process. As a starting point they used software from an existing IBM-branded MP3 player and built and expanded on it. Unbeknown to most, Apple actually subcontracted another company, Pixo, to help construct and create the user interface under the watchful eye of Apples Chief Executive Officer. As generations of Ipods advanced so did the fonts, features and feel of the device. Apple added many upgrades to the look and functionality of the ipod and as it grew so did its popularity and customer base. The Ipod has since achieved cult status and has amassed a giant subculture that blurs the lines of age, race, gender, profession and income level. A pretty remarkable feat considering the product is less than 8 years old and still gaining in popularity. One of the coolest features of the sleek mp3 player is its name, the Ipod was named by freelance copywriter Vinnie Chieco(no relation to Michael....Pacheco) and was contrived from the movie 2001 - A Space Odyssey.

To help promote and sell the portable music player Apple introduced the online music store Itunes. Itunes not only helped Ipod users download music to its device but it enabled PC users with or without an Apple branded mp3 player to have an itunes account and to build and store a library of files. This gave Apple exactly what it was seeking - a windows type monopoly on the industry. As a result, music executives were forced to rethink the way they do business. The traditional way of consumers buying music had officially evolved. The landscape had changed. In order to stop unauthorized file sharing music bigwigs had no choice but to enter into licensing agreements with Apple. Steve Jobs and company now had another revenue stream. The tech company famous for the Macintosh was now selling music as well.

When it comes to advertising, no one promotes quite as well as Apple. With several TV commercials, print ads, and posters on display all in prominent public places, Apple sells more than a mp3 player with the Ipod - they sell a lifestyle. The Ipod ads are very recognizable and even differ from ads for other Apple products. To sell this magic little device Apple uses several retail channels. The biggest being Walmart which makes up 5% of all iPod sales. Ipods are also sold online and of course at the ultra popular Apple stores. The Ipodsubculture is so strong that when ever a new model is released people line up and wait outside in order to be one of the first to have the latest and greatest, sometimes even sleeping outside. All of the advertising and culture branding has worked. Apple has sold 163 million Ipods to date and in January of this year Apple reported the best quarter revenue and earnings in its history - a record revenue of $9.6 billion and record net quarterly profit of $1.58 billion of which 42% came from Ipod sales. Pretty Impressive by any standards.

GM To Give Up 2 Jets

Last week we had a class discussion about GM CEO Rick Wagoner showing up to Washington, DC in a private jet - to beg congress for a multi billion dollar bailout of his company. Talk about making an impression. Well, today the company annouced that, after much ridicule and mocking, that the struggling automaker is preparing to give back two of its leased corporate jets. GM started the year with a fleet of seven leased jets. It gave back two in September and is preparing to shed two more. GM said it was already preparing to give back the two additional jets even before this week's hearing, where Wagoner and other auto executives made their case for $25 billion in government loans.

Watch This!

This advertisement in Berlin, Germany is by watchmaker IWC. The bus straps have been , made using images of IWC’s Big Pilot’s Watch to allow bus travellers to see what the timepiece looks like on their wrist before they buy. A pretty nifty piece of marketing.

Dealership sells PT Cruisers For $1

Yup, you heard it here folks. The Chrysler PT Cruiser can be yours for the bargain basement price of $1. What's the catch you ask? Well you have to buy a $40,000 luxury Chrysler Pacifica SUV. A local dealership in Chicago came up with the marketing plan to get people in the door and so far it has worked, 5 Chrysler Pacificas' have sold this week.

WALL ST JOURNAL

In today's Wall Street Journal General Motors has taken out a full page advertisement designed at drumming up public support for a government lead bailout package. The full page ad speaks of the accomplishments and strives the company has made in the past few years towards adapting in this new economy. It is no coincidence that it was released in today's Journal since the heads of the Big Three automakers are testifying in front of congress today - begging for a bailout. Hmmmm I wonder how much this ad cost them?

2010 Ford Mustang

In keeping with the trend of being the first blog to break major marketing news, here is your first look at the new 2010 Ford Mustang. Ford has taken the s197 model and made is smoother and curvier in just the right places resulting in a great looking, more aerodynamic pony car. In my opinion, these changes make the car look even more 60s retro - a look I love. Its important to note that his car will be released at the same time Chevy will unveil the Camaro. Hopefully both companies will still be around so we can see these sleek rides on the street.

SEC Charges Cuban With Insider Trading

One of my favorite business moguls is Dallas Maverick's owner Mark Cuban. Mark is one of today's best marketers, his area of expertise is self promotion. Reports hit the wire today that Mr. Cuban is being charged with insider trading by the securities industry watchdog, the very formidable SEC. The SEC is claiming that Mark, sold his stake in Mamma.com, using insider information, just hours before the company was to do a second offering of shares which would have diluted the float and had a negative affect on his 6% stake. Mark made his money by selling broadcast.com to Yahoo for 6 billion dollars - months before the infamous dotcom crash at the end of the last decade. Mr. Cuban then bought the NBA franchise, the Dallas Mavericks and has since been an outspoken owner and fan advocate. He has publicly criticized the league for the way it treats its fans and is known to complain when the refs make a mistake resulting in a unfavorable call. Mark puts his money where his mouth is and currently offers some of the best deals for fans coming to his teams home games. $2 tickets, yup that's right, only $2. The Mavericks have a special 2000 seat section reserved for $2 tickets. These accusations come at a bad time for Mark, since he is currently trying to purchase the Chicago Cubs from billionaire Sam Zell, many in Major League baseball are trying to block Mr. Cubans entry in fear that he will be as outspoken about MLB as he is about the NBA, its how the powers that be keep admission to the good ol boys club exclusive. I feel that this entire charge is based on smearing his name in the mud and preventing him from going forward with his pursuit of owning the Cubs.

Coffee not only for Closers?

A print out of a cup of Folgers coffee was placed on top of manhole covers in New York City, Holes punched on the print allow the steam to come out creating the illusion of a steaming hot cup of Joe. The words around the cup read ‘Hey, City That Never Sleeps. Wake up.” Pretty cool, just don't step in it and we all know - coffee is still for closers only.

(Dead) Person Marketing

For the last season of the HBO hit show The Sopranos the marketing team came up with this mobile advertisement and drove around the streets of New York City. This creative piece of advertising did more than turn a few heads, even in a town where people are used to seeing everything. I myself had to do a double take to make sure it wasn't an actual person in the trunk of the car. Last March, the taxi was auctioned off in the Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Auction, which took place in West Palm Beach, Florida. The proceeds were donated to the Los Angeles Children’s Hospital.

How Many People Fit in a Mini Cooper?

This is a great advertisement by Mini Cooper. They placed a Mini Cooper billboard outside of the train station entrance/exit. It gives the illusion that the everyone coming out of the subway is leaving the Mini Cooper. Pretty Cool.

Ohhhhh Eva

In what could quite possibly be the sexiest ad ever. Sultry part time actress and full time vixen, Eva Mendes is seen in all her glory for an ad for Calvin Klein's Obsession. In the ad the natural beauty is laying on an all white spread with her goodies being covered only by her hand. This advertisement is truly too sexy for TV and most print ad outlets as well. To date it has been banned in many countries around the world.

NY Hedge Fund Manger Speaks Up

New York hedge fund Pershing Square is an activist shareholder hedge fund and has in the past invested in McDonald's, Wendy's International and retailer Target. They step in to failing companies and demand change from upper management, sometimes even changing management itself. William Ackman, the top man over at Pershing Square, said Forget about a government bailout of General Motors Corp. The company would be better off going bankrupt. During a discussion about the automaker on Charlie Rose Tuesday, Ackman said a "prepackaged bankruptcy" was the best move to get its struggling business back on track. "The word 'bankruptcy' is scary for people, but it is simply a system." Ackman, 42, noted he is not a stakeholder in GM. How convenient

Apple Creates Gadget Geeks

I was never much of a gadget geek. When Apple first entered the MP3 player market with the first-generation iPod, I didn’t pay too much attention to it. I didn't sleep outside the store or wait in any long lines, in fact I was the last one of my circle of friends to get one - and it was given to me as a gift. However as time has progressed so has the generations of updated ipods. The latest version of apples mp3 player is much more advanced then it predecessor. With the release of Apple's iphone (now in its second generation) the loyal Apple customer base has grown and so has my feeling towards the company's products. I'm seriously thinking of upgrading to the new ipod touch. If only Steve Jobs would consider giving me a deep discount since I'm a recent convert.

The Perfect Woman

This ad speaks for itself. This is a very simple yet genius advertisement from the marketing firm hired by the brains over at luxury automaker BMW. While I'm sure it is popular with the fellas I dont know how much the ladies appreciated this one. It is clearly directed at the young male target market.

The Energizer Bunny

The Energizer Bunny is the marketing icon and mascot of Energizer batteries. It is a pink rabbit wearing sunglasses and blue sandals that beats a bass drum. It has been appearing in television commercials since the 1980s. The Energizer Bunny does not appear in Europe and Australia where the rival Duracell Bunny is seen instead. In Australia and the UK the mascot for Energizer is a muscle-bound anthropomorphic battery. The American Energizer commercials, produced by DDB Chicago Advertising, originally began as a parody of TV advertisements for rival Duracell. In the Duracell ads, a set of battery-powered instrument-playing toy pink rabbits gradually slow to a halt until only the toy powered by a copper-top battery remains active. In Energizer's parody, the Energizer Bunny then enters the screen beating a huge bass drum and swinging a mallet over his head.

GM Shares predicted to hit Zero!

A Deutsche Bank analyst came out on Monday and downgraded shares of General Motors Corp. to sell from hold, saying the automaker was on the path to bankruptcy before the end of the year unless the U.S. government agrees to a bailout. Deutsche Bank then places at price target of Zero on the stock. That's right people, 0. They predict the common stock of the company will be worthless less than 12 months from now.

Shark Week Anyone?

Check out this ultra cool piece of marketing promoting a Shark series on National Geographic Channel. These marketers came up with a unique concept that makes the bus look like its swallowing up any passenger that steps on board. Very cool piece of marketing.

Lamborghini Ad Campaign

This new ad campaign 'Welcome to Sant' Agata Bolognese, Home of Lamborghini,' is the brain child of German advertising agency, Philipp and Keuntje. This 'Feels Italian Wherever You Are' campaign, the marketers make fun of international stereotypes and lets you know how easy it is to spot the Italianess around the world as long as the view is from the drivers seat in your Lamborghini. In this particular ad two guards at normally stuffy and strict Buckingham palace assume a relaxed slump against a building and communicate more with hand gestures and body language than with words. Buckingham Palace guards are famous for maintaining a straight face with minimal body movement while standing straight up like a soldier at all times while on duty. The typical Lamborghini client is well versed in travel and cultures of established economic countries, mainly because in order to afford this 500+ horsepower monster, he/she would probably have to have a global business. Simply put, The Lamborghini customer knows what they want and are willing to pay for it, regardless of price. It is truly the specialty product of specialty products. Yea...I want one.

Nike's Failure

The words NIKE and successful marketing for years have been synonymous. Until recently it looked as though NIKE could do no wrong. Thirteen years after acquiring Bauer, and making bold promises that it would transform the business of hockey, Nike has put its Nike Bauer unit up for sale, a rare bit of comeuppance for one of the world's powerful brands. Nike put is logo on the popular hockey brand and customers didn't go for it. NIKE apparently has a chink in its armor.

Obama Wins! Obama Wins!

History has been made. Priceless!

Vote! Election Day! Vote!

Today is the day! Get out and Vote! With so much talk about which candidate will be better for the economy and business lets take a moment to review the history of the stock market during election years. If history is any guide, the 2008 national elections won’t provide the kindling for a major stock market boom.
Since 1949 -- the first year of Democrat Harry S. Truman’s only elected term -- the best possible political outcome in Washington for investors of stocks has been a Democratic president and a Republican Congress.
During these eras the Dow Jones industrial average has posted average annual gains of 19.5%, according to the Stock Trader’s Almanac. That compares with an average annual gain of 8.7% for the entire 1949-2007 period.
In other words, Wall Street historically has liked that particular form of political gridlock, with two competing parties pushing against each other. The problem for investors is that the chances for such an outcome are slim this year. The political alignment with the second-best stock market record since ‘49 — is a Republican president paired with Republican control of the House and Senate, which yielded a 14.1% average annual Dow gain. That probably isn’t in the cards either since the Democrats out number Republicans in congress. Its important to note that
since 1949 there hasn’t been a scenario where a Democratic lived in the White House while control of Congress was split between the Democrats and the GOP, so there’s no track record to go by there.
The most likely scenarios of this year's election are not looking great for the stock market. In the past when a Republican president ruled with either a Democrat-controlled or split Congress, the Dow notched average annual gains of 6.7%. And the set-up of a Democratic president and Democrat-controlled Congress fared the worst of the six possible combinations, although only slightly, with a 6.6% average annual gain in the Dow.
But who says any of that matters anyway. I feel that unless there is a big change in the leadership of this country that the stock market will be the least of our worries. Go Obama!

Blackberry Subculture

Research in Motion is a popular technology company that produces the widely used Blackberry Cel phone. The Blackberry is a favorite among workaholics and/or folks that can't get enough of emailing friends and colleagues while on a desktop computer. Blackberry has essentially created its very own subculture. Apple is now going full force at penetrating this market and getting this subculture to switch over to the Apple IPhone. Research In Motion Executives can see Apple gaining ground in the rear view mirror and they have reason to be worried. Apple already has the infrastructure to create a serious following within the business user crowd and is determined to steal away some of Blackberry's customer base. Let the battle begin.

Help is on the Way!

Finally help is on the way for the big three US automakers. Due to a massive overhaul of the fuel efficiency regulations, the United States federal government agreed to provide guaranteed, low-interest loans of up to $25 billion to GM, Ford and Chrysler. These funds, which must be paid back with interest, will help the big three retool and modernize manufacturing plants and operations to meet the higher fuel economy standards and compete in the rapidly changing global and domestic marketplaces.
U.S. Congress authorized the money last year, but the funds were appropriated this year. The U.S. Department of Energy is now in charge of disbursing the loans to the American auto companies and its suppliers. Officials within the Energy Department are indicating it may take up to 18 months before the loans are available.This is too long for an industry that finds itself in uncharted waters. Hopefully they will be around to reap the benefits.

What makes a Subculture?

What make a subculture? Well lets take a look at the definition of subculture and see what is and what isn't appropriate.
The Random House Dictionary defines subculture as: 3. a) the cultural values and behavioral patterns distinctive of a particular group in society. b) a group having social, economic, ethnic or other traits distinctive enough to distinguish it from others within the same culture or society.
When you look at the bigger picture, what most people think of as any unique group or following is a subculture! You can pick up any sociology text book and look up what makes a subculture's distinctive "traits" and find everything you need to support this contention. Here are a few 1) Unique Dress 2) Unique Language Patterns 3) Unique Traditions 4) Unique Customs and Behaviors 5) Specialized Values and Behavioral Ideals 6) Specialized literature, equipment and supplies 7) A common and unifying theme.

So subcultures are far more than race, subcultures could be golfers, car enthusiasts, skateboarders, avid readers, etc.