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Top of Mind Thursday Memo Archive
Top of Mind Thursday – October 6, 2022: An Amazingly Large Gamble
As we approach the November elections, in California we’re being bombarded with ads for competing propositions to expand online gambling.
Currently, casinos in California are owned and run by Indian tribes, but now there are two competing propositions on the ballot to expand sports betting online. One proposition is sponsored by one set of tribes, the second by others. One is underwritten by online betting companies, like FanDuel, and it promises to allocate money for the homeless. The other says that’s garbage: 95% of the money raised will go to out of state corporations with only pennies for homeless funding.
Over $350 million has been raised on this issue and it seems like every penny of this is being put into advertising for or against one of those propositions. The ads follow one after the other: Prop 26 Pro/Prop 26 against; Prop 27 Pro/Prop 27 against.
Here’s the problem. There gets to be a point where throwing more money at an issue doesn’t do anything to help the cause–and it probably even hurts, since it turns people off. I keep wondering what that $350 million could have bought–instead of advertising.
The backers of these propositions may very well come out on the losing side of the bet. It’s an awfully large gamble to take. Maybe they should have bought lottery tickets instead. Might have been a safer bet.
Check out our marketing thought leadership podcasts and the video trailer for my book, Marketing Above the Noise: Achieve Strategic Advantage with Marketing that Matters.
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Let us help your business rise to the top.
linda@popky.com
(650) 281-4854
www.leverage2market.com
Top of Mind Thursday – September 29, 2022: The Storm of the Century . . . again!
This week, Florida was pummeled by a massive hurricane.
Millions of people were left without power. The damage along the Gulf Coast is too extreme to even be characterized this soon. In some areas, whole towns are left stranded, because bridges and causeways are damaged or washed out. In Fort Myers, entire neighborhoods have been flattened.
This is being called the storm of the century — a once-in-a-hundred-years event.
Except it’s not. Over the last few years, we’ve seen hurricanes, typhoons, and tornadoes that are stronger and more dangerous than ever before. Not only that, but they are coming more frequently and hitting places (like Atlantic Canada) that have not been subjected to these types of weather events.
The weather is changing — there’s no doubt about that. The question is what do we do about it?
Climate change has been a hot topic for a number of years. While there are global efforts under way to try and mitigate the long-term effects on our planet, these won’t make a difference to those impacted by last week’s storm — or this week’s, or next week’s.
In reality, preparing for weather-related catastrophes is a local endeavor. Locations that are prone to hurricane damage need to take steps to prepare now for potential killer storms in the future. Coastal areas that are likely to flood need to build levees and prevent additional development (and rebuilding). Forests need to be trimmed in high fire zones. Electrical lines need to be buried underground where high winds could spark fires from downed transformers.
None of these efforts happen overnight. But if they’re not started now, they won’t be ready when the next event strikes — and the storm of the century morphs into the disaster of the year.
Check out our marketing thought leadership podcasts and the video trailer for my book, Marketing Above the Noise: Achieve Strategic Advantage with Marketing that Matters.
.
Let us help your business rise to the top.
linda@popky.com
(650) 281-4854
www.leverage2market.com
Top of Mind Thursday – September 22, 2022: Falling Into Place
Fall in the Northern Hemisphere officially starts this evening.
If you’ve been to Starbucks or Costco in the last month, you’d have thought the season started a month ago. Not only do we have pumpkin lattes, but Halloween costumers and Xmas decorations abound as well. Trader Joes even has a pumpkin spice flavored non-dairy oat milk (!) on sale.
This year, Fall seems more relevant than ever. Kids are back in school (as opposed to online). Conferences and events are back in person, and the COVID pandemic has been declared officially over, according to President Biden.
All of that is good news (unless, of course, you are one of the people who manages to catch COVID now despite the fact it’s no longer considered to be a pandemic risk!).
But should we be content to let things fall back into place? How much effort should be put into trying to get back to some semblance of “normal”?
What if we look to create a better way of doing things instead? What if we consider not reimplementing some of the old ways of working and use our experience to devise more effective, more relevant habits and practices? What if we put extra focus on providing value to our customers and treating employees and suppliers with respect?
Rosh Hashonah, the Jewish New Year, starts on Sunday evening. You don’t have to be Jewish to consider changing up a little bit of something here and there to help make the world a little better. Now’s a great time to help good things fall into place for all of us.
Check out our marketing thought leadership podcasts and the video trailer for my book, Marketing Above the Noise: Achieve Strategic Advantage with Marketing that Matters.
.
Let us help your business rise to the top.
linda@popky.com
(650) 281-4854
www.leverage2market.com
Top of Mind Thursday – September 15, 2022: A Change in Momentum
A funny thing happened on the way to Russia’s conquest of Ukraine: Things didn’t go at all as planned.
Vladimir Putin didn’t expect Ukraine to give much pushback to his bloody, unprovoked invasion. When the Ukrainians dug in and began to fight back, it was apparent they could hold significant territory and this would not be a quick incursion.
But then, the Russians dug in and attacked power plants, schools, farmland, and innocent civilians. They captured territory in various parts of the country, and seemed to be on their way to becoming entrenched.
However, the tide has turned over the last few weeks. The Ukrainian forces, bolstered by weapons, ammunition, and guidance from the US and other NATO countries, have pushed back and recaptured territory. This week, President Zelenskyy said his forces have taken back over 6000 square kilometers previously held in the Northeastern part of the country. Initiatives are underway in other areas as well, including the Donbas.
How can a small country like Ukraine take on and humiliate a much larger, global power like Russia?
Yes, it helps to have friends in the right places to back you up. But it’s also important to remember that the motivation for both sides in different. For Ukrainians, it’s about losing their independence, their country, their way of life. Many of the Russian soldiers were conscripted or sold a bill of goods about the invasion which they’re not learning wasn’t accurate. Their homes aren’t at risk. Their way of life is out of their control.
Never underestimate the power of the underdog to fight for what they can’t afford to lose.
Check out our marketing thought leadership podcasts and the video trailer for my book, Marketing Above the Noise: Achieve Strategic Advantage with Marketing that Matters.
.
Let us help your business rise to the top.
linda@popky.com
(650) 281-4854
www.leverage2market.com