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Top of Mind Thursday Memo Archive
Top of Mind Thursday – September 16, 2021 – Can’t Recall
“I can’t recall,” is usually the answer given by a witness in court when asked a question to which they don’t really want to respond.
But on Tuesday, California voters resoundingly defeated a measure to recall Governor Gavin Newsom by nearly a 2 to 1 margin. Just a couple of months ago, this was too tight to predict: It looked like Newsom could actually lose.
It’s not that Newsom became more likable since July. What happened to turn this around?
- The Delta variant arrived with a vengeance, but California’s high rate of vaccination and prevention policies helped keep deaths and hospitalizations low.
- The leading replacement candidate was a right-wing conservative who promised to eliminate the mask and vaccine mandates that were keeping the surge in check.
- Voters realized the recall process was so convoluted that Newsom could lose with 49.9% of the vote, but the next governor could be chosen with only a fraction of those votes.
- Of the 40+ replacement candidates, none were seen as serious contenders by most of the public.
- The election caught national attention and a whole array of Democratic figures came out to campaign strongly against the recall: Sanders, Warren, Klobuchar, Harris, Obama, Biden, and others.
In the end, most voters just didn’t see a reason to make a change. In fact, the process appears to have strengthened Newsom’s position to run for a second term.
That’s not likely the outcome the recall backers expected, but it’s a lesson those who consider doing something similar in the future would do well to recall before trying this again.
Contact me to find out how you can get heard above the noise–even in a crisis situation.
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 9, 2021 – Who by Fire, Who by Water
This week, we celebrated the Jewish holiday of Rosh Hashanah–the New Year (5782, in case you’re counting.
There are many traditions associated with this holiday–including eating things made with apples and honey to bring about a sweet new year.
One of the prayers, the Unetaneh Tokef, is particularly meaningful this year:
On Rosh Hashanah it is inscribed,
And on Yom Kippur it is sealed.
How many shall pass away and how many shall be born,
Who shall live and who shall die,
Who shall reach the end of his days and who shall not,
Who shall perish by water and who by fire,
Who by sword and who by wild beast,
Who by famine and who by thirst,
Who by earthquake and who by plague…
In the last 18 months, we’ve seen mostly everything on this list: hurricanes and floods, wildfires, droughts, earthquakes, and COVID. Maybe wild beasts are next?
But it’s the last line of the poem that is most powerful: We have the ability to avert the severe decree by changing our behavior.
We have a choice. We can see everything that’s happened the past few years as out of our control. Or, we can see that there are things we can do to mitigate these circumstances. This might be vaccines and masks in the case of COVID, or actions to address the impact of climate change and lessen the impact of droughts, famine, fires, and floods.
The message is that we can make a difference in the world–today can be the start of something new.
Wishing everyone a happy, healthy, prosperous, and safe year ahead–a year in which we each take action to heal the world.
Contact me to find out how you can get heard above the noise–even in a crisis situation.
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 2, 2021 – Final Jeopardy
When much-loved host Alex Trebek died of pancreatic cancer last year, the producers of Jeopardy initiated an extensive search for a new host worthy of helming the revered game show.
The contestants for the slot read like a who’s who of entertainment celebrities: everyone from Sanjay Gupta and Anderson Cooper to LeVar Burton and Robin Roberts to all-time Jeopardy champion Ken Jennings.
And the surprise winner…Mike Richards, the executive producer who ran the search. Uh–who?
Choosing yourself for a role is a little unconventional–especially when you made such a spectacle of the succession process. As it turned out, it didn’t last. After reports of previous misogynist, anti-Semitic, and racist comments, Richards stepped down this week–not just from hosting Jeopardy, but also as the executive producer of both Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune. So the search starts all over again.
We can ask what was Richards thinking, but this happens on a regular basis in less star-studded situations. Employees are told they have input into a decision–only to have senior management unilaterally impose their own option. Customers are told they have a choice of product offerings from a supplier–but when it comes down to it, there’s really only one viable option. Take it or leave it.
Consumers are savvy enough to know when they’ve been duped–and they don’t like it one bit. Better to be clear up front that you’ve made a decision than to pretend the issue is still up for discussion.
Which brings us to a great question for next season’s program…
The clue: Mike Richards
The question: Who is a great example of how not to treat your customers.
Contact me to find out how you can get heard above the noise–even in a crisis situation.
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 : August 26 2021 – They’re Calling it WHAT?
This week, the FDA gave format approval to the COVID-10 vaccine from Pfizer.
This is big news because it means that individuals and organizations who were holding off on vaccinations (or on requiring them for their employees) now have official notice this is an approved drug.
No sooner had this been made public than Pfizer announced the drug would now be marketed under its new name: Comirnity.
Comirni-what?
There is a logic to how this was put together. The word includes references to COVID, mRNA, immunity and community. OK, there’s login to that, but it doesn’t just roll off the tongue.
It’s not like Pfizer hasn’t been able to come up with a catchy name before. This is the company that sells Viagra, after all. Supposedly, a branding company that calls itself the best in the industry advised Pfizer on this name. Hmm.
The problem is any name that requires that much explanation is sort of defeating the purpose. We can easily remember made-up brand names, like Google, Lyft, Uber, YouTube…even Viagra. But Comirnity? Probably not.
How easy is it for your customers to remember your brands? Are the names of your products and services memorable? Or, are they easily forgotten by busy prospects and customers? Are your competitors’ product names more sticky than yours?
Or, will your customers be saying, “We got that great vaccine. Can’t remember the name though. Maybe it was Moderna?”
Contact me to find out how you can get heard above the noise–even in a crisis situation.
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