Marketing

Where is the candidate?

This entry was posted in bush Election 2004 Marketing Republicans on by

From Josh Marshall:

Meanwhile, President Bush’s website also showed lots of pictures of John Kerry caught, as you might imagine, in poses suggesting buffoonery, arrogance, indecision and the like. What the GWB website didn’t have any of was pictures of George W. Bush.
Now, earlier today I noted how the Bush campaign has replaced the front page of their website with a Reagan tribute, with a huge picture of the late president backgrounded with flags, accompanied by links to a Reagan tribute video, links to President Reagan’s most famous speeches and statement of his praise for President Reagan by President Bush.
That’s the Bush website now. (You really need to see it to get the picture.)
Now, how many days of leaving the site that way will it take before people start to see the obvious: that President Bush’s campaign staffers believe that pushing their own guy isn’t a particularly good political strategy and that bashing Kerry or grasping on to Reagan nostalgia is far preferable?

Seems to me that a picture, a brief statement, and a link to a tribute page would be about right. As it is, if you look real hard you might find the link to the campaign page.

Who Is to Blame?

This entry was posted in Environment Federal Government Health Care Marketing Regulation World Affairs on by

For you being overweight?
Too many would like to foist the blame on corporations and governments. For example:

This Westernization — in some circles, Americanization — of the global culinary landscape no doubt contributed to the fattening of the world. But many obesity experts say it’s hard to know where to place the blame.
“What we’re looking at is not solely an American phenomenon, but a transnational corporation phenomenon,” Rigby said.

Rigby is policy director for the International Obesity Task Force.
Then there is this:

Choice also applies to foreign governments, which Paul Zimmet, director of the International Diabetes Institute in Melbourne, Australia, said have played an equal role in allowing poor diets to become a health crisis.
Governments haven’t done enough to make healthy foods affordable and physical fitness accessible, he said.

Just when did these things become governmental functions?
Zombyboy places the focus right where it belongs:

It is much easier to blame international corporations and America instead of focusing responsibility on the choices individuals make, though. It also takes responsibility for the effects of choices away from those individuals–instead of changing lifestyles and making hard choices, there’s a possible payday from the latest round of lawsuits against the people selling the food.
Eating healthy and getting exercise aren’t things that are forced on us, they are simple choices that we make on a daily basis. That many of us tend to make those choices poorly is not an indictment of an industry or a nation, it’s an indictment against us.

Folks, put the fork down and take a walk!

When Free is not Free

This entry was posted in Capitalism Culture Economics Marketing on by

Over at Ebay you can pay good money for one of those free Google Gmail accounts. As Tyler Cowan notes “..right now supply is limited. Not surprisingly, a market in the accounts has arisen.”
Maybe the buyers think getting one will give them an inside track on getting a share of Google stock; or that they can get a special username that they can then resale at a profit; or bragging rights amongst some alien species; or…well, just why are they spending this money?
I’ll wait until they are readily available and then get one or two for ad hoc needs. They can sit on the shelf with my other freemail accounts for use as needed.