Home Stretch

 I'm in the home stretch of the job I've held for the last 29 years. In 568 working hours I'll have 30 years of credited service and be eligible to get a lifetime pension. For those of you that know me know that I've been planning this for a long time. It looked as though the pension wasn't an option after changes made in 2019 cut off the 30 and out option. Then after a meeting with the pension fund reps I learned that I was eligible if I worked 600 hours last year and 600 this year. My option is I can get a lifetime pension this year after I'm eligible or I can wait until I'm 65 to sniff a dime. That's a 15 year gap. There are a lot of people in the same boat and I'm sure most of them will go this year and keep the guaranteed income.

Once I'm done with the 600 hour speed bump, I'll be able to fill out the paperwork and pick a date. I believe it takes some time once you submit your paperwork to get things arranged. My final day is up in the air right now. Here is why, it's a double contract year. The contract is up between the company and the military and the contract is up between the company and the union. These years are especially difficult and lead to lots of problems. 

Here is my plan as of right now, I need to wait to see who is awarded the contract. Once I have that then I can plan my final day. I plan on saving up all of my vacation leave and selling it back when I leave, giving me a large final paycheck. Here is the rub, if the current company retains the contract then I'll then it's possible that I can leave in October making my leave worth a lot more since October 1st is when we get a cost of living raise. 

If the current company loses the contract then I'll leave much earlier. When a new company takes over the old company pays off your vacation leave anyway and everyone starts from zero. So there is no incentive to stay longer and I can start utilizing my degree in a new career. Plus you have to go through the rehire process and there is always a layoff so I can save someone's job. They wouldn't be laid off long as I would only turn around and retire anyway. 

That's where I am, 6 days into the year and I'm on the downhill slide to a great retirement!

One Third Down

 So there I was, submitting my final assignment in my fourth course. Another A! My GPA for grad school is now 3.918. It's not easy but it's much different than earning a bachelor's degree. You're expected to be an expert in your field and getting that mindset as a student is something you really have to learn. I've got 8 courses left out of 12 so that means I'm a third done!

I've laid my plans out before but if you're a new reader, let me recap this real quick. I qualify for a 30 and out pension plan from my union. Meaning I'll have guaranteed income for the rest of my life but there's a catch. I have to take it in 2021 or I have to wait until 2035 when I turn 65 to collect a dime. I'm taking the guaranteed money next year. My main goal is to put myself in the position to have as many options as possible and the most freedom after retirement. I've been working on this since 2015 and if I double up my course load I can finish before 2022 if I wish. If not it'll be spring of 2022 and I'll graduate.

That puts my tentative retirement date at May 26 and if I'm not able to meet my financial goals by then my Plan B date is October 12. I do have an ace to play though which might accelerate my retirement date and that's a marketing plan I've been working on for a couple of months. I've presented it to my boss at my part time job and he loves it and plans on implementing it with me. 

It'll be a marketing platform for an industry that is territorial based, meaning it'll be specific to an area instead of promoting businesses that have little or no presence in the sale territory. It'll increase brand equity while giving a level playing field to every business while at the same time being much more affordable than the prevailing marketing platform right now in this industry. 

Again this is an option I'm working on because it presents a unique set of challenges and a certain amount of freedom. However I've been researching all options so far and with a graduate degree, I've found a veritable plethora of high paying options! The only catch would be how much free time do I want and balancing that with how much income do I want. 

All of that will be something I'll explore at a future date when these events become more of a reality. 

I've dealt with some anxiety about leaving the security of a job I've held for nearly 30 years. My coworkers that have become friends over the decades, the steady income, great insurance, large amounts of time off will be gone. The best advice I received about leaving what I know behind was simple and profound. Do I want to give up another 15 years of my life doing something I don't want to do anymore? The answer to that is clear to me, therefore I'm getting out when I can and getting the money and freedom. That's the reason I've spent these past few years in preparation. Coming home after work and doing 2-3 hours of homework each evening and weekends. 

That would all be in vain if I didn't leave. If I worked one day past the deadline I could quit for a better job but I'd still have to wait until I turned 65 to collect anything. 

So now you know my reasons for doing what I'm doing and how I am planning for the future.

 

 

The Last Year

This week marked the last year of working days (minus weekends and holidays) I have left at my current job. I set a date of October 12, 2021 to leave and close that chapter in my life. It's been 75% of my life since I was 22 and I'll be able to retire with full pension at age 51 and give myself a world of options on what to do next. At least I had the foresight to prepare for this over the last six years.

The road leading to this last year was not easy and while I thought after earning my bachelor's degree it would ease up, instead it got harder. I'm now working seven days a week and have grad school in the evenings. Financial preparation is as important as my next degree in order to give myself more options after that magic October date. Other than last Payday Friday, I've worked nearly three months straight and will continue to do so until I'm done.

(Edit: The union came around to each local in November 2019 and it turns out with credited service I qualify for the pension. The union pension reps were very nice and had to deal with a lot of angry people. They put in my profile and even though my calendar 30 years doesn't happen until June 15th, 2022 they have future credited service in which the pension is prepaid up. Long story short, I qualify!)

Amazingly in 2021 the road gets quite a bit rougher! I plan on saving every hour of PTO I can and having the company pay me for it after October 1st. Then all of my leave will have an extra raise tacked onto it and it'll be worth more. Nothing better than to retire debt free, collect a massive paycheck, be nearly finished with a master's degree, and close and then start to write a brand new, huge chapter in life all at the same time!

Yes, this is the road I'm on and intend to finish it. I can't do this job until I'm 65. I mean I can but I don't want to anymore. I've wanted to explore the country and do many many other things and I'm close to having all of those options. I've worked since middle school when my parents opened up a small restaurant, in high school we had that and I ran a paper route, after graduation I worked in a body shop and attempted college. As I'm sure I've written in my blog before, I dropped out after a semester and decided it wasn't for me.

Since then I've worked constantly, like most people around the world do. Since 22 there was one constant in my life and that was the job I landed on June 15, 1992. I survived many rounds of layoffs and never once had to deal with that. In 2009, you will recall that year was a massive year in my life, we went on strike. That was the only time since 92 I didn't have the same job. Instead I took a job washing dishes and delivering food for a diner to keep the lights on. Fortunately the strike only lasted two weeks but it took six months to recover from it financially.

Now I'm in much better shape financially and in 361 working days, I'll be in the best shape of my life in all areas! It's not easy by any means but I'm doing it. I'm glad I went back to school when I did and that was hard but again, worth it! Next year it'll be even more worth it! Then I'll learn to leverage what I've learned and create new opportunities for myself.

My optimum job would be something that's creative, something I enjoy, and something I can do from anywhere I want to be. Perhaps I'll even update this blog on a more daily basis then rather than when I feel like it or remember it!

So We Got Screwed

My last post was April 28, 2019. That day was my official last day of school, my bachelor's degree completed. One of the best days of accomplishments in my entire life. Then the bottom fell out.

Later on that day we learned my union practically destroyed my plans by removing most options for collecting the pension, including the thirty years and out option I was banking on for retiring early and doing something else. This coming Saturday the 15th is my 27th year anniversary. I needed 36 more months to complete my 30 years. That dream is gone, the light at the end of the tunnel went out.

I got a text, read my mail, and then watched a YouTube video that explained how and why my union, my side, the people I've paid dues to most of my adult life, the ones that had my professional back, took away my pension plan. Well they didn't take it away but what is going to happen is a death spiral now. They have more going out than coming in. Future employer contributors will opt as they will find it cheaper to offer a matching 401k and not be throwing good money after bad.

This will spiral into being under 65% funded which will trigger federal take over of the fund. While the pension is guaranteed, we are basically guaranteed the minimum return of about 10% on the dollar as a retirement. The pension ruining crooks will no longer be in control of the fund. They've done their damage.

There are more details like the thug president and his cronies using our pension fund for their personal expense accounts and yet they are not in jail. They supposedly made restitution after being sued by the U.S. Treasury. I doubt that happened but who knows. They are crooks and if karma is real, they should all wind up in tragic circumstances for destroying the retirement plans of thousands of union members. One more addendum to the thugs in charge, the sprinkles on top of the corruption cake, they have their own pension fund and guess what? Yeah, it's over-funded.

They broke us instead of protecting us. Their corruption and disdain for the blue collar worker that supports them is tangible and real. President Robert Martinez, IAM crook in charge should personally go to each local in the nation and explain how this happened and how he's alright with it. Then he can take his chances getting out of each union hall.

He decries how companies are dishonest and against the working class while he and his mob took apart the rank and file and sold their retirement plans down the river. He's a criminal and God help him if he ever darkens my path or some of my more redneck union brothers who'd love to show him a good time in the country.

It's June, we learned about this on April 28th as I explained and it took me this long to be able to gather my thoughts enough to write about this.

I did it!

I've kept this website open on my phone for almost 400 days to count down when I'd earn my bachelor's degree. Today is that day!
I'm posting this at midnight of April 28, 2019. I earned my degree today.
I'm going to really think over things because I'm leaning towards earning my master's degree as well. Classes don't start until August so I've got time to figure it out but right now, I'm going to savor the moment.
Since 2015 my life has been work and then coming home and doing homework each night. Sometimes I'd keep at it until 8 or 9 o'clock which doesn't seem like much but I get home by 4:30 and I always start right away once I get settled at home.
Today is a good day.

Two Weeks And One Major Decision

Today marks exactly two weeks, fourteen days left until I earn my bachelors in Marketing! Honestly I'll be done sooner than that as the last week is a wrap up week. A couple of discussion posts to reflect on your courses this term and you're finished!

So what's after that?

Funny story.....

Turns out the university called me and pitched their masters program to me. I have been in school since 2015, I'm done. Then the unthinkable happens....I ask what the courses are and what a typical course load is like.

They send me the courses, descriptions, and schedules.

....Sigh....it sounded really good. So I applied. They evaluated my transcripts, waived me from a foundation course, and said I could start in August.

I'll be working on my masters degree now, go figure.

Half Way Done!

Tomorrow officially marks the end of week 4 of my last term in my quest to earn my bachelor's degree. I did finish up all my work by Thursday of last week though so I've had a couple of easy days off.

The next three weeks will be more difficult. There will be some finals projects to finish and then a final test in Strategic Management and Policy capstone class. That's in week 8. Weeks 5-7 will feature the completion of some milestone projects, a presentation or two, and several discussion posts.

It will be a busy month but again it's been a long trip since 2015 so this is fitting that this journey ends with a lot of work. It's hard to believe it's almost over. Most every day has been the same routine. I won't know exactly what to do soon with my time without homework to do each night.

I'll be figuring it out though!

Until then, on to week 5!

Week Two

I'm exactly 1/8th finished with my final term! Week one was difficult as we are using a business simulator called Capsim. This is to finish the business side of my marketing degree. This capstone will put us in charge of a company that manufactures sensors, might as well be widgets, but it's a simulation. Regardless week one was crammed full of information to absorb and apply. I felt overwhelmed for most of the week but now I'm getting a handle on it!

My second course is a marketing course on pop culture. This is how to recognize trends and market to and from them. This course is pretty enjoyable! There's a lot of information but I'm handling it in the only way I know how, LIKE A BOSS!

All in all I'm going to be pretty happy this term even though I felt I was going to do poorly. After I got a good understanding of the simulation and the strategies used I think it'll go well! This is a good challenge to test what I've learned over the past few years.

In other news Thing 1 has landed a pretty solid job! She's my soul. She tired of school early on and took my route to life. She went to work and wanted to live some! In so many ways she's a lot like me! I frequently go to the city and spend time with her, we go to lunch or the shooting range or whatever!

Thing 2 is overseas after graduating in December. She's my heart. Even though it's painful to let go, I want her to have a better life than me. She's well on her way! She's got a good starter job and an education to help her along the way, as well as a couple of great parents.

I've got it pretty good really, pretty good.

The Eve of the Last Term

Tomorrow is the day. Tomorrow is the first day of my last term of a journey that started in 2015.
Then I was in the midst of some serious insomnia. I'd go to sleep around the normal time and on a good night I'd get about three hours of sleep, on a bad night maybe two. After this went on for about two years I decided I should use my time awake in a more useful fashion.

So after dropping out of college in 1989 I decided to pursue a degree. At first I went to that rip off school Full Sail University, a for profit college. Worst educational experience I've ever had. Then I switched to Southern New Hampshire University, a non-profit university and the difference is night and day. Tomorrow I'll have fifty six days left until I earn my bachelors degree in marketing. This term I have two classes, one is the business capstone class and the other is pop culture marketing.

This has been a long journey, a rewarding journey, and one that I'm glad I started. I've always been straightforward about my goals. I want to become pension eligible in 2022 and live on that. Everything will be paid off by then and I'll have utilities to pay. After graduation I'm going to apply my degree and replace my income while I'm still working.

Fifty seven days from now I'll be finished with my degree. I'll have just turned forty nine earlier in the month and my longest and dearest friend, Northern Brother will be turning forty nine the day after I'm finished. Tomorrow my last term starts, fifty six short days and two complex classes. I'm considering a road trip to New Hampshire for graduation.

Fifty seven days....then fifty six and so on and so on.

AT&T's Big Screwup!

This week's blog assignment for school deals with the unethical practice AT&T used on subscribers called "Mobile Cramming" in which they allowed unauthorized third party charges to be added to customer's bills.

The Federal Trade Commission ordered AT&T to pay refunds to customers that were affected by this unethical practice to the tune of 88 million dollars. The refunds stem from the practice where two companies Tatto and Acquinity charged customers without their consent for joke text messages, ringtones, horoscopes, love tips, etc.

This unethical practice is still in use today except it takes the form of unethical apps that make it extremely difficult to cancel an ongoing service that might have been unwittingly signed up for. One of my co-workers dealt with this app issue last week in fact when his daughter got an app and made an account for it and wound up signing up for a weekly charge service without knowing it. It was almost impossible to cancel the service and he had to make several dead end phone calls and finally found a way online to cancel it when he found a complaint message board with people that had the same thing happen to them.

AT&T allowed this to happen to it's customers in 2014 and paid the price for it in the form of refunds to the consumers as bill credits which averaged $31.00 each. An ethical marketer should have to have permission or an opt in list for consumers to be marketed to rather than phishing for customer information to sign them up and sell their data to other marketers.

FTC Providing Over $88 Million in Refunds to AT&T Customers Who Were Subjected to Mobile Cramming. (2017, September 26). Retrieved December 7, 2018, from https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/2016/12/ftc-providing-over-88-million-refunds-att-customers-who-were

Marketing Objectives!

Yet again one of my favorite forms of assignments is here! Writing on my blog, updating my progress in my quest for my degree and keeping my readers informed of what's going on since I dropped out of my social circles in 2015 to accomplish this task.

This week the assignment is to blog about marketing objectives, what they are, and how to apply them. To break it down very simply marketing objectives are the organized goals for a marketing plan. They define the purpose and goals in clearly stated ways so everyone can get on the same page and they know what they are working towards.

For example if the goal is brand awareness and you lay out a social media strategy then everyone knows what the goal is, they'll know how to measure that goal with the amount of comments, shares, likes, etc. and they'll know where to improve.

That's just a rudimentary example but to more clearly define the goals they should be measured against the acronym, SMART. SMART goals are the measuring stick so the team doesn't get off track.
S - Specific goals must be defined.
M - Measurable so you can quantify the results in such a way that you know where you stand and where you need to be.
A - Achievable means that they must be realistic goals. You can't just say you're overtaking the brand awareness of Coca-Cola with your brand in two weeks. Doesn't work that way, that's not achievable.
R - Relevant means that your marketing goals must align with the brand, the company's objectives, and stakeholders.
T - Time Frame means that there must be a starting point, middle, and end point to the goals. They can be broken down in smaller, more achievable goals but each one must have a time frame in which they are accomplished and measured.

Let me give you an example of what worked on me. I purchased a Yeti colster which holds a 12 ounce can and keeps the liquid either very hot or very cold for hours and hours. Much longer than you'd need to worry about with just 12 ounces. Well I registered this product for the lifetime warranty and enjoyed it so much I'm buying several of them for Christmas presents and having them personalized.

Since registering Yeti has offered me deals on free shipping, I got a pack of free stickers (good and free advertising for them, a t shirt would have done much more in that regard for me) and of course the warrant. The point is they email me about every three or four days with some kind of information about their products so they remain relevant. It just so happens it gave me the idea for Christmas presents as well when I got an email about the customized products.

Their marketing worked on me! Their plan is good, and they have quantified my purchases and measured them to be able to tell if their strategy is working or not. Again if they sent me a free shirt, I'd wear it and then there would be even more marketing and brand awareness. Perhaps they should incorporate that into their next plan.

Market Segmentation

I had no idea so many blog posts would be necessary for my degree but I'm glad that I'm a veteran blogger as this is a snap to do! In this assignment I'm defining market segmentation. Market segmentation is how groups of people are defined in order to market to them more effectively.

This can be geographically, gender, race, by income, psychographically and more. For instance if you had a fresh out of high school kid with their first job in retail earning maybe ten dollars an hour, chances are they don't own a house yet. Maybe they own a hand me down car but it's on it's last legs and needs costly repairs and it's more cost effective to buy a new used car in which you will have a better asset.

They go to the car lot and see this kid and what they drive and likely will not market a high end vehicle to them that they can't afford, so they'll ask such questions as what's your income. Do you own or rent, How many incomes are in the house. Do they have any down payment money, questions like this to gauge what they should be showing the new client.

They probably can determine pretty quickly what someone can afford by just a few questions, this is segmentation. Essentially they are asking for a verbal survey. A survey is a great tool to determine how your product can be marketed. You can find out who is interested in your product, what do they like or dislike about your product, is the price high or low, and with a survey you can start to gauge which segments your product can appeal to and how to broaden that appeal to a larger audience. A survey can be done pre-purchase or post-purchase making it a very valuable tool!

Another great tool to help is to develop a target consumer profile. This tool goes from the basis that your consumers have things in common. Whether it's geography, income levels, genders, or perhaps belief systems there is something that prompts your consumers to buy your product. When you determine who your average consumer is with a consumer profile you will be able to market your goods or service much more effectively.

Both are very effective when it comes to finding the sweet spot for your marketing campaigns!

Mobile Marketing

The streak of having a class which requires blog posts continues! As I've said in previous marketing posts, this is a great way to measure where I am in college while accomplishing an assignment! This term I took Mobile Marketing as one of my degree requirements. This seems to be a very practical class that I can apply in future marketing endeavors! I'm excited to be in this class and so far after going over the assignments and final milestone, it meets everything I was hoping for!

This is module two and my assignment is to discuss the advantages of mobile marketing devices such as phones and tablets over traditional marketing channels. Then address how mobile campaigns lead consumers to the point of sale, generate contacts, or enable consumer loyalty programs along with some strategies that fixes the common constraints of mobile marketing.

The advantages of mobile marketing over traditional channels is blindingly bright! Years ago you had to place an ad in the paper to get noticed or buy radio or TV ads, even when the consumer version of the Internet was growing into its own in the mid-90's. Even in the dial-up days the traditional methods were more convenient and garnered much more attention.

When broadband started to roll out, the Internet still wasn't a for sure bet for marketing. You had places where you could place ads but if they had no traffic, well no one would notice. Gradually overtime classified websites popped up like Craigslist. A site dedicated to selling what ever to whom ever. Again after another evolution pop up ads started which annoyed everyone and made the marketers probably among the most hated people on earth.

Thankfully after the development of popup-blockers they caught on and started to embed their ads into the site itself. Ads that seemed to have mystery audio and you had to scroll the page to find the video and turn it off. Then the big evolution, the world shaking evolution began. The invention of smart phones! All of a sudden there was a device that had unlimited potential for marketers! One device that allowed you to browse the Internet, check your email. send text messages, download apps and use them anywhere there was a cell or wi-fi signal and all of that fit in your pocket!

A few generations later the smart phone is probably the most common thing in the world that everyone has! The homeless guy at the quick shop I frequent has a smart phone that he listens to baseball games on in the summer. He has a bike, backpack, and a smart phone. It's a necessity in today's world. I have a co-worker that is very rare in that he does not have wi-fi at home but he's got a 5 thousand dollar smart TV and he watches cable on it but that's another story, anyway he's got a smart phone!

I can't think of anyone I know that doesn't have one in fact. All of that means to a marketer that they are potential eyes to see a marketing campaign. I've gone weeks without turning on my TV where as I use my iphone and ipad each day, many times per day! I've typed out assignments on my ipad at work, that's how much I use these devices and I can imagine many of my fellow students do the same on their devices!

Personally I believe email marketing is the most effective form of mobile marketing. Not unsolicited email spam but email from businesses you are interested in. For example one site I frequently check prices and opted into their email list had a flash sale that was site wide for Election Day yesterday. Whatever you bought you took an additional 5% off with the email code which made for some really good bargains and I took advantage of it! I got a couple of really good deals on some supplies I use a lot of! That one email lead me to the point of sale and I might have even spent a bit more than I had wanted but the prices don't get that low normally, or haven't in the past few months that I follow their prices. So I'd call that very effective and they got me to pull the trigger on some items I've had in my shopping cart for a while, then taken out, then replaced again.

That is something I could never do with a newspaper ad, radio ad, or TV ad. You'd have to make an ad buy and plan out the sale before it happened, record or shoot the commercials, schedule when it'd run, and then direct consumers to your website. With modern turn key shopping sites you can adjust your prices, develop a discount code, and send out an email to everyone on your list in less than five minutes, maybe a bit more with an HTML email with graphics and the cost would be practically free. A marketing agency in town usually starts a campaign around ten thousand dollars and it goes up from there. Mobile Marketing wins easily!

Having a mobile optimized version of your website is essential. No one wants to scroll around on a smart device because you're only seeing 15% of the site on your screen. You want to see everything you need and be able to check out with a minimum of hassle.

Lately another advantage of mobile marketing that I caught onto was fast food places that offer mobile only deals on their app menus. You can usually find QR code coupons that you can't get by walking in but if you have that specific chain app you can find them and get some nice discounts. I've gotten discounted meals or been able to buy one sandwich and get a free side and drink with the mobile QR codes. More businesses can catch onto this and be able to likely expand their clientele.

A common disadvantage of mobile marketing is unwanted messages, robocalls, or thousands of unwanted emails that fill up your inbox. When that happens it is hard to distinguish your product from the scams and fake emails or texts campaigns. When the consumer knows that your business won't sell your email to other companies or require you to opt into their email list, they feel much more secure about the legitimacy of your business. Being up front with their security, to me, is essential. This is also a way to generate a large marketing list which got me to spend more than I had bargained for, darn my impulse buying!



Advantages and Disadvantages of Mobile Marketing. (n.d.). Retrieved November 7, 2018, from https://www.thebrandonagency.com/blog/advantages-and-disadvantages-of-mobile-marketing/

DeMers, J. (2016, May 25). 4 Mobile Marketing Strategies That Will Boost Engagement And Sales. Retrieved November 7, 2018, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/jaysondemers/2016/05/25/4-mobile-marketing-strategies-that-will-boost-engagement-and-sales/#4c0343be2514

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Bacon, Sausage, and Eggs

Anyone that knows me knows I've been enamored with a hearty breakfast. Anyone can tell you that if I've made you breakfast (and you all know who you are) you eat well and you eat hearty! Sausage is the foundation.

Two or three thick slices of J.C. Potter's sausage, any variety will do, I choose hot. Smash it thinner and start the frying process. After a couple of flips put in the bacon. Bacon will cook faster than the sausage so it doesn't need as much frying pan time. Then pull off the bacon, flip the sausage again and add an egg.

The egg will cook really quickly so you can now start to plate your food and then enjoy! This is a common everyday breakfast that keeps me full in the mornings. But if you aren't a big sausage fan you can use ham and I sometimes do and tend to add in some hash browns if the weather is really cold out!

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day and if I've eaten this first, then I can easily get by on a lighter lunch and a few small healthy snacks for supper combined with the gallon of ice tea I drink in a day.

So in summation, Breakfast! I love it!

The Taurus Debacle

Those of you who know me know I'm a "guns" guy. I am familiar with the safe handling of firearms, both long rifle, shotgun, and pistols. Firearms are something like the brakes on a car, they should work every time, they way they are designed to work, without fail.

One maker, Brazil based Taurus, ran into some problems with the safety mechanism in nine models of their pistols. They would fire sometimes when dropped even though the safety was activated. They have always had a dubious reputation of working or not working when they should for a long time with their semi-auto pistols. They have a lower price tag and people figure they are getting what they are paying for, which is not a quality firearm that they could trust their lives to.

In the fall of 2015 they started a recall of pistols manufactured between 1997-2013 on nine models. Soon after a class action lawsuit was filed and won when Taurus settled and agreed to pay 39 million dollars in damages. The effect on their brand was very bad. When you start to get a bad name around something that you could someday trust the life of you or your loved ones, well people talk.

Because Taurus has always been considered a budget brand, I never would have purchased one and after reading about their legal problems on defective parts, I still never would purchase one. A coworker enjoys them but tends of have the spring break in his semi-auto pistols. Again a brand that uses cheap parts, likely no or a very bad quality assurance team, and probably very little oversight on the process and testing.

Taurus should have used quality parts from the start. Their testing process should have been very rigorous and results should have been analyzed for a better product. Taurus will suffer from this for a very long time to come as it takes decades to build trust in the firearm community for quality.

Gillem, J. (2018, August 25). What You Need to Know About the Taurus Pistol Recall. Retrieved from https://guncarrier.com/the-taurus-pistol-recall/ 

Taurus Agrees To $39 Million Settlement In Defective Pistol Case. (2017, June 21). Retrieved from https://www.grandviewoutdoors.com/guns/taurus-agrees-to-39-million-settlement-in-defective-pistol-case/

The Post Celebrity Society

It's an odd thing. When I've read about stories of the Greatest Generation there were so many successful people that would be celebrities that put their careers on pause and risked everything to fight for a common cause. The defense of America, Freedom, Liberty, and a world free from tyranny.
A world free of nazism, imperialism, and eventually communism (but that one still lingers which I'll get to in a minute.)

There was a common cause for everyone to rally behind as I said. They were patriots, highly paid, lead very wealthy lives, were cheered for their artistry and dropped it all when Uncle Sam needed another hand. Today's celebrities that would do that are few and far between. In fact I'd argue that most of them don't really like the country but love the fruits it has given them. Most consider them elites and have earned more money than everyone in the town I live in have earned in their lifetimes, combined.

I see very vocal celebrities that are uneducated yet very emotional creatures. Hyperbole is their opium and accusations their wine. The elites, and yes I believe they consider themselves elites, are happy to talk from fortresses about how you should live. When reason has no value anymore and they have a microphone in front of them, odd things are said.

Let me give you an example, Jim Carrey has recently advocated for a socialist society. He's not the first to grab a Che' shirt and hop on board the socialism fad. What he lacks in knowledge about such a system would make me guffaw if he were forced to live under such conditions.

His wealth would be frozen and confiscated to give to the state (in this case the dictator) his property would be given to the state. Now with no survival skills available to him he'd be forced to fight for food which he would no longer find in the finest markets.

Let me break it down for you in a couple of ways, socialism is only for the elites and guess what? No one is the elites except for the dictator in power. At that point everyone is subject to the state's whims and cruel machinations. Their closest lieutenants are expendable if the state demands it. The socialist state is god, the population its sacrifice. Elites are always the first to call for some way of living they are always unwilling live for themselves.

When the elites start to tell the common how to live, lead movements against the will of the people, and place themselves above law and order then their place as "celebrity" is hanging by a thread. I see an America where the common become the stars, the watched, the celebrated, the well known. I'm not deluded enough to believe there will never be someone to find as a celebrity, that's not who we are as people.

However I can see an America where the movie stars are shunned, when pop stars are unheard, and when elites have no voice and hold over the hard working people that have paid to see their work for decades.

Again and Again and Again Again!

One more time in my career as a student my personal blog will serve as a delivery tool for an assignment. I've explained before that someday this blog will allow my daughters to go back and see what I was thinking and why. I wished the Internet was around for my grandparents so I could get a deeper level of understanding about them and how they lived when they were young and in their prime.

In this assignment I'm to pick a brand and explain how they succeeded or failed to position themselves at any point in the brand's cycle (development, growth, maturity, decline, or reinvention) and examine the brand's mission and vision. Look at the logo and slogan and see what could be different or better if the logo and slogan fail or if they are successful why it connects with consumers.

My brand shall be the NFL. I never shy away from controversial topics on my blog and while I can't guarantee every reader will not be offended I can guarantee you'll get little "t" truth as I see it since truth is a relative thing to the individual.

The NFL shield is an iconic logo but the NFL is failing for me. The main reason is not the kneeling protests (however that is a contributor) but the way the sport is being ran now. The commissioner Roger Goodell and the competition commission have convoluted the rules of basic play so much that the spirit of the sport is missing now. Legendary hard playing players would have no place in today's game and the likes of Ronnie Lott, Steve Atwater, and Jack Lambert would be tossed out of each game for some non-nonsensical hitting rules. The catch/no-catch rules are so crazy that instead of simplifying them they made what constitutes a catch harder by defining what control is even further.

"“I am just as lost as any fan or any player,” says Andrew Hawkins, the Browns’ 5-7 everyman wideout, who has played five NFL seasons. “There is no real definition. It just doesn’t make sense. You can’t quantify it.”"

In all honesty it's hard to feel sorry for a couple of thousand millionaires that play a game for a living. They know they are gladiators when they hope and wish to be signed or drafted into the NFL. The players know they won't have twenty year careers and the sport will take its toll on their bodies. The players also know that they will earn more money in a season than the average blue collar family in ten years and get praised and adored all the way to the bank.

The sport is becoming too modernized and the hard hitting roots are gradually fading away which is a contributor to the lower than average ratings slump. While one of the main contributors is how pay TV has evolved to more of an on demand format through subscription services. "This larger decline has been going on for over a decade now; is rooted in a fundamental shift to anytime, anywhere viewing on broadband devices; and affects all legacy TV programming to one degree or another. In short, contrary to the hopes (or delusions) of some in the TV industry, the NFL is not immune to these larger societal and viewing dynamics (Espeline, 2017).

How the NFL is still a ratings force, don't be mistaken but that force is eroding now and isn't as invincible as it was a decade ago. The chinks in the armor are more pronounced, the game less accessible for fans and more frustrating for players. The price the NFL will demand of their new agreement will probably be record breaking but there will come a day when the networks that purchase the NFL packages won't see the value anymore and start to make demands of the league for a better product.

Simply put, the best strategies the NFL could utilize would be to simplify the rules and the sport. Let hard hits happen again. Structure contracts in a way where the players know how privileged they are and there's tens of thousands of average people that would trade lives with them if possible. Guaranteeing the contracts would help this happen but pay the players less average money. What they sign for is what they'll get and they'd better invest it wisely because a career doesn't last long.

Kaplan, E., Benoit, A., & King, P. (n.d.). Deconstructing the NFL's Convoluted Catch Rule. Retrieved from https://www.si.com/mmqb/2016/03/17/themmqb-catch-nfl-rulebook-dez-bryant-no-catch-larry-fitzgerald-golden-tate-tyler-eifert-odell

The NFL Can't Keep TV Afloat Anymore. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://fortune.com/2017/09/20/nfl-monday-night-football-tv-ratings-decline/

Adivce For A New Marketer

My advice after going through three years of college for marketing and being half way through my senior year is be different. Marketers seem to suffer from a lot of group think and attempting to market to the lowest common denominator.

A great exercise is to find any random product in a store, look at the packaging, the marketing, maybe watch a few commercials about it. Then re-envision it the way you'd market it if you were in charge of that product. For example I eat a LOT of beef jerky products. Jack Link's uses the "Messing With Sasquatch" spot for promoting their brand.

I try to think about it differently from an alpha male point of view and not try and be Bud Light humorous. Let's be honest, not a lot of man-bun wearing "men" are walking around with their man purses eating preserved beef products.

I'd promote that brand as something to live on while you're in the wilderness exploring desolate mountains or rivers in solitude. I'd promote the brand with other manly activities such as tearing down an engine in your garage, rounding up cattle to brand, building a house, things that appeal to men.

So new marketer, if you've read this blog you know its author is a natural born non-conformist and as such approach my ideas from that standpoint. Think of something differently and when you establish that strategy, tear it apart and see what will not work about it and make it stronger! Be scary, be intelligent, be informed, and do it your way!

Ben and Jerry's

This week's assignment is to pick a socially responsible retail company and outline how that stance is incorporated into their marketing strategy. This week is a home run! I picked Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream Company. Their entire structure top to bottom is all about incorporating their ethical socially responsible practices into their marketing!

Just a quick visit to their website and you'll know first hand that it seems that ice cream is almost an afterthought to their socially responsible vibe. They post every step they use to be socially responsible such as fair trade, a caring dairy, cage free eggs, and a section to read more about their values. They might trumpet their social responsibility more than any other business I've ever seen.

Just by reading about the company you can tell they are (more specifically were since they sold to another company in 2000) very conscious about their social image. For example in 1985 The Ben & Jerry's Foundation is established with a gift from Ben and Jerry & 7.5% of the company's annual pre-tax profits to fund community-oriented projects.

I've read a lot of articles and I can find no situation, scandal, or case of any unethical practices by the original owners, Ben Cohen or Jerry Greenfield. I'd say they are definitely on the up and up about how they ran their business and were honest about it all. The company pioneers the pursuit of business with a double bottom line—profits and people—that Cohen and Greenfield called the “double dip.” (Page & Katz, 2012) Clearly they were concerned about their people and their profits which they tended to funnel back into the business and the community.

Page, A., & Katz, R. (2012, October/November). The Truth About Ben and Jerry's (SSIR). Retrieved from https://ssir.org/articles/entry/the_truth_about_ben_and_jerrys

The Innovator vs. The Disrupter!

My blog assignment this week is for Consumer Behavior and it's an analysis on the Top Dog vs. The Underdog brands. The top dogs are usually the market leaders. They are your Coca Cola, Ford and GM, Apple (modern day Apple) Mars Candies, Annheuser - Busch, brands like that. You see their products prominently on shelf spaces in grocery stores, quick shops, and super centers.

The disrupters are the underdogs, they saw a product and tried to make it different or better in some way. Apple became a top dog but started as a disrupter with a new style of computer and a new operating system. Microsoft was, or perhaps still is, the market leader and therefore the top dog still in the personal computing/operating system game. However at one time they were also the disrupter! They started with DOS, made a graphics based interface and called it Windows and then that turned the world upside down!

Apple could not even come close to competing with Windows and Microsoft grew into one of the best top dogs of all time. Apple stayed a niche product at best until they turned the world upside down with a handheld device that disrupted everything in the iPhone. They became the dominant company they are today because of that and are clearly top dogs in their industry now.

There is a clear difference in marketing strategy used by the top dog and the underdog. The top dog strategy is very clearly put by saying, "This works, we are dependable, we are always here, we are always reliable, no reason to change." They know they have the shelf space, market share, and have developed their product or service to the point where they are at their optimal.

The underdog strategy is, "We are new! We are exciting! We innovate! We are the future and you should join us!" They are disrupting the status quo, they give the Pepsi Challenge, they shake up the market, and they put themselves in front of your eyes constantly for your attention.

The next question for my assignment is to provide three recommendations on how an underdog can surpass the top dog. I've given one, Apple focused on a market that Microsoft ignored, the cell phone, and became a very big top dog! Microsoft struggled to produce any cell phones worth a mention, the same thing happened to the Microsoft Zune, basically an iPod style device that just never took off.

However Microsoft does own one segment that Apple has never attempted, the home game console. The X Box is a monster product! They came to the market when Nintendo was slipping away quietly with a next generation product that was so innovative that it rescued the home gaming market from another bust like after Atari went bankrupt. Microsoft is no slouch by any means and still have top dog product lines but they fail as well from time to time.

Another recommendation for an underdog to become a top dog is to stay embrace technology. You know what the status quo is of your product, it's time to think of it in a new way. It's time to take the old Ford approach to Model T colors (you can have any color you want as long as it's black) and make something hot rod red metaphorically speaking. Innovators, underdogs, disrupters need to embrace new technology. Technology is constantly changing, to the point that change is the only constant. Find technology to innovate your product, make it faster, make it higher quality, make it cheaper and you'll find your inner top dog! Maybe it's a new flavor combination for a potato chip no one has tried before. Maybe it's the Ranch Dressing innovator upstart that's about to take on long time established and top dog Thousand Island for the title of best dressing in the world. Think about your product a bit differently, maybe you can revolutionize your underdog into a top dog!

 Innovate! The top dogs were innovators once! Be the innovative leader and you can become the top dog! Take the NBA for example, teams used to run set piece offenses in the 1970's, if you watch the game replays now you might die of boredom. Pat Reilly build a team that was stat heavy and innovated offense with "The Showtime Lakers" in the 80's and started to dominate the game with a free flowing offense that accounted for much more offense than other teams were able to replicate or produce! They were exciting to watch even for the casual fan.

That team was a disrupter and quickly became a top dog to the point where today's modern NBA offenses are free flowing, reads, pick and rolls, and isolation offenses produce over a hundred points on average!

Why do I believe consumers choose the top dog over the underdog? That's pretty easy, people are creatures of habit. The more they grow the more they want to plan ahead and avoid surprises. They don't want the car to break down on the side of the road so they buy brands that are reliable. Brands that always start when you turn the key on. That's why I probably drink Bud Light (when I can't afford Lagavulin that is, which as a working class college student, not often) I see Bud Light along side Natty Light, Coors Light, Miller Lite, Michelob Ultra, and I generally pick Bud Light. It's tasty, drinkable, common, affordable and there's no surprises. You know what you are getting and sometimes that's good enough for me.