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"Ads Infinitum"
Why are we in trouble in this
country? One of the principal
reasons is speculation in
barrels of oil. Of the total price of a barrel, $50.00 is taken up by speculation. But, that isn’t all. It only takes 3 or 4% of the gross price to get in the margin game. That alone is a big part of why we are hurting, but the weak dollar will grow much stronger if and when the Congress changes the rules on oil speculation. Contact your legislator and let him or her know that the jig is up in the matter of getting greased. Add to that the Iraq War at 150 billion dollars per year, the amount of people out of jobs, the collapse of major businesses based on the shrinking consumer pocket money. Businesses going broke or laying off armies of workers.. Side bar: Many of those same troubled businesses pay their CEOs 400 times the average pay of their workers. We have never been big time savers. It didn’t take long under pressure for our looseness with the credit card to catch up with us. Many of us have been cast out of our homes. The question now is, where do we go from here.? Quick! Call 911!..But wait! Cancel that call. Calling 911 isn’t going to help. This time, it is up to each of us to figure out how to save ourselves. Each time someone guzzles gasoline, Hamas, Iran, Hezbollah, and other thugs get a subsidy, in the form of protection money from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, The Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Pakistan. Kuwait, Iraq Al Qaeda (Et Al, Arabic for et al.) But why am I bending your ear about all this when I am supposed to be writing about advertising? Because, advertising is a major economic indicator, a direct reflection of the economy. In the old days, many advertisers didn’t know what worked in their advertising budget, so many high rollers such as Coke .bought everything, including bench ads, radio, newspaper ads, magazines, television when it came in, billboards, bar room clocks., bar coasters, glasses with the Coke logos on them, T shirts, airplane towed banners, and logos on anything that could be imprinted. Those days are gone. The economy is choking up, and advertising dollars are drying up. The media is laying off valuable talent. The time has come to be creative, growing instead of shrinking. The goal: to create a transparent way to trace advertising dollars in a path that would directly connect the consumer to the advertiser and score big. I like to write in parables. You may recall the movie, “The Graduate.” starring Dustin Hoffman? That movie was rife with great scenes, not the least was the seduction scene with Benjamin and Mrs. Robinson.. “Mrs. Robinson, are you trying to seduce me?” I have in mind a more portentous scene in that movie, in which Mr. McGuire pulls Benjamin aside at a social gathering, and advises him with great theater. Mr. McGuire: Benjamin, I want to say one word to you. Just one word. Benjamin: Yes, sir. Mr. McGuire: Are you listening? Benjamin: Yes, I am. Mr. McGuire: Plastics. Benjamin: Just how do you mean that, sir? That scene today would be outdated, but simply changing the word “plastics” and substituting the words, “swiping” would update it. Benjamin: “Just how do you mean that, Mr. Hare? Isn’t swiping illegal?” Hare: I mean that the advent of cell phones has opened up infinite commercial possibilities, enabling you to “swipe” bar codes and connect more intimately with a retailer. Benjamin: “Intimately. Mr. Hare, are you trying to seduce me? Hare: Me? Nah. Swiping is good. (Benjamin jumps into his sports cars and hauls up the coast, with Simon and Garfunkel singing rhythmically in the back ground) Soon, cell phones will become synonymous with the swiping of bar codes. It isn’t widely known, but cell phones can already swipe bar codes simply by snapping their picture, swiping them off of any surface including billboards or wherever they are printed. Few have put it together that there is a mother lode in that bar code. By the time you have owned a cell phone for any length of time, it grows into an extension of you that is so intimate that marketers are beginning to look into ways to connect with you and your cell phone to serve your needs more completely. A perfect servant discerns your needs and sates them. This is their goal. The market is lagging behind in implementing this exciting new breakthrough, but public pressure because of the tight economy will serve as a benevolent prod to the media and advertisers to recognize that “swiping” has become honorable Here’s a simple description of how it will be done. 1. Advertisers download special software (Doesn’t exist yet, but would be developed in partnership with phone makers and Telcos) 2. You, the consumer, whip out your cell phone and swipe a barcode in an ad,.. 3. Go to an advertising merchant (Merchant needs to participate) and show them that you have swiped their ad. 4. Redeem for extra bonus savings. (Merchant gets “swiped" but loves it.) The Tech requirements in order for media, advertisers, and the consumer, to get “in.”… Ads need to be sold by the media to the clients using the Swiping barcodes technology.. It’s a wild new vista for newspapers. Think of all those currently barren pages now enriched with great bar code bargains... Software application needs to be developed. Merchants need to opt in and download the software to either scan the codes using their regular barcode scanners, or Bluetooth set-up, or participate in the 800 # system where the consumer phones in to redeem barcodes.. The emphasis is on additional savings that you can receive by participating in a barcode sale. A standard sale might give 20% off on an item, but if you swipe the barcode, Bonus! Bonus! you can lop off an additional 10%. The key to this concept is that in these hard times it is an incentive to keep more money in your pocket.. Paul Jacobs, the president of Qualcomm, recently announced that the industry should create a new mobile network especially designed for cell phones. Some phone manufacturers have already created phones that make swiping easy. Breaking News! It is now possible to create your own customized personal barcode. Personalized Barcodes are a work of art. In this one you will use your bar code as a vehicle for expressing your needs and desires. Hey! It’s fulfilling to find another use for your buddy, the cell/soul mate . When you swipe one of the news paper ads with your own personalized bar code,, you have announced that you not only want the item in the ad but are in the market for other things that fascinate you….at special bargains. You become a “player” in their system. It’s also in the works that when you are driving around, a special signal will be sent to your cell phone if you are near a store that sells, for example, a washing machine at a price that you have listed in your personal bar code as an item of interest. This high priority is of special importance when the product you wish is in short demand. If you are lusting for a Prius, and have let it be known to your swiping network, a signal will be sent to you that a Prius awaits you, giving you a special price, because you are in a high priority swiping network, making you special. I can envision an ad or commercial being run, a consumer sees or hears it, swipes the newspaper ad or wherever the bar code is displayed, thus creating a strong psychological connection with the advertiser. I have barely scratched the surface in this piece regarding bar code swiping by cell phones, and welcome your reaction sent to my e-mail address. What makes this new technology so superior to other high tech shtick? Because the consumer is using his own personal favorite cell/soul mate to effect great savings and, above all, to have fun doing it Cell phones are the most empowering devices in modern times. Happiness, the fullest use of your creative powers along constructive lines.. I get lots of response from people all over the world regarding topics I covered, that were also of importance to them. Here is a rewarding e-mail. sent this week. Hi Harry, Greetings from Brisbane, Australia. It's a great shame you didn't get anywhere with repealing the PSVA of 1886.. If you had I would be going on my dream holiday in September. I can't believe that an Act from 1886 is preventing me from holidaying in 2008!!! Bloody ridiculous. When I was told that I couldn't go on our 21day cruise starting in Alaska and cruising down the west coast and stopping at each port , because of legislation passed in 1886 I thought it was a joke. Someone is benefiting, but I don't think it is your average American business trying to make an honest living. Obviously your important politicians don't do cruise holidays. Good on you for trying. Cheers, Janet Hardwick Life goes on…… Trainer Rick Dutrow trying to console Big Brown after running last at the Belmont. “That’s alright. You did a great job, Brownie.” There is a rumor that AFTRA National President Roberta Reardon received such high acclaim for her strong handling in the successful union negotiations that there is talk of her running for the U.S. presidency next term, which would make her the first AFTRA American President. In last week’s piece titled ,”I’m Tired of hearing About it.” I stated that the public has to rise up, and tell their legislators that they are “tired of hearing about it”, meaning things that have gone awry, due to corruption and sloth. The very next day, Rush Limbaugh went on a tear, reefing off all the things he is “tired of hearing about.” Coincidence?…. Congratulations to Mike Glickenhaus, installed as the President/CEO of VMIX, a high tech media consultancy firm that is making great strides under his innovative guidance. |
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e-mail Hare
hare@happyhareonline.com
Hare's Biography |
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Previously ...
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