“Remember when friends were more than a number of; that you collected on your social media ap and cookies were a delicious treat you actually could pick up and eat! My dear friends the times are a changing.”
As many of you know I have been around and involved in the advertising and marketing world for a long time.As a matter of fact, it all started for me in the mid 1960’s. I have experienced going from Hot metal type to computer generated type, from creating new ideas with brain power to let’s see what comes out of the computer.
For a long time, many of us have enjoyed the benefits of social media and have built businesses and followings around it. We have also experienced as providers-built followings the benefits were restricted and even removed. Just like the dot com bust of the 80’s at the end of the day money has to be made. In many cases we are all paying for benefits that may have started out free and now are fee based.
So, what is the big deal? Traditional advertising as we knew it has been ravaged; traditional retail is in a state of adjustment; how to drive it; what drives it, and how to bridge the gap of addressing each generational group needs to be defined. This process takes time and in our fast-moving market place with so many channels getting a clear focus has become more and more difficult.
It is absolutely imperative to define and capture your customer base. To that end every business however small or large needs to define and have control of its ability to communicate directly and capture all potential consumers of their products and brand.
2024 will be marked in many cases by the loss of third-party cookies. This will leave a huge gap in businesses’ ability to take advantage of what used to be available. We have gone from the age of “location-location-location” to “audience-audience-audience”. Capture them now and build for the future.
These are my thoughts and opinions and I would appreciate any comments…
Whippets are an amazing breed of dogs, to watch them run is poetry in motion, to watch them walk is purely elegant, watching them chase a lure is pure excitement and having them as part of your family is an experience that can be sheer joy, absolute frustration, or a battle of who’s running this operation.
Know where an emergency room for your pet is when away from home
Anyone who knows us knows; almost 6 years ago we brought home this tiny little runt of the litter “Zara” a champion breed Whippet who has become an integral part of our entire family.
In her first year with us she was certified for service, qualified for AKC competition, and more importantly stole the hearts of us to our grand children.
I am sure this happens with many family pets, but having been a long time pet owner of other breeds “there is just something for many of us in those expressive eyes of a Sight Hound”.
For all the joy Zara gives us there are many things that whippet owners must consider and take seriously and that is why I am writing this post based on my experience and opinions.
Owning a whippet; takes a commitment to providing a great pillow rich home environment for lounging around-not sitting around, either a great yard or field to run in or lots of walking –hiking-swimming, or daily physical activity, finding safe and quite dog parks if that is going to be the exercise area, finding a good vet who knows sight hounds and their specific needs, never raising your voice in anger to this sensitive breed, teach them to sit first and always make good eye contact when training, give them variety in their diet, establish good recall traits through training so you can do off leash activities, get them used to having their nails trimmed or filed early as well as their ears cleaned by you not the vet, let them tell you when they are comfortable with other dogs, although they are very clean by nature a bath once in a while as well as tooth brushing-and coat brushing keeps this breed looking good, give them plenty of praise and a variety of special treats when leaving them home, although they seem to have good control take them out on a regular schedule, and always travel with a blanket pillow or mat for them to lie on.
7 stitches plus a drain…
Most important and getting back to the title; be prepared! As a whippet owner there is a safety facture we should all be aware of. Whippets do not get along well with certain breeds. Our experience is when they shy away or plant their feet don’t force it. Whippets are built for speed and can suffer back injuries if jumped upon- in rough play. Even though they can out run most all breeds that does not insure their safety. Whippets have only 1 layer of hair, minimal body fat if any at all, and thin skin. If a whippet plays with a nippy dog it can be a recipe for disaster and just regular play can result in a serious cut or worse a skin tear.
Zara at home after a day at the vet
“Recently we were at the dog park for some morning fun, with some dogs that Zara wanted to play with. They romped around chased each other and Zara proved she could outrun and keep two dogs busy while showing off here running and maneuvering skills, it was wonderful to watch as she baited and challenged the other dogs. We all watched and enjoyed our dogs at play and then in an instant it stopped and Zara recoiled and all went still; in play Zara was cut on her hind leg. There was no fault it was just play. For the long haired dogs with undercoats this never would have happened for Zara it was severe. We immediately left the park and headed for the 24 hour emergency center. The result was 6 or 7 stitches a drain, anesthesia, and 2 weeks and several vet visits. As a responsible pet owner of a Whippet no questions asked you have to be prepared to do what is needed” with action and $s….
To all my friends and Whippet owners, enjoy your pets and take good care…
Comments and questions are welcome
Below is a gallery of some of the activities Zara gets to do…and she is always well behaved…
Zara at workZara the high flyer on her way to FLwalking the runways of Grumman’s old installation on LI
with CJDads Car and I show off at car shows in Florida
morning walks in Dania Beach FLZara sporting Here Birthday Fashionslure Coursing was great fun!time out for a fshion showMJ and Zara searcing for crabs at Mudd Creek on LIHangin at Haulover Beach FLRaquel and Zara at LI Dog Pac WalkRaquel and Zara at the Lakeside on LIZara,, CJ and Mom (VITA) on the beach in Fl reunion Long island Whippet Get togetherZara on the job pre boarding at the airportZara at home in NY with Icarts on the wall…Dog Park relaxing with other Whippetswe hike on trails on Long Island
with my brother CJ
I originally wrote this article a few years ago and for some reason never posted it! after just finishing reading it;The Last Book About Selling…Some of my old friends, may remember when traditional advertising and “Location, location, location ” ruled the Retail World!
I just read a very interesting book byIra Ellenthal. It was an interesting collection of anecdotal information.Ira gathered from a long and broad based career. I had many interactions with Ira during the P.C. Richard & Son years of my career in advertising.
Newest Publication by Ira Ellenthal
It was May of 1989 when I joined P.C. Richard & Son as Advertising Director we were a Long Island based Appliance retailer. Our advertising was Newsday based and targeted mailers. We were a leader in our market and poised for expansion. When several other retailers failed, succumbed to our position in the market place, or tried to enter P.C. Richard & Son expanded and won the competitions onslaught. It was time to expand our advertising reach and become the entire Tri states dominant “Appliance Electronics and Computer Giant”
When we added the “Daily News” to our advertising mix I first met Ira. Over more than a decade we had many interactions. Contract negotiations, special sections, and events often led to Ira’s involvement. Whether his Sales presentations were successful or not” they were memorable” and built an ongoing relationship…
I enjoyed reading about Ira’s Dad (Slootie’s Wars) and now especially enjoyed the references to the many friends I had the pleasure of working with at the “Daily News” that were included in “The last book about selling”.
Although many things have changed over the past years…good sales techniques
Like; knowing your customer, building relationships, & understanding conditions in the marketplace can be adapted to any sales program.
In 2019 my grand daughter asked me to build her a doll house and for her 7th birthday she got her doll house. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1oBbi0DkaNI She is now 9 and enjoys it all the time.
So in 2020 when my grandson requested a garage and repair shop where someone could live; the challenge was on.
creating the garage in cardboard
The project had to be started when I was in Florida that presented problems in itself because my garage workshop is our New York home not my Florida condo. Working neatly in limited space was a skill I learned early in life growing up with a clean freak Mom. So A small work space between a folding table and 2 futon draws became my living room workspace. I knew that no kit existed to do what I wanted to create so I combined 2 1/24 scale garage kits and my own scratch built parts into my plan. ….I ordered the kits and when I received them the work began. After a long conversation with MJ I had a good idea of what he wanted, what name should go on the sign, what colors should be used and a general layout of the total project….work began first with a cardboard and foam core mock up incorporating the 2 garage kits…. With that accomplished I moved on to cutting and prepping the base and wood panels what would become the actual build.
beginning steps of pre assembly
You can’t cut wood in the living room so the terrace became the wood shop and all the panels were cut; all cutting that made sawdust was done on the terrace. The base was cut at a local Home Depot. Hobby lobby is my go to for craft supplies and I have them in FL & NY.
With everything ready I could start the build but it had to be disassembled to get back to NY. I have done many projects in NY that went to Florida so that was easy; Heath visits in April by car so I had 5 months to get ready to send it home with him. I knew it would not be complete but well on its way and require re-assembly, paint and detailing in NY.
getting ready in New York workshop
Work continued and MJ got progress reports, and in April it was broken down packed and ready for NY. When I got home in may I realized I needed more work bench space so before unpacking I built additional work bench area in the garage. That done work commenced. Working in the garage made life easy and in just a few weeks the project was completed. From a wish the garage became a reality complete with a 1/24 scale car, gas pumps and operating lift. A roadway area was added and the sign saying “Stop Fix Cars Here” was up the garage was delivered to MJ on his birthday and all the tools and interior shop equipment was put in place…more important a promise was kept by Poppy!
let the playing begin…
This photo makes it all worthwhile! Follow the link for a video of the complete build.….https://youtu.be/DF9pC40aBGo
My opinion based on Florida condo ownership for over 50 years…
entrance to My Condo PLAZA TOWER SOUTH
Many of us enjoy the lure of the beach; some of us live in the north and rush away fall and winter and can’t wait for spring and summer. In the late 1960’s many northerners addressed the lure of summer sun by investing in vacation homes in south Florida. It wasn’t long till the south Florida’s gold coast became a focus not only for sun worshiping middle aged, over 55 relatively comfortable northerners but profit seeking developers.
Like a magic act; land deals evolved, easy ways of all types became available to those who sought it out and a new phenomena the condominium became the expressway for developers, grandma’s and grandpa’s to get their very different piece of “Paradise”. It wasn’t long before Paradise turned into “The wild West” and the state of Florida in the 1980”s established “statute 718” the condominium act. This along with the Florida Department of Business development; have been at the forefront of condominiums and their operations.
Lets step back a little and focus on Condominium Basics…
From the developer side they:
1-fund it
2-build it
3-fill it
4-create estimates of operation and rules and regulations
4-create owner board
5-turn it over to unit owners board management
From Owner side they:
1-buy units(individually or multiples)
2-agree to share all expenses for common areas
3-accept maintenance fees
4-accept rules and regulations
5-on full occupancy owners vote to approve their board
6-Units as well as Common Areas become owner’s responsibility under newly established BOD
This is a very basic description, however the reality in my experience is most owners look at the benefits and ignore the truly important responsibility of co-ownership. With all the development left to builders, developers and management left to unit owner boards; a huge void has grown in Florida privately owned condominiums. This void can become a problem especially when the buildings have accepted the responsibility of self management.
Ask yourself these questions:
1-should I give an inexperienced person the right to overlook the care and maintenance of my co-owned low rise, mid rise, or high rise building?
2-should I allow those same people to manage a multi-million dollar budget?
3-should I allow those same people to make decisions on what safety measures need to be taken?
4- should I allow those same people to make decisions who moves in or out of the building?
5- should I allow those same people to make decisions on current or existing structural needs ?
6-are the board members interested in the owners or their own agendas?
7-are the board members knowledgeable enough to recognize their need for professional help?
8- can board members be honest in their evaluations ignoring friends needs or financial situations?
9-can board members project realistic financial planning based on required structural needs not their own popularity?
If you own a Florida condominium and have negative feelings about any of these questions; you should be very careful of who you elect to your board of directors, and probably should question the quality of your buildings self management or lack there of.
This seawall collapsed and is still being restored
In closing, I as well as many of our south Florida Condominium owners was shaken by the event that happened at “Champlain Towers South” in Surfside. The loss of life and impact on loved ones will never be completely known. We as a unique group of owners who enjoy singular ownership of our units for our, as well as our family’s enjoyment should be more pro active in our elections, the care and maintenance of our co-owned properties. If we haven’t already asked questions, attended meetings, verified and scrutinized board’s ability to protect our property and the loved ones who enjoy it…it is time now and we should!
These are my thoughts and opinions and I welcome any further discussion.
It was the morning of September 11th 2001. Normally I would be heading to my office at 6am. As director of advertising for P.C. Richard & Son I always enjoyed 2-3 hours of morning peace to setup for the day’s events and whatever surprises the morning newspapers and; advertising would break from the competition. This morning was different I spent an hour from 5am to 6am cleared my desk left notes for department key personnel and left for jury duty. Later that morning everyone was glued to TV screens as the Horror of 9/11 unfolded. I did what my position and good sense told me “I killed all advertising” knowing that the world had changed that morning!
Spring ahead to today “We certainly live in a different world” social media is mainstream, E-commerce has evolved and Amazon Days have surpassed Black Friday. I however am more interested in the changes in social behavior we all have endured. Good manners were taught at home and reinforced among our families, friends and educators. Love of country and those things our country stood for were guide posts for all to be proud of. My company’s principles were based on “over 90 years of Honesty, Integrity, Reliability and a handshake to seal the deal.
When 9/11 hit us we, all of us, Americans from all walks of life joined arms, no matter what color, race or creed, we stood up, we saluted our flag, reached out to God and moved ahead. “One America Indivisible with Justice for all”
