Tag Archives: customer base

My Observations & Opinions...

In this multi-screen world of AI… Chocolate Chips will still be #!  

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“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…

 12/15/2023 alan meschkow

Appeal of Wheels...

Red Calipers: after all these years…

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As many of you may know I have always been interested in cars. Maybe you read one of my articles or saw pictures posted. Since early 2007 I have owned a brand new 2007 Pontiac Solstice. I have kept this car bone stock; aside from a dealer installed front end stiffener. The car is with me when in New York or Florida and to date has covered 80,000 mostly top down pleasurable miles. The car is pampered from detail to mechanics and driven as it was meant to be. It took about 50,000 miles for it to develop a well muffled throaty sound ripping through the gears of its 5 speed automatic transmission. This car still has a bumper to bumper GM service contract kept in force and renewed every 3 years. From all I have said you would believe that I totally love this car just the way it is not exactly.

I have always paid attention to small details that set any car apart from others. This car gets scheduled cleaning inside-outside-under the hood, seals rubber gaskets are treated twice a year with paste silicone, the original top is treated once a year, nicks and scratches are meticulously attended to, all plastic lenses are polished twice a year, the optional 18″ wheels and 245 directional tires are polished and prepped monthly, alignment camber/caster/ toe-in-out checked annually, all black trim is treated as needed, and because it only has the Pontiac chevrons I am often asked “is that a—-?” My reply is usually no it’s not a “this or that” it’s a 12 year old Pontiac; and they reply “they made that” and I smile. Because of its short 3 year run this car never evolved like many of our iconic brands however a vast after market of products does exist. I have always admired a minor detail on many high end sport imports; colored coated calipers. This was a detail I wanted for my car. The following is an account of how I did it.

  • display of what you need
    fig#1 the tools
  • before work begins
    fig#2 rear uncoated
  • front stand position
    fig#3 front suspension arm on jackstand
  • don't forget to break all lug nuts before lifting tires off the ground
    fig#4 rear position of jack pad and stand
  • off the ground ready
    fig#5 car safely standing on jack stands
  • caliper after 3 coats
    fig#6 front cleaned and painted
  • front and rear now done...repeat on other side
    fig#7 rear cleaned and painted
  • front wheel finished
    fig#8 front wheel mounted
  • rear clened and mounted wheel
    fig#9rear wheel mounted
  • back on the ground
    fig#10 all wheels mounted and job is complete

I have a fairly well equipped garage and workshop however I did need a few things that I made or sourced new and used. I needed a breaker bar, torque wrench, electric impact wrench, jacking pads for my car that I made, wheel lug impact socket, and of course a red caliper ceramic paint kit. I had my Cowrc TurboJet blaster, low profile hydraulic jack, work lights, creeper, 3/4″ ply wood strips to raise the car 1 1/2″ inches to clear the jack and jacking pads, buffer for the wheels, polishes, cleaners, etc. I did one side at a time over 1 1/2 days. You could save time if you lift the whole car at one time. I started by breaking the lug nuts on the ground, then inserting the jacking pad in the front position and lifting one complete side, then positioning the jack stands as pictured and lowered the car onto them, I then removed the wheels with my impact wrench, I marked the tire position and put the wheels aside. Cleaning the calipers was easy with a small wire brush and emery cloth, using my air blaster to blast away all the dust, then I drenched the area to be painted with cleaner and again blew it dry. Using a 1/2 inch lettering brush I applied the caliper paint waiting 20 to 30 minutes between coats, 3 coats were more than adequate, because of my art and graphic skills I did not need to mask anything. Between coats I used my pressure washer to clean up my wheels back side first then front, I then polished and buffed them put tire dressing on and put them aside, I also cleaned and dressed the wheel tubs. After 24 hours of drying I replaced the wheels using the impact wrench and once on the ground set torques for each wheel in a star pattern in three stages 55 lbs-80 lbs-100 lbs. I also checked the tire pressures and adjusted as required. I hope this was helpful and simplified your preparation to do this project. I am very pleased with the results and sure you will be too!.

My Observations & Opinions...

Contact me About Advertising Then and Now!

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If you’re a business owner, student, advertising and marketing professional; or if you just need a sounding board. I may be able to help. My career has been full of interesting conversation. So contact me and perhaps, we may start a dialog that is beneficial to both of us. Just fill out the contact form and I will be in touch.  
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thinking about advertising…

My Observations & Opinions...

The Big “SALES TAX” Dilemma!

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“Wow…Geee…I can’t believe…B.S….Not Fare….I give up…Great…It’s about time”…Yes yesterday June 21st 2018 marked the day that the United States Supreme Court put into law that all states should collect sales tax on internet sales. Everyone who is Continue reading The Big “SALES TAX” Dilemma! →

My Observations & Opinions...

Black or Bleak Friday!

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Retail’s Black Friday has been around since merchants went from red to black on their sales ledgers around the Friday after Thanksgiving. There was a time that Black Friday sales were like the icing on a cake, topping off a successful year or surviving another year, and customers waited with dreams of savings on this very special day: today customers have seen one day sales turn into preview day and day after sales and so has Black Friday expanded. Black Friday has become the expected not the phenomena for both consumer and marketer.

As with all great advertising and marketing campaigns some remain timely and others go. Just a few decades back it was O% financing and 10% off!

10% OFF and 0% financing ROP print ads

Over time certain campaigns seem to always work: Grand Openings, Birthday, and Going out of Business sales. This all went well through the 1900’s; and with the  start of the new millennium it all has changed. Our buying habits have changed and so has the marketplace.

Many of you may remember the effects of; multi-sectioned  newspapers, cable television, paid for radio, on the way merchants went to market. Today we are reached with new and very different delivery sources and media “the internet and social media”. Advertisers and marketers don’t control e-commerce audiences and today you can go directly to your audience without traditional media. It is no longer “Location, Location, Location, its Audience, Audience, Audience for many successful businesses.

One thing that has remained constant is that there is only a certain amount of money divided among the merchants in the market place. This money is spent as consumer see fit. The 2017 Holiday Season is unique, there are 5 weekends between Thanksgiving and Christmas, 31 Shopping days and the stronger influence of e-commerce and cyber Monday.

In 1863 President Lincoln declared Thanksgiving would be celebrated on the Fourth Thursday of November as a way to unite the nation. In 1939, 1940, and 1941 President Roosevelt moved Thanksgiving to the third Thursday of November to lengthen the shopping season; that was quickly rescinded when congress acted in 1941. The fact is the holiday season ranges from 26 days to 32 days. My experience indicated that although the amount of days to shop is important, 4 or 5 weekends has a greater effect on traditional retail with a 1 week lull after Black Friday and a very strong last weekend of sales before Christmas day. Another factor is that within the weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas was a Chanukah Bump during the 8 day celebration. The 5 weekend season also creates a 5 weekend campaign as opposed to 4 this certainly can affect profits and the bottom line.

This year “Amazon Days” success proved that targeted audience marketing is a force to reckon with. Retailers are aggressively positioning themselves to capture their share of the holiday season. Consumers are checking the ads, the internet, and are prepared with smart technology devices. Statistics’ will declare the winners and losers of the 2017 Holiday Season and the evolution of the market place will continue…So Black or Bleak lets all hope the spirit of the Holidays Lives On…

By the way “Yes Virginia there is a Santa Clause”

All the best for a Happy, Healthy Holiday Season & New Year 2017 alan b. meschkow

My Observations & Opinions...

AMAZON DAZE!

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Thoughts on Mass Media and Audience Driven Markets…
 I have always looked at businesses as living breathing entities. Just like the people who own them and the people who frequent them; businesses are affected by time and the changes time brings.

My years in the adverting industry during the mid 1960’s through the early 2000’s were dominated by traditional retailing and B to B activities. At first new technology and computers changed the Continue reading AMAZON DAZE! →