Wild Inklings

Radio Firsts

Today in history - On August 28, 1922, historians believe the first paid commercial was distributed via radio. It was an ad for apartment rentals, presented by the Queensboro Corp.

And radio advertising soon became a media staple.

Who among those pioneers would have imagined the deluge of advertising and marketing opportunities - and the amazing variety of media - just 89 years later?

FYI - some audio clips from the great early radio ads.

 

The Marketing Value of Trivia

As I was reading the other day about Eastman Kodak Co.'s current problems, I remember the stories and ads from years ago about people who just "pressed the button" and let their Kodak cameras do the rest.

And I remember the story about the Xerox Co. engineers who designed the mouse and then figured that computer users would never use it. So they discarded it. I remember that Bill Gates picked up on the idea, but I also remember Xerox.

And I was eating some Planters peanuts the other day. And I remembered that the peanut design on all the Planters products was created by a kid from Virginia about 100 years ago.

All those trivial facts. Maybe every business, large or small, needs a "trivia inventory" - a collection of trivia, stories and imagery that can help prospective buyers remember ...

Some Great Stories and Pics from 2009

At the end of each year The Boston Globe publishes an amazing series of news photographs from the past twelve months.

Here's the series from 2009:

Boston Globe's Year in Pictures, Part 1

Boston Globe's Year in Pictures, Part 2

Boston Globe's Year in Pictures, Part 3

And from Oddee, the oddest stories of 2009.

Oddest Stories of 2009

And how about AdFreak's freakiest commercials of 2009?

Freakiest Commercials of 2009

And last but not least, how about Crunks' top media errors of the year?

Top Media Errors of 2009

May 2010 be filled with as much unique and picturesque content as 2009!

Raw Materials

When you wanted to analyze costs and profits in days gone by, you tried to analyze raw materials. Like copper or wood or cathode tubes or whatever. You figured out what went into a product or service, how much it all cost, and what each component added to the finished item.

"Raw materials" don't mean the same thing today as they meant 25 years ago. I'd say that today raw materials include anything that produces the entire customer experience. Like: The greeting your receptionist offers on the telephone. Maybe the ambiance of your office. Maybe your response speed. Maybe the placement of your branded logo. Some of these "raw materials" cost money. Some are intangible.

Today's changing mix of raw materials has a profound impact on your success. Get the right mix of materials and assemble them right, and you move toward success. Leave out something that's important, and it's easy to mess up. Think about it.