3 S.R. Johannes: Titillating Thoughts For Thursday

Wednesday, January 07, 2009

Titillating Thoughts For Thursday

Marketing Muse for the Day: Tweet tweet!
Twitter can be used as a marketing tool. First you can you use the search engine to plug-in book titles, topics and even personal names and check your buzz level. It is a way for your readers to keep in contact with you. And a personal connection is key to gathering a following. Twitter is a fantastic way to give your brand a voice and a personality.

Titillating Thoughts on Thursday

1) What a crock! Evidently, I have been a sucker for the 5 major gimmicks in the U.S. Does that make me an idiot or just plan gullible? Evidently the top 5 merchandising scams are: 1) Rudolph, 2) Valentines Day, 3) engagement rings, 4) wedding registries, and 5) green bean casserole.

Green Bean casserole? really? I was surprised but evidently it was a gimmick started by Campbell Soup. Who knew? Now I have another excuse not to eat greens!

2) Freaky Families What is it about families? You can't wait to see them and while they are here you enjoy them. But they sure know how to stomp on your buttons. I always feel like I am 17 again when my family is around. Read this Discovery article about what happens to you physiologically when family comes over. Very interesting :) No wonder my blood pressure changes.

3) My mind is a wastin' I am definitely tell I am getting older. I used to be great at Trivia Pursuit and coming up with random facts quickly. Today, someone asked me the name of the movie triology that Keenu Reeves was in about computers. Do you know it took me about 5-7 minutes to come up with Matrix? Ugh. (Now what was I talking about? Oh yeah my memory. :) I researched "mucky memories" (ahh, the things we will do sometimes to avoid writing!) and came up with this interesting article on a few way to keep your memory sharp. Look at #5 - "Read a book." CHECK! My question is why can't MMs be brain food? Boy, I'd be a smarty pants!

4) Creepy Cops - OK, this was just plain creepy to me. Evidently, the Thailand police are now wearing smiley-faced masks to cheer up motorists. What?! The pictures are creepy. Is this really supposed to get me to smile? Can't they just use their own faces and actually smile without masks? I think that would make me feel better....but saver - I don't think so? I don't really want happy cops skipping around my neighborhood. I'll take a bad-ass cop anytime.

5) Virgo rocks 2009 and takes names! This was my horoscope for 2009 -

"Virgo - Look out world, because here comes Virgggggg-Oooooo! Holy crap Virgo. What did you have to do or sell to get a horoscope like this? My guess it wasn’t cheap and may have been sexually related. You’re on fire this month and the momentum will only increase (like a hot flaming fireball) through the course of the year. The stars show love, money, mind-blowing sex, and a television mini-series. Enjoy this success and all its glory because, let’s face it, you’re probably going to pay for it sooner or later."

Yikes, pretty clear huh? My question is if I get a mini-series, does that mean I got a book deal too? Oh please let it be true :)

Quote for the day: "I think I did pretty well, considering I started out with nothing but a bunch of blank paper." -Steve Martin

11 comments:

FerinyaGrace said...

Yay for us Virgos! :P Where did you get the top 5 gimmicks from?

Lauren said...

They aren't gimmicks they are just really, really good marketing. Especially the diamond ring thing. Although I'm not complaining. I like my ring!

I found that bit about families extremely interesting. I remember growing up how mom would always say that dad acted like a kid again when they visited his family and she didn't like it. I forwarded the article to her, I'm sure she will like it. Also, I bicker with my younger sister like I'm 10 again so I definitely agree!

Get The Measure said...

hello! wicked site, so many resources, i was wondering how i could follow you. sorry if this is obvious im low on the techno-how.

Get The Measure said...

Thanks for stopping over coz i lost you again. I'm one of your stalkers now though.

Shelli (srjohannes) said...

ferinya - I cant find the link :(

Shelli (srjohannes) said...

lauren - its so true isn't it?

Shelli (srjohannes) said...

Creative crunches - g;ad to have you

Corey Schwartz said...

Shelli,

You crack me up!

C

P.S. How is your ear?

Jennifer Roland said...

I always knew there was something weird about that green bean casserole commercial--none of my friends had ever had such a thing.

Carrie Harris said...

Mmmm. Please don't talk about green bean casserole. I'll have to go upstairs and cook one.

Maybe if I go and look myself up on Twitter, it'll distract me.

Anonymous said...

Great post. But I hate to be thick (too late, eh?)--when you write that "Rudolph" was a marketing scam, what do you mean? The others I totally get.