Marketing Eye

Expert Marketing Blog - Mellissah Smith - Page 4

Shedding some tears can be a good thing...(this blog is for women only)

Ok. Maybe it's not for everyone. But for most women, it is something that although it doesn't happen often, it can be the best thing that happens to you.

As a woman with a fairly robust exterior, that to the outside world is fully focused on business, my principals and the people I care about, I am largely seen as a confident woman with the world at my feet.
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Where's cupid pointing his arrow?

Cupid is the most famous of Valentine symbols and everybody knows that boy armed with bow and arrows, and piercing hearts . He is known as a mischievous, winged child armed with bow and arrows.

The arrows signify desires and emotions of love, and Cupid aims those arrows at Gods and Humans, causing them to fall deeply in love. Cupid has always played a role in the celebrations of love and lovers. In ancient Greece he was known as Eros, the young son of Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty.

Today is Valentine's Day. It's a day that holds so much expectation for so many people around the world, particularly those who are young. It's a day that every girl/woman wants someone (anyone) to say to them they are special... usually in the form of a card, roses or a gift. The day is so full of expectations, that I am sure many people end up not savouring the day and enjoying it for what it is, but instead having disagreements like the young couple in the park this morning with the guy following a beautiful girl in tears with a bunch of roses.
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Is Facebook Sleezy?

Facebook is meant to be for friends. Right?

It disturbs me how many people trawl through facebook and request 'friendships' with people they have never met or have met for 20 minutes in a bar (and are married or in a relationship). Is Facebook a platform for people to become sleeze bags and try and pick up women/men or is it a platform for friendship. Sure, some people don't have a life and spend every waking hour checking if someone has made a comment on their facebook pages in hope that it will make them feel better than they did the minute before.

According to Psychologytoday.com, so many people spend time on facebook because;
1. They are bored at work
2. They are unhappy with their lovelife
3.  There are a narcissist (and/or voyeur)
4.  They desire to 'get along' with people
5.  Their motive is to 'get ahead'

I think facebook has a place and it is to keep in touch with friends and relatives and to touch base with that person who was your best friend in year 7, but a friend is not someone who you don't invite to your house for dinner or pick up the phone to. A friend is someone you really know, not someone that is a distant acquaintance.

In business there certainly is a place for facebook particularly for consumer based marketing where facebook is fantastic or even for events - but that is NOT on your personal facebook account. It is on a business facebook page that clearly communicates what the objective is for the use of this platform.

More than 100 million users access facebook through their cell phones and those who do, access it double the amount of times as someone who accesses it through a computer. There is a real addiction going on to facebook and without doubt there is and always will be social repercussions.

I personally prefer someone to pick up the phone and call me rather than facebook me a message and face-to-face beats everything hands down for those who I care about.
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Alan Joyce - standing firm and gaining respect

There is something to be said about doing the right thing. I know that many Australian and overseas patrons of Qantas might not be thinking too positively about Qantas today, especially if they are stranded with no flight home. But if you can take a step back and look from a different perspective on the issues at hand, I am sure you will have a new-found respect for Alan Joyce and the Boards role in standing up for what is right. You may say that Alan Joyce's pay rise is excessive, but is it? I for one do not make the sort of return for Marketing Eye that Alan Joyce has made for Qantas - so to me it is comparative. If I ran a company of that size, with the pressure that he has to put up with day-in, day-out, let me assure you, a $5 million pay packet would not be enough. The leaders who run substantial public-listed companies are under such harsh scrutiny that I for one, could not handle. Look at the newspapers each day and see the headlines that are completely attacking Alan Joyce. "Joyce Should Be Sacked" is enough to keep me paralyzed in bed for a month, if I were in his shoes. This man is an absolute inspiration. He is the epitome of strong, solid leadership with fair values. I have read feverishly the content related to what Qantas employees are wanting as remuneration. Are they serious? It is not market rate, nor is it reasonable. Having been on a flight where at the time I was in the Chairmans Lounge, and could not for the life of me use points to be upgraded to first class, yet a Qantas air hostess and her 3 friends seemed to have no problem at all taking the seats that could have been for a loyal customer who at the time travelled at least 4 flights per week with the airline. Is that fair? Well, from all accounts, this is something that Qantas employees want on a regular basis. Stuff the loyal customers who ensure that they have a job. They mean nothing - apparently. Another thing to consider is what has happened to other airlines around the globe. They are in huge financial strife. Do we really want an Australian icon like Qantas to follow down the same path? And last but not least... for those who have invested their superannuation and hard earned savings in buying shares for Qantas... they too need a return. It's not all one way. If they don't get dividends for taking the gamble and supporting Qantas - then no-one should have a job. Just my Sunday thoughts.
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Bang for your buck

(BRW, the Marketing Issue, Oct 20-26, 2011)

It needn’t take a huge budget to market a business. All it takes is time and little forethought. Report: Georgina Dent

Many years ago a manager commented off the cut that Marketing Eye Chief executive Mellissah Smith “worked in sales”. Smith was irritated by the description until she decided he’d made a valid point. “I was quite annoyed about him saying marketing was the same as sales but they actually do go hand in hand,” she says. “Marketing creates the forum for sales to occur.”
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Steve Jobs, we will always remember you

He was number one on my bucket list and he someone I don't think a week went by without me mentioning him in conversation or thinking about how I could learn more from the way he operated.

His book was on my bedside table alongside a book written about how he presents to an audience and engages them like no other.

My bucket list had him down as the person I would most like to do work experience for. Sadly, this will never happen.
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Marketing for a cause

Today, I drove to Dandenong to hear stories from Foster Care Parents and Students that are currently studying through VCAL as part of the Ozchild Day for Ambassadors.

There are so many amazing, giving people out there that dedicate their lives to helping others. They ask for no recognition or endorsement and are simply people who care about others that may not be blood relatives nor may they be people they see past a day, a week, a year.

Ozchild is a non profit organisation that needs your support. They help children who have no where to go, are abused, and whose parents cannot look after them for one reason or another.

They may have fallen to the way-side in the Australian Education System and in desperate need of alternative learning.

Whatever the case - they need your help.

Businesses

If you are business, think about ways you can work with Ozchild to raise money, give support or provide resources. Simply by making a small donation, it is helping children in Victoria.

Individuals

From being a Foster Carer through to lending your support in community events or volunteering in their office. Alternatively, if you have some spare cash or fancy a tax deduction, why not make a donation to www.ozchild.org.au.

Your support is appreciated.

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