Business owners really should always be thinking of ways to “tighten our belts” right? However, during times of economic downturn there’s a ton of focus on ways to save on expenses in our businesses and as you may know, many businesses are going into a “panic mode”. They’re laying off staff and delaying plans for growth and reducing their budgets…..including their marketing budget. Companies who reduce their marketing budgets give me “pause”, especially since marketing done properly is the best investment a company can make when the economy is slow and some vendors have an “Economic Stimulus Package” already in place to help their dealer network. The name of this Economic Stimulus Package is Cooperative Advertising, otherwise known as Co-Op.

 Every year, over 10 billion dollars of Co-Op advertising money goes unused!

Chances are likely if you are reading my blog, you are BUYING, SERVING or SELLING advertising (or just someone who ran into my blog because they like cats.)  No matter who you are, what you don’t know about Cooperative Advertising could cost you money.

Cooperative Advertising, or “Co-Op”, is a sharing of advertising costs where a vendor shares all or a portion of a retailer’s advertising in order to promote product. Think of Co-op like a partnership between a vendor and their dealer network (retailers). Vendors want their dealers to spend money on marketing because they know it works…AND are willing to put their money where their mouth is. Now may be the best time to check with Vendors on programs that may be available!

It’s not a surprise to know that some of the most aggressive Cooperative Advertising Programs are run by brands, such as: Polaris, Apple, Rolex, Carrhardt, NAPA, AAA, Ace Hardware, and every car brand out there, Thomas Kincade, Pennzoil, Bosch, and many more! Vendors are also getting more and more comfortable across the board with internet advertising.

The Common Benefits of Co-Op Advertising

Many vendors offer free Yellow Page Advertisements.

Co-Op reimbursements are commonly at 50% or above.

Some vendors provide the ad copy, including television ads, webverts, and radio scripts.

Co-op can be handled in-house, but very often it is a place where Industry Professionals really can offer great help and support. Here’s an example of a professional that keeps her ear to the ground for her clients as well as her peers.  http://co-opqueen.blogspot.com/

There may be money available to help defray the cost or enhance Trade Shows and Special Sale’s events.

Cooperative Agreements can be negotiable between a vendor and a dealer to create better return on investment.

 Now, what could be bad about Co-Op Advertising Programs?

 There may be some Co-Op money you choose to leave on the table.

Remember that vendors want to sell their products and some have constructed their advertising programs to sell only their products without regard to an individual company’s identity and brand. This is not too terrible if the Dealer Network has a territory that is spread out and if the Vendor does not sell direct to the public. Be sure that all of your advertising works for you and not against you.

It may be tempting to attempt to combine more than one vendor in a cooperative ad in order to cover more $$. Have you ever heard those radio ads just listing name brands of stock …….really fast? Make sure to use proper advertising methods and don’t create noise. Again, I recommend utilizing a professional copywriter with experience in Co-Op advertising. If the copywriter says it  “would be better if….”, LISTEN.

Vendors may request that ads be “approved” before running them in media. This could cause delays in scheduling marketing.

Co-Op funds can expire. It’s common that they don’t carry over. You lose what you don’t use!

Co-op is usually paid upfront by the retailer and reimbursed by the vendor. It is very important to follow the specific rules to avoid losing the ability to collect reimbursement.

Though it may be important to not delay in learning about the Cooperative Advertising money available, it is equally important to NOT RUSH in spending it. Plan Co-op wisely based on budget allowance, marketing plans, stock seasons and market niche. An advertising / marketing calendar is recommended.

Advertising is not a product you attempt to purchase at a discount.
Advertising is an investment in which you attempt to maximize your return.
The GIGO rule applies: “Garbage In=Garbage Out”

I have added a little bit of funny yet excellent advice below. Enjoy!

I have been searching high and low for this song and mustn’t have ever looked on YouTube….? How bizarre. Everyone knows I love YouTube!

Anyway, I found this video and also found the artist…..(Comedian, Musician and Voice) Kip Addotta. Very Cool Vlogger. At the bottom of this post, I included one of his “Coffee with Kip” episodes.

I used to listen to a cassette tape over and over and over again on vacation in the Virgin Islands. We stayed at a house with a name. Notre Ciel This was back when vacation was an annual event with the parents…rather than a wistful memory. I have visited the house and the islands in my adult life a couple of times, but my “Wet Dreams” were in the days of my youth. I know I have pictures but will pretend I couldn’t find them so you never see me with braces.

It was April the forty-first
Being a quadruple leap year
I was driving in downtown Atlantis
My barracuda was in the shop
So I was in a rented stingray
And it was overheating

So I pulled into a Shell Station
They said I’d blown a seal
I said, “Fix the damn thing
And leave my private life out of it
Okay pal?”

While they were doing that
I walked over to a place called the Oyster Bar, a real dive
But I knew the owner
He used to play for the Dolphins
I said “Hi Gil”
You have to yell, he’s hard of herring

Think I had a wet dream
Cruisin’ thru the Gulf Stream
Ooh Ooh Ooh Ooh
Wet dream

Gil was also down on his luck
Fact is he was barely keeping his head below water
I bellied up to the sandbar
He poured me the usual

Rusty snail, hold the grunion
Shaken not stirred
With a peanut butter and jellyfish sandwich on the side
Heavy on the mako

I slipped him a fin
On porpoise
I was feeling good
I even dropped a sand dollar in the box for Jerry’s squids
For the halibut

Well the place was crowded
We were packed in like sardines They were all there to listen to the big band sounds of Tommy Dorsal
What sole

Tommy was rockin’ the place with a very popular tuna
Salmon Chanted Evening
And the stage was surrounded by screaming groupers
Probably there to see the bass player

One of them was this cute little yellowtail
And she’s giving me the eye
So I figured this is my chance for a little fun
You know, piece of Pisces

But she said things I just couldn’t fathom
She was too deep, seemed to be under a lot of pressure
Boy, could she drink
She drank like a . . .
She drank a lot

I said “What’s your sign”
She said “Aquarium”
I said “Great, let’s get tanked”

Think I had a wet dream
Cruisin’ thru the Gulf Stream
Ooh Ooh Ooh Ooh
Wet dream

I invited her to my place for a midnight bait
I said “Come on baby, it’ll only take a few minnows”
She threw me that same old line
“Not tonight, I gotta haddock”

And she wasn’t kidding either
Cause in came the biggest, meanest looking haddock
I’d ever seen come down the pike
He was covered with mussels

He came over to me and said
“Listen, shrimp, don’t you come trollin’ around here”
What a crab
This guy was steamed
I could see the anchor in his eyes

I turned to him, I said
“A-balone, you’re just being shellfish”
Well, I knew it was going to be trouble and so did Gil
‘Cause he was already on the phone to the cods

The haddock hits me with a sucker punch
I catch him with a left hook
He eels over
It was a fluke but there he was
Lying on the deck, flat as a mackerel
Kelpless

I said “Forget the cods Gil
This guy’s gonna need a sturgeon”
Well, the yellowtail was impressed with the way I landed her boyfriend
She came over to me, she said
“Hey, big boy, you’re really a game fish
What’s your name”
I said “Marlin”

Think I had a wet dream
Cruisin’ thru the Gulf Stream
Ooh Ooh Ooh Ooh
Wet dream

Well, from then on we had a whale of a time
I took her to dinner, I took her to dance
I bought her a bouquet of flounders
And then I went home with her
And what did I get for my trouble
A case of the clams

Think I had a wet dream
Cruisin’ thru the Gulf Stream
Ooh Ooh Ooh Ooh

Wet dream
Cruisin’ thru the Gulf Stream
Ooh Ooh Ooh Ooh

Wet dream
Cruisin’ thru the Gulf Stream
Ooh Ooh Ooh Ooh

Last night on my way home from picking up the kids, I was met with a very welcome and selfless act of kindness. Strangely the couple didn’t know all the days events and that I needed the gesture. They probably just saw a mom pulling up in a BMW and paying for gas with change…

Compassion is sometimes the fatal capacity for feeling what it is like to live inside somebody else’s skin. It is the knowledge that there can never really be any peace and joy for me until there is peace and joy finally for you too. (courtesy of quoteland.com
-Frederick Buechner

No…..I’m not broke, or not any more broke than everyone trying to raise children, work, and balancing life issues… I forgot my cards and ID at home in Mancos (27 miles away). No biggy….

But, this particular day had been stressful…yes-I had some drama. When I left home to pick up my children, my mind was engaged in the day…the month…. I wasn’t suffering, just deep in thought and somewhat anxiously melancholy (if that’s possible).

I decide to drive into town before picking up my daughter from pre-school since it was a long trip and it’s safer to keep her there…Especially in the fall where the top of the hour is Deer o’clock and the bottom, Elk Thirty. I looked at the clock and thought “okay, four o’clock. That gives me enough time to go and come back…no problem.” Then I get in my car, press the range button to determine how many miles I can go before I run out of gas…figuring I want to get it in Durango because it’s cheaper there than Mancos…. I had 50 miles based on my average fuel economy. Good to go! I had my coffee, my phone and ….obviously left my head up my arse again

I get to the Park where my youngest son was and saw nobody….just the lonely field with leaves blowing and …..nothing.

I thought to myself ………………………………….”Oh No!”

I had been following the news of the 6 year old boy abducted from Nevada and  knew that normally the child never gets home….and thought it was happening. My oldest son and I walked around the park, looked everywhere. Went through the nearby school and didn’t know where he would be. Wondering, where would he have gone? How long was he alone? When did his friends leave? Did I just miss the abduction?

“Stealthy Lizard” sitting in a life sized Jeep at his Dad’s work last month.

Suddenly, I see him sitting on a park bench with his friends getting ready for cake still celebrating the birthday party. Nonchalantly saying “Hi mom.” when I came to him.  Apparently the boys were shooting rockets and landed one on the roof of the adjacent school. The Mom and boys tried to find a way to retrieve it through the school…and we just missed the pack of kids…over and over and over again.

Now…it’s 5:17 and pre-school closes at 5:30. I’m out of gas and 30 miles away. So….pre-school got the “gonna be late” call and I drive get gas……and no money.

So, My oldest and I dug for “silver change” and came up with a $5.00 and voila…..we had enough $ to get home. Not as needy as we looked. Especially since Mom had to turn the car around because she drove up on the wrong side of the pump…..AGAIN!

But this couple….kind hearted and generous….unpretentious and warm…gave me the gas left prepaid that they said “wouldn’t fit” in their tank. The gentleman said, “We all have been there”. And I was stunned, dumfounded, only vaguely hearing myself saying “Thank you so much….” and wanting to start crying. It wasn’t the money I needed-it was the kindness. It made me feel like everything was going to be all right….and that life is just a series of very special moments.

They didn’t know that. They may have just thought that I looked haggared and tired and …stressed and needed the money, maybe? Since I am normally “together” and appear “competent”, I am not a recipient of charity-so I don’t know what they saw. But it felt good to receive the kindness and concern of another person. It taught me something….it meant something…

Maybe that couple will run across this post and contact me so I can pay them back and thank them properly.

Joe Nichols – If Nobody Believed In You

Maybe you know this, maybe you don’t… (If you do-it’s time for a hobby!):)

Each year, I celebrate October 10th as my Official “Happy Day”. This started in my college days, my Sophomore year to be exact. I lived at an address “1010 Philadelphia Street”, and enjoyed a beautiful fall day sitting on my window sill in the Round Room of “The Castle” (nickname of the aprtment) enjoying the beautiful air of Fall. Good things happened that Fall. Some bad, but inside my soul-good things happened. I learned that “I am” meant exactly that. Sometimes I don’t always exactly know who that is, but know my dreams are alive and unique and….mine.

So…on this October 10th, I find myself very introspective and “at peace”. I hope you are enjoying the same. I’ve been taking some pics.The mountain view is today from my deck, and the river is from a walk I took a few days ago in Durango – on the hike bike patch.I absolutely love the fall!

All of us are born for a reason, but all of us don’t discover why. Success in life has nothing to do with what you gain in life or accomplish for yourself. It’s what you do for others.
-Danny Thomas 

I read an interesting and telling post today from one of the forums I monitor. It was very telling of the differences in perceptions about our industry.It made me wonder how many people withhold helping thinking that helping another talent will reduce the success of their own freelance business?

Here is an excerpt of the post:

“It’s a tough market to break into, and I find that most of the other voice talents out there aren’t quick to give advice to new comers like you and me.  Some do and others will just ignore you.  I suppose that’s about par for the course for any professional endeavor though.

I’ve been monitoring this site for a while now and have picked up some pretty good stuff, but like I said, only a few will actually sit down and answer your questions.”

Ironically, one of my favorite blogs to follow had a related topic up for discussion today:

Success Isn’t a Competition: Boosting Others Helps You in the Long Run

Excerpt from the post “By freeing yourself from the bounds of competition, you free yourself to help others, even if they might be competitors. And in doing so, you gain relationships, and those can be amazingly valuable — in terms of having great friends, and maybe gaining something in the long run. Friends, of course, are much, much more than what they might give you (and you shouldn’t make friends because they might give you something), but you can see the point: it certainly doesn’t hurt you to help others. ” (read entire post here)

I would love to hear from you if you need help, or if you have a comment or opinion on the subject.

Here is my somewhat related video. Well, the title is related, but the rest is just plain old cute!

OK! So rather than sending all my contacts the dreaded “FW:” email. I thought, why not post this here?

_____________________________________________________________________________________

(The information posted below has not been confirmed, fact checked, or politically “Correctified” )

I’m against the $85,000,000,000.00 bailout of AIG.

Instead, I’m in favor of giving $85,000,000,000 to America in a We Deserve It Dividend.

To make the math simple, let’s assume there are 200,000,000 bonafide U.S. Citizens 18+.

Our population is about 301,000,000 +/- counting every man, woman and child. So 200,000,000 might be a fair stab at adults 18 and up.

So divide 200 million adults 18+  into $85 billon that equals $425,000.00.

My plan is to give $425,000 to every person 18+ as a We Deserve It Dividend.

Of course, it would NOT be tax free. So let’s assume a tax rate of 30%.

Every individual 18+ has to pay $127,500.00 in taxes. That sends $25,500,000,000 right back to Uncle Sam.

But it means that every adult 18+ has $297,500.00 in their pocket. A husband and wife has $595,000.00.

What would you do with $297,500.00 to $595,000.00 in your family?
Pay off your mortgage – housing crisis solved.
Repay college loans – what a great boost to new grads
Put away money for college – it’ll be there
Save in a bank – create money to loan to entrepreneurs.
Buy a new car – create jobs
Invest in the market – capital drives growth
Pay for your parent’s medical insurance – health care improves
Enable Deadbeat Dads to come clean – or else

Remember this is for every adult U S Citizen 18+  including the folks who lost their jobs at Lehman Brothers and every other company that is cutting back. And of course, for those serving in our Armed Forces.

If we’re going to re-distribute wealth let’s really do it….instead of trickling out a puny $1000.00 (’vote buy’ ) economic incentive that is being proposed by one of our candidates for President.

If we’re going to do an $85 billion bailout, let’s bail out every adult U S Citizen 18+!

As for AIG – liquidate it.
Sell off its parts.
Let American General go back to being American General.
Sell off the real estate.
Let the private sector bargain hunters cut it up and clean it up.

Here’s my rationale. We deserve it and AIG doesn’t.

Sure it’s a crazy idea that can ‘never work.’

But can you imagine the Coast-To-Coast Block Party!

How do you spell Economic Boom?

I trust my fellow adult Americans to know how to use the $85 Billion We Deserve It Dividend more than I do the geniuses at AIG or in Washington DC

And remember, this plan only really costs $59.5 Billion because $25.5 Billion is returned instantly in taxes to Uncle Sam.

PS:  Feel free to pass this along to your pals as its either good for a laugh or a tear or a very sobering thought on how to best use $85 Billion!!

Let’s hear from Uncle Jay on the current Economy.