Like it or hate it, the subject of health care is anything but simple. Just ask our Congressmen-and-women who are even now haggling over a 1,000-plus-page health care bill. The complex intricacies of Medicare, Medicaid, co-payments, claim forms and various treatment options could give anyone an Advil-sized headache, leaving them with nightmares of stethoscopes and dancing deductibles. Interested? Read more now. »

The problem with Bud Light’s current marketing strategy isn’t its effectiveness or its accuracy, according to the Federal Trade Commission. It’s the colors.

An article in The Wall Street Journal quotes Janet Evans, an attorney for the agency, as saying that the FTC has “grave concerns” over a campaign by Anheuser-Busch to roll out Bud Light cans branded with the colors of various college sports teams. The reason for Evans’ worries? Despite the assurances of company executives that the special cans will only be sold at retailers whose customers are 21 years and older, the FTC believes the promotion may encourage underage and binge drinking on college campuses. As a result, the FTC is recommending that Anheuser-Busch drop the promotion. Interested? Read more now. »

When it comes to creating revenue and keeping your cash flow positive, one oft overlooked item is generating new leads. Keeping that sales pipeline full is one way to stay ahead of the competition. In today’s marketing environment, it is important to understand and implement how your Web site can play an important role in this process.

Your Web site should be more than just an information repository about your company and the services it provides. Information on the Internet is not meant to just flow one way. The site can and should provide the user with important information, but it can also be a tool by which they submit information to help  you in your marketing efforts. Interested? Read more now. »

Is the recession over? It’s tough to say – foresight is never 20/20 – but according to a poll of economists conducted by The Wall Street Journal in the past few days, all indications seem to be that we’re emerging from the darkness, and economists believe Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke deserves a pat on the back for it.

Don’t try to tell that to David Wong, though.

Wong, along with his wife, runs a private dental practice based in Tulsa, Okla. According to a separate The Wall Street Journal article, Wong has seen a 10 percent decline in patients since the recession began. As patients lose jobs and tighten the belt, some expenses have to be eliminated, so in the battle between paying the electric bill and paying for a regular dental checkup, consumers often tell teeth to take a hike. Interested? Read more now. »

A well-known brand is hard to come by. Why is Gatorade now just G? …..a branding hit or a branding miss…..you decide.

Just ask PepsiCo, the owner of the popular “Gatorade” line of drinks. Gatorade first hit the scene in 1965, when Ray Graves, coach of the University of Florida’s Gators football team, asked some medical researchers to come up with a thirst quenching drink to help his team perform better at games. The result was Gatorade – named after the team – and it became an instant phenomenon when the Gators enjoyed their first Orange Bowl win in 1967. Interested? Read more now. »

In the increasingly competitive world of home care, most agency owners and executives are finding it more challenging to stand out from the crowd. But some agencies are finding a solution – there’s nothing like a little good local PR to help keep an agency top of mind in the community. Plus, that local press creates a “3rd party endorsement” that may be passed along to people who are not local, but who have parents or grandparents with needs in the locality. Interested? Read more now. »