Merrily’s Items of Interest

Marketing as an Investment: The Key to Surviving The Great Recession

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.Read More

Just Call Me M. (But Please Just Call Me.)

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. Read More

Tweeting Chapter 11 Style

Bankruptcy: it’s the ultimate in bad public relations.

No company wants word of its financial woes to reach customers’ ears, yet that’s the situation Six Flags Inc. found itself in last month when it filed for bankruptcy in a Wilmington, Del., court. The New York-based owner of 20 theme parks throughout the United States is saddled with billions of dollars in debt and plans to undergo a four-to-six-month reorganization plan to regain financial stability.

That’s all well and good, but it’s also a serious PR debacle.Read More

45 Life’s Lessons from a 90 Year Old

Written By Regina Brett, 90 years old, of The Plain Dealer, Cleveland, Ohio

“To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me. It is the most-requested column I’ve ever written. My odometer rolled over to 90 in August, so here is the column once more:

1. Life isn’t fair, but it’s still good.
2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.
3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone…Read More

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