Month: October 2010

I was going to write a blog post about the NFL and their connection with the fight against breast cancer, but Professor Milne already covered it so I decided to immerse myself even more in the topic. This post is not meant to commend the NFL for their support but more to question other pro sport leagues (like the NHL, NBA, and MLB to name a few) why they’re not getting in on the action.

It’s hard to imagine an argument against adding a little bit of pink trim to your uniform in support of a great cause and to promote awareness. Pro athletes get paid millions of dollars to play the sport so does it really matter what they’re wearing when they do it (to a certain extent)? If they’re worried about damaging their reputation and coming off as “girly,” people realize and understand the symbolism behind the colour so it’s really a non-issue.

Here’s a quick brainstorm of a few simple things that can be done in the other major leagues:

• NHL – hockey sticks, gloves, skates, jerseys, puck, goalie masks, helmets
• NBA – jerseys, shoes, various braces, sleeves, headbands
• MLB – cleats, jerseys, mitts, caps

The only argument against it I can think of is that the leagues would have to change the colour of their uniforms every month in order to keep up with other great causes.

I actually came up with a solution if they collectively chose to support Movember as an example. For the month of November, to show support for Movember, which promotes awareness for men’s health, the various leagues could place a ban on shaving facial hair. This example may seem a bit extreme but I think it’s a good segue into other ideas. Leave me your thoughts.

“You know in life you have to be a salesman. I know so many talented people, but they can’t sell themselves and they’re all failures. And I tell you this as a little bit of advice. I’ve seen people that are better than Frank Sinatra, they’re incredible entertainers but they can’t sell themselves and they never get the shot. So whether you like it or not, you have to be a salesman about yourself. It’s really important.”

– Donald Trump

Marketing and sales are connected pretty closely believe it or not. Some of the things that first come to mind when I hear marketing is advertising and selling objects, but I overlook the importance of selling yourself. Now I don’t mean physically selling yourself, but by selling who you are as an individual and what makes you standout.

Your personal brand so important nowadays in any scenario. For example, a friend of mine went down to Los Angeles to meet with the manager of the Stone Temple Pilots. You gotta understand that hundreds of people walk into meeting with people in the music industry (if they’re lucky enough to get one in the first place). Generally, I would like to say that they all make decent sounding music. It’s your ability to sell the story behind your music and your image as a musician that sets you apart from some other group and the next big thing. In this meeting, my friend was able to sell his brand so well that he created a partnership and is now in the works to release his album in the US sometime this coming year.

I just thought that this quote jumped out at me when watching The Apprentice and it applied so well to my friend’s situation.

Last week was the final chance for anyone over the age of 19 with a credit card to get some free money courtesy of BCLC. A promotion where you would receive $100 from the website after betting $100 of your own money was exploited. By betting $50 each on the dealer and the player in a game of baccarat, you would lose $2.50 on commission and then be given an extra hundred dollars where you could just cash out and be up about $97.50. I took advantage of this glitch and it felt pretty good that I just got about 11 hours worth of work done in 5 minutes (after taxes).

From a marketing perspective, I think that this was a strong move. A lot of traffic was created for the website which was under harsh scrutiny after it failed to work properly during it’s grand opening. Although it seems like a lot of money is being lost, I’d like to think that for every 10 people who cash out right away, someone would take the free money and gamble it away. I understand a loss is a loss, but the gambling business is about making lasting connections with customers who will return time and again.

The convenience of an online casino eliminates some of the cons of being there physically. Some of the complaints I hear include the smoke and the atmosphere because time passes by so quickly. There are no lines to cash out because it’s all done by entering your answer to the secret questions you set and your bank account information.

BCLC has been playing catch-up ever since the release of PlayNow because of it’s terrible start. They made up quite a bit of ground with this.