Had it your way?

Recently Burger King was taken over as the #2 in the Fast Food hierarchy by Wendy's. This comes as a shock to some and not to others. Burger King has more stores the Wendy's and have been around for longer. So why the change? Has Burger King just be culturally lapped by the new and fresh Wendy's? So I guess the questions arises have peoples tastes changed or has Wendy's changed in a direction that is now more appealing then Burger King.

If you watch much TV then you would realize that in conjunction with this news Burger King has changed their marketing approach and created a new advertising campaign. This campaign involves several well known celebrities including Selma Hayek and David Beckham.  Identifying that something had to be done I would say that the direction Burger King is going is a quick fix and not a long term solution. What is important, or what should be important to Burger king is that they raise consumer awareness to the fact they ARE changing. So if you ask do I agree with what Burger King is doing and I think these changes are helpful to their bottom line.....then i would say yes! Something, anything needed to be done. In regards to their selection of celebrities in the commercials I feel that if you want to make a splash that is what you do. You collect familiar faces and them encourage normal people in nationally broadcast advertisements to buy your....whatever!

Regardless of what Burger King is currently doing in their advertising campaign something longer term needs to be developed. With over 9 Billion in profits last year it is in their best interests to apply a better marketing campaign to help create a identity that people can relate/agree to. Develop some entrigue BK and make sure the next time I show up I am having it your way because that is what you told me to do!


Chomp, chomp

 

 

 

This past month we've celebrated the 40th anniversary of one of the best movies ever, The Godfather. From thsi movie we learn several lessons, here are 5 and 5 companies that can relate to thse messages:

 

 

1. Build a powerful community. 

Someday, and that day may never come, I'll call upon you to do a service for me. ~Vito Corleone

-Facebook buys Instagram

2. Hold people accountable. 

What's the matter with you? I think your brain is going soft. ~Vito Corleone

3. Don’t get emotional. 

It’s not personal, Sonny. It’s strictly business. ~Michael Corleone

-<http://www.tennessean.com/article/20120410/BUSINESS/304100049/Cracker-Barrel-plays-defense-against-hostile-takeover>

4. Be decisive. 

“Know who on your team is making the right choices, and trust them to take decisive action as well. Hesitation too often leads to missed opportunities.”

Apple got it right, why not you? http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/google/8897091/Google-Music-an-unimaginative-missed-opportunity.html

5. Spend time with your family. 

Do you spend time with your family? Because a man who doesn’t spend time with his family can never be a real man. ~Vito Corleone 

- Do it like the Waltons http://walmartstores.com/aboutus/7603.aspx

Obama's Freudian Slip

When the mic's are on?

We often ask our representatives in power to be honest and truthful. Such was the case a few weeks ago with President Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev met. Before their meeting was to begin they discussed in brief about some nuclear policies. During this exchange Obama mentioned that he would "have more time after the election." This statement emplies that Obama has 100% confidence that he will be re-elected. Obama's opponents in the upcoming election are questioning Obama about his "Hidden agenda" so reported Kasie Hunt in San Diego and Donna Cassata in Washington from AP News. After watching the video I understand why those not currently sitting as President woulf look to attack Obama. On a political scale of easy or hard for politicians to attack, this was 1st grade math. Of course right-wingers and conservatives were going to be critical of those statements. They are already critical of EVERYTHING Obama.

My take on the situation is there is no situation. Was this a bold conversation topic by the president, Yea. But is that not why we elect a president to deal with matters similar to this? the purpose of elected officials is to attend to matters of national security. From my perspective Obama had 3 choices. He could have:
A: Ignored the discussion there bye putting our national security on hold to be polite 
B: Told the Russian P.M. that he was not sure he would be re-elected so they should not discuss. This would have caused a serious loss of confidence in Obama and the P.M would have hoped for a more confident replacement.
C: Or lastly, said what he said and we should all just chalk this up to Sh!t they have to discuss.


I choose C!

Regards

   So this previous Tuesday night Prof. Medel's class attended Rip Esselstyn's (and family) lecture on living Plant Strong.  To say i walked in thinking this is silly and i hope this finishes quick so I can get home early would not be a complete lie. But shortly after he started I knew things were going to be a bit different. First off there were more people who were no students attending then students. I found that to be interesting and my intrigue increased. Rip was entertaining and had a comfortable stage pressence. Being a proud member of the carnivor clan I felt like this lecture was going to be a bit silly and a waste of my time, but I was wrong. Over the next hour and a half Rip and his family was able to inform, substantiate, and confirm everything they were really talking about. On top of which there was video that they showed to help established a greater level of credibility.

   Part of us attending was to support a school function, but it was also identify the pros and cons of the lecture. I have to say I took a great deal of positive thoughts and emotions out of the lecture when I really was not expecting too. I thought Rip has a great message and is driven by the best of motivations....to help people save their life. I know it was not a revolutionary thought, and I am not even sure if Rip said this, but what i took out of the lecture was that we all control how long we live by what we eat. And it goes deeper than that, we significantly improve the way in which we live by the diet we choose.  And maybe the fact that we are all inundated with "diet"this and "exercises program" that to the point where it is all just white noise. I just never thought that what i eat now affects how I think when I am 60 years old.

   So incredibly enough, I have adjusted the way i now eat. Since that lecture Tuesday night i have had only 1 meal with meat, have had little to no dairy, and have focused more on drinking seltzer instead of soda. I am not sure i feel that much better as i feel that my body is still adjusting, but I am happier that I am making the choice instead of just aimlessly stuffing tasty (but not good for me) food in my face. I hope Rip has this same affect on people who need this more then I do, but for right now i do not care.

   For all those interested in learning more about the program that (hopefully) is changing my life:

http://engine2diet.com/about_e2

ps.....Dr Oz approves this message!

(some of) MY FAVORITE ADDS.......enjoy!

This always gets me misty. If you serverd then you understand!

You want some old man????

KRS-One...say no more!

The power of fries!



HORRIBLE ADVERTISING......enjoy!

Does this add make you want to change you breakfast?

Does this add make you want to buy new shoes?

Does this make you want to buy a new car?

Does this make you want to workout?

And I am sure this makes you want to buy banannas



Honne (本音^?) refers to a person's true feelings and desires. These may be contrary to what is expected by society or what is required according to one's position and circumstances, and they are often kept hidden, except with one's closest friends.
Tatemae (建前^?), literally "façade," is the behavior and opinions one displays in public. Tatemae is what is expected by society and required according to one's position and circumstances, and these may or may not match one's honne.
                                                                                                                 -Courtesy of Wikipedia


If you were not familiar with the terms before, Honne and Tatemae have been an intrical part of Japaneese culture for many years. As I am a westerner, I was never raised with these concepts so clearly defined and labeled. And even when I visited Japan I was unaware of these underlying concepts that basically drives the Japanese culture. I was always under the impression that the Japanese were modest, hardworking, and polite because thats how they were raised. What I failed to ask and ultimately realized was it went deeper than that.

In many situations companies as a whole have to manage their image and corporate interests while taking into consideration these two concepts. After reading several articles posted on the web about Honne and Tatemae I have come to realize that Tatemae hold a much larger influence over the PR aspect of a company than Honne does. When a company is pitching a marketing campaign to change or maintain their image it is very rare that they will want to express their true Honne. I mean, would it make sense to hear or see an add that says "buy my product because if we don't sell enough xxxx then well will have to borrow more money to stay afloat"(Honne). We will hear, "this is a fantastic deal and we are SLASHING prices to give you the best deal possible"(Tatemae).

I feel that these two words have more of an impact on interpersonal relationships and interactions than they do on a corporate level. In one article I read it referenced how you could work with someone for years and years while they treated you very nice and polite (Tatemae) and you go out to have a drink with then years later and they inform you that you were very rude and they never liked you (Honne). In the Japanese culture you would be honored you were trusted enough to tell you the truth? Not me, I would have been frustrated and offended that they "lied" to me that whole time. And that ultimately is the conflict that westerners have with trying to understand part of the Japanese culture. It is strange how in one country that is considered honorable and in another offensive. I guess in a way this method of Honne and Tatemae are conflict avoidance tactics. If you are to never really share you displease with another coworker or the job they are doing (Tatemae) then you will never have to worry about conflict in the workplace. Everyone else is comfortable putting on a "face" to make the day go by smoother. I can see this being self sacrifice for the greater good but very confusing if you are not aware and unassuming.

I think on some level businesses have to incorporate these two philosophies in their company to some degree to make sure the correct message is getting across to the consumer and the workers. We could all use a little Tatemae once and a while. When someone ask's "how are you doing?", instead of saying you are a little down because of the weather or use that opportunity to complain about something it would be better for everyone if you just said "I am doing great, thanks" and moved on.


-Berggren