Mary Schmidt Marketing Troubleshooter

It’s Friday and high time for a (moderate) splash of Grey Goose, three olives and a spot of irreverence. We all spend the week looking at depressing headlines and dealing with serious issues. So, just imagine me with glass in hand and tongue in cheek. Of course, holding the glass does make typing a bit problematic. Luckily, I have Teddy the wonder cat to help. So, away we go with some martini-time musings (with a biz point here and there.)

The aging baby boomer population. I’m typing this while wearing my groovy, far-out funky reading glasses. What’s next? Thong Depends? Methinks that’s not so far-fetched. Point: There’s a lot more money to be made from us 80 Million plus Baby Boomers than the teenager market that many are still blindly pursuing. We actually - like, wow - have our own money…and can drink legally…and will spend $30 for a bottle of vodka…(Even though blind taste tests have reportedly shown we can’t really tell the difference between the high dollar stuff and good ol’ Smirnoff. Sorry, I just cannot go there. Point: Customer perception is reality. If I pay $30 - it tastes better.)

Did ya ever notice? When somebody says, “Let’s not politicize this!” - they’re busily politicizing it. Ditto when somebody sneers “It’s nothing personal. It’s business!” Oh, and it’s impossible to separate business from politics - if you’ve got more than one person in the room, there’s going to be politikin’. Point: All business is personal (and political). Don’t forget to factor that into any strategic plan implementation, operations process changes or sales cycle.

Holy fried synapses, Batman! Am I the only one that finds the Ozzie Osbourne’s “Don’t drink and drive” radio commercial deeply disturbing? You mean, this guy drives? Even if he is sober, that’s a very scary thought. Would you want to look up and see him in your rear view mirror? Here’s hoping he never brings the family RV to New Mexico. Okay, no point - this just tweaked my sense of the absurd, since I find Ozzie and his family charming, in their bizarre, obscenity-spewing way.

Well, there’s a hole in my glass and I’ve eaten the last olive, so I’m off (but won’t be driving - not to worry, Ozzie!) Have a great weekend. I’ll write something serious and deep on Monday, I promise.

P.S. Looking for a warm comfort food movie? Go see Queen Latifah in Last Holiday. She’s gorgeous, funny, and a joy to watch. I smiled all the way through it. Sure, it’s charming fluff, but fluff is sometimes a good soul-restoring thing.