Michael Vick has decided to plead guilty and face prison in his federal dog fighting case. This does not mean his NFL playing days are over nor does not mean you will not see another Air Vick shoe.
In our society today, we give plenty of second chances and time seems to heal many wounds. Look at all the many fallen sports stars who have made it back to see more glory days. Do we really think twice about buying a new Kobe 24 jersey or remember that pro-bowl linebacker Ray Lewis was charged with double murder?
Vick will serve his 12-18 months in jail and be forgotten. The media attention and outrage on dog fighting will subside. His agent and PR person will apologize profusely to the public and then its back to work again - training to get into shape, signing and proving himself all over again, winning over fans after scoring his first comeback TD, and the riches of endorsements will be there waiting.
The American way of life is an expression often used to explain the freedoms we experience and our country’s principles of “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” It is often used to describe all that we hold sacred and perserving this way of life often quoted as a reason for the actions of our leaders and government.
Last Friday, American Airlines announced that it was seeking damages from Google for selling search terms that use or were related to its name. Capitalism is definitely part of the American way and so is greed. While I agree to a certain extent that companies shouldn’t be able to make money from the direct use of someone else’s trademark name, I do question whether companies should be allowed to hold (or trademark) names that are as generic as American Airlines. Apparently there has been contradicting rulings in the past to buying search terms of trademark names. There really needs to be some standard for generic company names and genericized brand names like Kleenex, Xerox, and Band-Aids. Until there is clarity and a landmark ruling on this topic, I guess its the “American Way” to keep fighting for a share of the profits.
In a world where we pay our sports stars millions of dollars to play the “game” and millions more to endorse products, its nice to see them outside the PR machine. Shaq genuinely is a nice guy or maybe South Beach is making him soft.
I spent part of the past couple of days trying to find this album - Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds, Live at Radio City Music Hall. You would think that a release from a major artist would be easier to find. However it took 4 stores (1 online and 3 brick and mortar) to get it done.
For the past few weeks, I’ve been seeking out new music to play on my commute to work. On Tuesday, I knew the new Dave album was coming out so I made a visit to Target during lunch. It was priced at $11.99 but was totally sold out. Instead of driving to another store, I decided to wait until later that night to just purchase the album on iTunes.
When I got home and checked out the iTunes store I was annoyed to see the album selling for $12.99. For the same music and less product and packaging, it costs more? Of course out of principle I didn’t buy it.
Today, during lunch I visited Wal-Mart and low-and-behold it was not in stock there either. It wasn’t until I visited Best Buy next store was I finally able to purchase the album (btw- for $11.99).
Selling is a simple concept - provide a timely solution to a customer’s need that is greater than or equal to his/her willingness to pay. In the cases of Target and Wal-Mart, they missed the mark on being timely. They simple didn’t provide the product when I wanted it. iTunes missed the mark in that it was charging a price that was more than I was willing to pay. I simply didn’t feel the product they were offering justified the price. Best Buy won out because they gave me what I wanted, when I wanted it, and a price that I felt was fair. Simple concept, not always done correctly.
So today, I broke the 100 mile mark for the year. This means that I have run at least 100 miles in each of the past 4 years (yes I have been keeping track) . I used to track my mileage by manually entering into a training log on NikeRunning.com. This past January, I began using the Nike+ Ipod System to automatically track my distances and log my results. I have been impressed not only with the quality of the product but also the design of it. It is quite user friendly and bottom line it works.
The product design is only one part of why I am such a strong advocate. The website and motivational tools that are provided also add to the experience. After uploading my runs I can visit NikePlus.com to see interactive graphs, accumulated mileage, and personal records. I also have the ability to challenge other people (e.g., most miles run within 30 days) and I have the ability to join running groups with people around the country.
In terms of social marketing, they do an excellent job of creating buzz and provide opportunities to share your enthusiasm for the product. Aside from challenging other friends to run more or interacting with others around the country, I also have the ability to share my accomplishments. When I passed the 100 mile marker, I was “awarded” a printable certificate, the ability to have a shareable link to an online certificate, and a medal for my personal records. Little things that keep you motivated to keep running more.
I can also share my runs with other people on websites, blogs, or social networking sites. Below you will find my longest run of the year (notice how I died towards the end). Pretty cool, eh?
