Point is, marketing is important. And not just for iPod, Gap, or Nikon. Nonprofits have to effectively package their idea, their mission, their vision for the consumer culture we live in. Enter Jimmy Buffet. That guy? Oh yeah, the great Sikh of the Spongecake & Salt Shaker has got a few things to say about the principles of marketing…
According to Katya, from Getting To The Point, Buffet is a “marketing genius.” And after reading what she had to say, I am proudly on that bandwagon. Katya argues that Jimmy adheres to three solid principles that every organization can learn from:
1. Simplicity: He stands for one thing. To me, that thing is life as a margarita – carefree, hammock-lying, drink-sipping relaxed happiness with a little salt around the edges. From his music (Cheeseburgers in Paradise, anyone?) to his restaurants to his books. Which brings me to his…
2. Consistency: It’s about the margaritas as life, folks. Always. Visit his website. The name? Of course it’s margaritaville.com. Note: excellent lead generation on the page with the email sign-up. Nice touch.
3. Hopeful: The allure of something happy is strong. Remember that when you tell stories. If you go dire in the telling, remember that people want hope and happiness as the punchline.
After musing on these concepts for awhile, I came to the conclusion that my sister might be onto something. The organizations I am most excited about, give regularly to, and volunteer with have simple messages, consistent actions, and hopeful visions. It might just be all about marketing…
The City of Phoenix has set up a fund for relief, and people can make donations at any Wells Fargo branch. You can also call the Sister Cities Office at 602-534-3751.
Article From Phoenix Business Journal
Update #1: Philanthropy 2173 just posted updated numbers on Disaster Aid. Check it out.
Update #2: New technology for mobile solar power. Could help with Disaster Relief.
Update #3: Wells Fargo waiving fees for remittance to China.
Thanks for your concern.
In crises like this, aid organizations are vital to the survival of local citizens. But choosing one to give to can sometimes be a difficult decision. Nancy over at Getting Attention just wrote a great piece on Mercy Corps, and how they respond best to these situations with financial donations. It is her opinion, but I share it, so I’m posting the link here.
Twelve Thousand people is a lot of people, and the counting isn’t done yet. Please consider how you can help – even if that’s keeping the Chinese people in your thoughts and prayers. To learn more about the events perspiring in China, here is a link to NPR’s up-to-date coverage of the incident.
These are the first cuts in programming in fifteen (15) years when, back in 1993, men’s gymnastics, archery, and badminton all got the boot. Today’s decision was made by Lisa Love, Vice President of Athletics, and backed up by Dr. Crow. Here is Ms. Love’s official statement:
“The profile or our operations budget and donation base does not lend itself to the sponsorship of 22 athletic teams. While our revenue streams are achieving a positive trajectory, they are simply not keeping pace with the current size and scope of the department.”
Our wrestling team won the NCAA national championship in 1998. Not to mention two of our wrestlers went on to the Olympics (’92 and ‘96) to win silver medals. And that success wasn’t short-lived, either. Just this season, ASU sent a handful of wrestlers to compete at the national championships. Our men’s tennis team had an amazing season this year, and our swimmers had a record-breaking year.
Sure, I might have a little chip on my shoulder. I played tennis all four years of my high school career, and wrestled for one of them. My dad and his brothers all wrestled during high school, and my dad now coaches the freshmen wrestlers at Ironwood High School. And not be forgotten, both of my sisters, and my girlfriend, are swimmers.
Don’t get me wrong, I like football, baseball and basketball. In fact, I enjoy all three of those sports at the collegiate level way more than at the professional level. But come on people, how about some due diligence?! This is a university with a multi-billion dollar budget, and you can’t find a little room for two sports with rich, thousand-year histories, and one of the most popular sports world-wide? Disappointing. Hey, here’s an idea – get paid less.
I have to get back to work now. But I just couldn’t pass this story up. Thoughts?
A few posts ago, I posed a question about volunteerism, and what happens when different groups of volunteers are at cross purposes. Well, it turns out that this might be a hot topic. Michael from NoLA Rising (the guy in the video) caught wind of our little discussion, and posted a reply. I’ll repost a portion of it here, but please go check out the other comments. People put a lot of heart and soul into their responses. It’ll be worth it. I promise.
Can’t wait to get back into the [typers'] seat!
The video was done by a local news station, wdsu.com, and the buffer mentioned in the story was given the opportunity to respond but refused to do an interview because it included NoLA Rising. It was not out of shyness because he has called this exact news stations for stories to his benefit many times and tightly controls the nature of the interviews when they occur. So, it certainly not that the news was biased or one-sided…amazingly, this news story finally made the story balanced.Of the more trivial, he has said that I was not a former Marine and that I was someone who moved to New Orleans after hurricane Katrina to do what we New Orleanians are calling disaster-profiteering. To counter, I produced both my Honorable Discharge from the USMC and my birth certificate without another word of it.
Of the more scandalous, he has told members of the press that i was a loser, a degenerate and the biggest pain in the ass he’s ever met. In addition, he said I associate with criminals and likened me to a member of the church of satan. And, on point to some of y’alls inquiries…I have never met this man other than when he arrived at an art festival with a police officer to have me cited for the fines in question presented in the news story.
Even then, he did not stay to meet me. He pointed me out to the police and scurried away. Early on, I called him after finding his number online to try and discuss these issues with him. He has never returned my call. In a news story to print media here in New Orleans, he HAS made the statement that he considers my artwork vertical litter that leads to “other crime”.
