A Page From Depression-Era Marketing

A Dummy's Puppet's Ramblings - from Chip Martin, Mannequin American

Taking a Page from Depression-Era Marketing

According to The Denver Post, the town of Crested Butte, CO has come up with a creative way to support local merchants ... they issue their own money ... a.k.a. script.

Consumers purchase Butte Bucks at a 20% discount at the Crested Butte Visitor's Center. Participants can buy up to 100 a day for $80 until the supply runs out. Participating merchants pay $30 to market the program and agree to accept Bucks as they would dollars. The merchants then redeem the Butte Bucks for U.S. currency at the Chamber of Commerce.

It's a clever way to promote local businesses and keep money in the community. Consumers get a discount, merchants get more business, and the towns collect higher sales-tax revenues. The down side is that printing script was tried during the depression with mixed or poor results.

Feeling Selfish for Being Happy?

Last week during one of our "Getting From Where You Are to Where You Want to Be" presentations for a group of frontline employees, a member of the audience raised his hand with an unusual question. He asked, "With economy in such bad shape and so many people having so many financial problems, shouldn't a cheerful, motivated person feel a little selfish for feeling happy?"

Here's Dale's answer; and it's a good one.

"Think about this. When is the last time someone brightened your day a little just by smiling at you? Was that person selfish to smile at you? Is a stranger who performs a little act of kindness for you, selfish? I'd say they're just the opposite. Feelings are contagious ... both happy and unhappy ones. When you're happy others catch your emotions, your passion and your optimism.

"Happy people make better decisions, have better relationships, make more money, are less sick, and contribute more to the world than unhappy people. Happy people are more creative and inventive than unhappy people. 

"So it's not selfish to be happy. When you become responsible for and embrace your happiness it's better for you, it's better for your family, it's better for your employer, it's better for everyone. But it's not easy. That's why we all need occasional doses of motivation to remind us that everyone benefits when we push ourselves to succeed, to excel and to be happy."

Some days the guy just knows what to say. For information on our motivational, goal setting and time management programs, click here.

What do You Think?

Supermodel Naomi Campbell has started a campaign to be the face of the luxury furrier Dennis Basso.

Naomi's ads have become a little controversial because back in 1998 she appeared in the iconic ad campaign for PETA, "I'd rather go naked than wear fur."

From the looks of the ads, she just doesn't like to wear clothes.

Billboards That Caught My Attention

With photoshoppers constantly pumping out fake print ads and billboards, it's hard to know if you're looking at a legitimate piece of marketing or not.  Thanks to 10 Steps.sg for finding the following couple of "real" gems.