This Thanksgiving--A Tasty Content

Let's talk turkey. That's the main topic of conversation this week at our household in preparation for November 27th. Our Thanksgiving tradition? After polishing off the bird, we dust off an antiquated VHS copy of Charles M. Schulz's classic A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving and gather 'round the living-room TV.

But this year will be different. At the urging of the kids at the table, we'll be crowding around a computer screen to watch via iTunes a set of 20 new animated Peanuts webisodes. And we won't be the only ones turning to a new tech tradition.

As online content options expand, younger consumers are increasingly viewing entertainment — via download or streaming — on the laptop or PC screen. A recent study revealed that kids age 2-11 view an average of 51 streams and 118 minutes of online video during a month; meanwhile teens 12-17 watch around 74 streams and 132 minutes of online video (Nielsen Online, VideoCensus 6.08). And the numbers are growing across all demographics. The writing is on the wall: The children shall lead the way.

We are often asked by marketers how best to draw in these technologically savvy viewers. While the messenger may have morphed, the values in the message remain the same: fun, quality, enjoyment and novelty. Speak to these values and consumers will perform a happy (Snoopy) dance.

THE CHEER HEARD ROUND THE WORLD

After Barack Obama decisively won the presidency last week, it wasn't only his domestic supporters who felt palpable excitement. Not only did the world follow this election as if it were their own, but a majority would have voted for Obama if given the chance. A CTV/Global and Mail poll showed that Canadians preferred Obama over their own prime minister, Stephan Harper (CTV.ca 6.29.08). In France, Obama would have trounced McCain 9:1 (Independent 11.5.08).

Reports reflect that these countries are not only enthusiastic and a little envious, but also relieved that this superpower elected someone they feel the world can work with. They pepper their comments with phrases like "a more caring form of capitalism," "better and fresher America" and "president the world was waiting for." They are also amazed that America voted for a member of the minority, which they can't imagine happening yet for, say, Uighurs in China, les Berbères in France or black youth in the U.K.

Regardless of one's political leaning, marketers should know that the cool and collected president-elect adds a glow to Brand America. "In the local mindset, Bush represented all that's wrong about the U.S., and that affected American products. There is going to be a 180-degree turnaround in how Argentineans perceive the American brand."

The Future of The Colombia Free Trade Agreement under OBAMA

Obama has achieved what so many believed to be the impossible and has promised an abundance of change, offered a new sense of pride and hope that has resonated throughout America and the world. Sadly, in the shadow of this ray of light, may be a very important promise that he cannot keep: the promise to maintain a hard stance against the Colombian Free Trade Agreement. During the dramatic presidential campaign, Obama very clearly stated that trade agreements with Colombia, known for its abysmal human rights violations against unionists, would go no further. In the last presidential debate, Obama took a very hard stance against the passage of the CFTA due to Colombia's continued targeting of trade unionists for assassination and the government's continued failure to prosecute the crimes.

The position was naturally well received; however, to maintain that position and block passage of the CFTA may prove to be an impossible mission for the Obama administration, which ultimately will force it to deviate from his extreme left tendencies. The ties between the U.S. and Colombia are strong and the tariffs that would be lifted by the CFTA would only benefit our hurting economy. To put this dilemma in perspective, according to an October 2008 report from Office of the United States Trade Representative, 90% of Colombian imports into the United States were duty-free based on current trade arrangements and its position as a most favored nation. Presently, we do not enjoy such perks, but if the CFTA were to pass, 80% of all U.S. exports to Colombia would gain immediate duty-free access. This would be a clear relief to our struggling economy.

In addition to the benefits of tariff relief is the strong trade relationship between the United States and Colombia. Again, we must look at just how tight the trade ties are between these two countries. At 40% of its exports and 26.6% of its imports in 2006, the United States is Colombia's largest trade partner. In turn, Colombia is the 5th largest export market in the Western Hemisphere (behind only the NAFTA countries, Brazil, and Venezuela) as well as the largest agricultural export market in the hemisphere after only the NAFTA countries. In 2006 U.S. exports to Colombia were $6.9 billion, imports were $9.6 billion. These numbers are tough to counter considering that the U.S.-Peru Trade Promotions Agreement passed in 2007 with much lower numbers. At almost half the level of Colombia, 23% of Peru's exports enter into the U.S. and only 16% of the import market is U.S. goods. To compare actual dollars, in 2006 U.S. imports from Peru were $2.9 billion; from Colombia they were $9.6 billion. These numbers can only lead to one conclusion, we pay more for goods for which we have a higher demand, and do not have to if the CFTA were to pass.

These numbers have been making a strong argument for the CFTA, but the lower prices that the United States market will enjoy come at the price of Colombian life. Peru had a history of fundamental labor reforms. The ILO has classified Peru under its "Cases in Progress" and publically commends its recent improvement in labor reforms. In contrast, the International Association of Machinists & Aerospace Workers' October 24, 2006 Report to U.S. Ambassador Susan C. Schwab states that Colombia does not meet the ILO's criteria for compliance with core labor standards. Additionally, it reports that the weak and insufficient labor rights protections in this agreement will allow for deficiencies in Colombia's labor laws to continue. The John F. Henning Center for Labor Relations reports that over 3800 Union leaders and activists have been killed since the 1980's, over 100 in the first six months of 2002. These unionists struggle to obtain comparable minimum wages, health insurance and maternity leave.


The end result in this scenario remains to be seen. It is still in the hands of the decision-makers in Washington. To complicate the matter, the United States also has a long and complicated history of military support to the Colombian government. Colombia still remains third in the list of military assistance from the United States. That does not look like a situation that will change in the near future with the global war on terror expanding and the FARC's relationship with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez growing. The dynamic follows as such: the FARC remains a left-wing terrorist organization that holds Colombian citizens and its government captive with violence and militancy. The United States, a staunch enemy of leftist paramilitaries and terrorist organizations, funds the Colombian government to combat those forces that hold the country prisoner. However, that government is not as honorable with those funds as the U.S. might hope. The Colombian government has known ties to the right-wing paramilitaries that fight the FARC. The government uses these militias to maintain power and oppress its own labor force. This oppression comes in the form of torture and murder to anyone who dares organize unions and demand a fair wage or fair benefits.

As a nation we all are aware of the desperate economic position in which we live. Any relief would be a much needed and welcomed breath of fresh air to those who are struggling to pay their mortgage, feed their families, and keep their jobs. However, we are also a nation of people soon to be led by a new administration that has promised to put people before profit; to put Main Street before Wall Street. We can only pray for the workers of Colombia that philosophy will translate into practice throughout barrios as well.

Why Exporting Is Real?

Why Exporting is Real?

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A WHOLE NEW DAY: ARE WE REALLY IN AN EMOTIONAL, SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC RESET?

"This economic crisis doesn't represent a cycle. It represents a reset," Jeff Immelt, the CEO of General Electric, said today. "It's an emotional, social, economic reset."

And the biggest impact of this "reset" will be greater government involvement in the economy, and in the affairs of business, for better or worse.

"People who understand that will prosper," Immelt said. "Those who don't will be left behind."

Immelt spoke to the annual conference of Business for Social Responsibility, an association of about 250 companies that are looking for more sustainable ways to do business. About 1,200 people from companies, NGOs, consulting firms, PR shops and government agencies are here for the group's powwow in New York.

The GE chief executive didn't put it exactly this way, but he made clear that the meltdown on Wall Street and the election of Barack Obama will bring an end to a couple of decades of nearly blind faith in free markets and deregulation. (Heck, even Alan Greenspan has admitted that.) Going forward, stronger government intervention will be a fact of life, here in the U.S. and around the world.

The question, of course, is how deep and how wide the government involvement will be. You can be sure that the Obama administration will regulate the financial industry. But will Washington bail out the automakers? Freeze foreclosures? Tax fossil fuels? Make it easier for workers to join unions? All of the above?

Adjusting to this new reality will take some doing, Immelt said. "I'm a free market guy and fundamentally a Republican," he told BSR. (That put him in a distinct minority in this crowd, which is packed with Obama fans. A BSR survey released today found that nine in 10 of the conference participants believe Obama will have a positive impact on advancing the agenda of corporate responsibility.) But while he may be a free market guy, Immelt's no ideologue. He acknowledged that the government has always been deeply involved in the economy; research funded by the defense department helped spur the technology revolution of the 1990s, for example. What's more, he said, prosperity depends on what he called four "pillars" of education, energy, health care and a financial services sector that promotes innovation. Education is a government obligation, of course, and the other three sectors he cited–energy, health care and financial services–have always been heavily regulated.

Interestingly, Immelt suggested that President-elect Barack Obama make clean energy a top priority when he takes office. Energy's a big problem, he said, but unlike, say, health care, it is a problem that can be solved relatively easily, and with substantial benefits for the economy and the environment. Not incidentally, GE, a big player in wind energy and nuclear power, and a wanna-be provider of "clean coal" plants, stands to gain from an aggressive government push for clean energy.

"Clean energy is a combination of technology and public policy," Immelt said. "I think this is imminently solvable. It creates jobs. There's not a lot of downside." GE, he said, is devoting about half of its $6 billion a year in R&D investment to clean energy and clean water technologies.

Immelt also sounded a positive note about his work with the U.S. Climate Action Partnership, an alliance of GE, DuPont, Alcoa and other big companies with environmental NGOs like Environmental Defense Fund and the World Resources Institute. The GE executive is the big cahuna behind U.S. CAP, which favors mandatory regulation of greenhouse gases, a role that has taken him a long way from his days as a young GE plastics exec who had developed a "healthy dislike for environmental NGOs." Now he's pals with the likes of Fred Krupp of EDF and Jonathan Lash of WRI.

Having said that, Immelt made clear that neither his position on climate change, nor his belief in GE's much-hyped EcoMagination initiative, spring from any personal love for the outdoors. "I've never camped," he said. "I don't fish."

But the science of climate change is "pretty much irrefutable," he said. What's more, GE's business of selling products that help solve environmental problems is growing, from about $5 billion when EcoMagination was launched to about $17 billion today.

Besides, big companies don't like uncertainty and there's an enormous amount of uncertainty right now about what a President Obama and Congress will do to regulate greenhouse gases. Even worse, Immelt noted, you could argue that the U.S. already has de facto, unspoken regulation because of the growing opposition to coal-fired power plants.

"The last 49 coal plants haven't gotten permits," Immelt said. "Guess what. When that happens, you do have an energy policy. You just don't know it."

Better to have a full-scale democratic debate about what our energy policy should be. You can be sure that when that debate unfolds next year, GE's voice will be heard.

Source: GreeenBiz Newsletter 11.10.08

OBSERVATION: AUTHOR MAKES CASE ON SPANGLISH

WHAT'S HAPPENING

Este vato (this guy) is a trip, but he’s right on when it comes to speaking Spanglish. Comedian and author Bill Santiago shows readers how to become fluent in the language of Latinolandia in his book, Pardon My Spanglish: One Man’s Guide to Speaking the Habla.

Spanglish, the mixing of Spanish and English words and phrases, is spoken on the streets, at home, school and work and used on blogs and message boards. Santiago counts Dora the Explorer and the late singer Selena as Spanglish-speaking icons.
His book might have Spanish purists clenching their fists, but book critics are calling it muy funny (LatinoLA.com 9.24.08).

WHAT THIS MEANS TO BUSINESS
Spanglish can be a viable option when reaching out to urban and bicultural Latino youths. In some cases, it may even be preferred. Even for Latinos who don’t speak Spanish well or at all, Spanglish gives a cultural twist without the cumbersome rules of proper Spanish grammar.



RESOURCES
Pardon My Spanglish: One Man’s Guide to Speaking the Habla by Bill Santiago, Quirk Books 2008

The Worries of The Average "Joe's"

Button and bumper sticker makers everywhere must have been devastated to find out that the now-famous Joe the Plumber's first name is actually Sam. Luckily, "Good Morning America" tracked down five real Joes to see what was on their minds.

For Joe "The Mechanic" Kriviski, the economy and national defense top his list of concerns. Joe "The Police Chief" Price said he is worried about the economy more than anything else. Joe "The Restaurant Owner" Faruggio agreed, as did Joe "The Teacher" Hills. Office dad Joe "The Technical Writer" is concerned only that the American people elected the most "effective" leader.

"I think that all those Joes out there collectively make up our society," said Hills, "and the Joes are concerned."

Price, the police chief, said he is concerned about the city's budget cuts.

"We're seeing that pinch as well," he said. "We're facing very stringent budget cuts and it's going to result in larger classrooms, severe cuts in public safety."

Kriviski, the mechanic, placed some of the blame on Congress.

"You have people who have been in Congress for so long, they're out of touch with the Joes," Kriviski said. "They wouldn't know what a gallon of milk costs cause they've never bought one in the last 30 years."


"If I ran my classroom like they're running this country," teacher Joe Hills said, "I'd be in deep trouble. The kids would run all over me."

Joe Faruggio, the restaurant owner, said there was a lot at stake in this election.

"I came to America. I know the American Dream has been alive for me," he said. "I have been grateful for this country. I would like to see a president that reawakes that, reassures me that if I keep working hard, I'm going to get rewarded."

Price is not terribly optimistic.

"The American Dream to me has always been [that] my kids will have a better life than I did and we've all worked hard to make sure our kids get an education, that they have opportunities that we may no have had," he said. "I have to tell you, I'm kind of fearful."

4th Annual International Symposium Presentation, Tampa, Florida

Personal Branding Presentation at University of Tampa