Posts Tagged “perception”

[Editor's Note: this blog post first appeared in our sister blog, Captain Digital Speaks! on November 11.

One of my favorite stories involves a blind street vendor of hot dogs. One day, one his customers suggested that if business was good, he should consider expanding. The customer offered to help the blind vendor with introductions to a banker, and so the vendor ended up buying a second cart, and hiring someone to work for him. That worked out so well, that he was able to buy more carts, and hire more people. This gave him enough discretionary income that he was able to send his son to college. The son majored in business administration. When the kid graduated, he returned home to see that his dad had purchased a corner lot and an old diner trailer that he rennovated and opened as a freestanding restaurant. The son was horrified. “Dad…don’t you know the economy is lousy! You shouldn’t be expanding right now…you need to pull in your horns and hunker down for a long recessionary period. This has got “Depression” written all over it! You’d better be careful, or you’ll lose everything!”

The father thought, “Well…my son did go to college, which I’ve never done, and he did major in business, and he did get a degree. Maybe he’s right.” So he sold the restaurant, sold off the other carts, and went back to working a single street corner, selling hot dogs. He thought, “Boy, my son was right. The economy is lousy.” Read the rest of this entry »

Do you know one way to tell what businesses are competitive – and lucrative? Count how many ads you see on TV. On that basis, there’s huge money in drugs, pet food, automobiles, and…fast food. McDonald’s, Burger King, Wendy’s, Jack in the Box (my personal fave) and their brethren account for a huge chunk o’ change in the TV network’s up fronts. Fast food is big business. Every dollar they spend helps establish product positions and reinforce their formidable brands. TV spots don’t just encourage you to buy fast food – they tell you how you should feel about a particular fast food outlet, as well as how and why you’d want to crave their products. The spots (generally) do a masterful job. They promote a positive image of each chain.

And all that hard work can be shot to Hell in the blink of an eye by one bad experience at a drive-thru window.

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Do you think for yourself? Really? Are you sure? You may not realize it, but most people have been conditioned by the media as to what to think, as well as what to think about. Don’t believe me? Let me ask you a question…what do you think about the situation in…um…let’s say, Iran. What do you know about Iran? Do you know the name of their ruler? What about their government? Heard anything about their latest pronouncments? What do you think about them? Do you care? Read the rest of this entry »