Kathy Ireland still looks great, but more importantly she’s become an incredible businesswoman. Here’s she’s interviewed on Morning Joe and she discusses her success. She focuses on learning from failure and the importance of persistence in business. She’s another example of supermodel moguls who have figured out how to leverage their celebrity into business careers.
After ditching costly Super Bowl ads, General Motors is betting a five-year sponsorship of the Manchester United soccer club will bolster its Chevrolet line in the first test of the brand’s new global marketing strategy.
Manchester United, the 19-time English champion football team, has a worldwide reach that fits with the automaker’s desire to make Chevrolet a global icon, Paul Edwards, GM executive director of global marketing strategy, said in an interview prior to the announcement.
“It’s clear that global football presented us with a significant opportunity to spread Chevrolet around the world,” he said. “We recognized that it’s not only the world’s biggest sport but also the world’s most engaged fans.”
The agreement follows GM’s decision this month to halt paid advertising on Facebook and forgo next year’s Super Bowl championship game of the National Football League in the U.S. The decision to sponsor Manchester United isn’t related to GM’s move to stop Super Bowl advertising, Mr. Edwards said. Still, the numbers are compelling.
When Manchester United played against Manchester City, “that audience around the world scaled to 600 million people,” Mr. Edwards said. “Compare that to the Super Bowl here in the States, which is roughly 110, 115 million, and you’re talking five times that audience watching one regular-season game. It’s significant.”
It’s an interesting approach, and it probably makes sense for such a global brand, especially for world vehicles like the Chevy Cruze. If it works for Chevy they’ll roll this out to Cadillac as well. Read the whole article for more insight into the strategy.
I like this campaign for Buick, one of those older brands that needs to totally update their image. Fortunately, the products have improved dramatically, and the Buick Enclave is a good example.
Now that the cars no longer reflect the brand that attracted only older buyers, the brand can start working on its image. Having a supermodel like Marisa Miller point out that the Enclave has both looks and substance, like her, is a great start. This luxury SUV is a perfect vehicle to drive the new branding effort, and Marisa Miller is a perfect match. Also, this is the kind of campaign that could get some attention online and in social media.
When you’re mapping out your marketing strategy for your business, regardless of size you should consider a wide variety of options.
Of course, in today’s world, online advertising, mobile advertising and social media are critical components that you need to consider. If you’re not sure what a Twitter account or a Facebook page can do for your business, then you better get some help. These are the basics, and there are plenty of other options for new media promotions such as Groupon as well.
On the other hand, traditional methods have been around for a long time for a reason. Some are going away with the emergence of the web, but many old-school methods can be very effective. Think about things like mailers, coupons in newspapers and calendar printing can help you get attention when your competitors are exclusively thinking about new media. Also, online ordering has made these traditional methods much more affordable and efficient.
So consider all your options and create the best strategy for your business.
Things are still tough in Las Vegas. Check out this article about the state of business at strip clubs.
Times are rough in Las Vegas, even for Sin City’s second-most lucrative vice.
With the recession still dragging down discretionary spending, just the opportunity to ogle — or fantasize about your chances with — dozens of beautiful naked women isn’t enough to pack in the tourists these days. So a number of Las Vegas strip clubs are offering discounts and freebies to seal the deal, particularly during off-peak hours.
Some, such as Cheetah’s, will give you two-for-one lap dances every afternoon.
Others, like the Can Can Room and Crazy Horse III, halve the price of a lap dance that usually costs $20 for three to 4½ minutes at an all-nude club or two minutes at a topless joint.
These clubs are a huge business in Vegas, and it’s a great barometer of the overall economy.
“For years, Las Vegas has pretended like the adult community doesn’t exist,” says Wayne Bridge, CEO of the Sin City Chamber of Commerce, an alliance of adult-oriented businesses. “It’s a huge part of the economy and it’s really helping to carry a lot of people.”
At last count, there are 32 active strip clubs and between 30,000 and 40,000 registered exotic dancers in the Las Vegas Valley. On weeknights, some 1,500 women bump and grind at clubs here; weekends, that number doubles or triples.
“It’s huge,” Bridge says.
How huge?
An estimated $8 billion per year, second only to gaming as a component of the Las Vegas economy.
The freebies are working, as business has picked up. You couldn’t get a deal anywhere in Las Vegas 4 years ago. Now, the hotels, clubs and other establishments are working hard for business. It might be a good time for a trip!
Be careful before taking out huge loans to get a degree from a for-profit college. Make sure you're not getting suckered into for-profit college scams that leave you with no job and huge debt.
