Don't forget to do this...

I am writing today to share a link to another blog that was promoted in an email I received this morning. 

CLICK HERE for it, BUT FIRST:

Please note that I do not have a horse in this race:
1. I am not promoting the book that is the subject of the blog.
2. I am not promoting the email subscription they are inviting you to join.

I simply like the message. Focus on less, produce more. 

For some time now I have experienced "memory loss." It's called CRS (Can't Remember Stuff, although another "S" word is often used...but this is a family friendly column). I don't recall if I already put sweetener in my coffee, forget people's names, where I set down the screwdriver I was just using, stuff like that. I referred to it jokingly as Early Onset Dementia. Then I started working part-time as a chaplain in a local nursing home with a population of folks who suffer from real memory loss issues. Without sharing the profound impact some of these folks have had on me it will suffice to say that I have stopped joking about my supposed memory issues. I know now that I don't have them, but I have indeed lost focus. There are both personal and professional ramifications. 

One item in the blog that really struck me was this statement: "The human brain is a processor, not a hard drive." Makes sense when you think of all the processes within our minds and bodies that the brain runs. For most of us we breathe, blood pumps, eyes see, little decisions are made with no conscious effort at all. The problem we have is that we are asking the brain to process so much more, and most of it is not necessary to accomplish what we want that day, that week or in our lifetime. Fact is, most of the non-necessary stuff impedes our brain's ability to focus on what is truly important. 

So before you click the link above to the blog, take a piece of paper, draw a line vertically down the center of it and write "Personal" at the top on one side and "Professional" on the other. Then write down your most important goals. Focus on the ones that will give you what you really want in life: love, happiness, success and so on. Then read the blog and pay attention to suggestions on how to clear your calendar of the stuff that really doesn't help you get where you really want to be. 

I am going to do the same right now. Before I forget to do it. 

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Be sure to join us for the FCPNY Leadership Summit in Syracuse on October 5 & 6 and note that your graphic artists can attend the Tuesday session with Ed Henninger and the Graphic Awards luncheon at no charge. Details are HERE

The cure for what ails you may be closer than you think

I have discovered a benefit to aging: you get to take more time off from work for medical reasons. Hahahahaha. I jest of course, but there is a personal track record of the increasing occurrence of medical aches, pains and doctor visits one endures as they over-ripen.

Case in point: had to have some x-rays taken this week. The woman taking the "photos" made small talk while waiting in between shots. "What do you do for a living?" she queried. "I work for a free paper publishing trade association," was my proud reply. "What are you gonna do when that goes under?" was her quick (and cold) retort. After a nano-second of reconsideration, she added "I mean I hope you'll be able to retire before they stop making newspapers."

So I work in a dying industry...and I look old, too? X-rays are something, aren't they?

It was not the first time someone offered such best wishes to me, and you have heard them, too, if you are a print industry person. Public opinion of what is printed on newsprint and delivered daily or weekly to area homes and newsstands really isn't bad, but the vast majority of readers probably agree with the impression that our days are numbered. I say probably because I don't have a stat on public impression of our anticipated longevity. I looked for some research on it, but found none. What I did find was a lot of surface gloom and doom articles but many that also showed a more realistic vision (if one took the time to read all the way through).

Here is a quick summary synopsis of what I learned:

1. Paid circulation continues to fall.

2. Local and national retail display sales dropped again in 2014, as they have done since the recession was born in mid-2008. 

3. Numbers of free standing inserts delivered by newsprint media are holding steady, producing profits but always in play.

4. Successful print media must have an interactive online presence that delivers strong, local content.

5. There are people who still like the feel and experience of a paper and experts believe there always will be, but the numbers are smaller. 

Nothing surprising there. What caught my attention in my searching is the clock that is running, toward the next economic tightening. Experts talk about recessions coming in six or seven year cycles, and that means the next one is closer than the last. A lot closer. The exact date and the depth are unknown, of course, but as long as experts predict it will happen, most consumers will catch the Chicken Little bug, stop spending and help bring it to fruition.

That said, what have you done to not just survive but thrive in the next slump? FCPNY will help provide ideas on two fronts this October, both in the same venue: the Leadership Summit. First, we have an excellent lineup of speakers and presenters who will talk trends and the immediate future of print and digital venues. They have ideas to use now. Second, your peers in this industry, association members and associates,  will be talking and sharing, both informally and at structured idea exchange sessions we have scheduled. 

We urge you to take advantage of this opportunity, right in your backyard at the Genesee Grande Hotel here in Syracuse. CLICK HERE for more information, and thank you. 

Find Answers and Feel Good at our Leadership Summit

I decided not to shave during my early July vacation and now have a closely trimmed beard. I also was fitted with new glasses recently. I took advantage of the opportunity to really change up the style I usually wear. Finally, I have started a new nutritional program (I refuse to call it a diet) in which I am building improved eating habits and utilizing additional vitamins and supplements to build energy. To sum it up, I am really trying to come up with a new, fresh look.

Unfortunately, I still look like crap. Photo proof included. I feel better, though.

You may remember Billy Crystal's Fernando Lamas impression on Saturday Night Live some years back. "Remember, it's not how you feel but how you look," he would say in 'Nando-style, "and you loook mahvelous!" It was very funny, mainly because of Billy Crystal but also because of the absurdity of it all. At least it was absurd then, but today it may very well be closer to the truth and beliefs of many folks and companies we deal with. Good looks and outward appearances are a must for success it seems.

If you are a publisher or salesperson with a print publication you are constantly evaluated by the amount of content -- paid advertising and editorial -- that you deliver to readers. The "look" of your publication. Given the costs of producing and delivering a newspaper, shopping publication or magazine today it can get very expensive to include a higher imbalance of unpaid content to give your pub a look of success when you are struggling. But success breeds success; new advertisers are more likely to invest in a campaign in your product if you appear to have the ads (and confidence) of other businesses in the market. That's why so many digital-only publications have popped up; there is little overhead and including extra content is cheap. The problem -- and you know this already -- is the lack of value, investment, margin and profit that digital and online-only products typically produce. 

I don't have the answer but there is one out there.

Join us at the Genesee Grande Hotel in Syracuse, NY in October (5th and 6th) for FCPNY's Leadership Summit. We will be seeking answers to these challenges and more. We have put together a great group of print and digital experts (and the digital people all have print backgrounds!). Best yet, your peers from around the state will be there to share what they have tried, what they do and what they are thinking about doing. It is a very small investment with a tremendous opportunity at hand. 

Conferences are for our members but we welcome guests who meet our membership criteria to join us and see what Free Community Papers of New York is all about. 

Our conference brochure is HERE and you can reach me at 877-275-2726 or tcuskey@fcpny.com.

Thank you!

IOT -- It's not short for "IDIOT", at least not yet.

God speaks to me. Often, unfortunately. It's not that He has a lot to say to me; He has to repeat Himself several times before I actually listen. I am working on that and I am getting better at listening.

Case in point: IOT. I have heard the term twice now in the past three days from very legit sources. Repetition merits listening to. If you are new to the term, as I was, it stands for Internet Of Things. My first exposure to the phrase came from a friend who owns a fast growing, high-tech lighting company. You'll see an example of his work if you watch this year's Super Bowl (they lit the Phoenix stadium where the 2015 game will be held). He was talking about LED lights they design that have built-in transmitters that communicate constantly with a central station that monitors the status and condition of the lights. Keeps everyone on top of maintenance. He said "this is the next big thing you're going to start hearing about: the Internet of Things!" He was right. I heard about it again, this morning, on a news report about the huge high-tech product showcase that is going on in Las Vegas this week. The Internet of Things is all over it. Not only are people connected through our enabled devices, the devices themselves communicate with each other and take care of their business, if you will, without our direct assistance. The Internet of Things. 

Like everything new it is part exciting and part scary. I know I have seen sci-fi movies where smart machines take over the Earth. That's not the scary part, it's the exciting part. Here is scary...

Our clients would like to automate their marketing and advertising. There are programs that put a social media message out on multiple platforms at the stroke of a key. Reports come in that tell what kind of web traffic they are getting and where it comes from. Digital equals measurable, and measurable is good. Where are you in this mix? Hopefully, you're out in front of it. Digital changes so quickly that you have to become an everyday student of it…and then you can help your customers, your PRINT customers, make the most of it. Don't wait for your company or your boss to tell you to do this. It's up to you. You see, print isn't dead, it's alive and kicking in many forms. And it won’t die unless you kill it by not efficiently and intelligently attaching it to the new technologies that will always be coming our way. 

So don't become an I-di-OT. Get out in front of the wave. Learn a little bit more about new and existing products every day. Your advertisers have businesses to run -- they are looking for someone like you to take their hands and guide them through all of this, today and going forward. That becomes the exciting part. In spite of the looming Internet of Things, people still make ad decisions and pay the bills. And your job is to help people make their futures brighter. That makes yours brighter, too. Thank God!

Need training or assistance from FCPNY? Contact Tom at tcuskey@fcpny.com or call 877-275-2726.

Local ad tracking comes through training, too

I am a sucker for a deal. This morning, the McDonald's drive-thru, two Sausage McMuffins for $3.00 (no, I didn't eat them both; I shared with my colleague at work. Really, I did.). This particular McDonald's has two drive-thru lanes but only one pay and pick-up lane. And they were busy. When I got to the pay window, the young lady smiled and said, without hesitation, "that will be $3.28." I replied, "How do you know? How can you tell which order is mine when you have customers coming from two directions?" She laughed. "The drive-thru order station takes a picture of you and your car so I know who has what!"

Duh.

Smile, you're on Candid Camera! I don't think we appreciate how often we are tracked today, by cameras, by online cookies and software, GPS on our smart phones and Lord knows what else. From an advertising standpoint -- print advertising in particular -- it can make for uncomfortable moments as advertisers today expect, even demand that they know exactly what their advertising and marketing is producing. This digital tracking environment we live in has groomed them to expect hard, fast answers. It makes them think traditional media advertising is lacking because, short of a coupon count, it's hard to track the results.

Arm yourself with knowledge to share with advertisers:

1. Tracking an ad is insanity. Does Alan Mulally, Ford CEO, run one TV ad for Mustangs and then measure sales results? Of course not. Your advertiser shouldn't either. They should be running planned campaigns that raise consumer awareness of their brand and build tactical urgency to move product that the market wants at competitive value.

2. Teach your advertisers to train everyone who works for them to ask, "Where did you hear about us? How did you know about the sale?" And then continually harvest the responses. Stay on top of results because the market is always changing.

3. Advertise online? Of course they should. The website is a huge resource for product and service -- and value -- information. A recent BIA/Kelsey study shared by the folks at AdMall points out, though, that 93% of local shopping happens at brick & mortar locations. That is in stores, not online. They also found that 61.8% of the 55-plus crowd read local print and newspapers and 57% like to use coupons (good coupons, I might add. I'm 55-plus!). 45% of the Gen-X crowd (aged 39 to 54) likes local publications and newspapers, too. Even 37% of the millennials are readers. Traditional print media is still a place where smart ad money, at the local level, should be directed.

FCPNY offers tools like CVC readership studies and AdMall not to help our salespeople "close deals" but to help them make advertisers more aware of how to effectively reach the market and become successful. Our members have an ongoing history of making small, local businesses successful. Call us at 877-275-2726 or email tcuskey@fcpny.com for help and training in making this happen in today's marketplace.

Thank you for your time today!

New beginnings

Happy New Year! I attended a worship service on New Year's Day and the presider gave a wonderful homily about being granted opportunities to start over. He opened with a cute story about a man who started each day with a review of the local obituaries. Finding his name among the obits one morning, the man called the newspaper editor to complain. After taking an earful of grief from the caller, the editor promised to make it up to him by including his name the next day among the listing of new births. "We'll give you a whole new beginning," he told the man.

Hopefully neither you nor I want to go back that far, but it is nice to get a chance to make a fresh start in any aspect of life. Taking advice from the same preacher, we should do the following before making resolutions:

1. Examine the past -- where are you coming from? You can do it anytime but the New Year is a nice time to restate your personal credo. What do you stand for? What few words describe your ethics, your beliefs and your values? What experiences -- both in the past year and in life generally -- need to be processed and evaluated as you move forward?

2. Identify the present -- where do you stand today? This is the transition moment. You've looked back and now you're turning your head to the future. Don't try moving forward while still looking back; you'll surely bump into something or trip and fall if you do, maybe even hurt yourself. Look ahead and identify where you want to go. The homily included another story. The great Mickey Mantle was walking one afternoon in New York City to Yogi Berra's apartment. Getting lost on the way, he stopped at a payphone and called Yogi. "Where are you now?" Yogi asked. "On the corner of 5th and Main," replied Mantle. In keeping with his well-known style Berra then said, "Great, just keep coming this way!" and then hung up. Moving without a destination in mind leads to wandering and squandering of time, talent and treasure. Know your destination before moving forward.

3. Chart the course and evaluate frequently -- once you start moving toward an objective you need to regularly measure where you are. Is the course you charted getting you to the destination you want? If not, re-chart and move in the new direction. Don't abandon the goal, even if you have moved farther away than you were when you started. You can still get there and, with the right outlook, might even enjoy the longer than expected ride.

Best wishes for a happy, healthy and fruitful year and beyond. Drop us a note at tcuskey@fcpny.com or call 877-275-2726 if we can be of help to you.

One Naughty List To Really Avoid

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year to all!

Referring to the latter, one of the many end-of-year reports and predictions in the news caught my eye this morning. You can click HERE to see the whole story about one online expert's predictions of ten brands that will not survive 2014. Remember: it's not scientific and it's only one opinion but it is interesting.

In summary, the list includes:

a. Two automakers

b. Two magazines

c. One sports league

d. A camera maker

e. Three companies that I will group as "technology" (the list doesn't discriminate; even tech can fail today)

The big surprise...at least I am surprised...is the number one on the list: retail giant J.C. Penney. I know what you're thinking, that this prediction shouldn't be a surprise given the well-documented story of Penney's decline. The shock I see in this is the huge impact that effectively one marketing direction decision had on a company that has stood and prospered for many years. Things weren't great when Ron Johnson, one of the brains behind Apple's retail success, came in to get JCP back on track. That was 2012. A year and a half later, though, Johnson is gone along with any hope for the company's survival. He made marketing decisions that quickly spelled disaster. "This is not a turn-around situation," George Bradt, managing director of executive consulting firm PrimeGenesis told Business Insider recently about JCP. "This is a 'turn off the lights' situation."

Let this be a valuable lesson to advertising salespeople, ad buyers and retailers everywhere, especially small retailers who don't have big cash reserves. STOP the next time you as an ad rep or you as an SMB retailer buying ads find yourself in this conversation: "Yeah, I'm busy -- just keep running that same ad and we'll catch up soon" or "I threw this together. I'm not sure it will work but let's try it and see how it goes." No, don't do it.

Every marketing and advertising decision you do or don't make is going to impact your business, and could be the one that takes you down the dead end if you're not careful. Think, take time to review your options and plan out campaigns that make sense for you. Advertising is your business oxygen; it helps bring in fresh dollars to keep you breathing. Monitor results and don't stick with a plan that isn't working just because it's your plan.

All of us at FCPNY are here to support our member sales staffs with training and sales tools to help you help your clients. And if you are a retailer or business looking for help, we can connect you to local experts who can assist you. In short, we are here to try to make 2014 the year that your business grows and prospers. Contact us at 877-275-2726 or email me at tcuskey@fcpny.com. Best wishes for a great New Year!

Driving change -- a holiday story.

Growing up in Auburn, NY, my dad worked primarily in auto sales for most of his life. The holiday season was not a time he looked forward to as auto prospects were typically very hard to come by back in the day. In a time when most people holiday shopped local stores or did some catalog shopping -- and prepaid for most of their purchases -- disposable income was devoted primarily to gifts, festive meals and not much else. Consequently, dealers pulled in their advertising reins as the year wound down. My father never gave me much advice but always proclaimed that "the best time to buy a car was in December, right before Christmas, in the middle of a snowstorm!" The salesman and the dealer were pretty hard up in that situation and would make incredible deals according to the old man.

Fast forward 50 or so years, arguably 50 years that have seen more changes than in any other period in our history. Including (maybe especially) car sales. As I sat with my coffee watching the morning news today, in a 15-minute span there were four major auto manufacturer ads on the tube extolling the pleasures of holiday car shopping. And three of the four were high-end wheels: Mercedes Benz, Infiniti and Cadillac (Ford rounded out the group). Apparently what was once a barren time for auto retailers is now among the most prolific, based on the quality and frequency of the ads they are running. And TV time at the holidays typically commands the highest rates as avails shrink. 

What changed? A better question might be "what hasn't changed?" Rebates, cheap leases, 0% financing and mega dealerships have reshaped auto sales, not to mention the huge impact that online inventories and information have had on the industry. Plus, there are more brands and models available today than ever before. But when you cut through all that, it still comes down to a salesperson, a customer and the perception of value. With some adaptation and education my father would still fit right in.

Media sales (especially print media) have changed dramatically, too. We still have our seasonal challenges plus more brands and models of competition -- and an educated buyer who is looking for the one thing everyone wants: value. It's the perceived package they get after factoring price, quality, service, function and return on investment. That never changes. 

Lessons we can learn from our automotive mentors:

1. Create excitement that turns slow times around with promotions that offer emotional appeal and logical value to buyers.

2. Diversify and expand your product offerings. Something for everyone.

3. Make it easy to buy: you can't lease advertising but are there ways to make it easier on the budget that you haven't considered?

4. Remember that in the end, it's one-on-one: a customer and a salesperson. Train, train, train and always be sure that support ("Let me talk to my manager!") is always available.

5. Ask for the business! ("What do I have to do to put you in a car today?")

FCPNY is here to help our members with training and ideas to help. Call us at 877-275-2726 or email me at tcuskey@fcpny.com. Enjoy the holidays!