Florida Is Shrinking!

The New York Times has a story yesterday about a recent report from the University of Florida's Bureau of Economics and Business Research which found that Florida's population has shrunk for the first time since perhaps 1900 (with the exception of WWI and WWII) -- "After Century of Growth, Tide Turns in Florida"

The state is very interesting demographically. From a marketers perspective there are many different markets in Florida. It has one of the highest Hispanic populations in the country. The population until recent years skewed much older. South Florida is vastly different than the rest of the state - younger, more Latino. Northern Florida is as deep south as any place in the country. Like many states, Florida is not one market.

So who left? Who is coming? For marketers, the devil is in these details. My guess is that fewer laborers came to the state and a whole bunch of construction workers left. Anyone who has been to Florida in the last 5-10 years has seen the explosion in building. The collapse of the real estate market in Florida over the last 18 months is well documented.

The 2010 Census will be a treasure trove for marketers seeking to understand consumer markets and migration flows. The Pew Hispanic Center also has very good analytical work regarding the Hispanic population in the U.S.

Looks like Florida's loss is Alabama's gain. The 2010 Census should show for sure, but look for the faster growing states in the Southeast and Southwest to continue to grow.

How Should Businesses Use Social Media?

Businesses are trying to figure out how to use social media. Many are not sure what it means to their business or their bottom line. This was an interesting presentation from HubSpot that was posted on Slideshare. It is a good overview.

Bottom Line: Social Media for Business

View more Microsoft Word documents from Hubspot Marketing.

Chief Marketing Officers Need To Know The Business As Well As Anyone in the Company

There is an interesting article in Ad Age about the need for CMOs to understand how their businesses work, For CMOs to Be Visionary Leaders, They Must Have a P&L Mind-set.  This seems overly intuitive, but you would be surprised.  A true marketer needs to understand all the drivers of the business, the profitability of each customer type, the cost of each product. And many do not.  

When I started at Georgetown University, I was coming from financial services.  The first question I asked was "what is the business model?"  I wanted to know how the university made its money.  Academia doesn't really talk this way, but it has a business model nonetheless.  Turns out that tuition and philanthropy are key to staying in business. 

I have always believed that a marketing strategy really is the same thing as the business strategy.  Many people don't really understand what marketing is.  Some think it is PR.  Others think it is sales.  The truth is, marketing is the strategy for selling your product, ie, the business.  Marketing is the starting point, not the end point.  In other  words, if you are doing it correctly, you begin the entire strategic process by asking: Who are our customers?  What do they want or need?  Does our product or service meet those needs?  That is where the strategic process begins....and that is marketing.

Check out the article:

Chief Marketing Officers Must Have a P&L Mind-set - Advertising Age - CMO Strategy

25 logos with hidden messages – Amazing Graphic Designing tricks! | Graphic Design Blog

This is a great post. Logos are a difficult thing to do well. Think of how many logos are completely meaningless and tell you nothing about what the company does. If you are clever enough to design a logo that reinforces your brand message, congratulations.

Every interaction with a customer is an opportunity to reinforce your brand. Does your logo project the image and message you want your customers to hold about you?

25 logos with hidden messages – Amazing Graphic Designing tricks! | Graphic Design Blog

Beliefs - Roman Catholics’ War Over Abortion - NYTimes.com

Beliefs - Roman Catholics’ War Over Abortion - NYTimes.com

This was an interesting op-ed in the NYTs yesterday. Most people don't think of the catholic church as a business or as a brand. But it is both. And I think the "business model" (if I can say that without getting in trouble) is under attack from scrappy start ups (evangelical churches) that are more nimble and hungrier for success as well as from a sect of brand loyalists (conservative catholics) who seek to define the brand.

The church in the U.S. has been losing more people than it has been gaining for a while. You would think that an organization that has lost as many as half of its customers/clients/members would try to understand the market and figure out why it is not meeting their needs. I fear the Catholic Church has done what many good, but mistaken, companies have done. They have blamed the member..."they don't like to follow the rules; they don't understand; we aren't going to change, they must."

A brand is owned by the customers. It feels to me like the Catholic brand in the U.S. is now being controlled by the most conservative members of the church. I think that the Catholic church, at least in the U.S., is at risk of making some members feel unwelcome. Look at what the pro-life Christians are doing at Notre Dame. I mean, can you find a more conservative, religiously pious community than Notre Dame?

I respect the conservative Catholics' views and their faith, but I fear that I do not fit into their church....nor do I want to. The most conservative are trying to define what it means to be catholic in the U.S. They want stict adherence to church teaching. While I accept the teachings of the church, I do not agree with all of them. So I ask you, should I be allowed to remain in the church?

I am not saying that the Church needs to abandon or compromise on its teachings. But any large organization that has unanimity of opinion on such important issues can not be an intelligent, organic organization. That would be a cult where all personal opinion and reason is taken away.

I like to think that the Church is a big tent organization, not a narrow one with strict rules of who gets in and how they stay there. The current situation in the Catholic Church feels an awful lot like what is happening in the Republican party. It seems, the most worthy and righteous have decided that their organizations are better off being smaller and purer, than larger, more open minded and, yes, a bit messy.

My God is benevolent and tolerant one. That is the church I seek.

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Welcome To The Reputation Economy - louisgray.com

Great post from Louis Gray today. If you don't know Louis Gray, you should. He is a West Coast blogger who is smart and insightful and has an inside line on tech.

He writes today about the importance of personal reputation. In a world where information can be created and distributed by anyone, about anything, you must manage your own reputation. And you must recognize that every action has an impact on your "brand." Every Facebook status update, every photo, every article you post.

Like great brands, the market will ultimately determine what it thinks your brand stands for, but you must do everything you can to make sure the market can see you the way you want to be seen. Your reputation is your brand. Don't mismanage it.

Welcome To The Reputation Economy - louisgray.com

How Lehman Got Its Real Estate Fix - NYTimes.com

How Lehman Got Its Real Estate Fix - NYTimes.com

Well, if there was any question that the newspaper business is desperate, check out the article in today NY Times. The article is fine, if not a little sensationalist and focused on the personal. But this has been an increasing trend with the Times and WSJ. They now compete with Access Hollywood, CNN Headline News, and Joe Nobody's blog. So they increasingly go to content they would never have dreamed of running even ten years ago.

But that is not the point of this post. Check out the photo in the Lehman article. I find it offensive, flat-footed and not very clever. Its too easy and ridiculous.....aside from that I have no opinion.

Is it just me? What do you think?

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