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t would be easy enough to think of a small company with much prom-ise and an executive with plans to expand in the near future. It

would be therefore also understandable to imagine that the executive of com-pany would seek out a company that it thinks would be suitable to partner with to take them both into the next level of progress.

The investigation into each company’s finances by the others would then ensue and if found to be satisfactory then an offer would be made. Once the terms have been agreed to then the papers are signed and before you know it, the bouquet is being thrown and its time for the honeymoon. That bouquet and honeymoon might seem like a random marriage inference but the situation of partnering businesses is much like many of today’s marriages.

Women’s liberation and the ever in-creasing total spending power of mod-ern day women have led to marriages and other romantic interactions becom-ing well thought out partnerships rather than the shotgun elopements of yester-years. Let’s face it, it easier to afford that nice apartment in the nicer part of town if the responsibility is shared between a young couple. So could the pragmatic, businesslike approach that many cou-ples take with marriage nowadays be re-sponsible for the prevalence of divorce and separation that is increasing steadily yearly? That’s a question for the statisti-cian but there is the possibility that tak-ing that applying some of that business sense and pragmatism into the marriage could stop a marriage from going bank-rupt.

Women’s liberation and the ever increasing total spending power of modern day women have led to mar-riages and other romantic interac-tions becoming well thought out partnerships rather than the shotgun elopements of yesteryears.

When it comes to marriages and rela-tionships, you are the product. Your partner thought and probably still thinks that this particular product is the best on the market hence the need to de-liver excellent customer service to en-sure that the product still holds its value. Your partner is the customer and we all know that the customer is susceptible to change. Businesses constantly do market research, feasibility studies and pore over the financials so do the same for your partner, be very aware of any changes and position your product ac-cordingly.

Earn your customer’s business daily and the work becomes easier. Constantly reenergized product placement and product packaging keeps the customer’s interest constantly piqued and ensures your sales don’t flag. Don’t make excus-es for shortfalls in product quality find a solution quickly and emphasize that solution. Success for the company will depend on the success of the consumer

also so the relationship will flourish if the wellbeing of both parties is ensured. Lastly, never be afraid to mix business with pleasure. Just as you dinner busi-ness meetings break up the monotony of work, the work of marriage needs to be broken with the occasional excur-sion.

This approach to marriage success might raise the eyebrows of a few purists but in a world and country where so many understand business more than relation-ships, finding the parallels might be more beneficial than ever.

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by AndreBurnett

n the much discussed, recently released film Inception, Leonardo Dicaprio’s character asks “What is the most resilient parasite?” He

answers himself to much consternation from viewers, “An idea”. He goes on to explain that once an idea has taken hold in the mind, whether good or bad, it spreads until it comes to define the person. It may be no coincidence then that Inception, a film that has trended on Twitter for five straight weeks and grossed almost US$500 million to date has planted an idea in the heads of stu-dio executives in the world’s biggest film industry. That idea is that in the midst of all the angst about studio profitability, they might have forgotten that engaging their audiences might be more beneficial than trying to manipulate them.

Admittedly, piracy has made life increas-ingly uncomfortable for those who spend hundreds of millions annually on films and as such executives have been trying to squeeze every last dollar

wherever they can. The most recent fad which doesn’t seem to be going away, for a while at least, is the re-emergence of the 3D film. It’s as if the studio execu-tives decided that instead of making a film that encourages more people to see it, it made more sense to find a way to charge the ones who do see it, double. A sound plan, if you didn’t count on the fact that people see movies as a treat and not a ne-cessity. Inception bucked that trend by opting to stay in the realm of 2D which encouraged repeat viewings if only on the account of affordability.

Inception has also opened up the eyes of studio heads to the con-cept that an original idea can still be profitable.

Inception has also opened up the eyes of studio heads to the concept that an original idea can still be prof-itable. We have seen numerous re-makes, updates, rehashes that have

simply not been able to show any profit for the companies. The rationale seems to be that if a book sold 8 mil-lion copies then that should be reason enough for a movie to do fantasti-cally well and in many cases that is true as with Harry Potter

but in the case of The Golden Compass it failed miserably. So what made Incep-tion special enough to warrant Warner Brothers spending a massive US$180 million on production and marketing? It could have been faith in audiences to enjoy not being talked down to or it was faith in a director who could now be called an auteur. Whatever the reason it has provided the impetus for a complete game change.

The film industry is atwitter with expec-tation and hope that young writers with fresh original ideas can now be given a chance. These are exciting times indeed and it all started with the planting of an idea.

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How one film may Have saved

Hollywood

yourmoney ezine

by AndreBurnett

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insights

Writer and director Christopher Nolan with star Leonardo DiCaprio on the set of ‘Inception’

eing popular seemed so im-portant in high school and even college but now real-ity has set in and the reality

is that popularity is no less important than it was during our formative years. Not individual popularity mind you, though that helps if you are the face of a product, but rather the popularity that is carefully engineered in boardrooms and focus groups. Companies adept at creating popularity among the desired demographic are the ones that have persisted over the years and have be-come staples among consumers even if they themselves don’t know why.

Just like the high school scenario, there were individuals that won the genetic raffle and as such became popular while there were others who carefully as-sessed the situation and used their as-sets to their advantage. Whichever is the case, to be the brand that people

ask for without thinking twice is the ideal position to be in.

Take Apple for example, the software company meandered for years under the shadow of giant competitor Micro-soft before a massive product place-ment drive and the fortuitous ubiquity that was the iPod launched the company to an enviable position. Apple focused a large share of its efforts on design and the distinctive designs were noticeable in a myriad of television shows and films prompting consumers to stand up and take notice. Apple’s lack of popularity might even have worked in its favour as the nonexistence of viruses on Apple’s Mac systems were a huge boon for con-vertees that was until the first Mac virus was discovered in 2006.

From computer chips to food and bev-erage, the aim is still the same…to ac-quire and maintain interest. Honey-Nut Cheerios is America’s favourite cereal according to studies and it is reported that the success of the breakfast staple is due to the Hispanic community’s pre-disposition to the brand. The Hispanic community is the fastest growing in the United States and targeted marketing geared to addressing the cholesterol benefits of Cheerios along with a dis-tinct Hispanic sweet tooth made for a winning combination. This wasn’t the most famous case of a company appeal-ing to minorities in order to gain an edge in the market.

That distinction goes to Pepsi whose de-cision to aggressively lobby its product

to African Americans after the Second World War. While the decision reaped dividends the social impacts were too much for Pepsi and the program was discontinued although the legacy seems to have lived on as in the “Cola” wars, countries with high ethnic populations prefer Pepsi.

Companies adept at creating popu-larity among the desired demograph-ic are the ones that have persisted over the years and have become sta-ples among consumers even if they themselves don’t know why.

Popularity is big business, from the “Grey Goose Martini” pushed by the creators of Sex and the City to Red Bull’s crafty branding exploits, our tastes and pref-erences are carefully assessed and ma-nipulated for the benefit of marketers. Its good to see that some things in life never change.

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Being PoPular:

The arT of brand promoTion

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