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There is something both exciting and daunting about January. It is the start of a new year, a new chapter in our lives. We view it as a turning point, a chance to leave behind our bad habits and to promise to do better. And oh boy, do the marketers know how to tap into our feelings. You can't watch TV this month without a constant stream of commercials about losing weight or quitting smoking.

We aren't asking you to join Skinny Jenny, but we would like to share a corporate resolution that keeps us feeling good year round. Our goal is to live and work as a good global business. To us that means that we have an obligation to try to improve our community. That community can be the community of cancer survivors or the coastal communities hit hard by Hurricane Katrina.

When you support worthwhile causes and encourage your entire company to do the same, you truly can make a difference. The needs are easy to find. You can work to help a local charity or join a national effort. You can find an organization that matches your personal experiences or one that is somehow connected to your line of work.

Throughout 2008 we will highlight a charity that we support either financially or with time and talent. We aren't asking you to donate or volunteer. We just want to share with you a core principle for Global Marketing Solutions.

 
 

In the world of marketing we invest lots of money and hopefully lots of planning to influence people. We want them to buy our product, stay at our property, eat at our restaurant. In today's cluttered landscape it is a challenge to reach the audience and to have any idea about their decision-making process.

Before you schedule another focus group or write copy for another ad, spend some time with MalcolmGladwell's latest book, "Blink."   In the author's own words...

"It's a book about rapid cognition, about the kind of thinking that happens in a blink of an eye. When you meet someone for the first time, or walk into a house you are thinking of buying, or read the first few sentences of a book, your mind takes about two seconds to jump to a series of conclusions."

 

Beads for a Cure
Supporting a charity can be as easy and fun as shopping. Beads for a Cure is a small company based in British Columbia. The company was started by Shari Slonksi, an artist and breast cancer survivor.

She and her daughter create beautiful jewelry to celebrate cancer survival and to honor those lost to the disease.

Through the website www.beadsforacure.com, you can order handmade bracelets in support of every type of cancer as well as other diseases and events.


Every year Beads for a Cure makes a one time substantial donation to a group or organization that makes a difference in the lives of those affected by cancer. Not just breast cancer but all cancers.

    
 



2008 State Tourism Informational Seminars
The Alabama Tourism Department will be presenting informational seminars across the state during January and February. Regional

directors will provide updated information on: 2008 - The Year of Alabama Sports and 2009 - The Year of Alabama History campaigns. Information will also be available on the Group Tour Leads e-mail program and Grants Program.

These 2-hour seminars are designed to give persons from attractions, chambers, convention and visitors bureaus, regional tourism groups, accommodations and interested parties a chance to interface with an Alabama Tourism Department staff member and to learn how to get involved in state tourism efforts. During the 2-hour seminar, there will be time for questions and answers.

Click here for full list of seminars and contact information.

 
  With so many people trying to lose weight as their New Year’s Resolution, it seems cruel to have National Pie Day on January 23rd. Pie Day is truly a favorite for the crew at Global Marketing Solutions and we have been celebrating long before we knew about the official designation. Many conversations have taken place over a towering slice of chocolate or almond meringue pie. We encourage you to celebrate with pie throughout the year!

www.piecouncil.org/national.htm

Thanks for spending time with our newsletter. We welcome your comments and ideas.
April W. Boone             April@GMStheBest.biz
John Boone                  John@GMStheBest.biz
Laura McGill               Laura@GMStheBest.biz