Archive for May 2nd, 2011

Obama gets the goal, Bush gets the assist, Seals get the win …

May 2, 2011

My take on the UBL situation

First, is there anybody who doesn’t have respect for the Navy Seals and job they did? I feel safer knowing that they and the rest of the U.S. military are on our side. They get a win on this one, for sure.

Second, even I have to hat-tip Obama on this one.  It was a gutsy decision to send the Seals in instead of just bombing the mansion.  Obvious reasons: no collateral damage and ability to positively identify the bastard.  More ‘subtle’: a bomb would have been instantaneous — there’s a certain “just dues” that UBL’s last couple minutes were frightful — and a  bullet between the eyes seems like the right punishments.

Third, imagine if Bush was a wuss and didn’t authorize waterboarding KSM … UBL would still be kicking back in his $ million pad.

Amazing.

Question: What do you imagine that Quadaffi is thinking today …. tick, tick, tick.

Posted in Terrorism | 1 Comment »

Quick question re: Obama’s taxes

May 2, 2011

President Obama was bummed that the space shuttle flight got delayed from last week.

A short blurb on the news said that he was carting Malia and Natsha along with him, so they were bummed, too.

Quite understandable.

But, it aroused my curiosity re: Obama’s tax return. So, I took a peek.

His listing for wages and other W-2 items was $395,188.

At first blush, that sounds about right since the Presidential salary is usually reported to be around  $400,000.

But …

From my biz days, I know that the IRS is finicky about “personal use of company aircraft” by execs who are traveling for personal reasons and for exec’s’ friends & family when they’re part of the posse.

Specifically, the IRS says: “Non-business use by an employee is generally considered a taxable fringe benefit. The value of the flight, or a portion thereof, must be included in the employee’s income. Whenever an employee’s guests (including family members of the employee) uses a company airplane, the flight is taxable to the employee.”

Hmmm.

In the biz world, the ‘imputed wages’ are usually the cost of a first class airline seat.

So, how come Obama doesn’t have his vacation trips with his family show up on his W-2?

Just wondering …  a loophole, perchance?

P.S. It really irks me when he drags along his mother-in-law.

Posted in Obama | Leave a Comment »

Brands: Making ghosts powerful (again)

May 2, 2011

TakeAway: Kraft is on a mission to keep its myriad products from becoming ghost brands — once-prominent pantry staples that fade into obscurity through a lack of consumer interest brought on by a lack of advertising support. 

It is common during economic downturns for marketers to see if any brands they own can be renewed or revived because it can cost less to bring ghost brands back to life than develop new ones.

To forestall that fate for other brands, Kraft executives are initiating a project called Operation Spark, meant to help consumers reconnect with products that are not part of what Kraft calls its roster of “power brands,” which includes behemoths like Planters, Oreo, Ritz and Trident.

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Excerpted from the NYTimes, “Rescuing ‘Ghost’ Brands From Grocery Limbo” By Stuart Elliott, April 12, 2011

This is also a propitious time for Kraft to assess its product lineup because consumers who are still watching their spending are eating at home more often, making them more receptive to pitches for packaged foods.

If ghost brands cannot be reclaimed, marketers usually have to give up the ghost, selling or discontinuing them to concentrate on larger, livelier holdings. For instance, Kraft stopped making its Postum grain beverage, which dated to 1895, and sold off products like Log Cabin syrups.

The brands the executives hope to keep from the ghostly ranks include the Athenos line of Greek-style dips, spreads and yogurt; dairy products that are sold in the East under the Breakstone’s name and in the West as Knudsen; and Stove Top stuffing. 

Those brands are getting new campaigns and other promotional support, including television commercials for Breakstone’s and Knudsen that began on Monday. The brands also all have new agencies. 

A central element of Operation Spark is to pair the smaller brands with creative agencies that have outstanding reputations for effective, rule-breaking advertising — and have not previously worked for Kraft.

Edit by AMW 

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Posted in Mktg - Brands | Leave a Comment »