Mother Nature Taking Over?
Is your marketing aligned with the seismic shift in consumer attitudes?

Who would have thought Home Depot® would be leading the way? Who indeed? Still, it comes as no surprise that there would be a savvy marketer ready to capitalize on the current greening of the world, does it?
Regular readers of this newsletter know that we here at Jay Standish, Inc. LLC are nothing if not savvy, and with our commitment to various "out-of-doors" activities (including bi-athlon and rock racing!) we are also committed to maintaining an environment around us.
Lest the reader think this is nothing but pre-Earth Day pandering to the masses of environmental lobbyists, crack-pots, and ne'er do wells. We here at Jay Standish, Inc. LLC have put our collective money where my mouth is - so to speak! - and are working on making the space flights mentioned in last week's newsletter something more than a marketing boon-doggle. Indeed, Lee (from our R&D group) is hard at work (as are we all!) calculating the relative costs and benefits of carrying toxic and other forms of difficult-to-dispose-of wastes on these space flights - with the proposition being that said waste be dumped, not on the Earth, but rather tossed into decaying orbits around the Moon or (perhaps too ambitiously) the Sun itself.
Imagine, if you will, a next-generation Space Shuttle - in full NASA regalia - bedecked NASCAR-like with logos of sponsoring entities (perhaps your product? your clients' product?) along with a payload, also logo-bedecked, of dangerous waste products, bound for extra-Terrestrial disposal. Who might be interested in such a scheme? How about Waste Management®? How about the InSinkErator® folks? How about just about anyone wishing to make a statement that we know better than to mess up our own house? As they say, animals don't defecate where they habitate (a catchy rendition or that sentiment, don't you think?) - neither should people.
What marketer wants to be known as one who poisons his (or her!) own customers? We here at Jay Standish, Inc. LLC believe the answer is clear and unambiguous: nobody we know!
Once Lee's work (along with the fabulous Jay Standish, Inc. LLC R&D staff) is done, we will be shopping around the first potential sponsorships of this concept. We're still working on names for this service, and we'd appreciate feed-back from our readers on these possibilities, as well as any suggestions you might care to make. Imagine seeing your own neo-logism boldly pasted on a proud (American!) spacecraft as it quivers with excitement on the launch pad in Florida, waiting for the thrust to send it hurtling into space - perhaps into Trans-Lunar Injection!
At any rate, our first list of rough possibilities await your comments:

• Star Trash
• Garbage to the Stars
• Wasted Space
• Take Out The Trash - Way Out!
  
• Ad Astra Per Trashpera

Last week, Jay wrote about "sponsored" space flights:
Rebecca Darmus responded:
"Jay, I understand how you and your testosterone- fueled friends might find space flight exciting - I've seen the shape of rockets, and I know what that's all about. Still, don't you find it a bit out-of-touch to be suggesting that we pay to put tons of pollutants into the atmosphere? Where's the concern for the environment? Where's the love? ..."

Rebecca, I think we all know where you're coming from, and I (for one!) subtly resent your testosterone remark. None the less, I think you're on to something with your talk of mountain greenery and such. See my comments above!

-- Jay

Marketing's Next Frontier!

Could your product be the next sponsor of the US Space Program? It could!

At least, it could be if Rep. Ken Calvert's proposed legislation is passed. Rep. Calvert is looking to allow sponsorships of NASA activities, much as NPR and PBS sell sponsorships today.
I had Terry in the research department here at Jay Standish, Inc. LLC do a quick dive into the background of Mr. Calvert, just to see if this is all on the up and up (so to speak!), and it looks like it's true. Not only is he an actual member of Congress, but he seems - based on Terry's perusal of the "Wikipedia" - to be a former Classic Rock Disk Jockey from Detroit. How this qualifies him to be a congressman who works with NASA isn't yet clear.
At any rate, the main and plain point to be made here is that there is goodwill to be had for any marketer savvy enough to grab this out-of-this-world (literally!) opportunity by the horns and shake hands with Uncle Sam. Think of the range of consumer goods with origins in the space program, and you'll get an idea of what I mean.
Imagine being able to use phrases such as, for example, Velcro® - brought to you by Head and Shoulders® Refreshing Shampoo in commercial communications. The possibilities are nearly endless!
Clearly, some brands and industries are better positioned to take advantage of this kind of tie-in. Dyson® vacuum cleaners - tackling the endless vacuum of space; Orbit® gum - flavors last an extra long time; there are myriad possibilities for those willing to think outside the atmosphere!

This is an opportunity where it may barely be possible to get in on the ground floor - but that's where all this has to start.
The range of options is wide, but certainly not unlimited, so it's imperative that the savvy marketer get to work on this right away - the final countdown may already have begun!
It is our understanding here at Jay Standish, Inc. LLC that the famous insurance company, the "Prudential," may be interested, and may even refresh their old slogan (own a piece of the rock) with a new version. Perhaps they plan to give cut-rate life insurance to astronauts and passengers on the Shuttles? Take a piece of the rock with you?

Anything beyond this is mere speculation - something on which we tend to frown, here at Jay Standish, Inc. LLC - and fraught with potential imprecision. Thus, we must end this "thought experiment" at this point, and merely be content to have raised the issue with our readers.
Should any of you wish to take advantage of this upcoming opportunity, know that we here at Jay Standish, Inc. LLC are standing at the ready.

Excelsior!

Last time, Jay wrote about Baby Ruth, Major League Baseball, and product names:
Zachary Sainte-Drôme responded:
"Your column couldn't have been more timely, Jay. My company is currently negotiating to become the official Canadian pharmacy of Major League Baseball, and a name change may well be in the offing. We'll be sure to contact you as the contract signing draws nearer...."

Interesting proposition, Zachary. With the loss of the Expos, this may be a way for MLB to expand Canadian interest in the sport. We look forward to hearing from you!
-- Jay

btw, we've had numerous queries regarding the Josh Groban concert. I suppose after my extensive reporting of the Bears' loss in Miami, it was to be expected. Sadly for my readers, Jennifer and I have decided that what happens in San Jose stays in San Jose.
-- Jay