One Mann's Opinion

Everything Must Go

The Christmas retail season begins moments after the last trick or treaters are on their way home and ends on Christmas Eve as the stores lock their doors for the night.

This Week Only

This weekend, the stores will be filled with people returning and exchanging Christmas gifts while the retail industry settles in for a long winter’s nap. But in some countries there is one final push to create just a little bit more urgency.
Boxes to Bargains

In the UK, Canada, Australia, The Netherlands, Germany and a few others, today is Boxing Day. Originally called St. Steven’s Day, this was when the upper class would give gifts such as clothing and food to the lower classes in boxes for easy transport.

Save up to 80% Today Only

Christmas is on the 25th of December and Boxing Day is on the 26th. But years ago, the retail industry decided to extend the ask and create an even large sense of urgency and excitement with the creation of Boxing Week which began well before Christmas. It's akin to retailers 'chopping down prices' to celebrate the birth of George Washington.

Savings Are Store Wide

If you attempt to create a sense of urgency during your Boxing Week sale, are you not telling customers that your profit margins are too high the rest of the year or that the best time to buy from you is during this limited time?

Boxing Week is a multi-billion dollar event.

Earlier today, Margie Osmond from the Australian National Retailers Association said "We've had a fabulous healthy start to Boxing Day sales which is the biggest shopping day of the year."

Some economists predict that the countries that have adopted the Boxing Week model will see an economic correction from the downturn the rest of this year. It appears that St. Steven has done well for the bottom line.

Perhaps Obama should put it on the to-do list for 2010?

How can you apply this to your business?

@knealemann

image credit: lowbrowstyle

written by Kneale Mann 0 comments  

tags: Boxing Day, Christmas, communications, George Washington, Kneale Mann, marketing, One Mann's Opinion, retail, shopping, social media, tradition, urgency, YouIntegrate

It’s Christmas Day and for about half the planet it is a religious day and a day of celebration.

It is also a day of dealing with family members you may not like (keep in mind, they may not like you), expectations set out from the world of marketing and movies, overeating and depression, loneliness and hope.


It Ain't About The Money

I promise not to be another writer commenting about how this annual celebration has turned in to such a commercial and emotional plot twist.

Let’s use today to hit the reset button and figure out what is important to each of us. It’s not the pretty wrapped packages or the traffic jams at mall entrances. It’s lovely to find that special gift for that special someone but is that the real reason we do all this?

Keeping Score

Charlie spent $50 on me and I got him that stupid pen. I wonder what color shirt mom will get me this year; I almost have a complete set. There are too many to buy for, let’s draw names. Do we have to get him something, I don’t even like him. I hope Uncle Brian isn’t going say something inappropriate at Christmas dinner – he did do that thing back in ’91.

Eat too much, hug those you love, extend a hand to those in need and I hope you have a Happy Christmas :-)

@knealemann

image credit: therealmimi

written by Kneale Mann 23 comments  

tags: best wishes, celebration, Christmas, communications, family, friends, gifts, giving, help, hope, human networking, inclusive Kneale Mann, One Mann's Opinion

Which One Wins?

A good friend sent this to me yesterday.

Immediately I sent to it to some other friends and thought I’d share it with you.

You may have seen this before, it's been around almost forever and it’s worth another read.


One evening a man told his grandson about a battle
that goes on inside people.

He said, “My son, the battle is between two wolves inside us all.”

“One is Evil - It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.”

“The other is Good - It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, compassion and faith.”

The grandson then asked his grandfather: “Which wolf wins?”

The man simply replied, “The one you feed.”

Which one do you feed?

@knealemann
marketing and social media strategy

image credit: firstpeople.us

written by Kneale Mann 27 comments  

tags: communications, compassion, empathy, hope, kindness, Kneale Mann, life, love, marketing, One Mann's Opinion, passion, peace, serenity, social media, strategy, trust, two wolves, YouIntegrate

Who Is Your Target?
If you have a web presence, you should measure who is visiting your space from time to time.

Much to my surprise, this space has grown over three thousand percent since this time last year.

It will be difficult to replicate again but blew me away.


There are readers in 95 countries, all but one Canadian province, every state in the U.S. and over 750 cities worldwide.

We reach places like Kota Kinabalu and Groningen. We have regular visitors from Bucharest and Perth.

A shout out to the person from Tianjin who dropped by and hi to our visitor in Gaborone.


There are readers from San Francisco to Slovenia, Indonesia to Illinois and Edmonton to Estonia.

But that means nothing to you. What does matter is how you may be able to use this type of information for your business.

If you are running a company and thinking about expanding your online presence - good for you. But what's important is your ability to understand why you are doing it and whether you are prepared to stick with it.

Focus on what you offer your customers and ask for feedback. But it's important to note the obvious, no one will find you by osmosis. That's not a digital thing, that's a business thing.

There are millions of sites you could have visited, thanks very much for stopping by here. I hope you found it valuable. If you have suggestions or feedback, fire away.

Happy Holidays :-)

@knealemann
marketing and social media strategy

image credits: worldbank.org | google analytics

written by Kneale Mann 20 comments  

tags: analytics, blogs, comittment, communications, friends, internet, Kneale Mann, marketing, metrics, One Mann’s Opinion, social media, stats, strategy, thanks, Twitter, YouIntegrate

Widgets: Take your seats.

If you read this space once in a while, you probably have a couple social media profiles.

Perhaps you tweet and read up on the topic of social networking and see the constant battle between tools and talk.

We can drown in discussion and it’s time for us to move.


And activity does not equal progress - most of us have learned that lesson the hard way.

Twitter will never make you Hemingway, website design templates will not guarantee you a career in user experience and a MacBook Air has yet to give birth to the next Steve Jobs.

We need talent. A lot of it. Now.

Let’s actually collaborate and make some decisions. Let's get creative and spend 100% of our time on the projects we want to do with the people with which we want to do them.

If you have some time off over the Holidays, sift through your network and make a list of the people who you can help and who can help you.

Make another list of the people that compliment your skills and could make potential collaborators on projects. Toss that box of what-if’s, self-doubts and no ways immediately. You will be far too busy for that.

Learn the tools, have fun with the tools, discuss the tools, then let's get some stuff done. You in?

@knealemann
marketing and social media strategy

image credit: octagonpartners.net

written by Kneale Mann 18 comments  

tags: Apple, collaboration, communications, help, Kneale Mann, marketing, One Mann’s Opinion, social media, Steve Jobs, strategy, tools, user-experience, website, work, YouIntegrate