Business – Page 36 – Splendid Isolation

Politics As Advertising

August 22, 2019 Kim du Toit Marketing / Advertising, Modernism, Politics

No, this isn’t about political ads — may a pox be upon all of them. This post by Aaron Clarey examines why Corporate America has turned into a collection of fucking scolds, despite all the marketing precepts that define marketing stupidity as injecting politics into your corporate ethos. Here’s a brief excerpt:

But now corporations sermonizing the rest of the world about leftist politics has gone viral. And it behooves the question why. Why would corporations take such a risk? Why would corporations be so foolish? And you can call me an ole fuddy duddy, by why are corporations so arrogant and rude? How dare you assholes lecture me about anything outside the purchase of your product or service, you smug, cocky, arrogant assholes?

And then he answers all that in the rest of the post. Read it all; it’s worth it, despite its horrible conclusion.

Then go and smash your head against the wall, like I did.

Buycott

July 18, 2019 Kim du Toit Business, Politics

As stated earlier, I’ll be moving today, and you know how much stuff you need when you move in, right? Then we have this situation:

Home Depot Co-Founder Bernie Marcus told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution in a recent interview that he plans to donate a part of his fortune, which has a net worth of $5.9 billion according to Forbes, to Trump’s 2020 re-election campaign. He said that although Trump “sucks” at communicating he should be given credit for boosting jobs in America and taking strong stances against China, Iran, and North Korea.
Following the article’s publication in late June, some shoppers at the home improvement supply giant expressed outrage over the 90-year-old’s decision and vowed to boycott the store. The hashtag #BoycottHomeDepot also started to emerge on social media.

But as author and political commentator Dan Bongino‏ notes:

“Liberal boycotts are a joke, just like liberals. The best thing for your business is a liberal boycott. Your sales will explode after lunatic libs announce their ‘boycott’. Just ask Chick-fil-A.”

So guess where I’ll be getting all my household hardware needs for the next week or two… and there’s a branch just a few blocks away.

♫ ♪ ♫ ♪ …Hi ho, hi ho… ♫ ♪ ♫ ♪

Oops

July 17, 2019 Kim du Toit Business, Food & Drink, Gummint

Everybody told them that it was a monumentally-stupid idea; but noooooo:

Restaurants Unlimited, a Seattle-based chain with restaurant locations in 47 US cities, announced on Sunday it was seeking Chapter 11 protection, citing “progressive” wage laws.
The company, which has operated since the Lyndon Johnson Administration, said rising labor costs—part of a national trend of government-mandated minimum increases—were part of its decision.

Note the 47 cities affected by these closures (see link).

I would feel more sorry for the soon-to-be-laid-off workers, but I’m betting that most of them supported the higher-minimum-wage idiocy in the first place, so… sucks to be them. Maybe next time they’ll vote with their brains instead of with their greed. (Granted, working-class people have trouble making ends meet in liberal shitholes like Seattle and San Francisco; but the politicians who have caused the high housing prices are the same ones who pushed through the higher minimum-wage thresholds. So there’s a double whammy here, and yet those idiot voters keep sending them back into office.)

Of course, it’ll be all Trump’s fault (according to the West Coast media).

Hooray

July 8, 2019 Kim du Toit Business

I’d like to see a lot more of this attitude:

Gerard O’Shaughnessy posted a job advertisement to hire candidates for social media marketing roles at his online ad agency, Business Marketing Services Ltd (BMS) in West Yorkshire.
The 48-year-old created the brutally honest advert saying ‘mickey takers’ and those who call in sick with hangovers need not apply.
Mr O’Shaughnessy became frustrated after wading through stacks of applicants who didn’t fit the bill for the role, which would see the employee working from 9-3, with free gym access, but would also mean their phone was locked away all day.
After stating the perks of the job, he then highlights that he doesn’t want people who are addicted to their phones to apply as well as weekend party-goers and those with ‘psycho’ boyfriends demanding regular text updates.
Mr O’Shaughnessy has been working at the business for 15 years, and said we are living in a ‘generation of snowflakes’.
He highlighted how previous staff members had ‘complete meltdowns’ after the company made it compulsory two months ago for phones to be locked away each day – only being given back at lunch time and of course at the end of the day.

Give the man a medal.

Good Olde Dayes 2

July 6, 2019 Kim du Toit Marketing / Advertising, The Gun Thing

Last week I looked at offensive ads from days gone by — and by “offensive”, I mean things that would “offend” the Permanently Sensitive Set, bless their little snowflake hearts.

While doing the research, I also happened on some still-more offensive ads — guaranteed to get others’ feeeewings all tearful (except for those who frequent this website, that is. Actually, they are enough to make even me a little tearful, but not for the reasons one would expect). Here’s a sample:

There’s hunting:

Now it’s time for some cismale gendernormative patriarchal fascism (I think I got that right):

And guns for Christmas — nothing like a visit from ol’ Santy bearing the right kind of gift:

(Note the publication for the above ad…)

Now it’s time for a little “flowers” advertising (back the hearse up to the door, and let them smell the flowers):

And then there’s the simple choice:

And one last reminder:

I wonder what the number is for the AR15 and AK-47? Let’s look at some other options:

And speaking of which, note the prices:

Now that’s enough to make me weep.

Good Olde Dayes 1

June 29, 2019 Kim du Toit Marketing / Advertising

Upon reading this lovely story, I was transported back to a time when advertising gave it to you straight and hard. But first, a quick excerpt:

Following outrage in the past couple of years over ads that were seen as toxic, the U.K. has responded by banning advertising that perpetuates negative stereotypes or equates physical attractiveness with social or romantic success. The elegant simplicity of this solution might leave us wondering, why hasn’t anyone thought to do this before?

Because until recently, society wasn’t in thrall to the Great Wokening, is why. So please indulge me as I hearken back to a time when everyone understood their roles in life.