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marketing: grassroots versus centralized - verses doing one's own

updated tue 5 aug 03

 

pdp1@EARTHLINK.NET on mon 4 aug 03

for one's own Work?

Hi Bob, and all...



Why not just do one's own Marketing for one's own Work?

In one's community, and in one's extended reaches as with
'web-sites' and so on, 'Shows', whatever...setting up at the
'Farmer's Market' and so on...having a 'Sign' as tells
people you are there?


...if all Potters were to do so, or to do so a little
'better' if they have been lax, how could that be improved
upon ?

How could any 'slogan' improve matters?



Phil
Las Vegas

----- Original Message -----
From: "Bob Nicholson"
To:
Sent: Monday, August 04, 2003 1:23 PM
Subject: Marketing: grassroots versus centralized


> When this discussion started a few weeks ago, I suggested
that,
> because the ceramics community does not have a big-budget
> centralized organization behind us, we could perhaps do
the next-best
> thing by launching a grass-roots awareness campaign.
>
> However, seeing the discussions, and the running results
> of the marketing poll, I'm starting to think that maybe a
> grass-roots campaign is really our STRENGTH.
>
> As Holly and others have pointed out, there's tremendous
> diversity in the clay world. As one example:
>
> Many respondents to the poll don't feel that "local
artistic
> tradition" is important to their customers. But if you
happen
> to be producing Pueblo style pottery in the Southwestern
US,
> the traditional aspect might be a VERY important element.
>
> So, how do we deal with the widely diverging aspects of
the
> ceramics world?
>
> I suggest we can still use a common tag-line and some
shared
> promotional efforts, but tailored by various local or
special
> interest groups to meet their needs.
>
> For example, there are over 60 ceramics guilds that I am
aware
> of. There are also several major ceramics and clay sites,
such
> as CeramicsToday.com and vickihardin.com, plus some pretty
> big organizations such as Potters' Council. Promotional
efforts
> from these various groups might be very different, but
they would
> all be stronger is they shared a unifying slogan or
perhaps a graphic
> element.
>
> Anyway, I think the ongoing discussion has raised some
very good
> points about how we portray ourselves!
>
> Additional suggestions for marketing slogans are still
welcome;
> we can give them a "time weighting" so they are not at a
disadvantage
> against other slogans in the poll. And I've gotten some
good input on
> ways to publicize the effort as well.
>
> For those who have not yet looked at the poll, the address
is
> http://www.artchain.com/polls/gotclay.html
>
> - Bob
>
>
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Jan L. Peterson on mon 4 aug 03

for on...

Slogans are remembered forever. Even if something doesn't sell-it usually
will, like say a planter pot. If you had a snappy slogan that could make people
smile, and the fella next to you just had pots, more than likely they'd buy
from you and would remember when their pot broke, where they got it.

Good slogans stick in your mind. Hit songs have been made from slogans. While
the product may be no better or worse than someone else's, the fact that
someone was clever and creative and cared enough about their product to give it a
slogan means something to the buying public.

My Alleycat & Co. is up too high for anyone to see, and I'm not shabby-chic
enough yet. Right now the economic crush has caught up with me, and I in the
hole to one degree or another every month.

I'm not ready to give up-I have another Christmas season coming, and should
perk up some. Enough to make a little profit. But, if I don't, I really don't
care, it's fun trying to figure out what they want, and make it, paint it, or
find it.

but Win With Wilkie, and I Like Ike, and Be Cool With Coolidge were some
great ones. jp