Cashing in on Dubya

It’s been a while since I created a post, my apologies as I plan on posting a new musing by every Sunday evening. Here in America the economy and election are front page news but for something a bit different, let’s go to entertainment or in this case, politcotainment. That’s right, we’re talking W. As in George W. Bush in film which is interesting since it’s released while the president is still in office.

Oliver Stone’s biopic W. features the life of our president as depicted by Josh Brolin. And interestingly enough, it was outdone in the box office during opening weekend by another W. That would be Mark Wahlberg and his action film Max Payne.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8yOfekoem3s

Now, back to our regularly scheduled program…

Olympics gold creates green

Here in America good old fashioned dollar bills are well, one color: green. While going green is a buzz word over here for the environment, since all of our bills are green it makes sense. When Olympians get the gold they often rake in the green and go green themselves. Cold. Hard. Cash.

Michael Phelps is all the talk over here and rightly so. At the age of twenty-three he broke the record for the number of gold medals achieved in one Olympic Games: eight. After he won six medals in Athens in 2004 he apparently earned $5 from Visa. Keep in mind this man has sponsors. Prior to even stepping foot in Beijing he earned $1 million from one of his sponsors, Speedo.

As companies seem to have endless dollars for celebrities to promote their brands, this is one brand worth investing in.

Bag Borrow or Steal

So there’s a little summer flick, maybe you’ve heard of it? While cocktailing women flock to theaters to see Sex and the City: The Movie, there’s no denying this franchise isn’t only successful in its storytelling but its branding as well. Take, for instance Bag Borrow or Steal. This fascinating business concept was dubbed a Netflix for purses and it’s no wonder why: started by two men in America this biz gives users the opportunity to borrow items and you guessed it — return ‘em. And if you try the hangbags, sunglasses or jewels on for size and realize you can’t live without, then it’s time to “steal” — or purchase them. I think this concept is genius: in a time where the economy is down and out, it still gives women the opportunity to feel and look fabulous while having a dash of green initiatives in there as well.

Let the games begin

While we’re only two months away from center stage in Beijing for the Olympics, on this shore there’s a bigger more pressing story. As the summer heats up, so do the politics. Barack Obama will be the Democratic candidate for presidency so one can only wonder how the upcoming election and new president will impact our economy.

As he clinched the nomination the NY Times reported the following:

A last-minute rush of Democratic superdelegates, as well as the results from the final primaries, in Montana and South Dakota, pushed Mr. Obama over the threshold of winning the 2,118 delegates needed to be nominated at the party’s convention in August. The victory for Mr. Obama, the son of a black Kenyan father and a white Kansan mother, broke racial barriers and represented a remarkable rise for a man who just four years ago served in the Illinois Senate.

You Gotta Have Wa

I’m going to switch things up a bit, start a new blogger dance if you will. We know there’s a recession right now in America. Check that, a huge recession. We’ve read the headlines about Bear Stearns, we know the real estate market is in the tank. So we do what smart citizens would do: we divert the attention to lighter fare.

Welcome back, baseball! Known as America’s pastime, not quite sure why soccer (a.k.a. “football”) never really took off here, our vice is just this: baseball. American pie. Hot dogs. As I entered the colossal Yankee Stadium tonight I couldn’t help but reflect on a book I previously read, You Gotta Have Wa. 

Sports are like an anthropological study, a business analogy if you will.  For instance, in Japan the game of baseball is played somewhat differently than on this side of the globe. In Japan it’s fine to end a game in a tie; after all, you don’t want to disgrace the other team. If you hit a home run and scurry around the bases, well you don’t exactly want to look too happy. That would – you guessed it – disgrace the opposing pitcher. Yet here in America we have no problem taking the credit, taking that curtain call out of the dugout when fans beckon the player to take a bow.

We play on a team just like in business but the message is this: it’s okay to shine.  We also incorporate baseball terms in business; it’s not uncommon to “touch base” in order to communicate or “hit the ball out of a park” with a stellar proposal. It’s ingrained in our culture, it’s a part of our lives, it intertwines with our business, our culture, our being. So on the evening of a monumental Opening Day in the Bronx: play ball!

The high price of bling

As stocks tumbled yet again and the price of oil per barrel continues to rise, the bad batch of news continues: gold hurled at $1,000 per Troy ounce. The. highest. ever.

Sure, we could blog on and on about the recession, declining market, and the rising value of gold juxtaposed with the weakening U.S. dollar, but there’s no denying it. Recession-proofing your life is the way to go.

According to the NY Times the dollar tumbled to an almighty low against the euro (as for this morning? It traded at $1.5605. As for the yen? The dollar dropped below 100 yen for the first time since 1995!). The facts persist, there’s no denying it. When it comes to gold, looks like we won’t need to buy this luxury for quite a while but with the raising price so ensues a declining economy.

Chipping away the glass ceiling

 I noticed a recent issue of CNBC’s European Business Magazine featured top women who are shattering the glass ceiling. Making strides and taking names….excellent!  But what gets me is this:  if it’s still a front page story, if there are still a handful of CEO’s who are women at the top (not to diminish their accomplishments but still…) if it’s still buzzworthy then are we truly shattering the glass ceiling or are we making strides in diligently chipping away at it since it’s omnipresent?

As my generation’s mothers had the opportunity to basically become a nurse, teacher or flight attendant and my generation grew up believing we could be corporate consultants, neurosurgeons, and exuberant thought-provoking writers, thanks to Hillary Clinton tomorrow’s generation here in America can at least realize being a president is a possibility. Today’s a big primary day as several states such as Texas, Pennsylvania and Ohio need to vote for Obama or Clinton for the Democratic Party’s bid to the White House. Some are going so far to say if Hillary fails to win this ends her journey to the Oval Office.As she has faced extreme scrutiny such as her cackling laugh or her pantsuits (no other candidates have faced in the major media outlets, by the way), some Americans could take her, others could leave her but there’s no denying the strong impact she’s making to crack the door open for future presidential fearless females.

Footnote: While U.S.-based campaigns typically equate to dollars, major fundraising efforts, media portrayals and appearances on pop culture shows and even YouTube (political issues? What issues, they’re getting ready for their close-ups!) I always found the last line stated by candidates during campaign commercials intriguing and wonder if other cultures do the same.

Essentially, “I’m Vicki Salemi and I approve this message!”

Business ethics of journalism

I’m sure by now you’ve heard that Prince Harry served his country in Aghanistan for ten weeks but what’s surprising is that journalists had a “media blackout” and they all agreed to not run the story.  While journalists may be viewed in some markets (ahem, London) as tough, unscrupulous, and sometimes salacious (depending on the publication, of course) but, still…it’s commendable they put ethics first.  Essentially, they adhered to the blackout and instead of scooping the story they remained silent.

While it was disappointing to hear the Druge Report broke the story which immediately sent Prince Harry home due to security reasons, kudos to the journalists in the U.K. for realizing the significance of his presence in Afghanistan and putting him and the country before their own individual agendas.

Starbucks takes a coffee break

See Starbucks. See Starbucks sell coffee.  See Starbucks sell coffee, sandwiches, muffins, newspapers, mugs, CD’s, and games. See Starbucks sales dip, see Starbucks regroup! Yesterday for the first time ever there was a nationwide coffee break. Check that: baristas nationwide closed shop at Starbucks on Tuesday for three and a half hours to relearn the basics of their business.

You can guess what happened next: competitors like Dunkin’ Donuts took advantage of their competitor’s employee training. They did the inevitable and offered specials of 99 cent lattes during that time frame so coffee drinkers could get their jolt of java. 

While Starbucks says they’ll close 1% of their current coffee shops in the US by the end of September and they’ll no longer sell their ham, eggs, cheese, and bacon sandwiches, it’ll be interesting to see if the powerhouse continues to flourish, if this is merely a blip in their business model to get back on track, or if Dunkin’ Donuts will take a hold on the market. Personally I prefer Dunkin’ Donuts but quite honestly, there is nothing quite like discovering a little mom and pop coffee shop with charm, character, and yes — coffee.

Blog is the new black!

Welcome back to my blog! Ok, maybe this is a note more for myself but I’ll be dishing on a daily basis as it relates to the latest business buzz. Whether it’s about the economy, jobs, new businesses that soared, start-ups that failed and lessons learned or an overall trend, this blog will cover a variety of angles.  Game on!