Small Business Planned

Why Novak Djokovic Would be Punished if he was a Football Player

David Moloney — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 11:24:48 +0000

Last night I watched Novak Djokovic win the final of the 2012 Australian Open. It was the longest tennis match in Australian Open history (5hr 53 minutes). Apparently the longest professional tennis match was a shade over 11 hours and was played over three consecutive days (I think they even ran out of deuce). But anyway, the Djokovic / Nadal match was true emotional grit that had me up until about 2am. So forgive me if I wander off here… Being the marketing tragic that I am (and fan of the Gruen Transfer TV show), I focused on something that not many others may have picked up.

While all pumped up on emotion, Novak did something at the end of the tennis match which would be a cause for discipline in the football (soccer) league.

About 30 seconds after winning the match Novak ripped off his shirt before displaying a few primal screams. The crowd went wild and clapped like a bunch of bananas.

But if he did the same thing on a football field, he would have scored a yellow card because you are not allowed to remove your shirt on a football pitch. FIFA doesn’t like it. Although the rules don’t spell out why, occasionally the football powers explain it away by indicating that it could incite bad behaviour or waste time.

Sergio Tacchini. Here's Some Sponsorship Exposure For You

Sounds like a load of squid’s guts to me. In fact it seems a prime example of the quote:

“There are two reasons why someone does something. The reason they say and the real reason.” Anon

FIFA’s explanation is laughable. But what could be the real reason? Enter our good friend the mighty dollar. Sport attract billions of sponsorship dollars every year as brands aim to be associated with the values and success of sporting teams. The sponsors obviously want a return for the money they spend. And this return is usually through exposure at the venue, on TV and through newspapers/magazines. All those little glimpses of sponsor logos combine to become recognised, understood and considered at a later more relevant time.

And when are these glimpses of the sponsorship logos the most important? When players score a goal and the cameras zoom in. Those photos could be on the front page of the newspaper, giving mass exposure to the visible sponsors. That’s when the sponsors logos work their hardest. And when they make the sponsorship executives smile the most.

That’s why football players get penalised for removing their shirts. It reduces the return on investment of the team sponsors.

The shirtless image of Novak Djokovic was reprinted across the World, sometimes even on the front page. As a result his primary sponsor Sergio Tacchini missed out on extensive exposure. Bummer, considering all the money they must pay. But Novak must have been hot after all that tennis.

Growing your small business,

David Moloney

Small Business Planned

The Library is For Success Not Cheapskates

David Moloney — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 22:55:27 +0000

The self imposed 24 hour Wikipedia blackout has just ended. Students trying to do their research without blatantly copying may have been forced to visit an institution that only their parent’s had heard about. The library.

When I attended school, the library was kind of known as a geeky place. The majority of the books were on dirgey school topics or as closely aligned to education as possible. Apart from the section on ghosts and science fiction, which was kind of cool. This library layout is understandable. It’s a school asset. Unfortunately this library setup creates a perception gap in our minds once we leave school. We leave school thinking ‘libraries are for school books… boring.’

But these days nothing could be further from the truth. Your local library (well if it’s any good) has a diverse range of practical business books, up to date technology manuals, back issues of specialty magazines, insightful biographies and a full collection of Mills and Boon romance novels (apparently ‘Decoded’ is the best).

The Library: Learn From Others For Free

You don’t blink at borrowing a DVD for entertainment, so why shy away from borrowing a book to further your knowledge? Libraries are incredible free assets that you should take full advantage of. Otherwise you’re a fool.

Which brings me to one of my favourite quotations:

” You will be the same person in five years as you are today except for the people you meet and the books you read.” Charlie Jones

Or put simply, you need to be exposed to ideas and knowledge to continually grow and succeed. Go ahead and stand on the shoulders of giants that have paved the way before and learn from their mistakes and triumphs. You will be surprised how they can help you further your own small business or activity.

I’ve normally got one or two books out from the library at one time. Personally, I have borrowed books on marketing, sales, design, coding, photography, leadership and innovation. The best way to read these books is with a pen and paper. This allows you to note key ideas and concepts that you can later adapt. But this technique is for another post.

Yes I admit, I’ve borrowed some bad excuses for books as well – so I just found myself skimming the pages and admiring the pretty pictures. But it was no big loss, as they didn’t cost me anything. Plus truth be known, I did learn one or two things from those bad books anyway – so it all helps.

Below are the benefits you get out of using a library

You have access to free books, CDs and DVDs
You can usually borrow unlimited items
You can usually renew these items twice online, so there’s no need to trapse back to the library for a new stamp
Most libraries have free internet and WIFI
Libraries are quiet, freeing you from distraction so you can complete a work task
Reserving a popular book that’s on loan, then being notified of its subsequent availability

And if you are a fiction junkie, you can also go nuts in the story aisle to help you sleep at night (see point 5).

So, next time you find yourself hovering around your local library, slip on in and sign up for a free library card. Try out two or three books that you think could help your small business and flick through them with a cup of coffee.

Growing your small business,

David Moloney
Small Business Planned

What is the Gruen Transfer?

David Moloney — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 08:00:25 +0000

Gruen transfer, sounds like a funny name right? Almost like a kind of beer. But what is the Gruen Transfer? Actually it’s a term coined by the Austrian architect Victor Gruen and it’s all about influencing shopping centre design to maximise unplanned sales. It pretty much takes small business mistakes, flips them on their head and energises them to an inch of their life.

The Gruen Transfer Aims to Generate Unplanned Sales

Ever wondered why the milk is at the back of the supermarket, why the chocolate bars are squeezed next to the checkout, or why that easy beat 1980’s hit is softly yearning over the PA? It’s not an accident. It’s a carefully choreographed system which has been shown to deliver extra sales.

TV: The Gruen Transfer on the ABC

It should also be noted that The Gruen Transfer is the name of a popular ABC Australia show which discusses the advertising and marketing industry. It’s interesting and entertaining stuff. You can stream past episodes via the Gruen Transfer Page on the ABC website.

What exactly is the Gruen transfer?

We normally visit a shop for a reason. Say, to replenish a dozen litres of milk, browse the jam donuts section or to hip and shoulder a trolley. This can be regarded as priority one.

We boldly strut into the shopping centre and scan the aisle for the beginning of our attack. And here’s where the psychology of the shopping centre begins. By appealing to our five senses, the shopping centre design can begin to make us deviate from our initial goal. Or alternatively can make us add new items to our shopping list.

Our eyes are bombarded with sale signs, our nose smells those hot jam donuts, we’re given a free sample of a new icecream or we listen to a song which makes us walk more slowly. The longer we are in the store the more we are likely to buy. This is especially true in hardware shops like Bunnings or Walmart. I’m guilty of this myself.

And then at the end when you’re fumbling for your wallet and fuming at the person in front of you for carrying over 15 items, you see a drink, or a chocolate bar or even today’s paper. ‘This looks good’, you think as you begin to silently go comatose doe to line boredom. ‘That item will make me happier than I am now… which isn’t hard because my life is pretty much on hold at the moment’. So (sometimes) you pick it up and add it to your shopping list. Kerching! Another sale thanks to the pioneering work of the Gruen Transfer.

Growing your small business,

David Moloney
SmallBusinessPlanned.com