Book Review: Brands, Trademarks and Good Will: The Story of the Quaker Oats Company

Book Review: Brands, Trademarks and Good Will: The Story of the Quaker Oats Company

BRANDS TRADEMARKS AND GOOD WILL

Author: Arthur F. Marquette
ISBN-13:  First Edition 

Topic:  Early American Brand Marketing

Format:  Hard Cover Book
Language:  English
Publication Year:  1967

REVIEW:

The story of the Quaker Oats company.  Easy to read recounting of how Quaker Oats came to be what it is. Marks one of the first attempts to explore and study brands and the good will associated with them. 

It is amazing how far we have come.  In 1875 a branded approach was rare except for Bon Ami or Bull Durham, now everything seems to be branded.  This book puts together how a vast network of independent mills and distributors were put together in an empire that achieved global dominance.  An excellent foundation of knowledge book if you are involved in marketing or branding.

CONTROVERSY:  The sometimes disturbing look into how brands like "Aunt Jemima" came into being.  The history is, St. Joseph Gazette editor Chris L. Rutt of St. Joseph, Missouri and his friend Charles G. Underwood bought a flour mill in 1888. Rutt and Underwood's Pearl Milling Company faced a glutted flour market, so they sold their excess flour as a ready-made pancake mix in white paper sacks with a trade name (which Arthur F. Marquette dubbed the "last ready-mix"). 

Photographs from the History of Quaker Oats

Rutt reportedly saw a minstrel show featuring the "Old Jemima" song in the fall of 1889 presented by blackface performers identified by Marquette as "Baker & Farrell". However, Doris Witt was unable to confirm Marquette's account. Witt suggests that Rutt might have witnessed a vaudeville performance byPete F. Baker, who played a character described in newspapers of that era as "Aunt Jemima". If this is correct, the original inspiration for the Aunt Jemima character was a white male in whiten face, who some have described as a German immigrant.

Marquette recounts that the actor playing Aunt Jemima wore an apron and kerchief, and Rutt appropriated this Aunt Jemima character to market the Pearl Milling Company pancake mix in late 1889 after viewing a minstrel show. However, Rutt and Underwood were unable to make the project work, so they sold their company to the R.T. Davis Milling Company in St. Joseph, Missouri in 1890.

BUY IT NOW - RARE First Edition.

Thinking about starting a "Green Business"?

Thinking about starting a "Green Business"?

Pros of Being Green:
Green is Hot
Is not just a fad.  Slowly but steadily, "green" concepts are being integrated.  Green can also mean sustainable.  With global economy growth, raw materials cost are increasing.  This creates opportunity.  These days everyone wants to be seen as being green, but that is not enough of a hook to hang a business model on.  You MUST have something that people need that is superior to non-green alternatives.  There are several Solid Business Opportunities with in the energy, clean tech or green tech sectors.  If you can solve a challenge people are dealing with everyday and are competitive, you may have something to build on.

Marketability Factor
Media managers still are attracted to "green" story ideas so you maybe able to capitalize on PR by placing your story.  Make sure your claims are legit or you might get bad press for green-washing (a term describing the deceptive use of green PR or green marketing in order to promote a misleading perception that a company's policies or products (such as goods or services) are environmentally friendly. The term green sheen has similarly been used to describe organizations that attempt to show that they are adopting practices beneficial to the environment.)

Competition Benefit
Your product must be as good or better than non-green alternatives.  If you can't compete on price, position your product/service in other ways to differentiate from competition, "green" is a way to do that.

Feel Good Feelings
If your product or service really makes a difference for the planet and society, you can leverage this in your branding and marketing. People want to lead a modern life and still minimize their impact on the world.

Cons to Being Green

Green is Fashionable
Once the wave subsides and people realize that the environment is harsh and human technology and development has created a level of comfort that never existed before, the "green movement" maybe viewed as a silly naive folly.  Make sure your business model does more than appeal to the current fashion but actually saves time and money.

Competition Increasing
Since green business is here to stay (not to be confused with the “buzz” or fad of being green), your competition will be bigger, more efficient and better financed.  They will squeeze and hammer your margins.

Complex Model
Government regulations are increasing worldwide in this area as competition moves in.  At the same time, the consumer is better educated and more sophisticated, less likely to fall for insincere greenwashing claims.

Green businesses, just like traditional businesses, must still pay rent, make payroll, figure out marketing and branding strategies and so on.  It is possible to help others solve their problems, make a profit and create sustainability. There is a sense of accomplishment and achievement when you succeed!p

Book Review: FROM THE BUREAU TO THE BOARDROOM

FROM THE BUREAU TO THE BOARDROOM

FROM THE BUREAU TO THE BOARDROOM
Author: Dan Carrison
ISBN-13:  9780814410639
Topic:  Business Management
Format:  Hard Cover
Language:  English
Publication Year:  2009

REVIEW:


30 Management Lessons from the FBI - The analogy seems to work in this business management book by Dan Carrison.  As a manager, I am always reading to improve my skills.  While I may not be able to drastically alter my organization to mirror the Federal Bureau of Investigation, there are some insights.  The chapter regarding "infiltrate the customer" was humorous but also serious.  The FBI infiltrates criminal and terrorist organizations and the consequences are dire, but as a business, you MUST know what your customers think and want, the consequences are the life and death of your business.  Two of the best ideas for me are: not second-guessing my decisions and winning with the tools I have not the ones I wish I had

The other lessons are equally informative.  In the end, the book is a quick read and provides motivational insight into how a business can adapt and improve using the FBI as a model.


INFORMATION FROM THE PUBLISHER:
Managers will learn how to:
* Encourage and accept new roles
* Publish and maintain a ten most wanted customer list
* Infiltrate the customer all the way to the top
* Manager failure and success
* Cultivate a One for All, All for One Corporate Culture
* Win with the tools you have, not the tools you wish you had
* Leverage the employee and the customer base
* Integrate Fidelity, Bravery and Integrity in the workplace
* Institutionalize Best Practices
* Cultivate maturity and good judgment

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Dan Carrison who served in the US Marine Corps Reserve from 1965–1970 and is co-founder of Semper Fi Consulting, is a nationally recognized speaker, a writer and has been a sales executive for over 20 years. Dan has taken his & Rod Walsh's leadership message to countless audiences of business executives and government officials.  Dan received a BA in English Literature (cum laude) from the University of California.

BUY IT NOW

Book Review: GET RICH WITH APPS!

Get Rich with Apps!

GET RICH WITH APPS!
Author: Jesse Feiler
ISBN-13:  9780071700290
Topic:  Business & Economics – Entrepreneur
Format:  Paperback
Language:  English
Publication Year:  2010

BUSINESS BOOKS

Review:

This is not a get rich quick book, it takes design, testing and marketing to be successful in this new field.  It's obvious i-Phone and Facebook are new and fertile ground for apps. 

GET RICH WITH APPS! does not discuss codes, but does make a case for how important apps are and how to plan and design their creation.  The book is aimed at the developer who is a would be entrepreneur. 

The book explains how mobile and social apps are different from a larger enterprise application.  For example, Facebook is a closed system and extra steps have to be taken to integrate your app with other frame works such as i-Phone.  Also, mobile and desktop apps are used in different ways by people.

The downside of this book is that most of it is to explain to a less hip to mobile and social audience of developers, if that even exists, and if you are already serious about app development, you are probably deep into Conduit already.  Conduit.com is an additional valuable resource in creating and distributing your apps. The book could also use a stronger web support. Author Jesse Feiler has a great amount of knowledge that could be shared in the form of examples or links to the app community. 

Apps are new and there is much room for growth.  This book is great if you are beginning your path of research.  From a marketing perspective, apps are a great method for marketing, there is much to learn if you are a business person looking to use these new tools in your business and this book is a great introduction.

CONDUIT:  
Although not mentioned in this book, the Conduit community is valuable if you wish to develop apps either for your business or as your business. Conduit is the fastest-growing network of Web and mobile app publishers, with over 260,000 members and their 230 million end-users. The Conduit Network empowers publishers - from global brands to independent developers - to create, exchange and distribute apps, and to collaborate through business partnerships.

Conduit enables publishers to seamlessly encapsulate content and deploy it everywhere, from Web browsers and Community Toolbars to mobile devices across all platforms. Publishers can distribute and exchange their apps directly, or through the Conduit App Marketplace. Conduit-powered apps enhance engagement, retention and monetization beyond the boundaries of the publisher's website.


About the Author

Jesse Feiler provides consulting services to small businesses and non-profits. He is the author of a number of books on FileMaker and Mac OS X as well as on new technologies such as Mashups, Facebook, and Bento. Active in the community, he serves on the boards of HB Studio and HB Playwrights Foundation; he previously served on the board of the Mid-Hudson Library System (including three years as president), founded the Philmont Main Street Committee, and chaired the village’s Comprehensive Plan Board.