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"Marketing in Difficult Times" was surprisingly good post-lunch session. Terry Thornton of Carnival did a great job moderating and synthesizing the input of a group that included various ministries of tourism from the Caribbean, as well as port and shore excursion company reps.
The highlights:
- Some simply emphasized making it through: "Survive to sell another day. That's where we are as a company, where we are as an industry" - John Byles, Chukka (shore excursions)
- Others see the current situation as an opportunity for aggressive advertising: "We cannot crawl under a rock and hide. Because when this recession is over, we'll have to play catch-up" -Donald Dawson, Jamaican Marketing & Sales, who recently blitzed his core markets with television and display advertising, including taking over the NYC Port Authority for all of January and February
- "Test, measure, and learn. ... You'll find six or seven things that work, but probably not what you think." - Terry Thornton, Carnival
- And while some always make an effort to put a positive spin on things, others were more blunt: "It's realism time now. Before, the market was growing. Now it's only the people who deliver the best product at the best price that will survive." - Hon. Allen Castanet, Minister of Tourism from St. Lucia
Terry also pointed out the classic adage, "don't be afraid to ask for the business." And Bill Tollbert, of the Miami Tourism Bureau carried through, reminding the group, on behalf "Please spend money here."
OK. Off to dinner...
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Marketing in relation to
Marketing in relation to taxes has been get affected by the backlog of unpaid property taxes.Homeowners are among the people hit hardest by this recession, partly because of unemployment and decreased revenues, but also the extra strain over the decrease in security that home value typically provides. Part of the joys of homeownership are property taxes, and though home values have drastically dropped, those tax bills have not, and it has seen homeowners scrambling for any extra cash they can find, even payday loans. Tax revenues have decreased in all 50 states, which has left many holding the bag on budget shortfalls of epic proportions.
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Marketing is the process
Marketing is the process associated with promotion for sale goods or services. It is considered a "social and managerial process by which individuals and groups obtain what they need and want through creating and exchanging products and values with others." It is an integrated process through which companies create value for customers and build strong customer relationships in order to capture value from customers in return.[ccie notes]
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I remember clearly the day
I
remember clearly the day we meet in SL. We were both at a Jazz event.
Someone introduced us and we exchanged friendship. I was intrigued by
your profile where you had a picture of yourself as a blonde, a
brunette, and a redhead. What man would not find that interesting? But
of course life went on. We went our separate ways that night and our
separate SL lives once again engulfed us. Then came that fateful day I
was clearing my friends list of names of people I had no clue how they
got on my list. I came to your profile. Ahhh, the three haired lady! So
I sent you an IM. “Hi there, I am trying to remember why you are on my
friends list”. So romantic. And now here we are after all this time. I
am proud of the fact that I had the most unique pick-up line in SL
history. Grin.But seriously, Nber, I am so very thankful for everything
that occurred after that IM. We didn’t exactly get together at that
time. As I recall it, I was giving you advice on dealing with a guy
that was wooing you. You didn’t tell me his name, I didn’t ask. But I
nicknamed him “George”. Whatever became of George anywayBut eventually
we DID get together. And you have changed my life. Both in SL and in
RL. I thank God above for you. You complete me. AND, you keep me from
getting to far out of line.
_______________________________________________________
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Most of the cruise lines
Most of the cruise lines also offer "art auctions" onboard, and I'm told these generate a considerable amount of revenue for them. While some people will swear they made excellent purchases at the auctions, I felt I had been "caught" when I found myself explaining, "This is the van Gogh I bought in the DiscoOutside the cost of the cruise, and the possibly exorbitant bill for all the alcoholic beverages you consume, the largest extra expenses you face will likely be the cost of shore excursions. The cruise lines contract with various tour companies in all their ports. They add in their own profit margin,golf hats and then sell the tours to you. In some cases, a member of the cruise line staff will escort the tour group to help out the passengers and the tour guideThe key, I believe, is to choose your tours carefully. In ports where you're planning a simple day at the beach and some souvenir shopping, there's normally no need to book a ship's excursion. Local transportation like taxis or buses will be available at the pier, for significant savings.Many Caribbean ports now have fixed, posted rates for taxis from the pier to the various locations on the island. If you plan to deviate from a set route, be sure to negotiate your rate in advance, and don't pay until you are at your final destination -- or back at the ship, if that was part of your agreement.