miercuri, 30 septembrie 2015

Mish's Global Economic Trend Analysis

Obama's "Model for US" Plant Moves to Canada; Mish's Model vs. Obama's Model
CPI and HICP Deflation in Spain Accelerates
What if a Tumor Stole Your Memories? Then Years Later, Surgery Restored Those Memories?
Chicago PMI Unexpectedly Dives to Negative Territory; Production at Lowest Since July 2009; Emanuel's Tax Hikes Will Make Matters Worse

Obama's "Model for US" Plant Moves to Canada; Mish's Model vs. Obama's Model

Posted: 30 Sep 2015 09:09 PM PDT

Last year, president Obama visited GE's 106-year-old Waukesha, Wisconsin plant.

At the plant, GE builds large piston engines for power and oilfield use that run on natural gas or methane from landfills.

President Obama called the plant "a model for the country."

This week, GE announced that it will move production to Canada. The move will cost the US 350 manufacturing jobs.

Is Obama's "model" the correct one for the US?

Placing the Blame
Some place the blame for the Manufacturing Move on export financing.

In its latest salvo aimed at persuading Congress to renew the U.S. Export-Import Bank's charter which expired in June, GE will invest $265 million in a new state-of-the-art manufacturing plant at a Canadian location yet to be determined.

In exchange for moving the production from Waukesha, Wisconsin, Export Development Canada will provide financing support for a range of future products, including some still made in the United States.

The announcement stands in sharp contrast to a 2014 visit to the site by President Barack Obama, in which he touted its worker training program as "a model for the country."

"I'd say the workers at Waukesha are the real world casualties in the right-wing fight to close the EXIM Bank," said Frank Larkin, a spokesman for the International Association of Machinists, which represents plant workers.

In recent weeks, GE has announced several deals to locate thousands of new jobs out of the United States following EXIM's closure and to access government export credit from the United Kingdom, France, Hungary and China.

GE Vice Chairman John Rice told Reuters that foreign export credit agencies are "rolling out the red carpet" for the industrial conglomerate, more than tripling the export financing capacity it received under EXIM.

GE Debunks EXIM Theory

GE says those engines are not typically sold with EXIM financing, so let's look elsewhere for the reason. What about the dollar?

Canadian Dollar 2003-2015 Round Trip

The Canadian dollar, frequently referred to as the "Loonie" because of a loon image on a coin, recently had as much as a 10% premium to the dollar. Now the Loonie rests with a 25% discount to the dollar.

Corporate Income Tax to Blame?

Republican Representative James Sensenbrenner, who represents Waukesha and opposes EXIM "in its current form," said in a statement that the manufacturing move was a "sober reminder of the urgent need to stay competitive in the global marketplace" and called for lower corporate tax rates.

GE Pays No Corporate Income Tax

Amusingly, 15 Fortune 500 companies paid no federal income tax on $23 billion in profits in 2014, and they paid almost no federal income tax on $107 billion in profits during the past five years.

Yep, GE was one of those companies.

CBS, General Electric, Interpublic Group, JetBlue Airways, Mattel, Owens Corning, PG&E, Pepco Holdings, Priceline.com, Prudential Financial, Qualcomm, Ryder System, Time Warner, Weyerhaeuser and Xerox all paid no corporate income tax because they move operations and manufacturing to places where foreign income tax collection is low and export tax credits high.

Can corporate income tax be a problem when GE paid none?

Actually, yes.

Right now, the US practically begs corporations to move overseas via high tax rates coupled with numerous foreign loopholes including deferred taxes on investments and profits overseas. Every few years, Congress floats a "repatriation" tax holiday in which businesses bring the cash back to the US tax free.

Mish's Model vs. Obama's Model

Rather than close loopholes like president Obama proposes, I have a better idea: Set the corporate income tax to a flat 0% in the US and something above 0% on US corporate production and profits outside the US.

Watch the jobs come back home in a jiffy.

On a smaller scale, Illinois needs to learn the same lesson. For discussion of the sorry state of Illinois, please see ...

Mike "Mish" Shedlock

CPI and HICP Deflation in Spain Accelerates

Posted: 30 Sep 2015 03:54 PM PDT

After a brief 0.1% rise in inflation in June and July, Spain's National Statistics Institute (INE) estimates the CPI stands at ‒0.9% in September, five tenths lower than that registered in August.

The above is a "flash" reading.

The INE reports Spain's HICP (Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices) a measure that normalizes Spain with the rest of Europe "stands at ‒1.2% [year-over-year]. If confirmed, the annual change of the HICP would have decreased seven tenths as compared to the previous month.".

Spain is Europe's fastest growing economy, but ECB president Mario Draghi is hell-bent on putting an end to deflation.

Of course, we are talking about price deflation, not monetary deflation, not asset bubble deflation, not credit deflation. Central banks and economists alike would be best off not caring one bit about routine price deflation.

Mike "Mish" Shedlock

What if a Tumor Stole Your Memories? Then Years Later, Surgery Restored Those Memories?

Posted: 30 Sep 2015 12:03 PM PDT

I just received a fascinating email today from Demetri Kofinas, Executive Producer of Offline Productions.

Because of a brain tumor, Kofinas went years not knowing what he was saying, where he had been, or what he was doing. For example, he might have said Barack Obama in a sentence when he really meant American actor and filmmaker Denzel Washington.

The condition grew worse over time. New York state and Boston the city could easily be the same, or even reversed on a map. He lost most of his friends as it appeared to them he was on some wildly powerful drugs.

He could not remember anything he was doing or even why he was there. The memories were stored somewhere in his brain, but he could not process information correctly at the moment, nor retrieve those memories later.

Following brain surgery, he was immediately coherent. Over the next few weeks and months all his lost memories came back.

For the whole story, please see Demetri Kofinas' article A tumor stole every memory I had. This is what happened when it all came back.

Those living in New York, may wish to see Twelfth Night, Offline Productions' rendition of a Shakespearean classic.

Mike "Mish" Shedlock

Chicago PMI Unexpectedly Dives to Negative Territory; Production at Lowest Since July 2009; Emanuel's Tax Hikes Will Make Matters Worse

Posted: 30 Sep 2015 10:42 AM PDT

The Chicago PMI is in negative territory, plunging to 48.7 from a prior reading of 54.4 and a Bloomberg Consensus Estimate of 53.6.

Giant swings are common enough for the Chicago PMI which collapsed nearly 6 points in September to a sub-50 reading of 48.7. This indicates slight monthly contraction in the Chicago region's composite activity.

New orders are below 50 as are backlog orders, the latter for an 8th straight month. Chicago-area businesses can't rely on backlogs as much to keep up production which is also under 50 and at a 6-year low. Contraction in prices is deepening.

Recent History Of This Indicator

The Chicago PMI is expected to slow to 53.6 in September from 54.4 in August when delays in shipments gave the index a lift.

Production Plummets to Lowest Since July 2009

Digging into to the Chicago PMI report we note Production Plummets to Lowest Since July 2009.

The Chicago Business Barometer declined 5.7 points to 48.7 in September as Production growth collapsed and New Orders fell sharply. The drop in the Barometer to below 50 was its fifth time in contraction this year and comes amid downgrades to global economic growth and intense volatility in financial markets which have slowed activity in some industries. The latest decline followed two months of moderate expansion, and while growth in Q3 accelerated a little from Q2, the speed of the September descent is a source of concern.

Three of the five components of the Barometer were in contraction in September with only Employment and Supplier Deliveries above the 50 neutral level. Production led the decline with a sharp double-digit drop that placed it at the lowest since July 2009. New Orders also fell significantly and both key activity measures are running well below their historical averages.

Economist's Comment

Chief Economist of MNI Indicators Philip Uglow said, "While activity between Q2 and Q3 actually picked up, the scale of the downturn in September following the recent global financial fallout is concerning. Disinflationary pressures intensified and output was down very sharply. We await the October data to better judge whether this was a knee jerk reaction and there is a bounceback, or whether it represents a more fundamental slowdown."

Get Me the Hell Out of Here

There is no need to wait to October to understand the trend. A fundamental slowdown is pretty obvious. Illinois and Chicago in particular have huge issues.

Illinois manufacturers are voting with their feet. As noted on August 13, in Get Me the Hell Out of Here ...

Manufacturers in Illinois have had it with tax hikes after tax hikes coupled with the most costly workers' compensation setup in the nation. And businesses are voting with their feet. In July, five firms left Illinois for good. A sixth, Hoist Liftruck, a manufacturer of industrial forklifts, announced plans in August to move more than 300 manufacturing jobs from Bedford Park, Illinois, to East Chicago, Indiana.

I wonder how the economists all missed the slowdown. What the heck are they watching? Or are they still listening to Janet Yellen who insists this is all "transitory"?

Tax Hikes Not The Answer

Tax hikes in the midst of a slump are precisely the wrong thing to do.

Yet, a week ago, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel announced the largest tax hike in history. For details, please see Chicago Tax Collector Hath Arrived With Massive Tax Hike: Emanuel Says "No Stone Unturned ... Not Done Yet".

It will not be just businesses fleeing Illinois, mobile taxpayers will leave as well. And in fact they already have.

As noted by Michael Lucci, Vice President at the Illinois Policy Institute, Food Stamp Growth Outpaces Illinois Job Creation 5-4 During Recovery.

Illinois Food Stamp Usage vs. Jobs

During the recovery from the Great Recession, the Land of Lincoln, alone in the Midwest, had more people enter the food-stamps program than start jobs. Food-stamps growth in Illinois has outpaced jobs creation by a 5-4 margin.

During the recovery, Illinois put more people on food stamps than every other Midwestern state combined.

And After losing 117,000 manufacturing jobs during the recession, Illinois has only regained 17,400 of those factory jobs since January 2010.

Meanwhile, the other Great Lakes states have pulled far ahead of Illinois during the recovery. Michigan has added 135,600 manufacturing jobs, Indiana has added 80,400, Ohio has added 74,500 and Wisconsin has added 48,700.

Illinois Plans to Make Matters Worse

Illinois sheds manufacturing jobs and gains food stamp recipients. High taxes, a very poor business climate, especially Worker's Compensation procedures, are precisely to blame. So is inadequate pension funding and untenable pension promises.

Illinois needs reform, especially on pensions and a slew of business climate changes. Yet Emanuel and the "progressives" think higher taxes and higher food stamp benefits are the solution.

Rather than fix fundamental problems in the public union sector, Emanuel plans to leave no stone unturned when looking for additional revenue. What more do businesses in the Chicago area need to hear to decide to leave?

Six corporations left in July and August, yet economists are surprised by the plunge in activity.

Millennials will bear the brunt of these poor decisions. So I ask, Question to Millennials: Why Are You Not Mad as Hell Yet?

Mike "Mish" Shedlock

Damn Cool Pics

A Rejected Dude Does the Craziest Thing to Get Back At His Ex
Cyclists Stumble Upon a Nasty Trap on the Bike Trail
This Man’s Wife Hasn’t Aged a Day in Two Decades
Syrian Refugees Before And After Migrating To Europe

A Rejected Dude Does the Craziest Thing to Get Back At His Ex

Posted: 30 Sep 2015 02:40 PM PDT

This Chinese man was dumped by his girlfriend over an iPhone 6. A year later he gets the best revenge ever. The man allegedly scratched messages into the face of the iPhone 6s using 9 phones altogether to show how wealthy he had become since he was dumped by his shallow ex-girlfriend.

Cyclists Stumble Upon a Nasty Trap on the Bike Trail

Posted: 30 Sep 2015 02:36 PM PDT

A mean person set up these dangerous spikes on a commonly used bike trail and it was designed to cause some damage.

This Man’s Wife Hasn’t Aged a Day in Two Decades

Posted: 29 Sep 2015 08:43 PM PDT

The couple took a photo together at junior prom twenty years ago but when they took a similar photo recently it was surprising to see how little the wife had aged in these years.

Syrian Refugees Before And After Migrating To Europe

Posted: 29 Sep 2015 08:25 PM PDT

These Syrian refugees came to Europe in hopes of finding a new a life. It looks like they got what they came for.

Why Meaning Will Ultimately Determine Your Brand's Content Marketing Success - Moz Blog

Why Meaning Will Ultimately Determine Your Brand's Content Marketing Success

Posted by ronell-smith

In 2009 Fletcher Cleaves was a top high school football prospect ready for the next level, eager to do in college what he'd done in high school: rack up yards as a running back. But before Cleaves could realize his dream of playing at the next level, a texting, distracted driver plowed into the car he was driving, forever changing his life's trajectory.

Today, Cleaves, paralyzed from the chest down as a result of the accident, serves as a tragic reminder of something as seemingly harmless as texting and driving can alter lives. It's impossible to watch the video below and not immediately realize three important facts:

Texting and driving is a big deal.
This young man was unfairly robbed of his future.
This big brand nailed the messaging.

Telecommunications brands (and airline companies) enjoy some of the worst customer service ratings on the planet. And to make matters worse, their core messaging via print, radio and online ads is equally atrocious, doing very little to make would-be customers give them a second look.

However, with the latest iteration of the "It Can Wait" campaign, which is rich with stories and features stunning video recreation, AT&T did something all brands looking to make a mark in content marketing should copy: They delivered content with meaning.

The end of utility

We live in a world rich in information and teeming with data. The ability to analyze the results of our content marketing efforts, even in real-time, is as astonishing as it is mesmerizing and revealing. Our teams can know, before a word is written, a design delivered or a report is generated what the results should be based on the assigned key performance indicators (KPIs). The automation present in online marketing can make it feel as though the world we inhabit is more fantasy than reality, as if the press of a button will always lead to the results we expect.

Yet we still struggle with how to create content that commands attention, that nudges prospects to take immediate action, that leads to the vast majority of our customers moving from brand loyalists to brand ambassadors and advocates.

Why is this?

I propose that we've misread the tea leaves.

In the last three years, marketers (even this one) have sung from the rooftops that your content must be useful and relevant, have immediacy, and deliver impact. And if you followed this advice, you likely found a modicum of success, if only for a short time.

How could we expect any different when the customers we're all clamoring for are being bombarded with thousands of messages every day? When that happens, even the most resonant voices get drowned out. And for those of us who've thrown our hats into the usefulness and relevance ring, we've largely committed ourselves to a life of struggle that's tough to recover from.

This line of thinking occurred to me in July of 2014, as I finished Jay Baer's book Youtility during the plane ride home from MozCon 2014. I agree with and applaud Baer for bringing to light the novel term, which he defines as "Marketing that's wanted by customers. Youtility is massively useful information, provided for free, that creates long-term trust and kinship between your company and your customers."

But I'm afraid this ship has largely sailed. Not because usefulness is any less importance, but because the threshold was so low that every brand and their sister jumped online via websites, social media, forums, message boards and everywhere else with information that temporarily sated prospects' appetites but did little to create a lasting impression.

If your desire is to create a brand whose content is sought-after and, indeed, clamored for, you must bake meaning into your content.

Without meaning, your brand's content is adrift

Like many of you, most of my early content-creation efforts were centered around pleasing Google, whereby my inspiration was for thinking in terms of queries:

1: Informational: Where prospects are likely to look for information

2: Navigational: What prospects are likely to be looking for on those sites

3: Transactional: What prospects are ready/likely to buy

The result of this thinking (outlined in the graphic below) was the myriad 350-word posts that now clog the web.

There's a better way.

It's time your content led with meaning, and that process begins with a revamping of the thought process surrounding content ideation and content creation. Why is that important?

We cannot win otherwise, says Bill Sebald, founder of Greenlane SEO, a Pennsylvania-based SEO firm.

"Think about it," he says. "Many brands are still writing low-quality articles that deliver little value and have zero impact to their customers or prospects. That's bad enough, but when you consider the prevalence of these thin content pieces, is there any wonder how the Panda Update evokes fear in these same brands? Being useful is great. It can and does work fine, for a while. But what you want as a brand is lasting impact, people seeking you out, top-of-mind awareness. As it regards content marketing, that only happens when your brand is known for delivering content with meaning, which sticks in the gut of the folks who read it."

(image source)

In All Your Content Doesn't Matter Without Meaning, Sebald shared five easy-to-follow questions he thinks brands should ask themselves as they work to create content with meaning:

Did I say anything new?
Did I say something that will get someone's attention?
Is the content part of a strategy?
Am I really an expert in this topic?
Did my copy focus on relationships Google knows about?

Any brand committed to asking themselves at least three of those questions before any content is created is swimming in the deep end of the pool, having moved away from the pack and on the way to delivering meaningful content.

After reading Sebald's post, I dug into my notes to discern what I think it takes to win the race for content marketings next frontier.

If your brand is looking to separate from the back, I'd like to share three ideas I've seen work well for brands of all sizes, even in boring verticals, such as HVAC and plumbing.

1. Be where your prospects are, at the time they need your information, with a message so good they cannot ignore you.

As a lifelong angler, I'm keen to compare marketing to bass fishing, whereby bait and location are pretty much all that matters. Or so I thought, until one day I got my hands on an underwater camera and could see fish swimming all around my lure, which they ignored.

(image source)

That's when I realized bait and location are only as good as timing.

No matter how great the quality of my tackle or how well-placed was my lure, the fish must be ready to bite for me to mind success.

How your brand can put this thinking to work: Personalize your company's blog by adding bi-weekly or monthly interviews with people who've used your services/products, and who can share information that's hyper-relevant to issues prospects are likely dealing with at the time.

For example, in the month of October a pool company might highlight a customer who maintains their own pool but who hires a pool company for winterization help. Or, in the same month, an accountant might share a video blog of a couple who owns a small business and does a great job of staying on top of expenses.

You might notice that I never said the person spotlighted mentions the brand or even uses them for service. That's immaterial. What's key is (a) the person shares a compelling story that's (b) delivered on your blog and (c) is information they can use right away for where they are in the decision-making process. (It's important that the content not appear salesy because too often the prospects who're most likely to need your services aren't even looking for those services. They're simply suckers for a good story.)

2. Make them feel confident about what the brand stands for, not simply the purchase they might someday make.

One of my favorite words from college is ubiquity. Get to know this word if your brand is to produce meaningful content. Your brand should show up in all the places and for all the things prospects would expect to find you ranking for, conversing about and, more important, being shared by others for.

To instill your content with meaning, it must show up in places and for things prospects likely would expect t find it showing up for. This isn't simply about ubiquity. It shows empathy.

A brand that does this better than most is Seattle-based REI. It's amazing the range of terms they rank highly for. If they sell it, there's a great chance REI shows up somewhere in or near the top of the SERPs for the category.

For example, I simply typed "snow goggles" into the search box, and voila, look who shows up. Also, look who they show up above. Better yet, imagine all of the large eyewear brands they're outcompeting for this position.

By clicking on the query, you immediately see why they're at the top of the SERPS: The content is rich in visuals and answers every question a prospect would ever have surrounding snow goggles.

I discovered the strength of REI's content ideation and creation efforts in 2013, while completing a content strategy roadmap for one of the largest two-way radio manufacturers in the world.

Despite the brand's heft, REI was always ahead of them in the SERPs, with social shares, in online conversations, etc.

When I visited with Jonathon Colman, formerly the in-house SEO for REI, at Facebook headquarters in

San Francisco, I understood why REI had content ubiquity: "From the start, they did something right that continues to [work in their favor]," says Colman, who works for Facebook in the areas of product user experience and content strategy. "They simply focused on creating and sharing the best content for their users, not on marketing."

Those words resonated with me, as they should with you.

How your brand can put this thinking to work

Stop thinking like a marketer and start thinking like a customer. I've written before about keeping and sharing a document that lists the questions and comments prospects and customers share during calls, on social media and via any any other platforms used to capture customer sentiment.

This document could form the basis for content that's written and shared by your marketing team. However, your brand must go farther to deliver meaning through it's content.

An approach I've recommended to clients and seen good success with works as follows:

Focus on creating one big piece of content per month: This pulls your team away from thinking about creating content for content's sake. It also ensures that the team is able to marshal its resources to research, design, and create content with meaning. The goal with each big content piece is to answer every reasonable question and/or objection a prospect might have before doing business with you. For example, an SEO agency might, in month one, create a big content piece titled "How Small Companies Can Win With Personalized Content," detailing in depth how becoming a popular local expert can earn the brand links, gain press attention and increase overall business. In month two, the same agency might go all-in on a post titled "How Your Mom and Pop Shop Can Beat the Big Guys," whereby they outline an actionable plan for how to smartly use their blog, one social media platform and a small PPC budget to generate awareness, site visits, links and earned media. Prospects are likely to see the agency as the one to help get them over the hump.
Ignore the competition: Instead of checking the SERPs to see what's ranking highest for content in your vertical on the topic you wish to create, look at the content that's being shared outside your area by brands that have no relation to your vertical. You cannot win long-term by copying a strategy that your competition is better equipped to deploy, so don't emulate them. Look at what non-competing brands are doing to deliver meaningful content. It could be a TV show, even, which you study for how characters are developed. Think of the regional car dealerships who grew to be household names in the late '90s by delivering sitcom-style commercials and ads based off popular TV shows that meant something to the audience. Your brand can find similar inspiration by looking outside your area.
Make consistency a mainstay: REI wins at content marketing in large part because the brand is consistent. No matter where you find their content, it's thorough and deserving of its place in the pantheon of content marketers. Don't simply pour your heart into the big content piece, then allow everything else to fall by the wayside. Your brand must imbue every area, all departments and any content shared with meaning. This effort takes shape as the development, design and product teams placing users in the driver's seat early on in the process; the marketing team only sharing information that, first and foremost, addresses the needs of the audience; the customer service team creating customer happiness, not quashing complaints; and sales team members frequently checking on prospects, even when no sale is imminent.

The goal here is to, as the saying goes, be so good they cannot ignore you.

3. Help your customers become the best versions of themselves

It's likely you've seen the graphic below online before, maybe even on the Buffer Blog, which is where I found it. The image expertly sums up where I think the brands who ultimately win at content marketing will have to go: Turning away from their own interests and keying in on how the brand can better enable the customer to (a) better do what they endeavor to do and (b) become a version of themselves they never imagined possible.

(image source)

Sound far-fetched? Imagine the car commercials showing an average Joe who is all of a sudden a handsome hero admired by beautiful passersby because of his new wheels.

Your brand can become the means-something-to-prospects darling of its industry, too, with the adoption of three simple steps applied with conviction:

Personalization — Develop people (at least one, but a few would be even better) in your company who can become the public face of the brand, who make it easier for prospects to form a connection with the company and more likely that content is shared and amplified more frequently as their popularity increases.
Become a helper, not a hero — Stop thinking that your content or your product or your service needs to be life-changing to get the attention of prospects. They desire to be the heroes and sheroes of their own journey; they simply need an assist from you to create a lasting bond they won't soon forget about.
Make users' stories a core of your marketing efforts — Let's get this straight: No one gives a damn about your story. Your brand's story only becomes relevant when prospects have been made to feel important, special by you then desire to explore further the meaning behind the brands. How do you accomplish that task? By integrating the stories of customers into your marketing efforts.

How your brand can put this thinking to work

The importance of using using an engaging personality to deliver meaning for your content cannot be overstated. In fact, it's likely the shortest path to winning attention and garnering success.

I'll use Canadian personal trainer Dean Somerset as an example. I discovered Somerset a few years ago when he dropped a few helpful knowledge bombs in the comments of a fitness blog I was reading. I then found a link to his blog, which I have now become a religious follower of. Over the years, we've traded numerous emails, interacted myriad times via Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, and I've even hired him for training assessments.

Why?

Aside from being brilliant, he's a goofball who takes his work, not himself, too seriously.

(image source)

But most important, the core of every post he creates or video he shares or every Facebook Q&A he offers is helping others become better at physical health and physical fitness than they ever imagined they could.

The result is that, in a relatively short time span, Somerset has become one of the top young minds in the fitness industry, in no small part because he creates heroes with nearly every piece of content he shares. (If you doubt me, watch the video below.)

Don't think for a second that your brand can't do the same:

Look for members on your team who have personality and who are uniquely qualified to create content (e.g., video, text, SlideShare, etc.) on topics readers care about. Empower them to share, converse and engage around this content, whether locally (e.g., Meetups) nationally (e.g., conferences) or online (e.g., blogs, social media, etc.).
The script these experts must work from, for everything they share, should begin with the question, "How can this [blog, video, etc.] help at least one person do something better tomorrow that they cannot yet do today?" Answer this question, and you won't simply create meaning for your content, you'll create meaning, relevance and top-of-mind awareness for the brand as well.

It's hard for a brand to escape being successful if this mindset is ever-present.

The last area we'll look at is storytelling, which is very popular in content marketing. And almost no one gets it right.

Yes, people do love stories. They eat them up, especially compelling, heart-wrenching stories or, even better, tales of tremendous uplift.

However, people are not interested in your brand's story — at least not yet.

The only story brands should be telling are those of their users. The brands who have realized this are leaving the brand storytellers in the dust, while turning up the dial on meaning and significance to the audience.

A great example is Patagonia and their Worn Wear video series. Instead of creating ads showcasing the durability of their products, they filmed actual customers who've been using the same Patagonia products for years and who wouldn't trade the brand's products for those of any other company.

These are rabid fans, loyal to the nth degree.

Don't drink the brand storytelling Kool-Aid. Tell the stories of your users.

Identify a handful of ardent fans of your product or service, then reach out to them via phone to ask if they'd mind being part of a short-video series you're doing to showcase people and brands doing great things. (I mentioned a similar approach earlier, which is ideal for the smallest companies. I think this effort plays into a much broader strategy for larger brands.)

Depending on your budget and their location, you could either have a small camera crew visit their office or walk them through how to shoot what you need on their mobile devices. You could also provide them with a script.

Here's the kicker: During the video, they are not allowed to talk about your brand, product or service in any way shape or form.

The goal is to get video of them going about their day, at home and at work, as they share what makes them tick, what's important to them, who they are and why they do what they do.

This is their story, remember? And as such, your brand is a bit player, not a/the star. Also, the lack of a mention washes away any suspicion viewers might have of your brand's motives. Most important, however, you get a real, authentic success story on your website and domain, so the implication is that your brand was a helper in this heroic journey.

If this post accomplishes anything, my wish is that it makes clear how necessary and how realistic it is for your brand to create meaningful content.

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Seth's Blog : SUSDAT

SUSDAT

Abbey Ryan has painted a new painting every day for 8 years.

Isaac Asimov published 400 books, by typing every day.

This is post #6000 on this blog.

Writer's block is a myth, a recent invention, a cultural malady.

More important than the output, though, is the act itself. The act of doing it every day. When you commit to a practice, you will certainly have days when you don't feel like it, when you believe it's not your best work, when the muse deserts you. But, when you keep your commitment, the muse returns. When you keep your commitment, the work happens.

It doesn't matter if anyone reads it, buys it, sponsors it or shares it. It matters that you show up.

Show up, sit down and type. (Or paint).

• Email to a friend •

marți, 29 septembrie 2015

Mish's Global Economic Trend Analysis

Food Stamp Growth Outpaces Illinois Job Creation 5-4 During Recovery
Spain's Secessionist Party Leaders to be Charged with "Act of Disobedience"
Striking Weakness in Home Prices

Food Stamp Growth Outpaces Illinois Job Creation 5-4 During Recovery

Posted: 29 Sep 2015 07:17 PM PDT

Congratulations (of sorts) once again go to Illinois, the only state in the Midwest where SNAP (food stamp) growth outpaced job creation during the recovery. SNAP stands for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, renamed from "food stamps" so as to not sound so derogatory.

What follows is a guest post from Michael Lucci, Vice President of Policy for the Illinois Policy Institute.

Illinois' dismal business climate continues to inhibit jobs growth, especially in manufacturing, as the state put 25 people on food stamps for every factory job created during the recovery from the Great Recession. Illinois is the only state in the Midwest to have added more people to food-stamp rolls than to employment rolls during the recovery from the Great Recession. Job losses from the Great Recession occurred from January 2008 to January 2010, and since then, states have had five-and-a-half years of recovery.

During the recovery from the Great Recession, the Land of Lincoln, alone in the Midwest, had more people enter the food-stamps program than start jobs. Food-stamps growth in Illinois has outpaced jobs creation by a 5-4 margin.

In every other Midwestern state, jobs growth has dramatically outpaced food-stamps growth during the recovery. In fact, in every other state in the region, jobs growth dwarfs food-stamps growth. But during the recovery, Illinois put more people on food stamps than every other Midwestern state combined.

Manufacturing has borne the brunt of Illinois' policy failures. From the state's broken workers' compensation system, to the highest property taxes in the region, to the lack of a Right-to-Work law while surrounding states enact Right to Work, Illinois has the worst policy environment in the Midwest for manufacturers.

The result for Illinois factory workers? The Land of Lincoln has put 25 people on food stamps for every manufacturing job created during the recession recovery.

And the recovery that Illinois' manufacturers have experienced has been especially anemic. After losing 117,000 manufacturing jobs during the recession, Illinois has only regained 17,400 of those factory jobs since January 2010. Meanwhile, the other Great Lakes states have pulled far ahead of Illinois during the recovery. Michigan has added 135,600 manufacturing jobs, Indiana has added 80,400, Ohio has added 74,500 and Wisconsin has added 48,700.

Illinois' lack of jobs growth, especially in blue-collar industries, has driven more and more Illinoisans to dependency on government, while residents of the other Great Lakes states join the ranks of the employed and leave the food-stamps program. Michigan surpassed Illinois in 2014 for manufacturing jobs created, while Illinois has surpassed Michigan for the percentage of residents on food stamps. Illinoisans depend on food stamps more than do the residents of any other state in the region.

Illinois' slow jobs growth and increased government dependency – particularly when contrasted with the success of its neighbors – demonstrate the importance of Gov. Bruce Rauner's Turnaround Agenda, which addresses Illinois' top economic reform needs. Those include:

Reforms for the costliest workers' compensation system in the Midwest
A tax freeze and reforms for the highest property taxes in the Midwest
Lawsuit reform for the worst-ranked litigation climate in the Midwest

Illinois needs reform in many areas, including government-worker pensions, fair election maps and term limits for politicians. But Illinois must start with turning around the state's economy to facilitate more opportunities for jobless Illinoisans, and more tax revenues from increased growth. Rauner's Turnaround Agenda would put Illinois on the path toward responsible budgets, improved jobs growth and decreasing government dependency.

Michael Lucci, Vice President, Illinois Policy Institute

Mish Comment: Mayor Rahm Emanuel's "progressive" answer is to seek the biggest tax hike in history. Emanuel plans to leave no stone unturned when looking for revenue.

For details, please see Chicago Tax Collector Hath Arrived With Massive Tax Hike: Emanuel Says "No Stone Unturned ... Not Done Yet"

Mike "Mish" Shedlock

Spain's Secessionist Party Leaders to be Charged with "Act of Disobedience"

Posted: 29 Sep 2015 11:54 AM PDT

In the wake of a parliament-majority win by independence parties in last Sunday's Catalonia region election, the strike-down of dissent by Madrid continues.

The Financial Times reports Secessionist Party Leaders to Appear in Court Over Role in Breakaway Vote.

Catalan president Artur Mas will have to appear as a formal suspect in court next month over his role in organising a non-binding independence vote last year that was fiercely opposed by Spain.

Tuesday's announcement comes just two days after a closely watched election in the Spanish region that saw Mr Mas and other pro-independence leaders win a majority of seats in the Catalan parliament.

The two secessionist parties, Mr Mas's Junts pel Si and the far-left CUP, argue the result gives them the mandate to break Catalonia out of Spain in the next 18 months.

The judicial move against the Catalan president is likely to further inflame tensions between the Spanish government and the regional government — and was immediately denounced by Catalan leaders as a political stunt.

Mr Mas and his colleagues are under investigation for committing an act of disobedience, which under Spanish law carries a sentence of up to 12 months in jail.

The news sparked sharp criticism from political leaders in Catalonia, many of whom accused the Spanish government of using the judicial system for political purposes.

Apart from the Catalan president, Irene Rigau, a regional minister, and Joana Ortega, the former vice-president of Catalonia, will also appear in court. All three have been declared formal suspects, a status that means they are just short of being formally charged.

Contamination

Spain's justice minister Rafael Catalá said that the decision to declare Mr. Mas a formal suspect had been taken after, not before, Sunday's regional election, in an effort not to "contaminate" the democratic process.

If "contaminate" means "to not provide an even bigger majority for the secessionists", I can accept the justice minister's statement.

Big independence battles are just around the bend. Catalonia has about 16 per cent of the Spanish population and about 20 percent of the national economy.

Mike "Mish" Shedlock

Striking Weakness in Home Prices

Posted: 29 Sep 2015 09:33 AM PDT

For the third month in a row, the Case-Shiller 20-city seasonally adjusted home price index declined. Last month was revised lower. Economists were surprised.

The Bloomberg Econoday Consensus was for a month-over-month rise of 0.1%, instead prices declined by -0.2%.

Case-Shiller is reporting what is becoming striking weakness in home prices, at -0.2 percent in July for the adjusted 20-city index which, after a downward revision to June, is the third straight 2 tenths decline. Twelve of 20 cities show contraction in the month with the deepest for a third straight month in a row coming from Chicago at minus 1.2 percent. Year-on-year readings are all still positive led by San Francisco at plus 10.4 percent with Washington DC at the bottom at 1.7 percent.

Year-on-year, the 20-city index, whether adjusted or unadjusted, is at plus 5.0 percent vs 4.9 percent in July. The unadjusted month-to-month index, reflecting summer strength in home sales, was up 0.6 percent in August for however the weakest reading since the winter weather of February.

This report is very closely watched and offsets last week's gain for FHFA prices which are trending slightly higher than Case-Shiller. Home sales have been mixed this year with existing homes showing strength through most of the year but weakness in the latest report and vice versa for new homes which had been weak but have since popped higher. Lack of home-price appreciation is a negative for household wealth and spending and may be another symptom of general price weakness.

Case Shiller 20-City Index

Year-over-year comparisons have held stable at 5% in spite of month-over-month declining prices because of easy comparisons. Year-over-year comparisons will be increasingly difficult in the upcoming months.

Mike "Mish" Shedlock

miercuri, 30 septembrie 2015

Mish's Global Economic Trend Analysis

Mish's Global Economic Trend Analysis

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Why Meaning Will Ultimately Determine Your Brand's Content Marketing Success - Moz Blog

Why Meaning Will Ultimately Determine Your Brand's Content Marketing Success

The end of utility

Without meaning, your brand's content is adrift

1. Be where your prospects are, at the time they need your information, with a message so good they cannot ignore you.

2. Make them feel confident about what the brand stands for, not simply the purchase they might someday make.

How your brand can put this thinking to work

3. Help your customers become the best versions of themselves

How your brand can put this thinking to work

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Without meaning, your brand's content is adrift

1. Be where your prospects are, at the time they need your information, with a message so good they cannot ignore you.

2. Make them feel confident about what the brand stands for, not simply the purchase they might someday make.

How your brand can put this thinking to work

3. Help your customers become the best versions of themselves

How your brand can put this thinking to work

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