Life Blended Together- Lemonade or LemonNOT

Imagine your mind is a blender, and like a blender anything you place into it mixes together to create a final product. Believe it or not, this is the same concept that creates your reality. To make a great smoothie it's important to have the right ingredients. Although strawberries, pineapples, and mango would make for a great treat this is not the world we live in. Not everything is always "peaches and cream" and sometime life hands us spoiled fruit. It is vitally important that we refrain from adding life's rotten fruit to our mind. Doing this not only leaves a bad taste in our mouths but it can cause us to become sick. 

If you take this blender comparison as a philosophical standpoint it would seem as if life has a strange way of getting you to do things we wouldn't normally do. It would almost seem as if we have these invisible strings pulling on our arms and legs forcing us to do life bidding. Have you ever not felt in control of a situation before? 

No matter how hard you try to change the outcome it still happens the way you didn't want it to go. Well that's because you were projecting more of what you didn't want to the happen versus what you truly wanted to happen. A wise mentor of mine often tells me that each day I am projecting and creating a the world I want to live in with every thought that comes across my head. Life works like this, anything you put your mind too you can achieve. As my favorite author James Allen would say, "Asa man thinketh, so is he". As much as I live by the quote it has some rather harsh repercussions. While yes, anything you put your mind too will ultimately make its way to your reality this quote never says your realty will be good. Because if your thoughts are bad and have negative substance to them then your reality will only follow suit. 

To beat life at its own game is nearly impossible but there are however certain ingredients that you can add to your life to make it rather fruitful. 

1. Morning and daily mantras are a great exercise in creating a positive reality around you. By taking time out of your day to truly focus on you want can have benefits beyond comprehension. This self affirming discipline is practiced in religions and cultures  all across the world. 

2. Another key element that can enhance your reality is reading. The most successful and peaceful people in the world all happen to be avid readers. Whether its Robert Kiyosaki "Rich dad Poor Dad" or JackKornfield's "Meditation for beginners" reading has profound effect on your serotonin levels and can lead to more positiveness and happiness. I know personal how accomplished and knowledgeable I feel after reading a good piece of literature. 

3. In addition to mantras and reading, exercise can play a very important part in your outlook on life. When your body is healthy the brain receives more oxygen, giving you the ability to think more rational and clear. Practicing these habits routinely can help filter out bad and negative thoughts keeping your eye on the prize at hand. Next time when life hands you lemons make sure they aren't spoiled and make the best damn lemonade you can possibly make.

The Power of Proper Promotion:The Marlboro Giant

Industry Success
The success of a company or an organization is dependent upon several factors. The business model created by a company is essential to its position in the market place, overall growth, and general profits. A business without a customer following has little to offer in competitive markets. Organizations that create real value for its customers are at the apex of their respective industries and continue to adapt in spite of constant shifts in the marketplace. How exactly do some companies increase, target, and attain customer acquisition? One of the greatest companies to do this might be one packet away from your very own fingertips.   Promotion

       Cigarettes kill! We all know. But, in spite of the increasing death, leading companies such as Marlboro can be considered as one of the most loyal brands in the world. Marlboro gets the award for promotion in this weeks 4 P's Marketing Academy Awards(not a real Awards). Exactly how did Marlboro take these torches of tobacco filled decay and turn them into torches of loyalty sparked all around the globe. Promotion can be identified as providing information to different parties about the product. In promotion,  advertising and public relation play a huge part in customer acquisition. When it comes to sitting at the table of promotion, Marlboro can be considered a veteran in the league of extraordinary Giants.

        The perceived value of cigarettes can vary from person to person. Some people abhorrence to smoking can arise at the onset of a nightly outing here on 6th street (Austin, Texas urban nightlife).

     While others might be in mid puff as their reading this. The value Marlboro has created outweighs the cost associated with cigarettes. The promotion of these values have been creatively and strategically implemented over the years casting a bleak shadow of social benefits over health related risk. Many today can recall how successful The Marlboro Man was to Marlboro.

      The most powerful -- and in some quarters, most hated -- brand image of the century, the Marlboro Man stands worldwide as the ultimate American cowboy and masculine trademark, helping establish Marlboro as the best-selling cigarette in the world (Burnett) . This idea of promoting Marlboro as the John Wayne(western legend) of cigarettes dramatically increased the numbers of smoking among men. Maslow's hierarchy of needs suggest that above food, water and safety (basic life essentials) is our need to be socially excepted. Marlboro was able to capitalize on the psychologically pressure and allure millions of men to conform to an environment of smokers and social acceptance.

 Perceived Benefits    
      The Marlboro Man phenomenon can be admired as one of the greatest marketing strategies ever promoted. The subconscious attachment that comes with this iconic fictional charter has created a strong brand beyond recognition. If you think Marlboro became to be number one in cigarettes by offering slightly healthier alternatives to smoking then you're mistaken(filters). Marlboro contradicted our societal laws by promoting a product who perceived benefits is much greater than its actually benefit...if there are any. Perception and promotion are like interchangeable parts of this marketing machine and companies such as Marlboro are fine tuned into creating perceived value.

        While scientist and other anti-smoking propaganda have proved smoking to be quite addictive, they have still yet to disprove that maybe it's not the cigarettes alone that people are addicted to. Maybe, just maybe, customer acquisition is due to strategic marketing and the need for people to conform. I don't believe Marlboro could have executed any better. Overcoming the negative stigmas in selling such a controversial and taboo product is a skill they have clearly mastered. One thing's for sure, Marlboro has dominated the market place once one smoke at a time.

 References

Burnett, Leo. "The Marlboro Man." Advertising Age Special Report The Advertising Century RSS. AdvertisingAge, n.d. Web. 28 Jan. 2016