Fools Gold

Where is the "cr-eee-sis" greater or greatest, or at its most cr-eee-sis-itic? I'm thinking of starting a local league table, though the higher the score, the greater the cr-eee-sis and likewise the number of points: The Mile 4 Can Picafort 4, as opposed to Pollensa Old Town 1 Cala San Vicente 6. Or something like that. But maybe I've got it all wrong. The Chinese in the old town of Pollensa was full of talk of cr-eee-sis. "Mucha cr-eee-sis, mucha cr-eee-sis." A sort of China cr-eee-sis, ho ho. And whatever happened to them?

In these days of shortage, the cr-eee-sis takes different forms, one of them being that businesses look to cut back, and we all know those areas that they cut - training, advertising, research. The counter argument is that in bad times you do the opposite. There is a free newspaper here, some of you will know it. This week's issue features a piece, an "advertising feature" (advertorial, as it is sometimes known) which stresses the fact that the advertiser - writing the piece - is spending a bundle even in these difficult days. It goes on to say that reducing advertising spend in the circumstances in which many of us find ourselves today is a "fool's economy". In which case, there are a lot of fools around, I suspect. But fool would not be a word I would use.

This is unfair; this article in this paper. The advertiser has indeed taken a lot of space. Good for him, or them. It will probably be very successful. Indeed it should be. A flood of advertising is basically how you do it. You may as well not bother advertising, as just do it once. It doesn't really get you anywhere. Splash it around, do it as much as possible. There are businesses that have become successful solely on the basis of advertising. I can tell you about an estate agency that did just that. From nothing to market leader, thanks to advertising; well, in the good times anyway. Look, it works. The guy who has written this article is right, but to imply that people who don't are fools? I don't think so. People aren't fools. They know that they have to promote: it is a basic of any business. The issue is not that they don't know; it's whether they can.

This is why it's unfair. Here is a free newspaper, which of course relies on advertising, using a major advertiser to hector other potential, existing or lapsed advertisers. It's kind of hard sell via editorial.

I know a number of the businesses that act as distribution points for this paper. I'll tell you about one. Or I could tell you, but I won't, because I resolved that I wasn't going to do the economy-misery stuff here, and because I don't want to talk about the cost of the rent of the house, the cost of the rent of the bar, the cost of the staff (now let go because of the cost), the cost of the child, the cost of the electricity ... . I agree with the author in the free newspaper. He is right. But fools? No, my friend, not fools. Never, ever, fools. And please don't insult them as such.


QUIZ
Yesterday's title - Perry Como (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q5zarGeHKNU). Today's title - how come is it that this is the first time they have been mentioned here - Manchester-ists.


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