Marketing Job Summary

This is a real job description. This list was posted recently online. I don’t know where to begin so I will let you read it first.

Job Responsibilities:

1. Create graphical ads and write topical copy for trade publications

2. Promote company products by revising Sales brochures

3. Design direct mail and email collateral for campaigns

4. Increase our SEO rankings by managing web content

5. Manage online calendar of events and blog

6. Develop quarterly newsletter design and topics

7. Work with list generation providers for mailings and call campaigns

8. Add and remove products on the company online store

9. Coordinate tradeshow attendance and track leads from them

10. Use social media in order to promote our products

11 Research and develop case studies

12. Maintain professionalism in small office environment

Note: All other duties as assigned

Must be self-sufficient and have adequate telephone and computer skills.

Yikes,  graphical ads and topical copy while reviewing brochures, designing DM and collateral, improving SEO, updating web content, writing blogs, managing lists, trade shows, social media, case studies…be professional and ready for other duties as assigned. And be ready to answer the phone and demonstrate computer skills. Benefits: You can come in early and work 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Some college, non-manager…no respect.   

The successful candidate will need to have low self-esteem, perform flawlessly and still expect failure because being self-sufficient means you will be judged on decisions you will routinely make in a vacuum. Welcome to the rewarding profession of marketing in the digital age. And if it isn’t too much trouble, can you pick up my dry cleaning on your lunch half-hour? 

A Fish Story

Neosho National Fish Hatchery hosts Grand Opening

NEOSHO, MO - A large crowd gathered to take part in a groundbreaking ceremony for the visitor's center at the Neosho National Fish Hatchery in the Spring and in fewer than 10 months later (by December 2010) a similar crowd gathered to celebrate an open house and ribbon cutting. Crossland was the General Contractor. 

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is proud of its state-of-the-art visitor center. The architectural style of the facility commemorates the beginnings of the National Fish Hatchery Program, the oldest operational Federal fish hatchery in the country. The facility is registered with the U.S. Green Building Council LEED program and includes solar panels, energy efficient building systems, geothermal wells, and is built with environmentally friendly, natural materials including fiber cement siding, wood framing, metal roof, stained concrete and marmoleum flooring. The center is expected to generate local economic benefits in the form of enhanced tourism revenues and associated employment opportunities in southwestern Missouri.

The Neosho National Fish Hatchery celebrated the grand opening of its new visitor center on December 9, 2010. Hundreds of people turned out to tour the facility, and to hear remarks from Missouri Senator-elect Roy Blunt. The facility is 9,500 square-feet and includes a conference room and a 2,500-gallon aquarium featuring species of fish that the hatchery works with such as channel catfish, pallid sturgeon, largemouth bass and rainbow trout. The hatchery was established in 1888 and is the oldest operating federal fish hatchery, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The hatchery raises endangered pallid sturgeon for recovery efforts in the lower Missouri River and rainbow trout for stocking in Lake Taneycomo. The hatchery also supports conservation of the endangered Ozark cavefish and restoration of native mussels.

Hatchery director David Hendrix said the new look of the center is a nod to the building’s look during the 1950s, incorporating features such as an onion-shaped dome. “It’s a beautiful, beautiful building,” he said.

The Neosho National Fish Hatchery is expected to accommodate more than 100,000 visitors per year, enhance environmental education and interpretation opportunities, and generate economic benefits for Newton County and surrounding areas, according to a press release from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Advisory Council Questions

In an effort to listen to its best customers within its important distibutor network, Thermadyne would try to probe a variety of topics at regular advisory council meetings. It's a good practice but you have to listen carefully and take action.

Sales & Marketing Newsletter
We’ve made an effort to make our newsletter more timely (i.e. at least three times a year) and make it more balanced – featuring product, people, promotions. Your thoughts?

Does this make it more reader friendly?

 

Would you prefer to receive this newsletter electronically?

 

Or do you think it is more effective as a printed piece?

 

Advertising

Thermadyne is a considering a print advertising campaign that recognizes individuals who practice the art/craft/profession of welding and metal working. The idea is to recognize end users in a series of ads throughout the year. Your thoughts?  

 

Our print media schedle includes a relatively short list of publications. That being said, what industry publications do you read?

 

If you only had time to read one two industry publications – which would they be?

Promotional activity
If we had a place on our website or elsewhere on the web that featured template seasonal promotions that could be customized with your logo and additional copy, would you use it?

In store merchandising

What kinds of thins do you like/dislike about point of-sale materials?

Countermats, Floor Graphics, Banners, Posters, literature. Give examples or what is working well and maybe not so well. (i.e. If you were to offer guidance to all manufacturers, what would you ask them to do more? Less?)

What kinds of promotions have been successful for your business (i.e. generated good will as well as sales and profits)? Have you had success with drawings/prizes/open houses/tours/demos? Any other creative events or programs?

Focus Group Topics with End-Users
If you had a room full of end-users what kinds of questions would you like to ask of them? (Where do they purchase their welding equipment?
What brands do they like? If they could have one dramatic product breakthrough – what would it be?)

Employee Survey Highlights

Over 1,900 employees completed the Employee Opinion Survey last quarter. The Employee Opinion Survey responses for over 50 questions are summarized into an Employee Climate Score. The score is useful to the management team in understanding employee’s satisfaction with their jobs and the company.

The Employee Climate Health Score from the 2008 survey indicates:

·         61% of participants indicated the company meets their expectations

·         15% of participants indicated the company did not meet their expectations

·         24% of participants had “neutral” responses

Meeting Expectations is indicated by “strongly agree” and “agree” responses and reflects a positive working environment. Below Expectations is indicated by “strongly disagree” or “disagree” responses and the area for emphasis on improvements. Neutral responses reflect either “don’t know” or “not sure” responses and an opportunity to shift employee perceptions.

The Executive Leadership The Executive Leadership Team (ELT), the Senior Management Team (SMT) and Human Resources have been working together to discuss the survey results with employees at all locations to prioritize actions to make Thermadyne a better place to work for the future! (Some of the actions planned as a result of employee input include: improved global communications, more emphasis on career development, training and recognition programs.)

Note: this article appeared in the Thermadyne company employee newsletter in 2008 and I remember thinking that this survey and report of results, while a good step, was more about creating an impression that the company cared than a reality. With over 3,000 employees worldwide, I don't think most people expected any real change. Nevertheless the company did try to implement a cultural shift of sorts.  

Changing Our Culture

Executive Leadership Team at Thermadyne

The model outlined by Patrick Lencioni’s best selling book and training series The Five Dysfunctions of a Team is just whatThermadyne’s Executive Leadership Team (ELT) was looking for in 2008. ELT wanted to improve team effectiveness at the highest levels of the organization. They found a process and approach that could be translated into training and cultural shift throughout the company. The ELT worked through sessions on Trust, Conflict, Commitment, Accountability and Results. By all reports, they learned a lot about each other as individuals. They also learned about themselves as team members. They discovered they had similar experiences in some cases. But they also recognized how they were different from each other (e.g. how they handle conflict and about learning styles). They developed norms and commitment guidelines. They gave each other feedback about how to be more effective team members. Through these sessions they developed a shared vocabulary. They also recognized that the process is just the beginning. 

Today, the first 1.5 hours of monthly ELT meetings focus on team effectiveness. This part of each meeting includes:

• Ongoing team assessment/evaluation

• How to give/receive feedback

• Start/Stop/Continue tool (a focus on what to stop doing, start doing and continue doing)

• Team health check process - metrics designed to deliver desired results

• Team Pit Stop - an assessment around how well the team processes are working.

Team Effectiveness has become a priority at Thermadyne. To aid in this effort the company

developed a series of five workshops (one for each of the five dysfunctions outlined in Lencioni’s book). A trained facilitator is available at each Thermadyne location. Teams throughout the company are at various stages of training. The company has clearly embraced the concept. As with most skills, it takes learning and practice, but it is encouraging to see how the ongoing process appears to have changed the Thermadyne culture already. Better and more effective teams get better results. And that makes work more fun! The Five Dysfunctions of a Team is the flagship book for Lencioni having sold more than one million copies. Pat’s groundbreaking theory on teams focuses on collective team behaviors that

lead to success.

Note: This article appeared in the Q3 issue of the Thermadyne Focus Employee Newsletter in 2009. By 2010,  4 of 6 ELT members were gone. The next year, the company ownership changed from NASDAQ to private equity. It rebranded itself  Victor Technologies. Then in 2014 the company was acquired by Colfax.

Spring Break 08

Chapter Thirty Six

Florida Spring Break 2008 – HBE expatriates gone wild.

Brad Heinz Wayne Zimmerman, Wes Morgan, Charlie Lee.

Bob Koester, George Ryll, Frank Cupola, Mitch Miller, Jack Kennedy (host).

Provisions

A ten-year tradition has some cadence to it. Bob is graciously opening his house to the gang but his hospitality doesn’t end there. He’s the advance man. Arriving early, he does the grocery shopping for the crew. Just important stuff. A giant bottle of Crown Royal for Charlie. (Ed likes Crown too, but he’s out on doctor’s orders this year). Vodka for George. Captain Morgan Coconut Bay Rum for Frankie, Beer, oreo cookies, potato chips, and donuts for breakfast and coffee. Soap didn’t occur to anyone – so that became a separate mission.

Tee Times

Jack Kennedy retired to The Villages more than five years ago. He has the rules of engagement down to a science when it comes to tee-times. I’m afraid my brother’s “no show” for Saturday morning might have cost him 3 points. (The computer system at The Villages will mark you lousy if you abuse your privileges.) Still, well in advance we had a plan for Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday morning rounds. Afternoon rounds for the golf junkies (I count myself among them) would have to made closer to intended tee times. (Wayne’s cheat sheet with phone numbers came in handy for this drill. And Charlie has the right temperament to negotiate with the seniors who typically work the pro shops at The Villages.) Arnold Palmer Legends, Cane Garden Country Club, Hacienda Hills, Baseline (the short course), Glenview Country Club, Nancy Lopez Legacy Golf Course, and Tierra del Sol. Seven rounds in four days.

Mind if I stand back here?

Brad is starting his swing routine. He’s been around the game since childhood. In fact, he grew up on a golf course in South County, before it was fashionable to buy property adjacent to a golf course. He learned how to play with balls he was able to shag from the rough, out of bounds and skimming the bottom of a shallow water hazard behind his house. Today he hits the balls a long way and every hole is a par or birdie opportunity.

“Mind if I stand back here?” asks Wayne from directly behind Brad on the tee box. “No, you’re fine.” Mumbles Brad trying not to break his concentration.

“Huh?”

“No, You’re fine”

“Okay, ‘cause it’s easier for me to see where the ball goes from back her and…” THWACK! Brad’s ball travels with an easy draw right to left, carries the traps and comes to rest about 290 yards on the left side of the fairway.

“Wow, good shot.” says Wayne.

“Good Shot.” says Wes.

“Way to go, Brad.” Adds Charlie. But Charlie knows this is typical of Brad and he also knows that on a good day he can give Brad a run for his money. Since Brad works for Charlie (Drury Inns), they’re playing partners. Brad, Charlie, Wayne and Wes are a foursome at the Lopez Legacy Golf Course at The Villages – Florida’s Friendliest Hometown.

Back at the frat house.

Bob Koester and his wife Laura were good enough to purchase a vacation home in Florida’s Friendliest Hometown. The pad is newly furnished and ready for the expatriates to crash between rounds. Such a deal. Frank and Jack started this golf getaway tradition with a trip to Lou Cipolla’s place in West Palm Beach, Florida ten years ago (Trains Planes and Automobiles). Now the posse includes me. (Back for year two.)

“A beautiful picture.” says Frank. “I think I will take a picture of that wet towel hangin’ on the lampshade and send it to Laura” (Bob’s wife). “And maybe she’d like to see this sink full of dishes too (mostly glasses)” he adds. Frank is teasing of course. What can you expect with a house full of unsupervised guys – even if they are all adults ranging from 50 to post retirement age? Linda might enjoy the tin foil ash tray overflowing with cigar ashes and butts too. Not to mention the sight of sleeping accommodations of the nightly snore fest from Thursday through Sunday. Frank and Wayne share a room and both have breathing apparatus that make the room sound like an iron lung. Bob is sharing the master bedroom with George. Brad and I are in the guest room. Charlie has the couch and Mitch brought his own air mattress for the living room floor.

Ow Ow Ow

It can happen to anyone. Bob slammed Mitch’s fingers in the door of the rented mini-van.“Ow Ow Ow.” Mitch can’t articulate what’s happened to him and it takes Bob a full three seconds to open the door so he can shake off the pain and shock of the mishap. It happened before he had a chance to hit a single golf ball off his new Taylormade knock-off clubs he purchased on e-Bay. Mitch was flexing his fingers and practicing his interlocking grip on an imaginarygolf club all night hoping he’d be in playing shape by morning.

“Ow Ow Ow” brought fits of laughter everytime. It was a good device to bridge the gaps between laughs. Mitch is Frank’s favorite foil. “We went to the pool and Mitch was like Steve Wonder over here….with his head rocking back and fourth with the earphones…and playing air piano…He looked like a special child….and everyone at the pool moved away thinking he was retarded…” the routine turns into a fictional scenario set on the plane ride back home. “What’s a matter with Mitch? …somebody shoved an iPod up his ass…” This and other jabs. Frank hit Mitch a little below the belt too. Mitch would have to get another Coor’s Light to give him enough time to think of a comeback. But Frank would only make it more personal before the comedy was suspended for the evening.

Belly Dancing at the Bed and Breakfast outside Sioux City, Iowa

The truth is stranger than fiction. In the van, coming back from dinner one night, Koester, George, Frank and I tried not to listen in on Brad as he was consoling his wife who was with a girlfriend, her sister and another girl on a trip that included belly dancing lessons. They found a place advertised as a bed and breakfast outside Sioux City, Iowa.

We couldn’t help eavesdropping. “Linda, it’s probably just squirrels. They are probably as frightened of you as you are of them. They won’t come in the house….Well why don’t you call the guy you rented the place from?….How much did you pay for this place anyway?...Well, if you are really worried….Is there a motel nearby? …” The four women were mortified to be in a rented cabin, at night, in the middle of Iowa and hearing scraping below the floorboards of the house. Brad was doing his best to calm his wife. But finally caved to the pressure of the moment.

“Dr. Morgan wants to know if you all have had your rabies shots.”

“You asshole, CLICK”

The helplessness of the situation, the Dr. Morgan joke and the efforts to keep the snickers under control exploded at that point.

By the time Linda called back, the girls were laughing too. “We are gonna set a trap with bon bons…it’s all we have…We scared them away with our finger cymbals…they’re heading for the hills ….” Needless to say the girls survived the night and we were back on the golf course by morning.

The Mouse and Grandkids on a T-Shirt

George drove in for the golf weekend from New Jersey but made plans to visit Disney World with his wife and grandchild. So George was already gone by Sunday. Wayne invested blocks of time investigating the T-Shirt imprint of a family photo of his three grandchildren but failed to produce. Grand kids. Yikes!

FSK

The urge to tell or retell a Fred Kummer story cannot be denied on these trips. Fred is a unique individual who has left an indelible mark on all of us. He started his company in 1960. All of us spent some time at HBE. Career flypaper. The opportunities are undeniable but the trade-off is you have to deal with FSK. By Fred’s own account. “Fidel Castro and I came into power around the same time.” And now, on the eve of his 79th birthday he has outlasted Castro!

Just a few examples:

Charlie offered an account of a presentation on the big island of Hawaii. Charlie, who had the local knowledge, suggested that suits and ties at a meeting of healthcare administers was a bad move. Charlie suggested they would be dressed in customary Aloha shirts. “Dammit Gary, How come you didn’t mention that? Is there a gift shop around?” Sure enough the HBE team showed up in Aloha shirts and were appropriately in style for the meeting.

Last year Charlie told me an FSK story that involved a human error – miscalculation on a hotel construction project. We all make mistakes but FSK has a way of making sure you never forget. He yelled at Charlie for his blunder and presented him with a Chinese abacus. “Maybe you should use this next time!” Charlie lived long enough to attract an offer from the Drury Inns. (He worked for HBE for 19 years.) He’s now head of construction at that family owned business. Upon departure from HBE he was able to return the abacus to Fred.

Frank had a similar story last year about Fred’s unreasonableness over the construction progress of the Denver Adam’s Mark hotel. Fred is a great man. He is never at fault.

Wayne is as fastidious and as detail-oriented as you could ever wish for in a construction estimator. But even he has a story about Fred accusing him of carelessly leaving two full floors off an estimate. Wayne was with HBE for 30 years. As head of estimating he was a “go to” guy. Fred would rely on his swift calculations to conjure up a number for a project that would eventually become a guaranteed price. (A value driven, no-nonsense, price that might not change more than a few percentage points upon completion of working drawings.) On this occasion though, Wayne was working with less than full information and in classic crisis rush created by the great man.

Bob Koester doesn’t elaborate much on his experiences with FSK. It might be lawyer-client confidentiality but it is more likely that he’d rather not relive some of those finer moments in his legal career. In fact, the State of Missouri still shows Bob as an officer of the firm – a clerical error he intends to clear up as soon as he returns from this trip.

When I get back to St. Louis I’m gonna send Charlie Lee the YouTube link to the famous scene from On the Waterfront. Marlon Brando’s character is in the back of a taxicab with his brother. It’s a great scene and it is such a great illustration of how lives and careers are influenced by experiences and associations. 

“You could have been another Billy Kahn. That Manager brought you along too fast.”

“It wasn’t him, Charley! It was you. You remember that night in the Garden, you came down to my dressing room and said: ‘Kid, this ain’t your night!’ We’re going for the price on Wilson. ‘You remember that? ‘This ain’t your night!’ My night! I coulda taken Wilson apart! So what happens? He gets a title shot outdoors in a ball park – and whadda I get? A one way ticket to Palookaville. You was my brother, Charley. You shoulda looked out for me a little bit. You shoulda taken care of me – just a little bit – so I wouldn’t have to take them dives for the short-end money.”

“I had some bets down for you. You saw some money.”

“You don’t understand! I coulda had class. I coulda been a contender. I coulda been somebody, instead of a bum, which is what I am. Let’s face it …it was you, Charley.”

It’s good to be home. Happy Birthday, Fred.

Miami Mercenary

Chapter Thirty Two

Great Man – Chuck Porter

I worked for Chuck Porter in 1994-95. He is president of Crispin, Porter + Bogusky (in Miami). This is arguably the hottest agency in America. They have won a boat-load of awards and have gotten a ton of press and incredible “buzz” as a Hot Creative Shop. Chuck is a boyhood pal of Pat Fallon (founder of Fallon McElligott Rice). Chuck is a law school dropout. Chuck was a part of a successful freelance writing team – a job you can have while spending a lot of your time windsurfing in Miami. He was a talented guy - with not too much direction – until he found he could be an effective creative director and writer – first with his partner at Porter & Breen. (This team of freelance writers who would occasionally show up in plumber coveralls and ask bluntly “so where’s the problem?” as they approached what they did almost as mercenaries in New York, Minneapolis, California, Miami and around the country.)

Chuck took a real job at around age 40 as creative director of a boring agency that handled a lot of tourism advertising – designing and printing brochures and running a few small retail advertising campaigns in South Florida. Chuck turned the agency into a hot shop and himself into a star. Eventually he managed to buy a stake in the agency – push out Sam Crispin’s son, bring in other talented creative people and attract business that put the agency on the map.

He hired Alex Bogusky – a dashing great man in his own right and maybe 20 years younger than Chuck. The agency under Chuck’s leadership, in spite of what appears to be a flakey style, prospered until he sold 49% ownership to MDC (a Canadian holding company).

Chuck and Alex and the agency with the added funding were able to land the Burger King account a few years ago. $300,000,000 in billings can cover up a lot of creative mis-steps and at least for the time being makes CP+B and MDC look like pretty good investments. Chuck and Alex are rich, famous (in the ad biz) and two great men.