Happiness and Hope #atozchallenge

         Every ending doesn't have to be happy.  Real life is like that.  But it is nice if there is a ray of hope somewhere in the future.   It's better not to dwell in Downerland all the time.  If your whole world is negativity then you're eventually going to kill whatever audience you have if you ever managed to acquire any audience in the first place.

        Negativity and depression is tedious and tiring for both you and those who are around you.   Happiness instills an inner peace and an outward energy which in turn encourages hopefulness.   A positive outlook needs to start with you before you can pass it on to others.

        Say for example you are going for a job interview or trying to make a good impression on someone with whom you'd like a relationship, you'd most likely start with a smile and a pleasant demeanor would you not?  This is the basis of good marketing.  And it goes beyond first impressions.   You don't always have to be bubbly or sugar-coated, but a positive nature will draw people to you.

        Most marketing focuses on the happy side.  The marketer typically sets out to show how what they're offering can bring happiness.   Generally speaking, people are looking for something that will inspire happiness within them and fill them with hope for a better tomorrow.    Even if only a temporary fix is being offered, the goal of good marketing is to suggest that the answer to finding hope and happiness is at hand.

   
Battle of the Bands winner

       Since my most recent Battle of the Bands coincided with opening day of the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge, it's not too surprising that I had a record number of votes for this contest.   However I was a bit surprised by the outcome.  I fully expected a rout by the venerable Fab Four.  It did not happen.

       As I had expected the Beatles version of "Act Naturally" was the over all more preferred with 45 total votes including my own.   I've been a long time fan of the Beatles and Ringo was the first one I ever heard perform the song "Act Naturally".   I prefer the skiffle band country sound that their version has--the instruments sound better to me and I enjoy the vocals more.   Buck is good, but the Beatles are my preferred taste in music.

      Now Buck Owens did not get totally trounced in the contest.  His version ended up with a very respectable 38 votes--far more than I had anticipated.   Owens always came across as a pretty likeable guy to me so I'm glad to see him get the respect that he received from the voters.

      Final tally for "Act Naturally":   Beatles 45 votes to Buck Owens 38 votes.

       Next Battle of the Bands comes on Tuesday April 15th.  Hope you'll visit and vote again.  I'll be once again tying the song I use into my A to Z theme of Promotion and Marketing.

         Do you have a positive feel about yourself or whatever it is you are marketing?   Do you feel that you could be contributing to another's sense of well-being and happiness with your product or yourself?    Can you think of some examples where the negative approach works best?       

     

     

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Act Naturally (Battle of the Bands) #atozchallenge

            Welcome to Tossing It Out for Day one of the Blogging for A to Z April Challenge.   If you want to know more about the Challenge you can visit the A to Z Blog.   Also, a regularly scheduled event on this blog every 1st and 15th of the month is the Battle of the Bands.  So in this post you get a double whammy conveniently tied together with a common thread.  More on the Battle after the first marketing concept.   My A to Z Theme for 2014 is Marketing Concepts from A to Z.

Act Naturally

         Unless it's part of the role you're playing, no one cares much for a phony.  You can play a part like Pee Wee Herman or the band members of Kiss if that's your shtick, but when it comes to serious marketing efforts playing the buffoon can only go so far.

          We've all encountered the sleazy salesman who may even come across as completely sincere, but once we feel duped then we lose confidence and don't go back to that person.  Some public figures may come across as haughty, unapproachable, or condescending.  If you're trying to make inroads with someone whether it be a potential customer or someone you want to go out with on a date, if you sell yourself, your brand, or your product in a genuine manner you're going to make your prospect a lot more receptive to what you have to say.

          Nervous?  Shy?  Afraid?   Don't worry--those are natural feelings that most of us share and they can work in your favor in many cases.  Just be yourself.  Act naturally.  Eventually you'll get used to being out there before the public and self-confidence may become part of your natural persona.  It might take some practice so be persistent.

Battle of the Bands:   Act Naturally

         The Battle of the Bands posts spotlight two versions of the same song.  You the reader pick your favorite version and let us know in the comments which version you chose and why.  At the end of this post you'll find a list of other bloggers who have usually been participating.  If you'd like to start joining us let us know in the comments and we can add your link.

         "Act Naturally" is the obvious song pick for this Battle.   The song was first recorded by country artist Buck Owens in 1963.  It became Buck's first number one hit and catapulted him into stardom after toughing it out for many years in the music business.  Buck later co-hosted the popular television cornpone comedy show Hee Haw for a number of years.  Here's the song that made Buck Owens a star:

Buck Owens   "Act Naturally" (1963)



The Beatles "Act Naturally"  (1965)

          Once the Beatles had established themselves as teen idols they had personas developed for each of them.    Girls had their favorite Beatle and recognized each of the lads for their personas.   Ringo was the funny one.  Most Beatle albums had at least one song that featured Ringo and the song was typically a novelty type song.  In 1965, The Beatles' cover of  "Act Naturally" appeared on the B-side of the monster hit "Yesterday".   Here's The Beatles with Ringo Starr on vocals with "Act Naturally":



Time to Vote!

         Now it's up to you to vote for your favorite version of "Act Naturally" and tell why you preferred that version.  Let us know in the comments.  I'll announce which version won next Wednesday April 9th.  The next Battle of the Bands will be on Tuesday April 15th.

          Here are some other bloggers who may be participating in the Battle of the Bands:

         Faraway Series
         Ferret-Faced Fascist Friends
         Your Daily Dose
         DiscConnected
            Donna Hole
            SteveIsHungry by Steve Foster, an old friend from Tennessee who travelled on a road show with me back in 1991.  Haven't seen him since then so it's good to see him show up now with a blog to join us in the A to Z Challenge and BOTB.  He's been blogging for several years and I never realized it until today.

         Do you have a difficult time acting naturally around people you don't know?   Can you think of a good time to put on a false front?    Do you feel betrayed or let down when you see a person you admire from a perspective of which you disapprove or with which you disagree?