Brains on Fire

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  Did you know?

  Posted on June 30th, 2005 by Geno and currently 0 commenting.

  Every household in Greenville County pays $485 annually in taxes to cover smoking related health care costs. Why? Because South Carolina ranks 50th with a 7 cents per pack tax on cigarettes.

  What difference does this make?

  Studies, and experience in state after state, show that higher cigarette taxes are one of the most effective ways to reduce smoking among both youth and adults. Every 10 percent increase in the price of cigarettes will reduce youth smoking by about seven percent and overall cigarette consumption by about four percent.

  Every state that has significantly increased its cigarette tax has enjoyed substantial increases in revenue, even while reducing smoking. These funds have helped states balance budgets and fund essential services like health care, education and tobacco prevention programs. Contrary to tobacco industry arguments, cigarette tax increases are a reliable source of revenue for states.

  I don’t smoke but it effects me everyday. In my wallet to pay for health care costs. Smoking has touched my family because I’ve lost an uncle and a grandmother to smoking. And it concerns me because I have an 11 year-old daughter who will start middle-school next year in a South Carolina school system that 36% of high school students smoke.

  I don’t care if this makes me a zealot in South Carolina. The truth about what tobacco is costing us is getting turned into no new tax chants every budget year while prevention programs are cut to zero funding. It’s about time some people get some guts in Columbia and stand up to the Tobacco Industry, tobacco is bankrupting lives.

  Tags: Adults, Cigarette Tax, Columbia, Education, Greenville County, Health Care, Smoking, South Carolina, Taxes, Tobacco Industry, Tobacco Prevention Programs, Youth
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  I want this, and that.

  Posted on June 30th, 2005 by Geno and currently 0 commenting.

  I just got my new Nixon catalog in the mail yesterday. The catalog was passed around BOF like an offering plate. Getting oohs and aahs. I liked it so much I woke up this morning with it in my bed.

  Anyways. Kudos to Nixon for awesome designed products. The catalog shows how much they know about their customers. Blending wood grain belt buckles or as Nixon calls them, hand-whittled pants holder-upper and wood grain watches with stories about handmade Hawaiian surf boards and Les Paul guitars. If the wood grain stuff isn’t your style check out the Dark Side an all black collection with stories about Black Flag, Chuck Taylor and Johnny Cash.

  Now I have a problem, I want the Player 7 Watch and just about every belt buckle in the catalog.

  Find this stuff at NIXONNOW.com

  Tags: Black Flag, Chuck Taylor, Customer, Johnny Cash, Nixon, Player 7 Watch
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  Equifax fights against the customer taking control

  Posted on June 30th, 2005 by Spike and currently 1 commenting.

  According to an article in Wired.com, the chief executive of Equifax (which earned 1.27 billion in revenue in 2004), called the federal legislation that lets customers get a free copy of their credit report – get this – “unconstitutional.”

  Unbelievable.

  I mean, he’s got a good reason to be upset. Uncle Sam just killed his revenue stream by giving the average American access to his own information instead of actually having to pay for it.

  Huge companies like Equifax that fight the inevitable (the reality that customers are taking over the conversations) instead of evolving, are going to go the way of the Dodo. And Equifax is going to be one of the first to fall. There are other avenues that they can take, like actually helping people instead of selling them information that is rightfully theirs in the first place.

  Tags: customers, Dodo, Equifax, Federal Legislation, Helping People, Uncle Sam, Unconstitutional, Wired
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  A note on trying to be all things to all people.

  Posted on June 28th, 2005 by Spike and currently 1 commenting.

  Don’t.

  Hummer has now traveled this bumpy road (pun intended) with the introduction of the H3. With sales of the H1 and H2 dropping off, Hummer has introduced a “smaller” vehicle that starts at around $30,000. You can read all about it in the recent New York Times article (free registration required).

  A brand that built itself on being exclusive and speaking to just a sliver of the market now has thrown open the doors to everyone. There’s a lot that remains to be seen, and the one I’m most interested in is how the core Hummer customer will react when they paid $100,000 for their behemoth and will now see soccer moms and average Joes driving the same brand.

  Tags: Brand, customers, H1, H2, H3, Hummer, New York Times
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  Viral marketing gets some respect

  Posted on June 27th, 2005 by Spike and currently 0 commenting.

  According to a recent article at BizReport, more and more companies are finally starting to dip their toes into the viral marketing pool. Examples include the launch of Microsoft’s Halo 2, Volvo and that ubiquitous Subservient Chicken. While I don’t agree with everything in the article, it still makes for a good read.

  Check it out.

  Tags: BizReport, Halo 2, Microsoft, Subservient Chicken, viral marketing, Volvo