Marketing: Identifying People Who Influence

“Marketing: Identifying People Who Influence” by Tom Nardacci

Effective marketing is very powerful and sometimes simply unsuspecting.

Many of us remember the first person you knew who had an iPod. That person may have influenced us to consider this new invention that held several hundred songs. Apple knew who these people were and marketed directly to them. The distinctive white ear buds and long white cord were part of the marketing. I remember the person who first showed me an iPod and I remember when I started seeing the white earbuds on the New York City Subway on my way to and from work.

In “The Tipping Point,” Malcolm Gladwell breaks these people who influence others into three groups: Salespeople, Mavens, and Connectors. In his book “Unleashing the Ideavirus,” Seth Godin defines people likely to spread an ideavirus as “sneezers.”

Recently, a good friend of mine, who I would consider one of these influencers, told me that he had gotten rid of his gas lawn mower and purchased an old fashioned manual reel mower instead. He told me he was doing his part for the environment. Well, after considering his opinion and thinking of how small my lawn really is, I went and purchased a reel mower too.

2 days ago, I was shocked to read the below Associated Press story on how manual reel mowers are making a comeback! I need to find out from my friend where he first heard of buying one.

Manual Lawn Mowers Are Making a Comeback
By DON BABWIN, Associated Press Writer Mon May 28, 6:09 AM ET

CHICAGO - Powerful, loud mowers have been showing lawns who's boss for decades. But now contraptions that couldn't cut butter without a good shove are quietly — really quietly — making a comeback.

Manual lawn mowers, long the 98-pound weaklings of the tool shed, are pushing their way, or, more accurately, being pushed around more yards all over the country.

"It's phenomenal," said Teri McClain, inside sales administrator at the 112-year-old American Lawn Mower Co. in Shelbyville, Ind., which she said is the only manufacturer of reel mowers in the United States. "Sales continue to rise every year."

Phenomenal might be a little strong. Exact statistics aren't available, but McClain estimates 350,000 manual mowers are sold in the United States each year — most made by her company. That is just a fraction of the 6 million gas-powered walk-behind mowers that hit the market last year.

Still, that number is about 100,000 more than were sold just five years ago and seven times as many as the estimated 50,000 a year sold in the 1980s, McClain said.

American Lawn Mower was one of about 60 domestic manufacturers of manual mowers at the end of World War II, when power mowers began taking over the industry, McClain said. Now, it is the only one making the mowers in the U.S., although some U.S.-based companies make the mowers in other countries.

According to buyers and sellers, the resurgence of these quaint reminders of yesteryear is due most notably to growing environmental concerns and an increasing number of women who do the mowing.

Headlines about global warming, pollution and vanishing natural resources have people — and not just those wearing Birkenstocks — making changes.

"I'm not a tree hugger but I think we all think about being more environmentally friendly and leave less of a footprint on the world," said Ben Kogan, a Chicago architect who started using his new mower this spring.

"It's an introduction into green gardening and a more green lifestyle," said Jim Grisius, 45, of Homewood, Ill.

And the mowers provide one way to respond to pollution from gas-powered mowers, not to mention the warnings from at least one former vice president.

"I definitely see a bigger selection of people all the time, especially since the

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Al Gore movie ('An Inconvenient Truth')," said Lars Hundley, the owner of Clean Air Gardening, a Dallas-based gardening equipment retailer.

The mower also is appealing because it is inexpensive — around $200 — and so simple.

It looks different than the one invented in England in the 1830s to take over a job that once belonged to scythe-wielding people or hungry sheep. And with the use of lighter metals and plastic, it's a lot lighter than the heavy iron and wood mowers some baby boomers remember pushing around for a measly 50 cents an hour.

But it works pretty much the same way it always did: Just push it and it cuts.

"I don't have to worry about gas, repairs and getting it (the mower) started," said Eric Skalinder, a 35-year-old Chicago teacher.

Perhaps just as significant, more people are finding they don't need a power mower because they have less lawn to mow.

McClain said houses in many new developments are being built on lots of a third of an acre or less. And with yard sizes reduced even further by increasingly popular amenities like rock gardens, sitting areas and dog runs, "the mowing area is really very small," she said.

Kogan and Skalinder said that, considering their yards are the size of apartment bedrooms, power mowers didn't seem necessary.

"I felt a gas-powered (mower) was a little over the top for my needs," said Skalinder, adding he didn't want to use the kind of screaming power mower that keeps him awake when he's trying to nap.

Those are welcome words to those in the manual lawn mower business, who well know the hold that big, roaring machines have on the public. "For a lot of people power is the thing," said McClain.

Even for all his talk about a "green lifestyle," Grisius wondered if he really wanted to buy a powerless lawn mower.

"There was a little bit of ... do I want to be the only guy on the block with a reel mower?" he said.

Luckily for the manual mower business, there is a whole segment of the population that isn't enamored with power tools or worried about looking wimpy: Women.

"We noticed very quickly that two out of three people buying manual mowers were female," said Terry Jarvis, president of Sunlawn Inc., a Fort Collins, Colo.-based company that's been selling the mowers for 10 years and making its own for two.

"Women like the simplicity of the machines, the fact that they work." he said. "I constantly hear women commenting, 'I love the useful exercise.'"

Melissa Vesper, 32, of Arlington, Texas, appreciates how she can spend time with her two small children while she's mowing — something she couldn't do with a noisy gas mower that turned pebbles and twigs into projectiles.

"I can hear them and not worry about things getting flung at them," she said.

Nobody suggests that manual mowers — still rare enough that Kogan's neighbors confessed they didn't realize they still existed — are going to push power mowers aside.

Reel mowers, which Hundley said many people buy over the Internet, increasingly are showing up in large hardware chains and small mom-and-pop places alike. But Hundley said stores aren't likely to let push mowers that cost about $200 or less to take valuable display place from power mowers that can cost hundreds of dollars more.

"They'd rather sell an $800 Toro they make a couple hundred bucks on than (make) a few bucks on a push mower," he said.

Still, some owners say they plan on sticking with manual mowers — and maybe get others to follow.

"I hope my neighbors see me," said Skalinder. "I hope people see it and I can offer them a loaner (and) get more people to use them."

It Just Takes ONE - 2007 Appeal

Dear Family, Friends & Colleagues:

I am an active volunteer at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Albany, an organization dedicated to serving the needs of the children of Albany. The Clubs serve over 2,000 kids at the main building on Delaware Avenue and from 3 satellite sites located in housing authority buildings.

The Clubs serve hundreds of good hot meals each week, offer after school tutoring and other educational programs, provide life skill training in areas such as leadership, gang prevention and personal well being, as well as offering athletics.

The Clubs are now undergoing their first serious efforts to raise private funds from small donors to help them continue their past successes. This campaign, called “It Just Takes ONE,” is a chance for individuals such as you to make a direct impact on the life of ONE of these terrific and deserving children.

I am pleased to say that the all volunteer Board of Directors has already personally pledged nearly $32,000 towards our $65,000 goal. As a Board, we have watched firsthand the impact that the Clubs have on the lives of these children – providing a safe place, a positive place, a caring place for kids. In a recent editorial, The Record said:

“With community volunteers like these who actually put their money where their mouths are, it's only a matter of time when the $65,000 goal for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Albany is reached. We salute all those who have shown support and also the volunteers to make it happen every day.”

We are now asking our families, friends, and colleagues to make a tax deductible donation of $25, $50, $100, or $200 on our secure website to help us reach our 2007 goal. We know there is competition for donations, but are hoping that this personal appeal will show you how worthy we believe the Clubs to be.

If you are willing to make a difference, please “make on online donation” today with your credit card on our secure website: http://www.bgcalbany.com

Thank you!

Tom Nardacci
Chair, “It Just Takes ONE”

p.s. You can also mail donations to: ONE Campaign, Boys & Girls Clubs of Albany, 21 Delaware Avenue, Albany, NY 12210.

Bill Clinton's Crossword Puzzle

A major AP story today is that former President Bill Clinton has developed a crossword puzzle for the New York Times called 'Twistin' the Oldies.'

A-Rod Update, PR in Sports

This isn't a fan page by any stretch and I'm not interested in blogging about my favorite sports teams. Sports do, however, provide interesting case studies on how teams, players, agents, etc. deal with the media. Most recently, the NFL Draft was a tremendous example of positioning individual players and college programs. Except for Heisman hopefuls, it is most likely the first time most of these athletes have been exposed to the national sports media. It was easy to pick out the draftees that had a PR operation and those who did not.

As a follow-up to my previous post, Alex Rodriguez is off to an amazing start and from the stories in the Post and the News and the scenes from the Stadium it appears that the fans have turned in his favor. He also recently publicly announced his intentions to stay with the Yankees and a desire to work something out contractually. The team has some real issues bringing up the rear in the AL East, and putting any questions to rest about his relationship, particularly because of his fast start, is in both his and the team's interest.

Lastly, the announcement that Roger Clemens is returning to the Yankees couldn't have been made at a better time. Sunday is a notoriously slow news day (except during football season for the sports media). His gametime, live announcement during 7th inning stretch led the TV and radio sports casts will be front page news in the New York print media.