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Blog Archive

Tattoo Industry Tips: How to Make Money Coming and Going

Tony Soprano parked his Chevy Suburban in front of Grab & Go Liquor. As he walked into the store, two policemen were leaving.  “He’s all yours.” said one of the cops.  Tony gives them a thumbs up. When Tony sees the store owner, he says, “Hey Mr. Quan, I’m sorry …

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How to Defy Industry Image and Kill the Competition

Imagine you’re picking up your “perfect angel” seven-year-old daughter from a birthday party of one of her school friends. You walk in and see a drowsy kid on a couch. Another is stuffing his face with cake, while one appears to be puking. Not that unusual for a kid’s party. …

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“New & Different” Sells Better In A Crowded Market

How do you increase sales when the market is nearly saturated with products similar to yours? One way is to produce another version of your product that appeals to a new or wider market. That’s what Miller Beer did in the 70s, when they took advantage of the new fitness …

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What Makes Your Advertising Memorable?

84% of TV commercials viewed by consumers are either not remembered or not attributed to the advertiser reports a study by Ipsos Market Research. Ouch! If you’ve got a lot of the budget tied up on the tube, that statistic has to hurt. But it’s not just ads on TV …

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Should Your CEO Be In Your Ads?

Paid advertising has some fundamental goals.  You want to stand out from other ads, differentiate your product, increase brand recognition, and add value to your brand. You also want to move viewers to act  — make an immediate purchase or seek more information.. But achieving these goals is no easy …

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The Billion-Dollar Brand Built Brick-By-Brick

Who the #1 toy manufacturer in the world? Take a guess. Is it Xbox? Meta (aka Facebook) — makers of the Occulus Quest Virtual Reality headsets and games? It has to be a company that makes something electronic or high-tech — like drones, right? Wrong. The #1 toy company in …

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Movie Theaters: Back From the Dead?

 “The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated,” is a quote often attributed to author Mark Twain when told about rumors that he was gravely ill and died while on a speaking tour. A similar exaggeration may have been applied to the movie theater industry during the COVID 19 pandemic. …

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Will Autonomous Cars Bring Back Burma-Shave Signs?

Imagine you’re in your autonomous vehicle on a trip to Cleveland from Youngstown, Ohio — roughly an hour and a half journey. That’s 90 minutes of solitude that give you — the veteran of driving your own car for decades — free time you never had before. Once on the …

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What’s Your Dream?

What’s your dream? How are going to bring your new idea or existing business to the next level? What is your plan to help you reach your vision? You need a proven strategy to be successful — a strategy that includes these key components — (1) SOLID KNOWLEDGE OF YOUR …

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Local Small Business Gets A Lift…And Gives One.

Imagine you’re the owner of a small business attending an event with lots of other small business owners. Most of them, you’ve never met. It’s a diverse group of people: male and female, old and young, black and white. Their businesses are diverse too: bakery, craft & hobby, shoe store, …

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What’s Your Strategy?

What’s your strategy? How are going to bring your new idea or existing business to the next level? Do you know how to reach the right market? What’s your plan? Your strategy needs these key components to succeed — (1) SOLID KNOWLEDGE OF YOUR MARKET  You must identify your best customer. …

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What’s Your Plan?

What’s your plan? How are going to bring your new idea or existing business to the next level? Do you know how to reach the right market? What’s your marketing strategy? Your plan needs these key components to succeed — (1) SOLID KNOWLEDGE OF YOUR MARKET”  You must find your best …

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Mascot Marketing & The Great Sausage Race

Four friends head to Miller Park in Milwaukee to see a Brewers baseball game. They have a lot in common — each is over 7-ft tall and made of pork. There’s Brett Wurst the Bratwurst, Stosh the Polish Sausage, Guido the Italian Sausage, and Frankie Furter the Hot Dog. They …

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The Marketing Power of Free Time

When you come across news about the development of autonomous vehicles, what’s your first thought?  If you’re like most people, your first thought is probably a question— “Why do we need autonomous vehicles?” Companies in that category may tell you the key benefit of their end product comes down to …

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What’s it going to take?

What’s it going to take to bring your business to the next level and reach the success you have made your goal? What’s it going to cost? What has to be done? What’s the marketing strategy? Whether you have start up business or you are beginning to revamp your existing …

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The Easy Marketing Strategy That Works

“Go Easy on Me,” Adele sang to her lover.  The Eagles suggested you “Lighten up while you still can….and Take it Easy.” And Lionel Richie was “Easy Like Sunday Morning.” “Easy” is a special and often-used word in every language.  Search “easy” in Google and you’ll get 8.9 billion results …

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Marketing Pot: Challenges and Cash Besides Clever Lines

Buying marijuana is not something Americans are used to doing out in the open. Many recall a scenario in which one friend scored the pot and brought it to his or her friends. Comedians Cheech and Chong had a routine featuring a character named “Dave,” who runs out to buy …

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Is Marketing Really a Form of Mind Control?

The 1962 movie The Manchurian Candidate is a psychological political thriller about the Cold War and sleeper agents. The plot centers on Raymond Shaw, a U.S. soldier in the Korean War who is captured and brainwashed by communists. He is released and returns to civilian life in the United States. …

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Are You Leaving Money on the Table?

Imagine your 18-year old daughter introduces you to Rowan — her new boyfriend. Rowan has no job or education, but he does have a great collection of tattoos on both arms and several safety pins through his eyebrow.    No daughter? OK, imagine your assistant buzzes you on the intercom and …

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Would the Zoom Freemium Model Grow Your Business?

Sinclair gas stations were cool. The logo featured a green dinosaur and the local station had a giant blow up of the “Dino” mascot tethered to its sign.  When I was nine, I’d go cruise in to the Sinclair near my home on my bike to put air in my …

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Nothing New to Sell? Sell It Used

“Hello this is Tradio, are you buying or selling?” says the radio DJ. “I’m selling a five-horsepower lawnmower from Sears. It’s six years old and in good condition. I’ll take $35 or best offer.” replies the caller. “Thank you, Hello this is Tradio, are you buying or selling?” the DJ …

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Website Designer/Developer Wanted

WE’RE HIRING! FULL TIME POSITION OPEN AT FARRIS. APPLY NOW. We are looking for a creative person, an innovative thinker and tech lover. You need a good work ethic and relationship skills, who can build, maintain and update consumer-friendly websites for our clients.  This is a full-time position with the …

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Innovation is Great…If You Can Sell It

William Morrison emigrated from Scotland to America in 1880. He was a watchmaker by trade, but an innovator by DNA. Like other inventors of his era, he wanted to build a horseless carriage. But unlike other early automobiles, Morrison’s was powered by battery, not a combustion engine. Morrison’s electric vehicle …

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Does Creativity Still Matter in Marketing?

Baby pictures. We’ve all seen them. When a new parent or grandparent sticks that smartphone under your nose to show you their precious darling, you automatically start to spit out compliments. “He’s definitely his father’s son,” you say, as the proud papa swipes through the first 200 digital images for …

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Farris creates “Discover the Love” campaign for Lillo

Premium Infused Spirits, LLC., makers of Lillo Limoncello and Lillo Coffee Liqueurs, selected Farris Marketing of Boardman for branding and social media marketing. The story of Lillo began more than two decades ago when two Italian priests presented one of the Lillo founders with a generation’s old recipe from their …

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Slang in Ads: Is it Tight or Wack?

I admit I was excited. Six months ago, I bought a new refrigerator, but because of the pandemic, it took three months to come in. The store sent two younger guys to deliver the shiny new appliance to my house. The new fridge was a lot bigger than the old …

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YouTube: Modern Version of Cave Painting

It’s sometime during the Paleolithic Age (aka the Stone Age) near what is now Spain. A cavewoman named Canta and caveman named Lopa are spear fishing in a river. “So Lopa,” says Canta, “What’s new?” “Same ol’, same ol’ for me.” replies Lopa. “But some of our friends saw one …

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AI for Marketing: Usually Helpful, Sometimes Annoying

If you’ve read, heard, or watched any developments in Artificial Intelligence, you’ve probably heard the paranoid whispers that one day an army of AI robots will rise up, take over the world, and enslave the human race. That’s crazy, right? Maybe not. What if… I mean…what if? What if the …

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How Batman beat Superman with brand equity

Years later, as Superman is puttering around his home in the Fortress of Solitude, he tells visitors that he’s happy and enjoys retirement. But Lois Lane, his ageless girlfriend of 70+ years, tells a different story. “He’s OK until he hears about another new Batman movie — then he gets …

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Lessons on Peace and Branding from Oreo

Want to cure the divisiveness in this country? Start by finding common ground. But don’t use words. Just get the opposing sides to sit down across a table from each other. Then give them a mug of ice cold milk — and a dozen or so Oreos. Within minutes, someone …

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Estée Lauder: Female Guerrilla Marketer 

Are you awed by the marketing savvy, strength, and perseverance of visionaries like Steve Jobs, Elon Musk, and Jeff Bezos? Does their commitment to building their respective brands (Apple, Tesla, and Amazon) into culture-changing powerhouses impress you? You should be impressed— considering their innovative, aggressive, unrelenting styles. Yet, if Jobs, …

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