facebook: it's not just for kids anymore

Facebook, it isn't new, but it keeps increasing in users, usability, and pop culture.  several recent TV references to Facebook, or if they try to get clever, calling it Facespace to throw off the legal eagles. What is the cause of my recent interest in blogging about Facebook? I found an interesting article while google searching today. 10 little known facts about Los Angeles Facebook Users. This is great information for the advertising world. Who actually uses facebook- how can we monetize facebook users to our clients? We all know that social media is in the forefront and groundbreaking the old "grassroots" word of mouth advertising. The website, allfacebook.com lists some interesting facts that can most likely go across the whole facebook community, not just Los Angeles.

According to the US Census bureau, there are about 9,862,049 people living in the LA area, 6.173 million are on facebook- nearly 63% of the city is on FACEBOOK! they site that over 50% are women, so does that mean that nearly 50% are men... a 50-50 split...even though many believe that women are on facebook more than men as it is the true "gossip central" like going to the neighborhood nail salon and swapping "did you see what she was wearing" stories.

Many have thought that facebook is a way for teens and college students to communicate, not so fast.... according to www.allfacebook.com the 13-17 age group has 600,000 users, the highest are group is the 25-34 year old with 1.6 million, second is the 18-24 year old with just under 1.6 million, third is the 35-44 with over 1 million, even the 45-54 beat the 13-17 year old.I thought this was extremely interesting that with this research, we can now target advertising to companies based on this data, the money demographic of A25-54 has a great showing in the Facebook world.

Speaking of the college age group, about 20,000 users on the site are currently enrolled in college, 30% will be graduating in 2011. there are many academic universities in the LA area. Note to businesses that cater to college kids...hello IKEA, facebook is a great place for you to try to attract this group.

Love the article's mention of Print media being a dying breed, the LA Times only has about 7,000 fans and only half of those are in LA.

The LA Facebook community is the same size as the fourth largest city in the country, Houston!

Houston is Among the Worst Commutes in the US

During our training this morning, one of my co-workers reminded me of something that all Houstonians know, just probably have never seen the numbers. Forbes Magazine ranked Houston as the 8th worst commute in the country. Lots of statistics to back this up, but more from personal experience and the stories of my co-workers every morning. People from Sugarland typically depending on the time of day can take 30 minutes to 2 hours! Cypress area, or where I used to live in Spring it takes on average 45minutes to an hour. A lucky few live in the city and it takes about 15-20 minutes depending on weather. The statistic from Forbes quotes that 45% of Houstonians commute more than 30 minutes to work each way- pretty sure that number should be 45 minutes or more.


Only 13% of people carpool, Forbes reports that percentage is the highest number for cities with over 2 million workers, and 3rd for cities with 1 million or more workers. Unlike Dallas and Austin, Houston continues to resist mass transit in favor of more tollways and expanding the highways to accommodate more cars.

NEWS FLASH! Americans spend 11 hours in their car every Monday-Friday.  96% of Americans listen to the radio in their cars, with in-car listening growing 11% in the last 4 years!  Local traffic and weather information are the most frequently mentioned reasons for liking conventional broadcast radio.


Anyone want to buy some radio advertising?

There are a lot of ways for businesses to deliver their message to consumers, Television (broadcast or cable), Newspaper (does anyone read this anymore, less than 10% of the Houston metro area actually receives the Houston Chronicle, their readership is under 400,000, in a city of 4 million that is not great. PLUS, how many people just throw it in the trash without even opening it.), Billboards, Direct Mail (again, the mass mailings that are in your mailbox, do you read them, or just throw them away knowing it is "junk-mail") and the Internet.

What will work best for your business is something only you can decide- gather information and make an informed decision.

perfection- Shrimp Paesano!

as many San Antonians, I grew up eating at Paesano's. Ordering the same meal every time, never stray from the original. As friends would come and visit, or i would entertain on business, i would strongly encourage Shrimp Paesano to my guests, sometimes, they would partake in this perfection of a meal, and sometimes they would not... if they did not, i would offer a bite of my meal, and they immediately would regret their choice. Needless to say, i have googled searched and searched and found a few that came close to the greatest meal ever- always to be slightly off...NOT TONIGHT my friends. Tonight's attempt was perfection!

i will share the variation of the recipe that i used tonight so those who cannot just run to Paesano's when the urge strikes, can have a taste of Paesano's in their home, no matter where you have moved.

this served 2: preheat to 400
12 shrimp de-veined and washed
soak in 1/2 and 1/2, for 15 minutes or longer enough to go 3/4 over the shrimp ( 1 pint will be plenty for the soaking and the sauce)
roll in flour on both sides
saute in olive oil on medium heat for 5 minutes on the first side
saute for 2 minutes on the second side
mince two cloves of garlic (fresh) and sprinkle in the glass baking dish
put the shrimp 5 minute sauteed side down
broil on high for 5 minutes

sauce: this is what is always tricky in a medium saucepan
1 large egg yolk
lemon juice from 1/2 of a medium lemon (use the lemon not lemon concentrate)
1/2 stick butter
heat these until melted and take off the heat

add 3 cloves of minced garlic (fresh)
1/2 stick butter
stir briskly until melted
add 1 more squeeze of the other 1/2 of lemon
add chives (probably about 2 tablespoons)
add a little 1/2 and 1/2 to thicken sauce (about 1/4 cup or so)
add a few sprinkles of garlic salt to taste

it was amazing. good luck!

Perfectionists- there are levels, which one are you?

Interesting article today on msnbc.com regarding perfectionists. Which type are you? For years perfectionists have been labeled, "OCD", "Type A" and "high-strung". Perfectionists by definition, believe that perfection can and will be obtained, I would like to think that everyone always strives to be the best, the best that they can at everything they do...apparently this is not true?

For years, it has been believed in the psychological community that being a perfectionist is bad, it will hurt the individual mentally and physically, and their family members.Some research has surfaced that being a perfectionist can actually have benefits for some people. Perfectionists will stick with the program typically until they achieve their goal, health and fitness, or for diabetics, following the suggested food program. Most athletes are perfectionists, they have to be, they are required to be committed to their work-out, to their rules, and expect perfection on the field/court from themselves and their teammates (except the Spurs with free throw shooting, no one expects perfection there.) Perfectionism has a down side, in that perfectionists expect others to be striving for perfection in others, and consistently are disappointed in their peers.

More research is being done, but being a perfectionist is not always bad, sometimes it can lead to positive impacts on people's lives.  Here is the link to the article if you want to read more. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38170039/ns/health-mental_health/

As someone who does have some traits of a perfectionist, it is an interesting article to know that other people are trying to control their "perfectionist" ideals and not expect others to be the same, and it is funny to know that others are frustrated by people not doing their best.

Passion and Enthusiasm

Just watched a million people get their hearts broken all at the same time. LeBron James just made his decision to leave the Cleveland Cavaliers to go play for the  Miami Heat. Immediately upon hearing the news, I felt badly for the fans of the Cavs.  I know what it is like to root for a small market team, that cannot compete when it comes to the splash and cash of the big cities. The best that fans of small market teams can hope for is a little loyalty and a strong conviction to stay in the town where the players have built a home and a family. Thank you David Robinson, Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili (we will wait and see with Tony Parker.)

LeBron has a passion for winning and a passion for helping others, you could see his excitement when he announced the donation to the Boys & Girls Club at the end of his hour long "Lebronaganza Love Fest." He was extremely uncomfortable making the announcement that he would be taking his talents to South Beach. I truly believe he did not want to hurt the fans of Cleveland that had been so good to him for the last 6 years- but his passion to win overtook his loyalty to his hometown and home state. We will see how much money it cost him to not take the maximum and stay with Cleveland versus earning less and making the move to Miami with Bosh and Dwayne Wade. Although no state sales tax - according to some reports will save him $1 million a year!

Getting back to passion- all professional athletes have a passion, just like all sales people have passion. is it a passion to win, a passion to make a difference, passion to make money, passion to be the best, or a passion to be happy and enjoy life. You cannot always choose your passion, it chooses you, you do choose to follow your passion as it might not always be the easiest route.

Congratulations to LeBron James, may he be following his passion, the passion to win, the passion to be the best, not the passion to be greedy.

LeBron James disappointed millions of people, including some friends, family and co-workers to follow his passion, do you have the guts to follow your passion?

World Wide Web and World Cup, lots of ideas

For those of you not fortunate enough to work for a company with three TVs on my floor alone at the office, the USA World Cup game today was amazing. Landon Donovan's amazing goal in extra time, was so incredible, almost surreal. Watching with a few of my friends at work, on my way out on to an appointment was so much fun- especially since "The Soccer" is not any of our "first sports." We are all converts because of the World Cup. I watched the World Cup four years ago too, I was in Austria, and to see the German fans go so crazy seemed foreign to me, not just because I was in a foreign country, but because I had never seen a large group of fans so passionate...much more passionate than even the most passionate College fans, sorry LSU fans, the German people are much more rabid.

The power of "The Soccer" is unfathomable. Is it the sport? Is it the patriotism of your country competing?- although this is more passion than the Olympics. Some advertisers already know this, some advertisers are taking advantage of this, many are international companies who understand how much of an  impact Soccer/Fubol has across the world. The advertisers on TV during the broadcast are getting their recognition, and most recent reports are that today, during Landon Donovan's goal, they are researching, but many thoughts are that it was a record for internet traffic.  According to popscsi.com http://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2010-06/us-algeria-world-cup-match-may-have-set-internet-traffic-record - it overloaded twitter, many had problems getting on ESPN's feed of the game, web traffic spiked to 11.2 million visitors  per minute,  more than the 2008 presidential election.

In advertising, there are always creative ways to introduce your business and product to a new audience. Sometimes you have to think out of the box for new and innovative ways to tell your non-traditional demographic, that you have something to offer, you have something that will improve their life. Sometimes business owners are nervous about investing advertising dollars in something that they have not tried before, well thought out strategy and creative will go a long way- look at the boards around the fields at the World Cup, these advertisers are getting their money's worth.

John Wooden, more than a basketball coach

John Wooden, UCLA's basketball coach, and innovator of basketball techniques passed away this week. All over the world, many former UCLA players are coming forward with their favorite John Wooden stories. I was never lucky enough to meet Coach Wooden, but I have read his quotes and stories about his teachings for several years.

I would like to share a few of my favorites, it is amazing how things he taught his young male basketball players, are relevant for a woman in Advertising Sales. The following are some of his most famous:
 "Be more concerned with your character than your reputation." 
"Don't measure yourself by what you have accomplished but by what you should have accomplished with your ability." 
"Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do."


The John Wooden Pyramid of Success is among one of the most amazing insights into how a person thinks and behaves that I have seen, even with all of the classwork for my degree in Psychology. "Success is peace of mind, which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you made the effort to do your best to become the best that you are capable of becoming."


His principles are so simple, yet cross over boundaries- for the most talented basketball players in the world, to business owners who want to increase their business, for the young student athletes who just want to be better than their rival school, to the advertising account executive who wants to do the best for the client and make a difference. For Coach Wooden, it was not about his team winning or losing, it was about developing player to be great human beings, very similar to Coach Krzyzewski. These great men realized that their main goal as a college basketball coach, was not just to make some 18-20 year old boys into champions, it was their job to turn these boys into amazing men, and great citizens.


Cheers to Coach Wooden and his amazing insight and for sharing so much with all of us, that stands the test of time. Just remember, living life is the most important thing, don't miss out on life looking for the great things, enjoy all little things as they happen.

Memorial Day weekend means Summer Break!

Greetings and welcome back from Memorial Day Weekend. The sign that Summer Break is back. Good things about Summer break, even for those of us that are no longer is school...is that the kids are no longer in school. Traffic on the way to work is typically better, not as many people on the road. Shaved Ice stands, that is a great thing about Summer- a new one just opened up down the street, I love sno-cones. Bad thing, kids are out of school doing fun things, like hanging out by the pool, and we are working...all day long...all week long.

There are a lot of ways to approach the Summer. I try to do something different every day, or at least every other day. Take some time at work, to do something out of the ordinary. Still beneficial to the job, but just not part of the traditional day to day activities. Read a book. I love the Summer reading- whether it is for fun or a "work" type book, either way, it will expand your horizons and make you better at your job, even if it just improves your vocabulary!

I am currently reading Jeffrey Gitomer's Little Teal book of Trust. it is really enlightening personally and professionally. The book that is still in the back of my mind every day, is Mitch Albom's Have a Little Faith. it is a short book, so for those of you who do not like to read, it is an easy one. He is a sports writer for the Detroit Free Press for many years, so even those of you who are sports fans, give this book a shot.

Make a difference this Summer, it will make a difference in you.

More great news about Houston

Reports this morning out of the Houston Business Journal, from a recent Korn/Ferry International survey show that most executives running global companies are willing to relocate. Overall, 82 percent of global executives from 65 countries said hey would relocate for job purposes.t

In the survey Houston was singled out as a prime location for executives to relocate. "Houston provides the candidates opportunities to direct their career to a higher level in the market that's held relatively steady during the recessions," said Eric Nielsen, managing director of the Houston office of Korn/Ferry. "we are now experiencing strong hiring due to the global strength of the energy/natural resources sector and the Texas regional economy."

Print Circulation Down Again

Many of my clients have started pulling their money out of print advertising and started to work with SUNNY 99.1 on radio and Internet advertising. The Audit Bureau of Circulation just released figures last Monday that the Houston Chronicle lost 14.2% of its daily circulation and 6.3% of the Sunday circulation in the six-month period ending September 30, 2009, compared to the same six months in 2008.  According the the Houston Business Journal, overall, US newspaper daily circulation at 379 reporting papers lost an average of 3.6 million subscribers, or 10.6% in this same period, falling to about 30.4 million. The Houston Chronicle retained the ninth best daily circulation and seventh best Sunday circulation.  Hardest hit during this period was the San Francisco Chronicle, which lost 25.8% of its daily readership. That is a HUGE amount. Perhaps, because San Francisco is so technology oriented and forward thinking and becoming more GREEN than any other city.

Business owners that have been print focused in the past, should start thinking about ways to increase their share in the market and how their current advertising is working, and perhaps how they can better their mix to increase business. Many purchases begin through research on the Internet, which begs the questions, where is the best place on the Internet for you to be advertising.  Websites that are still targeted, like radio station websites, still have demographics that you can select which fits your product the best.

Invest in your website, make it the absolute best that it can be. This "Internet" thing is not a fad, it is not going anywhere, maximize your business through your website. With an amazing website, you can focus on driving people to your website. Great web domains are key, try to keep your website address simple and focused, easy to remember. the days of people remembering your phone number are over, they just need to remember your website.

proud day

had a fantastic day hanging out with the other Account Executives from Sunny 99l.1 at Sandy's house on Tiki Island. Tonight, of course, I am watching the Spurs vs. Suns game 1 in Phoenix. While the first half was not stellar for the San Antonio Spurs, they have been hanging around and keeping the PHX fans on edge. The Spurs have knocked out the Suns the last 4 times the two teams have met. As a San Antonio Spurs fan from age 3, I am very proud of the Spurs for making such an impression on the Suns fans in Phoenix. They actually have shirts that say BEAT SA, and IT'S R TURN. The pride I feel knowing that another city hates my team, The Spurs, means we have arrived. We are their most hated team... this is quite a compliment. Like Derek Jeter says, If they are booing you, it means you are good. Keep booing the Spurs Phoenix, it is a compliment that this Spurs fan is proud to hear. I hope the Spurs can pull another upset in this season's playoffs, coming from the 7 seed would be truly, AMAZING! (NBA marketing)

Neato Thought for the Day

No economic slowdown on the Internet! Mercury News Frank Davies reported that Internet commerce continues to grow according to his source Google's chief economist. Electronic commerce has grown about 22 percent in the past two years-Hal Varian, the economist that spoke on the state of the Internet economy at Google's Washington office. The chairman of Electronic Retailing Association said online sales jumped 17 percent in the first quarter of this year!
Makes me think, what can I be doing to help my clients increase their sales. Using the radio station's websites is a great way to augment their current advertising and help them branch into Internet advertising - a venue that perhaps they might not be comfortable attempting.

Even if companies don't have anything to sell online for E-Commerce, promoting their business, concert, restaurant online to an audience that fits the target demographic, like a radio station website makes great sense. More businesses are starting to realize the full potential of the Internet, and it is my job to help them feel comfortable investing in their website and promoting it.

What have you done today, to increase your web presence for potential clients?

Missy Alwais Neato thought of the Day

Greetings. I am going to try to post something thought provoking each day. Today, I went to see Jeffrey Gitomer at a seminar. He was absolutely amazing. My favorite book of his is the Yes! attitude. I found several ways to incorporate his thoughts on the subject into my daily life, not just work life. This is what is most important to me. So in his seminar today, when he said we should all be focusing on having fun and laughing. I am going to make an effort, to laugh twice each day at work, and continue to laugh at home as I do everyday...sometimes at myself, and sometimes at Jeremy or the dogs- I always laugh at home!

Make the effort to see humor in situations, work and home. Laugh- I love it!