Make It Matter!: 2014

Sunday, September 7, 2014

NFL is Back! - A Great Brand Lesson

Everyone needs to have an outlet and a passion for inspiring and recharging the soul! For many, sports seems to fill the need and there is no bigger franchise than the NFL. People gather from around the country and across the world every Sunday in the fall and the die-hards also include Monday and now Thursday to get their fix.

Through the advancement of sattelite dishes we can be almost anywhere and get the game - WOW!

With 32 teams and stories that go back generations, nothing seems to connect people like the history of the NFL. Wherever we are gathered especially in the fall we can always find someone wearing a jersey, T-shirt, hat or some other decoration that celebrates their passion and commitment to "their team". So much can be learned about how to build brand connections by studing how great organizations such as the NFL and the teams build emotion around the game, players, coaches and the memories created every year. The sounds of the game, colors of the teams, changing logos, and all around strategy of the contest create engagement between fans, their teams and the overall league like nothing else. It is clearly the definition of Tradition!

What's amazing is it is not always a positive outcome - sometimes teams lose (in fact in every game there is a loser). Some teams lose for longer than we can imagine - but yet the die-hard committed fan hangs on and the win that arrives is just that much sweeter! That's commitment.

Build your brand memories in authentic meaningful ways just like the NFL and MAKE IT MATTER!

Saturday, March 8, 2014

Cheap Rewards Record Blog: Boy Elroy & The Jetsons - Don't Know Why

BOY ELROY & THE JETSONS

(original blog by Mike at Cheap Rewards)

When you think about great brands you love there is often one element that is undeniable and that is they are timeless! Music and bands that endure are usually timeless and don't get caught in fads.

Not to long ago my brother and I were contacted by a blogger named Mike Hooker who is passionate about collecting great music from the past. He has a website listed above and you should check it out. He came across music my brother Mark, myself, Rick and Martin recorded in the 1980's during our days in Gainesville Florida where we played all the fraternity parties, clubs, bars and major events like Gator Growl as well as opening for Red Ryder who at the time had major hits like "Lunatic Fringe"...I know your out there! So after almost 30 years our music finally broke into the digital decade and made cyberspace. Here is Mike's blog post - enjoy.

Mark Mann and his brother Chas grew up in a ski resort area of New Jersey before their parents moved the family to Largo, FL. The two had played music together since they were young and in 1980 both made their way to Gainesville where Chas began attending school at the University of Florida. The area provided a healthy environment for original bands because there were so many places to perform and record.

Boy Elroy and the Jetsons started with Mark (who took on the persona of Boy Elroy) on lead guitar and vocals, Chas on drums, and Rick Shafer on bass. Rick worked at a local music store where Mark and Chas would hang out. They told him about their plans to form a band and asked if he was interested in joining. The three of them began rehearsing together after that and eventually brought in a UF student named Martin Gold who added lead and rhythm guitar.

They were all into guitar-based rock like Cheap Trick and Tom Petty. The band worked up a large catalog of original songs to mix in with the requisite covers that got them gigs. Most clubs didn't want bands playing original material so when they'd send a song list out to the places they wanted to play, they'd load it with covers and only mention a few originals to secure themselves a slot. Once they took stage, they’d sneak in as many of their own songs as they could. The band utilized the fact that there were five big clubs in town along with a bunch of smaller venues to ensure they were gigging every weekend. Of course they played plenty of fraternity parties as well.

The original line-up of Boy Elroy and the Jetsons released just one self-financed 7" single designed as a promotional tool to help them get signed to a record deal and go on tour. It was recorded in a couple days by Bob McPeek who owned Mirror Image, the premier recording studio in Gainesville. The songs were mastered and pressed in Nashville in a limited run and the single disappeared quickly. Boy Elroy and the Jetsons received radio play on local Rock 104 which helped them build a great following. The band even had the opportunity to play in front of 70,000 people at the 1983 Gator Growl, which is the pep rally for the start of the football season. Still, a major record deal never came their way.

In August of 1983, Rick and Martin were replaced by Fritz Godin and Reb Field. The new incarnation recorded one more song with Bob McPeek, "Silver Sweater," which they contributed to the Sink Hole Tapes compilation album. In the end, the band was barely making enough money to sustain itself and when other opportunities to make real money came along, everyone went their separate ways.

Martin went on to become an architect and is currently the director of the School of Architecture at the University of Florida and is playing in two music projects. Rick went on to open his own music store and now has his own sound and lighting company. Chas is a big time executive working with companies like Disney, Paramount Studios, and Starbucks. Mark is still playing music full time in Florida as a solo act.