A Good Ending To 2015

Things were a little hectic at the office in December. It is usually a busy month but this year it seemed to be more jam packed than usual. There were also a few pleasant surprises scattered across the weeks that had me wanting for the month not to come to an end. And all of this really started months before in our planning process.

At the beginning of the year, we put together general outlines for the public relations and media activity for each of our clients. While nothing ever goes exactly to plan, we have a good handle on where the high and low points are going to be during the year. What this means for us is basically we are able to adjust our focus slightly from month to month depending upon whether more research, input, writing, or media outreach needs to take place. Well, December is not a time to be prepping, the final month of the year is one of action.

The conversations that I have with those in the media during this month are the ones that will color the following year and being able to provide them with what they want, within the frame of our pitching efforts, is what can make or break the season. And I make it a point to make everyone happy with the outcome of our outreach. By the end of the month we were able to provide publications with some great interviews and articles and our clients were happy to see themselves included in publications such as CNBC, Yahoo! Finance, The Chicago Sun Times, The Arizona Republic, USA Today, MSN Money, and Credit.com.

It was a great way to end the year and our clients entered the new year with a pleasant sense of satisfaction. For me, it was nice to be recognized by the clients for not just the work that we did in December but throughout the year with our clients seeing an increase in coverage, year over year, of approximately 40%. Back in the office, it was also the time of year when the owner of the firm recognizes all of us for the hard work and long hours that we put in throughout the previous year… it was time for the annual bonus which is always welcomed and greatly appreciated.

However, with all the great things that happened at the end of the year, it was also time to start thinking about the overarching annual plan for 2016. Not only are we coordinating those hours allocations mentioned above but also setting the goals for the new year. 2015 was great but 2016 is going to be even better and I am already excited to see the results.

Psycho Cyber Monday

Over the last couple of days I have done a bit of online shopping to fill out the rest of the gifts my wife and I have been meaning to pick up for the holidays. It was also a good time to pick up the Secret Santa (or as I call it the Hidden Hanukkah Harry) gift for the person in my office whose name I picked out of a bowl last week. While we were limited in our gift giving last year and we still are this year as well it seems as though the discounts are significantly steeper this year than in any other year I can remember.

Between general coupons and sale prices on specific items the prices seemed to have been at least 50% below the usual cost. Some items were around 90% off. Maybe they were last year’s style or a step behind in the evolution of technology but it doesn’t bother me and you really can’t tell unless you study the products over and over again. So while we may have gone into this shopping season thinking that we were going to spend a bit more, it looks like the budget will remain relatively the same.

One of the interesting things that came about this season is the announcement byAmazon.com regarding the future use of drones for thirty minute delivery. While it is interesting to hear grand ideas being proposed, some would even say a little nuts, it make you wonder if these people have really given enough thought as to the logistics of such a project. In this particular instance, beyond the FAA, regulation, and security issues surrounding such a drone program what is the communications network going to look like to support this endeavor? Based on my experience, this is something that would need a kinetic mesh network (look it up, it is the best option).

It’s the same mentality that overcomes many people during this holiday season when people head into the retail trenches with grand ideas of getting the best possible gift while spending as little money as possible. Inevitably, somewhere along the line, if the right systems and limitations are not in place all those good intentions seem to evaporate. The timing has to be right, the mentality has to be ardent, and the finances have to make sense.

But, if everything is in place, and the right steps are taken, these kinds of grandiose endeavors can be successful and tremendously profitable. Think about the meeting of these two worlds. Image sitting on the train on your way home. You place an order for an ink cartridge you need to get some work done that night. You select the 30 minutes delivery option and by the time you get home you are ready to go. With such a sharp increase in the success of online and mobile sales, the hyper-expedited shipping option could be a game changer in future holiday shopping seasons.

However, I worry. Essentially, the greatest beneficiary of such a program would be the consumer while the greatest liability to such a program is the consumer. If someone is willing to tase a fellow human being in a store I doubt they would have any issue with taking out a drone.