Hmmm.That's Even More Interesting

Don Grose
"It's never too late to get hot !" Okay...there.
I'm on record as actually having said on the golf course the other day...now , before anyone pictures
me in a cute little cheerleaders' outfit ( that's just
one of those things that results in an involuntary -
weoaiugh...blech ) or anything...picture four middle
aged ( and that's being kind ) men playing golf - badly - to a man - and it was on a men's night - where
all it takes is a birdie to have the chance to win something - and in my defense - we hadn't seen the
beverage cart in awhile - and it just struck me that
it broke the silence more suitably than a little more
overused profanity...Enough of my foolishness.
On a more serious golf related note...
Tiger's absolutely magnificent triumph at the British
Open has left me reflecting on a number of things
I have long felt to be true - but that I am sorely
so discipline depleted that I have never been able to
use them to my own benefit. First - you canot dispute
Tiger's ability to design a winning plan - and stick
with it. He hit one driver at the British Open !
Over four rounds - one driver ! I have often asked
the question .." on many a shorter golf course would
a fellow not be smarter to simply take all trouble
out of play and shoot for the 150 marker at every
chance. If your approach on every hole was close
to being the same shot - if you weren't good at it
before - you'd soon get a good feel for it....let
me see....take trouble out of the equation - and
leave yourself with a very comfortable, and familiar
shot in...seems like a strategy that would work for
the recreational golfer...( now let me see..how
many holes are there where I don't hit driver...
the par threes and our two shorter par fours...but
that's at Oakfield my home course...on a shorter course I'm not sure I'd pass that test.
The other thing is...how many times in the Open did
Tiger just put the peg in the ground, walk over and
whack it...Tiger approaches each shot absolutely the
same way ( after he tells the idiots with the camera
phones to kindly give him a break..I wouldn't have
been that polite )...a pre-shot routine is something
I know all good golfers rely on and most bad golfers
ignore...
It all begs the question...how come I only develop
bad habits ? Perhaps with age will come wisdom and
salvation...I can only hope.
Ad Tip Du Jour !
It's okay to hate your commercial...you know - I
absolutely swore off buying Keiths beer when they
introduced that whack-job with the fake British Isles
accent and his loud obnoxious " Spilly talker" routine
and the like...Gawd I hated those commercials !
But you know...the 18-24 year old males Keiths wanted
to reach all loved it...fact is...Keiths didn't care
that I hated their commercial..
I detest most beer commercials...like the current -
" Hey there are six Canadian missing ( from the
bottom of the lake )...I find the creative mind numbing
and insulting...but again...they aren't produced
for my entertainment. Bottom line is you can
absolutely hate the commercials written and produced
for your company..but remember - chances are you
already shop there.
Til next time - HIttem long and hittem straight.
Don

It Was Only Right

Don Grose
Chris Demarco could have won..Ernie Els could have
won...Sergio could have won...anyone of a number of
golfers could have won...but it was only right - and
after the first round - it was inevitable that
Tiger Woods was to successfully defend his British
Open Crown. There was no other proper winner.
There was no one else destined to win..there was
no one else so determined to win..there was no one
else who could have won. After Tiger Woods eagle on
14 in one of the early rounds - everyone could have
gone home-unless they were prepared to battle it out
for second. Tiger Woods made a statement when he
sank a four iron from the fairway on the long par
four. This British Open - the Open - was his and he
would entertain no other options. Some threatened -
he answered their thrusts with parries keeping them
an appropriate, respectful distance behind.
I will resist the temptation to compare Phil Mickelson
with the true champion donning his Crown in Liverpool, England yesterday.
Tiger's emotional outburst upon sinking the final putt, his sobbing , complete loss of control was
predictable - so very predictable - and the only
possible way for Tiger to one final time, publicly
honor his recently lost best friend, and father.
The way he played - so disciplined - the way he way
he gathered himself in so short a time before the
awards ceremony - the dignity with which he carried
himself throughout the week and in his address to the
thousands on hand and the millions, including his
mother, who watched on TV...Tiger Woods is the golfers' golfer - the champions' champion.
Speaking of which...it's been six days since I
launched my outraged attack on the CBC ( blog July 20 )...but it's only been three days since I forwarded
my feelings to my Member of Parliament, NDP MP , Peter
Stoffer. Peter called me this morning. He identified
himself, thanked me for my message, told me my concerns
would be forwarded to the appropriate people, and the
call was over. I suspect that Peter heard from more
than me over the weekend. The fact that he personally
responded is impressive. I beleive he will get my
concerns in front of those who can do something about
them. Thank you Peter...
Peter has so inspired me that I am going to see just
how much I can accomplish today, so to that end I
leave you with thought on advertising.
If you are getting tired of hearing your ad on radio-
and are considering making a change...consider this-
whe your ad comes on your ears perk up like no one
elses..that's only natural..but remember - no one elses
ears are perking up like yours. If you have a good
ad that tells your story well addressing your customers
needs and concerns - don't mess with it. Watch to make
sure that your message has not be blurred or buried
by the writers need to be creative - the essential
element is that your ad address the needs of your
potential customers. Remember...buying decisions are
made everyday..your ad is working when someone
decides they need your product or service and you are
the first company about which they think.
You have a great day ! I mean it !
Got an advertising question ? Drop me a line..I don't bite unless you're masquerading like a philly-cheese-steak sandwich and a mountain of fries...Oh my Gawd -
I just popped a blood vessel...no, button on my shirt.
Til next time - hittem long and hittem straight.
Don

It's Only Right

Don Grose
Chris Demarco could have won...Ernie Els could have
won...but make no mistake...Tiger Woods winning the
Open - The British Open ...was the only result that
would have been right. Tiger Woods made a statement
when he eagled number 14 in an earlier round. He sank
his second shot from the fairway on the long par four.
"Gentlemen...bring me your best. You may get close
but this is my championship...and I will not be denied.
It is time to honor my late father." I will resist
the temptation to compare Phil Mickelson and a true
champion. Tiger had a plan - he stuck to the plan.
When someone threatened - he parried the thrust - and
in the end left them beaten. The outpouring of emotion
at tourney's end, how Tiger collected himself and was
able to address the thousands on hand - and the
millions including his mother watching on TV - the
dignity with which he carried himself all week - Tiger
Woods is the golfers' golfer - and the champions'
champion.
Enough of golf...It was eight days ago when I launched
my initial volley, born of outrage, at the CBC. It
was less than three days ago when I forwarded the
contents of my blog to my Member Of Parliament, NDP
MP Peter Stoffer. I have met Peter on a couple of
occasions over the years, and certainly seen him
many places serving his constituents, but I was very
surprised, and pleasantly so,when my phone rang
this morning and he was responding to my complaint and
my demand for action. It was a very brief call..He
identified himself, thanked me for my correspondence,
and told me would send it along to the appropriate
places. I think he will. I'm impressed he got back
to me - I suspect mine wasn't the only message he
received over the weekend - and the fact that Peter
responds personally - is something I respect.
Thank you Peter.
I have much to do...and Peter has inspired me to
try and accomplish as much as I can today...
I leave you with this ad tip...if you are tired of
hearing your ad on the radio and are considering
trying to come up with something new - remember -
When your ad comes on your ears perk up like no one
elses - it's only natural - but remember that no one
elses are perking up like yours...If the ad is
telling the story that needs to be told - leave it alone. As long as your core message has not been
blurred or buried by the writer's need for creativity -and as long as the key attributes of your customers'
needs are being discussed - the ad will stand up.
Remember buying decisions are made everyday and
at the moment the customer realizes they want what
you sell - you want them to have someone familiar
to which to turn - with which to connect...Your ad is
working when they don't have to think about it.
Cheers,
Til Next time - hittem long and hittem straight.
Don

Don Grose

Don Grose
The following is the heart and soul of an email that
I will send to my Member of Parliament ...
I can no longer sit idle and let this shameful waste
of tax dollars continue. As Members of Parliament
our representatives have a responsibility to make sure
that our tax dollars are not being frivilously spent.
I have to say that watching re-runs of the Simpsons
in the late afternoon on CBC TV disturbed me more than
a little bit when I first discovered it was happening
several years ago. I am sorry - but the Simpsons - and
programming of that ilk ( which was never allowed on
in our house when the kids were small - the Simpsons
and WWE were the only things I absolutely forbade )
do absolutely nothing to encourage our national spirit
or develop our native talent. The very fact that
the CBC cannot find anything better to broadcast in
afternoon prime time is just cause to shut the entire
operation down. The CBC does some good things - do not
get me wrong - but at what cost ? It is time that
someone take a serious look at the corporate extravagance that the CBC is allowed to wallow in !
It is high time that someone, instruct someone, to
get their heads out of their own behinds and make
these people accountable. This is all the result
of my drive home after a very pleasant game of golf last Sunday morning. This is Sunday...about 11:20AM.
Someone had suggested to me there was someone on
CBC I might enjoy on the weekends - but they weren't
sure what time they came on. So...I tuned in our
"tax dollars at work." 11:20 Sunday morning..the first
word I hear is F***.And for the next 15 minutes that
was the most common word I heard. There were others equally colorful but none more frequently used.
" Who do you think I am a fuckin' elder ? "
I was flabbergasted. Those who know me, know I am no prude. I am not often offended by language.
I am not a particularly religious fellow.
but I do respect the rights and feelings of others.
Whoever the shameless, brainless, unconscious, unfeeling, self righteous, dunderhead was, who was
responsible for that particular program airing at
that particular time, he or she should have worked
their last shift. These are our tax dollars at work !?
The program - and I am still not sure whether it was a
documentary, docu-drama, or pure fiction, was about aboriginal Canadians, native Canadians...and if I were a native Canadian I would be most upset at the stereotype our tax dollars are being used to promote.
I see two major problems with the program.
First the stereotyped nature of it.
Second the time the program aired. I would be
further incensed if I had been sitting with my
family with the radio on listening to the station that
I have no choice but to economically support and that
garbage had come on. It is high time that the CBC - both Radio and TV reviewed it's original mandate.
With the state of health care, education and roads
in this country we can ill afford to support a multi
channelled public broadcaster in capable of self
management. It is time that our national broadcaster
be scaled back to one TV station in english - one TV
station in French - and one radio channel in each
official language. As our representatives our
Members of Parliament have a responsibility to seek
this solution.
Good Day..

That's What I'm Talking About !

Don Grose
I make no bones about it...this column is, first and
foremost a blatant vehicle of self promotion...it's
to let anyone who reads it know the following -
despite more than a half century of abuse I have not
managed to extinguish my own personal, physical, flame...yet.
I have a number of interests to which career and
employment are connected - not the least of which
are advertising, marketing, commercial writing, golf
and music ( truth be known that pretty much sums up
most of my interests )...
I enjoy spots and I loooove to hear from folks that
I haven't had occasion to speak with in a while -
or that I have never met.
I heard this past week from Dave , someone who used
to be a neighbour, someone I used to play hockey with,
and someone I used to meet at the end of the driveway
to whine about the bonehead Leafs and how they would
once again break our hearts no matter how well they
were playing at the time...and yes, I am going to try to get my hands on the album by Mark Knopfler and Emmylou Harris - what an intriguing combination of souls....Dave's a good fella and it was nice to see he'd stumbled into my personal therapy
zone...which is the kind of secondary function for
this blog...I love to write...love to communicate.
Song writing has always been a terrific outlet but
this is soo much better..Songwriting requires inspiration, organization, dedication and persistence. The first verse or two of a poem or song often come easily but developing an effective hook, or refrain can
be very cumbersome - and it's not hard to identify,
those that are built or constructed as opposed to those that are natural and authentic or sincere.
Rambling provides the same benefit without the
required discipline. And as rambling I never look
back over it with too critical an eye wondering
whether the effort was worth anything...to anyone.
Now to sports..
Ron Lancaster, I owe you an apology. When I heard
the Hamilton TiCats were bringing you back to coach
I almost lost my breakfast. My immediate thought was-
that's the CFL - can't find anyone good so you get
somebody old. Lancaster's most recent coaching stint was hardly a success but you won your first
game so " good for you." Good Luck..
It's gonna seem strange to watch the Leafs this year
without Pat Quinn behind the bench...I think they
will be a better team without him but I always admired Quinn and the style of game he encouraged. I always
disagreed at how old he allowed his team to get and
I wonder if , had his job not been on the line every
night in Toronto if he would't have let more rookies
play early in the year so they'd be ready and the
vets wouldn't be worn out when the real season started.
Glad he turned down the Boston job.
Don't think the Jays will make the postseason.
I don't think Troy Glaus and A.J. Burnette for all
their talent and ability are the characters with
which you build a champion. I hope I'm reading them
wrong...I think the Jays are one consistent, reliable
pitcher away.I don't think Ted Lilly is the answer
either...
Ad Tip of the Day: Being in business without advertising is like winking in the dark..you know
what you're doing but nobody else does. Understand
what your potential customers are looking for - that's
what you need to be talking about....Does it matter
to your customer that you are the oldest company doing
what you do ? Probably not...Are you the best ? Now
that's important ! Don't try to sell me on how good
you are without showing me just what it is that makes
you better...what's important to your customer ?
How long you'be been in business, how big you are,
where you're located, mean diddly to me unless it
has direct impact on your customer. Find something
that matters and talk to me about that...and keep
talking to me about that until ...no...just keep talking about that.
As much as my personal preference is radio advertising
because I know how efficient and effective it is -
the fact is any advertising vehicle will work if you
use it correctly. That's another topic for another day.
I also want to talk about my latest experience with
the CBC...now more than ever an inexcusable waste of
our tax dollars.
Have a cheery day !
Til next time hittem long and hittem straight.
Don

Hmm..that's interesting...

Don Grose
I may just be fooling myself..I hope that's not the
case. For two recent games of golf I tracked my
putting. On both occasions I had fewer than 30 putts.
So...18 holes...two putts per hole is 36...And because
I don't historically chip in too frequently - and
don't hit my approach shots with pinpoint precision -
I am comfortable with the idea that my putting is
pretty sound..so..I conclude that weaknesses in my game this year are centred in other areas. Typically,
I am not long off the tee. But, I am , not always but
generally fairly consistently on or close to the fairway. I need to work on my irons. Having all this
information with which to work has been a good thing.
For the last couple of times out I have ( when was a
golfer ever given this advice ) taken an extra club and tried to swing consistently with the emphasis on
making good contact. I'm hoping a corner has been
turned. As luck would have it - on Saturday morning
just before heading our for our 6AM tee time ( yes,
that's nuts ...even for me )I happened to flick
on the Golf Channel. An instructor from somewhere in
Florida was recommending that when you get to the range
instead of concentrating on full shots, even with a
wedge, that you instead, put your feet together and
take half swings,with an eye to maintaining your balance and making good contact. It's funny how things
you've heard a hunrded times in the past finally sink
in. That was my sole swing thought as I approached
each shot that morning - and what a breakthrough.
For three successive rounds I was one or two over on the front nine - which is usually as long as I am able
to maintain focus - and while I struggled some coming
home - my scores and game were improved, significantly,
and I had a lot more fun...I'm looking forward to the
weekend ahead.
I had the pleasure of playing in the Danny Gallivan
Cystic Fibrosis Golf Tournament at the Old Ashburn
Golf and Country Club last week.
It was my first involvement in this event and I left
with the following observations.
There are many really, truly good-hearted, fine people
who work very hard to support very worthwhile
charities in our communities.
There is a natural, justice in this life that makes
it's prescence felt all too infrequently, but it
makes me want to share this story.
This tournament was started by a man whose two children
were diagnosed with CF as youngsters. In the 22 years
of this event, his heart and soul have been poured into it, in an effort to find the ultimate cure. In the last several years , both his son and his daughter succumbed to the disease but great strides have been made in the areas of treatment and life expectancy of those stricken.
In the 22 years of the event no one had ever
scored a hole in one on one of the holes to which
a major prize award was attached. That all changed last week when Ian Thompson aced a 205 yard dogleg
par three. Thompson was gracious in his words at the
dinner after and there wasn't a heart among the 200
gathered that wasn't touched...Nice.
Stanley Thompson left an indelible marking on the
Ashburn course...A little touch of the Highlands,
Digby and Westmount ( in Ontario ) right in the middle
of Halifax. Those who get to play it regularly are
very fortunate.
Don't look for a Mickelson victory at the British
Open..I wouldn't put a lot of money against Tiger
clawing his way back to the top.
Gotta go..I have a ton of stuff to do...
Til next time - hittem long and hittem straight.
Don