Is it really THAT bad?
aka drama has it's place
In today's edition of Burke's Bits:
Is he really dying or is it Man Flu?
Marketing Tip
From the Research Files
Pun of the Day
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Is He Really Dying or Is It Man Flu?
The moan was low and deep.
I ignored it.
The moan got a bit louder.
I ignored it.
When I finally ask “Are you okay? What’s wrong?” he almost whispers in a raspy voice “Nothing, I’m fine. I’ll be okay.”
Then back to the moaning.
Yes, my friends. Man Flu is now in the house.
If I were to believe my husband, it is 10x words than COVID and just as deadly.
Wrapped head to toe in our warmest, softest fleece blanket he is swaddled and settled on the couch.
I lean down to kiss his forehead. He weakly says “No dear…please don’t…I don’t want you to catch this…omg I’m dying”.
I assure him he’s not dying. Handing him a water bottle I tell him it’s infused with echinacea to help him fight this demon aka a bad cold. In his weakened state I’m not sure he’ll be able to manage holding the water bottle, but he bravely comes out from inside the blanket and grasps it in his hand and then slowly sinks back into the blanket.
He doesn’t have the flu or Man Flu - which, by the way, seems to be a real thing backed by a couple of recent science studies. He has a cold. I know it isn’t flu because there is no fever, no sweating, no wincing in pain when I touch him. He’s decided he needs attention … loves the attention he’s getting … and is going to milk it for all he can.
I’m not complaining. I’m laughing…well, chuckling. I often tell him his penchant for melodrama is a good thing because while other people have toddlers and teen-agers…I have him.
Yes, he’ll live. A few aspirin, a lot of water, and a bit of rest will have him up and about in a day or two. And in the meantime, I get a bit of entertainment.
I think drama - melodrama included - has it’s place. In my world it’s a great way to entertain…to emphasize…to get attention…to indulge in a bit of self-deprecating humor.
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Marketing Tip
We all know that if you add a story to your marketing, the market responds.
Remember the Nescafe Taster’s Choice Instant Coffee soap opera commercials? Aired from 1990 to 1997, the campaign played out over 13 episodes. The production was magnificent - plots and staging as engaging as any drama on television. Quite compelling…
The couple met when she ran out of coffee during a dinner party and knocked on the new neighbor’s door and learned he had just what she needed. In the second ad, he was entertaining a woman at dinner when she stopped by to return the jar.
″Look, I’m busy right now but ... perhaps?″ he asks at the doorway. ″Perhaps,″ she replies as she turns to leave.
As their relationship progressed, the audience learned that the suave and single gentleman's name was Michael, and that the woman was a divorcee with a grown son (her name was never disclosed).
The 13th - and last - episode ended as a cliff hanger. Her ex-husband made a surprise visit and was still in her apartment when Michael arrived to pick her up for a date. Michael was clearly disturbed. The spot concluded the next day with her former spouse calling to apologize for creating the awkward scene.
"I'm sorry about last night," he began. She interrupted with a tantalizing, "I'm not." Fade to black.
In the beginning it worked. Sales for Taster’s Choice instant coffee rose 10% over the next 4 years. Likely they continued to rise a bit or leveled off. Then in ‘96 sales must have begun to drop because in ‘97 a new commercial was introduced.
Good storytelling will win the attention of your audience. Remember to tie your offer to the story so you can also win their purchase.
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From the Research Files
aka random bits of info you may or may not be able to use in your life
I know! The above marketing tip would have fit perfectly here. Not to worry, though, I do have something from the vault that I can share.
Soap operas first appeared on US radio in 1930s and early 1940s. The first daily soap opera broadcast was “The Guiding Light”, which premiered on NBC Radio January 25, 1937. Early radio soap operas were primarily sponsored by soap manufacturers such as Procter & Gamble and Colgate-Palmolive.
What Is A Soap Opera Filmmaking Lifestyle.
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Pun of the Day
What did the two coffee enthusiasts say when they got married?
We’re meant to bean together!
With Gratitude,
Charlene Burke
Let's Connect
I don’t know what I’d do without coffee. I’m guessing 25 to life.