When I was 12 or so, a friend of mine and l used to hitchhike into Oakland from Lafayette, the small rural community in Contra Costa where I grew up.

There were movie theaters in Oakland, and we would thumb our way in and catch movies like The House of Wax. And then thumb our way home. You could do that in those days.

A few years later, when I was 16, I got a summer job in a factory in Oakland. I ran the freight elevator at the California Peanut Factory where I would haul oil drums of chocolate covered raisins and caramel infused “turtles” from the upper bakery floors down to shipping. I made $1.00 an hour and netted $32 a week after taxes.

After work on Friday, I would cash my check, fill the tank of my ’53 Chevy and drive north about 135 miles to Blue Lakes and meet several of my buddies who had also come up to this beautiful resort area after a week of work. Someone always brought a trunk load full of 6 packs of Oly. I don’t know what kids drink these days, but back then it was always Oly (short for Olympia Beer). No drugs on the horizon in those days.

There were always girls, and another “gang” from the local area with whom we would occasionally “duke it out.” Then back home on Sunday night. This was the pattern all summer, then on to the senior year of high school.

After high school, college, and graduate school, I was living “the good life.” I had a decent paying job and was living on a gorgeous golf course. One afternoon, I was listening to Robert F. Kennedy (I was a big fan). It was 1968 and he was running for the U.S. Presidency at the time.

He made a speech and said something similar to what his brother John had said: “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.”

RFK’s statement was not exactly that wording but very similar. And something about it motivated me to want to reach out and help my fellows. I had a management position at a retail gig at the time, but had a Master’s Degree in American History and was not using it. So, I reached out and found that I could teach a night class in American History to people who had not graduated from high school. These folks had to pass a test on American history to get a diploma and, thus, a better job.

The class was all African American adults. They were coming to night school for the class. And where was this class? It was at the “infamous” Oak Tech (Oakland Technical High School (“infamous” because besides all the Black Panther Party support there, it was a bit later that Oakland school superintendent Marcus Foster was gunned down by the Black Liberation Army in the early 70’s).

This was 1968, the height of the civil rights movement. And while the Black Panther Party was formally founded at Merrit College in Oakland by Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale, Oak Tech was a “sister” school and boasted the first female member of the Black Panthers, Joan Tarika Lewis. There was also a great deal of student activism there and the formation of a black student union, which was somewhat revolutionary at the time.

Another notable Black Panther was Eldrige Clever, who joined the  Party in December of 1966 after being released from Folsom prison. He subsequently became the Minister of Information in 1967.

In 1968, Clever published Soul on Ice. A collection of essays mostly written in Folsom. The book sold hundreds of thousands of copies and became one of the defining books of the “black power” era. However, in that year, he led an ambush on Oakland police officers. Two police were injured as was Clever. One 17 year old Panther was killed.

Clever jumped bail and fled to Cuba. And the rest, as they say, was history. But not in this case. After travels to Algeria, France and North Korea advocating revolution and black power, Clever became disillusioned with a violent approach. He began studying religion. He returned to the U.S. and avoided jail time. He was put on probation. He eventually joined the Mormon church and became a conservative Republican. Talk about a 180!

Later, in the ‘90s, I was at a Christmas party with a number of executives of my church. I turned to talk to someone, and three feet to my right was none other than Eldrige Clever talking to one of the executives. He was helping disadvantaged youth in Pomona at the time.

I was tempted to approach him and relive a little Oakland history but decided against it. He died in 1998 at the age of 62.

But I am getting ahead of myself. A short time after the teaching gig at Oak Tech, I resigned from the management position at the corporation where I was engaged in banking, credit and finance and went to work for a bank, the headquarters of which was…. you guessed it…in downtown Oakland.

I later joined another bank in Beverly Hills and there ran into an old friend of mine. We subsequently became partners in a business management company that handled the financial matters of entertainers: actors, actresses, producers, directors, screenwriters and rock stars. Rock stars who, it turned out, performed several concerts in Oakland.

After two decades of Hollywood rock and roll, I sold my interest in the company and moved to a small community high in the Los Padres National Forest north of Los Angeles where, with technology these days, I am still able to do financial consulting, write a financial newsletter and manage my long-held survey company.

The air is pristine; the views are stunning and there is wildlife everywhere. And when I go for a walk here, I don’t hear sirens and horns, I hear bluejays.

A view from my deck.

Today, as I sit on my deck, I happened to catch an article of a drug bust wherein the perpetrator had a baby spider monkey named Violetta that was taken to the Oakland Zoo.

And it is this news of Oakland that sends me back in time and prompts this short retrospective. Because the news up here in the mountains is…well…. here’s a recent email from the Property Owners Association.

On Monday (tomorrow) October 6th at 4:30pm, the Bear Committee will meet in the Pavilion. You see, there are so many bears here that there is actually a property owners committee here to deal with them (and their welfare). The bears don’t inhibit my work (other than the time one lifted our garage door and pillaged the salmon in our second refrigerator there). But bears aside, I still am able to write a financial newsletter, to which I would encourage you to subscribe as I am (modesty aside) accurately calling the movements in the precious metals markets as we move through an historic bull market – I also cover crypto and some stocks: https://tinyurl.com/588jatd2. And it is with modern technology that I am also able to manage my widely heralded survey company from that deck overlooking a glorious national forest. https://ontargetresearch.com. So call or email me if I can be of service helping with financial / investment advise or providing surveys for your company. And Oakland? Oakland has been through some rough times over the years, but according to news reports, things are improving of late. I wish the city well. And if you are looking for a place where your walks are punctuated by the sounds of bluebirds talking and the air is like breathing candy, let me know as there are some cool homes for sale up here. Best, Bruce br***@**********an.net 818-397-1401

I was a banker.

I enjoyed it, but “confession” because some people find the profession objectionable.

Of course, it depends on what you do with it. For those on the good side of The Force, it is a profession that enables one to help.

But that’s right, earlier in life I was a senior credit officer. First, with a bank in the San Francisco Bay Area and later, after moving South, with a bank in Beverly Hills.

So, later, when I went into business for myself and had created my survey company, I had a deep understanding when conducting market research and surveys for banks.

And what do you think is it that customers most want from banks? Well, what is it that you most want from your bank?

Mostly, bank customers want an actual relationship their bank – a personal relationship. A check bounced (with a painful overdraft fee) but you’re sure there was sufficient funds in the account. Or some other banking mishap, but try to talk to someone who understands and is willing to help.

Or maybe you managed to have established a relationship with the branch manager or an account executive at the branch….And then they move – they get promoted to a management position out of the branch. Or maybe they are hired away by another bank.

Surveys often provide a company with gems for the marketing department, but there are times when they can open the door to operational changes that can expand  – can improve – an existing scene.

I worked with the President of a bank based in Los Angeles. Armed with the above information, they issued policy that loan officeers would not be promoted out of the branch. They would get raises (to keep them happy and to help prevent them from being hi-jacked), but they would stay where they were and service their customers.

This bank actually became known for this policy. At this bank, your banker would “always” be there for you. The bank became very successful – very profitable. After years of strong success, they were eventually bought by a big Japanese bank for an eye-watering price.

There was a similar situation at U.S. Bank a decade ago.

Banking was changing and the bank found that customers were becoming less satisfied with existing services. Yes, more were banking online, but help was still needed with other services.

The bank conducted extensive surveys.

Customers found the branches “intimidating” and wanted digital tools inside the branch to reduce wait times. They also wanted advice and solutions not just digital transactions. You know, someone they could talk to.

The bank launched a program called “Smart Branches”. They redesigned branch layouts to make them feel more open. They added self-service stations for quick, in branch transactions. And they conducted training for the tellers as “bankers” enabling them to have advisory conversations with customers.

The Results?

• Customer satisfaction went up 27 percent in those areas where the program was implemented.

• Cross-selling of loans and investment accounts increased double digits.

• The branches using the new design produced two and a half times higher profitability per square foot than the older branches.

Well done surveys can reveal outstanding “Hot Buttons” that can help pump sales to all new levels. But sometimes they can also open the door to operational changes that lead to handsome expansion.

A few years ago, a client contacted us. They were going to relocate their company from the northern part of the country to Arizona. They provided a service that was primarily used by seniors – not exclusively, but primarily. And they wanted some surveys done to get a sense of the market.

Often times, when conducting surveys for clients, we get some demographic and some lifestyle information: what periodicals do they read, where do get their news? That kind of thing.

It turns out that the senior population in the city into which the client was moving watched a particular TV news channel by an overwhelming majority. Given this information, the client, who had not used television advertising in the past, decided to give it a try.

They moved South. Got set up and then purchased some advertising on this one particular station. And right out of the gate, their business boomed. Instant success.

Sometimes you hit a home run your first time at bat.

And the last time I checked, they were still thriving big time.

The point of this short story of course is that surveys can not only provide some powerful marketing material, they can also uncover operational opportunities that can take sales and income to a whole new level.

Could a survey help expand your business?

We would love to help you find out.

Best,

Bruce

Bruce Wiseman

President & CEO

On Target Research

www.ontargetresearch.com

Br***@**********an.net

1-818-397-1401

The brand is British born but has always carried a kind of a sexy glamor internationally.

The famous Jaguar SS 100 made it’s debut in the late 30s.

https://tinyurl.com/bdhpdw9m
And several models have subsequently served as transportation for British royalty over the years. Queen Elisabeth II “…was also particularly taken with a humble Jaguar X-Type family five-door– clocking up a healthy 70,000 miles, more often than not taking the wheel herself.” https://tinyurl.com/mv7teap7

Here, in the U.S., Steve McQueen drove a Jag XKSS

While Frank Sinatra drove a model XJS

And like one of the one of the funniest comics of all time, Peter Sellers, who bought an E Type Jag for his then wife, Britt Ekland, I too bought a Jag (coupe) for my wife in the 90s.

But that’s a story for another issue. The reason I have shared a bit of background about this classic auto brand is to comment on the commercial Jaguar put out a few months ago.
I intended to write an article covering both the Cracker Barrel logo fiasco and the Jaguar commercial as well. But I just got the first part done and sent it out.
I had a lot of feedback on that article. Not all of which was simpatico with my point of view. Which, of course, is what makes the world go round.
I will be charitable; the Cracker Barrel logo change was an error in judgement. A mistake, a bad mistake, a $100 million dollar mistake. Still, they scrambled and fixed the logo and cancelled the remodel and we’ll see what happens to the stock.

But the Jaguar commercial wasn’t a mistake, it was…(take a deep breath) an intention to crash the brand. I know, harsh comment.
But then, I am presuming you saw this commercial. In case you missed it or want to see it again, here it is: https://tinyurl.com/2wxurj78
The picture below is a still from the commercial, which is essentially these people in various poses. No words are spoken. No cars are shown. Just some of these people silently placed in different positions. At the very end of the 30 second commercial are the words Copy Nothing and then the word Jaguar.
I repeat, no dialogue, no cars. Just humanoids of varying skin colors dressed in loudly colored outfits.

The blowback on showing the commercial was helacious. Still, the General Manager of Jaguar sought to justify it, noting that the “COPY NOTHING” line is to ensure the public knows that Jaguar is original.

I monitor marketing mercilessly. I love good commercials. Modesty aside, I have made a few based on positioning we have conducted. But I have a problem when the landscape is littered with commercials that damage brands. It doesn’t matter that the advertiser is not my client, schluby ads make me mad. It’s like there’s a beautifully maintained landscape and someone comes along and throws trash on it.

And recently there have been these two commercials that dirtied the park, and I wanted to say something. Cracker Barrel was a bad mistake, but they reverted. The Jaguar commercial was an intentional degrade of the brand. You may find that a stretch. I don’t.
I have no idea why, but whoever created that commercial did so with malevolent intent.

Jaguar is very capable of great commercials.
Try this one: https://tinyurl.com/sn75kxcp

Very cool!

And to prove that truly great car commercials can be made. This one gets my vote for the winner of the academy award for the best auto commercials of all time. https://tinyurl.com/3e4fnxps

It was the bizarre Jaguar commercial that prompted this brief article, but let me close with an offer of help: one doesn’t have to be a rocket scientist to know that shoddy marketing damages sales or the corollary that effective marketing that talks to your customers at their level drives sales and income.
If you’d like me to take a look at your marketing – your website, email marketing or other issues, let me know. I’ll be happy to review how you are promoting and give you my viewpoint at no charge. I have been helping companies market their products for 30 years. I’ll be happy to share with you what I have seen work.
Just contact me via the info below.

Best,
Bruce

So, it turns out that before this new CEO at Cracker Barrel, Julie Feless Masino, who nuked poor Uncle Herschel off of the company’s logo, has been bouncing around corporate America for years like a mouse in a cheese factory looking for a tasty block of cheddar. Before Cracker Barrel she was at Taco Bell (where she created serious customer backlash for cutting favorites off of the menu). Before that, at she was at Mattel toys. She had come to Matel from Sprinkles cupcakes. But these gigs were preceded by Starbucks. Macy’s, Godiva Chocolate, J Crew and….

Let’s say she’s been around. No question, she landed a good gig at Cracker Barrell where her annual compensation last year was a tasty $5,000,000. Yum. Especially since her attempted $700,000 dollar face lift of the brand tanked the company’s stock $100 million. In fact, the company’s share price has fallen almost 60% since she became CEO.

This is something Kim John Un would be proud of.

But according to Julie, customers love the rebrand, calling customer response, “Overwhelmingly positive”.

That’s funny, because according to news reports, the “minimalist logo sparked immediate and fierce backlash from loyal customers and online communities. Many felt the redesign stripped away the brand’s nostalgic charm.” AP News

From this

To this

Apparently Julie was unaware of the fact that a logo forwards the brand and it’s message.

MacDonald’s Golden Arches

The Nike Swoosh

The Macintosh Apple

The Starbucks logo (where she worked).

The customer and investor backlash was instant and brutal.  The company quickly put Uncle Herschel back on the logo and much of the $700,000 remodel was cancelled. I read one press release yesterday that said Julie had been fired. But others simply say she is under a lot of pressure.

I don’t wish her ill. Instead, assuming she still has her job, I offer her what was the obvious solution to her challenge and would be the solution to such challenges going forward: SURVEY! Ask your customers, ask your prospects. Restaurants survey regularly. Here’s  the results of one we did.

“The business we received from these surveyed menus was phenomenal. Our take-out business increased 150% in just a few days. It has leveled off in a range about double what it had been before the survey was done.”
P
PB Manager

Of course, you don’t need to own a restaurant to take advantage of the
fantastic marketing intelligence that surveys provide. We just completed a survey for a client who has been in business for 3 decades. And in so doing, the client, very surprisingly, uncovered points about what her prospects thought about the service she delivered she was unaware of. This instantly provided some new marketing channels for her.

This isn’t rocket science. You would have thought our friend, Julie would have asked her customers. Next time, Julie….

And if we can be of any service to you by surveying your existing clients or prospects, give me a call or shoot me an email.

Surveys are inexpensive and just might help increase sales and income.

Best,
Bruce