Can't sell your house? Bury a St. Joseph Statue.

That was a news story offered by Sean Hannity on Sunday night Nov. 30. Wow...that's real journalism. Interviews with people who solved their personal challenges in this harsh real estate market by burying a statue of the "patron saint of home sellers" St. Joseph.

That is some real tough, deep and fascinating journalism. Wow, who would have thought that after months of someone failing to sell their home they buried a statue, kept the faith and presto chango the bid comes in ... the house is sold...and all is great...just by having faith in a buried statue.

And to the think that the news never reports good news. You betcha Sean...you report good news ... dontcha.

Sean, any ideas what I can do with an Elvis statue?

Is this the time to light your house up like Time Square?

Not according to a mediacurves study. Compared to last year Americans have a far more negative perception of the neighbor that decks out their house so that it is visible from a space shuttle.



Big surprise...what does this ostentatious tradition suggest to regular folks? Among other things it suggests they are show offs. Not a good time to give this impression when people are digging in and conserving resources.



Could it be a case schadenfreude?. Does the pain of others during this time of economic panic allow these show offs to feel even more powerful during a time when they should be showing modesty and control? Macho folks stopped buying Hummers in part not to look like energy spendthrifts yet these holiday loud mouths light up neighborhoods and waste energy, money and natural beauty to create these monstrosities.



So guys, before decking out your house like a Christmas tree (Christmas trees are in houses and away from the view of neighbors) think of the message you are sending.



Bah Humbug!

Joe Six Pack, Sarah Palin and The Republican Governors Conference

Sarah Palin is being touted by the media geniuses as an important force in the Republican Party. Her appeal....connecting with Joe Six Pack.

Is that a good thing? Is that good positioning for a candidate or a political party? I wonder how many people who consider themselves a representative of Joe Six Pack mentality would like to:

-Be defended by Joe for a crime they didn't commit
-Have a triple bypass performed by Mr/Ms Six Pack
-Have Joe fly their plane through rough weather while over the North Atlantic
-Let Joe teach their kid calculus in high school
-Have Joe design their next house, automobile or computer
-Retain Joe to get them out of tax trouble

Does Palin get press as a future force in Republican politics because of Media fluff or do Republican Party strategists believe that someone who will lead us in war, world economic competition, energy solutions, Middle East Peace negotiations, et al has to appeal to Joe Six Pack.

Truth may be that Joe Six Pack would rather go to an elitist with experience when he needs a complex job completed...like maybe a leaky heart valve...rather than let's say Joe The Plumber.

Maybe its time for the Republican Party to understand that rewarding Joe Six Pack with Joe Six Pack leadership is no reward at all.

Media Consultants Blew Hundreds of Mil on TV and What did They Buy

Negatives....Criticism and flat response from voters. But why?

• 2008 ads were clichés. Generally Independents/undecided voters were neutral or negative
• For the vast majority of the negative ads the most prevalent emotion reported was skepticism
• Rarely did the ads focus on real problems; rather they created made up issues like: Who is a celebrity, Number of
Houses Owned, who associated with terrorists etc and voters rejected these story lines
• Based on results of Mediacurves Studies viewers of ads rarely reported being attentive to 2008 political ads
• Themes were not developed and claims and attacks rarely seemed in context with the positioning of the campaigns
• Rather than focusing on strategic ideas, 2008 media consultants followed the news and tried to make trivial events
important

When life is good and the electorate is generally content negative ads can create some differentiation in perception of candidates; when life is hard and there is a sense of doom voters look for anwers.

The media guys ran 2008 as if it were 1988 and then failed miserably.

Tina Fey as Sarah Palin ...Sarah Palin as Sarah Palin...Neither changed votes

Tina Fey's imitation of the Alaska Governor decreased the favorability of the VP Candidate. Sarah Palin's appearance on SNL increased her favorability, modestly, among all voter segments.

But neither helped nor hurt intensity of support for either of the tickets.

So, no repeat of Nixon's Laugh in bit which Hubert Humphrey suggested may have tipped the balance in the 1968 election. Palin on SNL was a flash in the pan which may have improved her Q score but nothing more.