Scholar's Choice - Permission Marketing

I am a strong believer in Permission Marketing and the practice of having email recipients opt-in to your distribution lists. So I am always impressed when I find those practices working. I had been receiving emails the whole month of December from Scholar's Choice an educational toy and supply store at least twice a week it seemed like. They let me know of upcoming discounts and special evenings where I could save even more on products such as Playmobil and puzzles. Often I would just delete them as I wasn't interested that week and sometimes it felt like the frequency of the emails was a little strong; although forgivable seeing as it was December and Christmas was right around the corner.

This leads me to today as it is Boxing Day in Canada; the day that all our retail stores offer amazing discounts on their products very much like Black Friday in the United States. I woke up and chatted with my wife a little bit about if we were going to brave the stores and get some deals. I turned to her and said "Let me go see if I got an email from Scholar's Choice yet." Sure enough there it was. They had met my expectations and delivered the relevant information that opted in for.

That right there is an email marketer's dream!!! We want our recipients to value the information we are sending out, for it to have value and meaning in their busy day with something they can act on. Kudos to the Scholar’s Choice marketing team!! The only thing I can think to suggest to them would be to possible segment their lists and messages based on how people shop with their business; online versus brick-and-mortar. If I am known only to shop in-store, then an email about an online deal isn't as relevant to me and the same would be true vise-versa.

What emails do you look forward to recieving and their absence you would notice? 

Could I go vegan?

I find myself suddenly rethinking the meal choices I make for myself and especially for my family. Lately I've been more willing to spend an extra $1 or so at the grocery store to buy meat that is free of antibiotics and hormones, but is it enough?

Last night my wife and I watched a video on the NutritionFact.org website called "Rooting the leading causes of death" and it was pretty eye opening as well as humorous. Here is the link:
http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/

It got us thinking we should consider a plant-based diet. But how easy will it be for someone who has grown up on meat as a part of their diet all their life. Part of the problem is that we have also grown up with the idea or lies that it must be part of a complete diet. It is hard to know what to believe so we want to ere on the side of caution. But first I think we need to completely understand what this decision means.

Obviously we will be eating less meat at home. But what about when we are out and about, how easy will it be to find restaurants. (Especially since myself and youngest daughter are picky eaters as it is.) Another concern is when eating at a family members home, or them eating at our place. Will we constantly have to justify this life choice? And how much do we influence this on the kids. (I am not even sure if 'influence' is the best word to use.)

Needless to say this will be an interesting journey and I can't promise how far we will make it down. But our health and the health of our kids is worth the fight.

Inspiring Young Canadian

My six-year old daughter has been singing an unfamiliar song a lot lately. She often sings songs repetitively so I've trained myself to drown them out but a few words in her song broke through that filter and caught my attention. International... Space... Station.

I had to stop doing what I was doing and listen a little closer. I heard her correctly so this required a few questions, the first being ‘What are you singing?’ She was learning a song at school for the year end performance. That answer was followed by her knowledge that a Canadian astronaut named Chris Hatfield was commanding the International Space Station right now.

My first thought was what an amazing role model Chris Hatfield is. Years ago at Conestoga College I actually got to meet him at an event and remember being impressed back then by what he stood for. Now a whole generation of young Canadians can be inspired by his example and can keep the dream of space exploration alive. Truly his reach is international so it is more than Canadians he is inspiring, but we get to experience that extra pride as a nation for his achievements.

The second thought is what a great social media marketer Chris Hatfield is. If you haven't been following Chris Hadfield's tweets you should be. He has been sharing amazing photographs of our planet and they are really something everyone should see. I can see my house in this one. He's done an amazing job creating visibility for the Canadian space program through his pictures on Twitter. And as well with the song I have now been exposed to that he sings with The Barenaked Ladies “Is Somebody Singing” which can be viewed on YouTube video down below. Commander Hatfield put a lot of thought of what he was planning on tweeting since he only had one chance to bring up any needed props. It is a great idea for companies to have a social media calendar and plan ahead; so kudos to Chris for showing us how its done.

Have you seen any images from the International Space Station? Do you have any favorites?

Fairy Dust and the Quest for the Egg

I had just finished reading the most amazing book to my two daughters (6 and 3) and had to write a quick review of it. The book is 'Fairy Dust and the Quest for the Egg' by Gail Carson Levine. It was published back in September of 2005, and currently it is available in hardcover, paperback and audio CD. We borrowed our copy from the library but I can foresee us buying this book.

The story begins when a new fairy without a special talent, Prilla, comes to Never Land and she tries to find her purpose. A hurricane strikes the island and the magical egg that keeps everyone from aging breaks during the storm. It is up to a team of fairies to restore the egg and save the day.

This book really expands the character and world of Tinker Bell from the Peter Pan story and movie from the 1950s. The author, Gail, does amazing job at expanding the mythology of the Disney Fairies that goes beyond their natural commercial appeal. We find out where the dust comes from that gives the fairies flight. That fairies are at risk of dying if children stop believing in them. And that there is a dragon that lives on the fabled Never Land.

I am a huge fan of the television series LOST and my girls are a little too young to be introduced to that show. So imagine my delight when in the book, the island is revealed to be a character too with LOST-like qualities. It decides who gets to come to its shores and it moves and morphs to help our heroes on their quest. Plus anyone who is a fan of the Desmond episode 'The Constant' from season four will have a special appreciation for Prilla. (I'm stretching it a bit with that example.)

Because it is about fairies, this book is primarily targeted towards a younger female audience. But I found it comparable to stories like The Hobbit or Lord of the Rings so I think a lot of Dads would enjoy this story. Characters are thrown together to solve a problem while facing impossible challenges and making personal sacrifices. It is a basic premise that works wonderfully in this story.

I'm also excited to learn that there is a sequel, "Fairy Haven and the Quest for the Wand" by the same author. The girls and I have found that book at the library and are currently reading it. I'll let you know if it lives up to the first book.

What books have you read to your kids that you were surprised you really enjoyed?