Tag Archives: e-tail

Red Calipers: after all these years…

As many of you may know I have always been interested in cars. Maybe you read one of my articles or saw pictures posted. Since early 2007 I have owned a brand new 2007 Pontiac Solstice. I have kept this car bone stock; aside from a dealer installed front end stiffener. The car is with me when in New York or Florida and to date has covered 80,000 mostly top down pleasurable miles. The car is pampered from detail to mechanics and driven as it was meant to be. It took about 50,000 miles for it to develop a well muffled throaty sound ripping through the gears of its 5 speed automatic transmission. This car still has a bumper to bumper GM service contract kept in force and renewed every 3 years. From all I have said you would believe that I totally love this car just the way it is not exactly.

I have always paid attention to small details that set any car apart from others. This car gets scheduled cleaning inside-outside-under the hood, seals rubber gaskets are treated twice a year with paste silicone, the original top is treated once a year, nicks and scratches are meticulously attended to, all plastic lenses are polished twice a year, the optional 18″ wheels and 245 directional tires are polished and prepped monthly, alignment camber/caster/ toe-in-out checked annually, all black trim is treated as needed, and because it only has the Pontiac chevrons I am often asked “is that a—-?” My reply is usually no it’s not a “this or that” it’s a 12 year old Pontiac; and they reply “they made that” and I smile. Because of its short 3 year run this car never evolved like many of our iconic brands however a vast after market of products does exist. I have always admired a minor detail on many high end sport imports; colored coated calipers. This was a detail I wanted for my car. The following is an account of how I did it.

I have a fairly well equipped garage and workshop however I did need a few things that I made or sourced new and used. I needed a breaker bar, torque wrench, electric impact wrench, jacking pads for my car that I made, wheel lug impact socket, and of course a red caliper ceramic paint kit. I had my Cowrc TurboJet blaster, low profile hydraulic jack, work lights, creeper, 3/4″ ply wood strips to raise the car 1 1/2″ inches to clear the jack and jacking pads, buffer for the wheels, polishes, cleaners, etc. I did one side at a time over 1 1/2 days. You could save time if you lift the whole car at one time. I started by breaking the lug nuts on the ground, then inserting the jacking pad in the front position and lifting one complete side, then positioning the jack stands as pictured and lowered the car onto them, I then removed the wheels with my impact wrench, I marked the tire position and put the wheels aside. Cleaning the calipers was easy with a small wire brush and emery cloth, using my air blaster to blast away all the dust, then I drenched the area to be painted with cleaner and again blew it dry. Using a 1/2 inch lettering brush I applied the caliper paint waiting 20 to 30 minutes between coats, 3 coats were more than adequate, because of my art and graphic skills I did not need to mask anything. Between coats I used my pressure washer to clean up my wheels back side first then front, I then polished and buffed them put tire dressing on and put them aside, I also cleaned and dressed the wheel tubs. After 24 hours of drying I replaced the wheels using the impact wrench and once on the ground set torques for each wheel in a star pattern in three stages 55 lbs-80 lbs-100 lbs. I also checked the tire pressures and adjusted as required. I hope this was helpful and simplified your preparation to do this project. I am very pleased with the results and sure you will be too!.

Contact me About Advertising Then and Now!

If you’re a business owner, student, advertising and marketing professional; or if you just need a sounding board. I may be able to help. My career has been full of interesting conversation. So contact me and perhaps, we may start a dialog that is beneficial to both of us. Just fill out the contact form and I will be in touch.  
alan at work
thinking about advertising…

The Big “SALES TAX” Dilemma!

“Wow…Geee…I can’t believe…B.S….Not Fare….I give up…Great…It’s about time”…Yes yesterday June 21st 2018 marked the day that the United States Supreme Court put into law that all states should collect sales tax on internet sales. Everyone who is Continue reading The Big “SALES TAX” Dilemma!

Black or Bleak Friday!

Retail’s Black Friday has been around since merchants went from red to black on their sales ledgers around the Friday after Thanksgiving. There was a time that Black Friday sales were like the icing on a cake, topping off a successful year or surviving another year, and customers waited with dreams of savings on this very special day: today customers have seen one day sales turn into preview day and day after sales and so has Black Friday expanded. Black Friday has become the expected not the phenomena for both consumer and marketer.

As with all great advertising and marketing campaigns some remain timely and others go. Just a few decades back it was O% financing and 10% off!

10% OFF and 0% financing ROP print ads

Over time certain campaigns seem to always work: Grand Openings, Birthday, and Going out of Business sales. This all went well through the 1900’s; and with the  start of the new millennium it all has changed. Our buying habits have changed and so has the marketplace.

Many of you may remember the effects of; multi-sectioned  newspapers, cable television, paid for radio, on the way merchants went to market. Today we are reached with new and very different delivery sources and media “the internet and social media”. Advertisers and marketers don’t control e-commerce audiences and today you can go directly to your audience without traditional media. It is no longer “Location, Location, Location, its Audience, Audience, Audience for many successful businesses.

One thing that has remained constant is that there is only a certain amount of money divided among the merchants in the market place. This money is spent as consumer see fit. The 2017 Holiday Season is unique, there are 5 weekends between Thanksgiving and Christmas, 31 Shopping days and the stronger influence of e-commerce and cyber Monday.

In 1863 President Lincoln declared Thanksgiving would be celebrated on the Fourth Thursday of November as a way to unite the nation. In 1939, 1940, and 1941 President Roosevelt moved Thanksgiving to the third Thursday of November to lengthen the shopping season; that was quickly rescinded when congress acted in 1941. The fact is the holiday season ranges from 26 days to 32 days. My experience indicated that although the amount of days to shop is important, 4 or 5 weekends has a greater effect on traditional retail with a 1 week lull after Black Friday and a very strong last weekend of sales before Christmas day. Another factor is that within the weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas was a Chanukah Bump during the 8 day celebration. The 5 weekend season also creates a 5 weekend campaign as opposed to 4 this certainly can affect profits and the bottom line.

This year “Amazon Days” success proved that targeted audience marketing is a force to reckon with. Retailers are aggressively positioning themselves to capture their share of the holiday season. Consumers are checking the ads, the internet, and are prepared with smart technology devices. Statistics’ will declare the winners and losers of the 2017 Holiday Season and the evolution of the market place will continue…So Black or Bleak lets all hope the spirit of the Holidays Lives On…

By the way “Yes Virginia there is a Santa Clause

All the best for a Happy, Healthy Holiday Season & New Year 2017 alan b. meschkow

AMAZON DAZE!

Thoughts on Mass Media and Audience Driven Markets…
 I have always looked at businesses as living breathing entities. Just like the people who own them and the people who frequent them; businesses are affected by time and the changes time brings.

My years in the adverting industry during the mid 1960’s through the early 2000’s were dominated by traditional retailing and B to B activities. At first new technology and computers changed the Continue reading AMAZON DAZE!

Conversational Literature

about my motivation & style…

Since the beginning of my career like it or not I have written creative or information based copy. In my quest to create art that works I have sat through meeting after meeting where creative ideas were volleyed back and forth and left with the task of,  meshing art and copy that followed.

speaking at a newspaper in education presentation

Sometimes it was a meeting on how to catalog items and specs, sometimes annual report cover letters, sometimes product copy or sales material, sometimes company direction or position that had to be formulated. The fact was if I wanted to serve a client’s needs I had to listen carefully, sculpt their thoughts into copy that was satisfactory, and delivered a believable message. Continue reading Conversational Literature