PUBLICITY, POPULARITY, POGO STICKS, AND POLITICIANS

Merriam Webster’s word-of-the-day, for March 22, 2015, is “firebrand”. Their definition also included an article about “Top 10 Words from Trademarks”. The fifth example of a trademarked word, which became unprotected, is “pogo stick” . The history is detailed as follows:

In 1919, after a shipment of wooden jumping sticks rotted en route from Germany to the US, George Hansburg patented and trademarked a metal version: the Pogo.

He introduced it to the chorus girls of the Ziegfeld Follies, who used the stick on stage. The ensuing Pogo fad of the 1920s even included a couple getting married on them.

But by 1921, pogo stick was being used generically, and pogo is no longer protected by trademark.

But if one continues the trail and investigates articles with “pogo stick” and “politician” an interesting story reveals the details of an experiment back in 2003 by Phillip Cowley. Phillip, during a 2011 broadcasted lecture, revealed his identity as the teenager, Jason Whiley, who in reality was drummed up at a pub by Philip and friends. The gist of the prank was the imaginary Jason wrote to British politicians asking them “if they had ever been on a pogo stick or space hopper.” The article goes on to say

… replies he got from politicians were all genuine: his (appalling written and frankly moronic) enquiry produced more than 80, including from 27 Cabinet Ministers, four Prime Ministers, three Chancellors of the Exchequer and two European Commissioners, many of whom also enclosed pictures of themselves. ‘Jason’ used the replies to create a website, called Statesman or Skatesman, which back in 2003 attracted widespread coverage, from the BBC to the Stuttgarter Zeitung to the Times Education Supplement ‘Occasionally’, as the TES put it, ‘a pupil comes along who has just a bit more spark than average’…. http://nottspolitics.org/2011/05/26/of-politicians-and-pogosticks/

Phillip Cowley then continues his discussion on the value and time politicians are spending with their constituents at the fault of neglecting their legislative duties or the good of the nation.

“Yet there must now be a real concern that MPs are so focused on the parochial they have no time for the national, let alone the international, picture. “ In other words, I suspect that any imaginary Jason Whiley who’d tried a similar exercise in 1953 would have got a much less enthusiastic response than the one in 2003 – simply because MPs then were not so used to replying to letters.

While the British system is based on Lords and Commoners, Let’s look at this incident this experiment, as it relates to us in America, where a class system does not dictate (or does it?) who serves or is elected as a legislator or representative.

• Are American politicians sending out an image of jumping on pogo sticks?
• Are American politicians sending an image of relating to the voters? of spending any time with their constituents?
• Ironically, there is an organization called “POGO” an independent nonprofit that investigates and exposes corruption and other misconduct in order to achieve a more accountable federal government
• How much is the much-ado of a popularity rating merely a spin by the media and not a reflection of the actual time and efforts which the representative is here in the district or hearing from constituents. In other words, out of site out of mind.
• Are we really a system of elected and protected wealthy and connected; keeping the voters busy with nonsense, rumors, drama, crisis, and irrelevant statistics

So how does this apply to you today, in 2015, as a small business owner?

Would you toss out a letter asking you to respond about pogo sticks or would you use it to publicize your business? Would you let the community, your customers, those who have not visited your brick-and-mortar or online store; would you let them know how much you know about pogo-sticks AND MORE?

Please come to our teaching discussion, our seminar, on March 26th in Burbank where we will discuss “Selling Your Name” and the attributes of Social Media for self-marketing, Media Hubs, Twitter, Facebook and how to successfully direct your online presence.

Best of Times Antiques 3401 Magnolia, Burbank 4pm – 6pm Tickets $20