Wrong Number

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The good thing about Bell, the Canadian phone company, is that it serves as the perfect example of what *not* to do in business.

It appears that Bell has quietly dropped two of its fake fees. But sadly, it hasn’t dropped all of them. Bell, through one of its sister companies, actually referred to its fake fees as a “made-up fee.”

Bell is currently in the midst of class action lawsuits regarding its System Access fee (aka “government licensing fee”) and its 9-1-1 fee. Both of these cell phone fees were just recently cancelled. Although in some areas of the country, the fees still linger for some unknown reason. To be fair, the two other cell carriers are also involved in the same lawsuits.

Why wouldn’t a business tell its customers that it has eliminated some fees and has thereby lowered prices? Read on.
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Corporate Photo Library

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I received an e-mail from the communications director of a large insurance company who’s thinking about creating a photo library of their key employees. He was looking not just for a price estimate but also suggestions on how to start this project. He realized that having an up-to-date photo archive would benefit his company many times over. However the communications director wasn’t sure if his company would even go for the idea.

Newspapers have long known the value of having their own photo library. Various levels of government and some universities also have photo archives. This is done for both public relations and historical purposes.

In today’s digital world, setting up and maintaining a photo archive is quite easy compared to the old film days. So why are many businesses so slow or hesitant to do this?
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Out Standing Out

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sports photographer

Does it feel like you’re working in a crowded market? Too much competition and not enough elbow space for you to grab the ball and run with it? How can you get the attention you deserve?

The easy answer is always, “Be different. Set yourself apart from the others.”

But the million dollar question is, how do you set yourself apart from the crowd? Do you have to be outstanding to stand out?
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Royal Pain

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Another long post.

I just finished three days of following Prince Charles and Camilla through Toronto and southern Ontario. The Royal couple are currently on an 11-day official visit to Canada.

My first thought is that this is a colossal waste of taxpayer money. I can’t imagine how many millions of dollars are being spent on this. Many events were not open to the general public and most media events were only for a handful of pre-selected media organizations.

However if you consider, or at least pretend, that this is a marketing or public relations event, then perhaps it might be money well-spent if it had been properly planned and executed. This applies to all marketing efforts and not just royal visits. The client, (in this particular case, the Canadian taxpayer), must get their money’s worth.

Why spend time and money promoting a product, service or brand when that effort is only half-assed or squandered? Why just go through the motions? Marketing success needs both media and public exposure. Otherwise it’s just a tree falling in the forest.
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Priceless

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There’s a joke that asks: “If price and worth mean the same thing, why do priceless and worthless mean the exact opposite?”

Price is set by the seller and worth, or value, is set by the buyer. Price is usually influenced by various market conditions and worth can be affected by marketing. The two are connected.

Ideally, a client wants high-value photography for free. On the other hand, a photographer wants their images to sell for a very high price. Does this mean that a photographer and their client are opposites?
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Bad Business Slogans

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A slogan or tagline can sometimes be good for a business. Creating an effective slogan requires careful thought, correct spelling and good grammar. Here are some photography business slogans that may have missed their mark:

• We’re #1 in service and inconvenience

• Best Profressional Photographer In Town

• Fully expreienced perfessional

• Not just a photographer but a lens maestro

• Other photo studios come and go. We’re not going anywhere.

• Why go elsewhere and be cheated? Come to us first.

• Passport pictures – Come in and get your head shot.

• We’re not satisfied until you’re not satisfied

• If you’re in a hurry then so are we

• Our prices show that we care for your money

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Paid Placements

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When photography is licensed for editorial use, public relations, or certain other uses, there will often be a licensing clause that states that the picture(s) may not be used for “paid placements.” A few folks have asked what this means.

“Paid placement” is simply any use that requires the company to pay a fee to have the photo(s) published. Paid placement includes, but is not limited to, advertising.

One could argue that all business communication is a form of advertising. But let’s look at three general types of photography usage.
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