Today, We Say Thanks . . .

Veterans Day is celebrated on November 11 in honor of those who have served in the armed forces of the United States. The observation was originally designated in 1919 by President Woodrow Wilson as Armistice Day:

To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nation.

Wilson selected November 11 because the Armistice ending World War I had been signed on this date in 1918. Wilson wanted to make sure that Americans did not forget the tragedies of the war. In 1938, Congress passed legislation which designated Armistice Day as a federal holiday. The name was changed to Veterans Day in 1954 so that all veterans would be honored.

On Veterans Day, special services take place at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers in Arlington National Cemetery.

I am a baby boomer. I was born in peace time and enjoyed an uneventful childhood and adolescence. Then there was war. Many young men and women of my generation joined the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines … then they flew or sailed out of my life … forever. Yet, some returned, weary and battle scarred to a country that did not appreciate their sacrifice.

Today, November 11, 2009, we should remember them. To all veterans of all conflicts, whether alive and well, disabled, lying in Arlington National Cemetery or the Fields of Flanders or inscribed in the Wall in Washington :

God Bless You. Thank You.
We Remember

Tags: veterans day, armistice day, veterans, thank you

Upcoming Webcasts from SMN

Attend a Search Marketing Now Webcast - it's free!

Upcoming webcasts:

Thursday, Nov. 12- 1 PM EST
PPC Advertising and Geo-Targeting
Speaker: Dan Soha
Sponsored by Marin Software
Register now!

Dan Soha gives advanced tips and tactics for using geo-targeting in a PPC campaign. Find out how, why, and when to use geo-targeting in your paid search campaigns.

Tuesday, Nov. 17 - 1 PM EST
Making Online Marketing Relevant and Responsive: Tactics and a Tool for Success
Speakers: Shari Thurow, Andrew Hally
Sponsored by Unica Corporation
Register now!

How can you create a user experience that is customer-centric, targeted and responsive? Part I looks at how to build a user-friendly site, Part II shows a new solution that unifies web analytics, email marketing and web site personalization in one application. Tuesday,

December 1 - 1 PM EST
Ask the Search Engines: War Stories from the World Tour
Speakers:
Bill Muller, CMO of iProspect
Brian Kaminski, EVP, iProspect
John Shea, Account Executive, National Agency Team, Google
Rob Wilk, Director – Search Optimization & Strategy, Yahoo!
Patrick Harris, National Sales Manager, Microsoft Sponsored by iProspect
Register now!

Do you have a pressing question for the Google, Yahoo! or Microsoft? This webcast will be entirely Q+A, with questions from the audience submitted live and in advance. Based on previous in-person sessions like this, topics will likely include the Yahoo!/Microsoft deal; biggest missed search opportunities in today's economy, mobile search -- an much more.

Tags: search marketing now, free webcasts, ppc, geotargeting, search engine marketing

More on Marketing : Generation Y

MediaPost has a good synopsis the J.D. Power and Associates 2009 Teens and Early Careerist report.

MediaPost Publications Probing GenY'ers

. . . online conversation analysis of two subsets of Millenials finds that they are concerned about the current economic environment, and are becoming particularly value-conscious and focused on finding employers that offer stability and long term growth opportunities.

Despite the title (probing?), this post is full of information on the teens (14-18) and early careerists (22-29). However, I do wonder what the subset name is for 19-21 year olds? I could suggest a few, but I am prejudiced by having two Gen Ys in the house.

Tags: generation y, teens, early careerists, jd power, mediapost

Marketing and Generation Y

The rise of the semantic web and social networks has changed the face of marketing. Instead of marketing TO consumers, we now want to market WITH the consumer. Think of it as taking ENGAGEMENT to the next level. Basically, marketers will need to define their market and learn what matters to them, and not what marketing gurus say they want. To complicate the issue, Generation Y is further divided into teens (ages 14-18) and early careerists (ages 22-29).

Participatory Marketing Network (PMN) is a partnership formed by Michael Della Penna and Ragy Thomas with Pace University’s Lubin School of Business' Interactive and Direct Marketing (IDM) Lab. This network is one of the first Gen Y ongoing research panels.

If you have an interest in marketing and Gen Y, you should visit the PMN website and read the research reports, blog posts and find out about their free webinars.

Tags: pmn, participatory marketing network, pace university

Get the Gillette Career Advantage

Being unemployed in any economy is devastating. Today, the competition for each job is incredible. Every person needs an edge to make them stand out from the crowd. Gillette wants to help men with a review of grooming and products as well as a tips to me to find new employment.

Gillette(R) commissioned Harris Interactive(R) to conduct a survey of 500+ human resource professionals. The results were not surprising: 92 percent of HR professionals believe well-groomed individuals look more confident; 84 percent of HR professionals agree that well-groomed employees climb the corporate ladder faster than those who are not well groomed.

If you visit the Gillette Career Advantage website, you may read or download the Gillette Hire Guide, which provides easy to understand tips on how to ensure your chance for employment success by improving your appearance, grooming and personal hygiene.

Once you have pursued the Gillette Career Advantage, visit the Gillette Resource Center. Read Keeping Up Appearances in the Workplace Advice from style and grooming expert, Brett Fahlgren. You may find some quick tips in Ten Simple Ways to Rise Above the Competition Advice from communications consultant and career expert, Mark Jeffries.

Are clean shaven cheeks, well-groomed hair, clean white teeth and nails, conservative hairstyle and suit with matching shoes going to guarantee you employment? No. But with the help on these two sites, I believe you might get that edge you need to succeed.

Tags: gillette career advantage, gillette resource center, harris interactive survey