Continuum Solutions’ Post

Did Coke create Santa??? Hope you enjoyed a great Xmas and the magical vibe all around! Today most people agree on what Santa Claus looks like —a pleasantly plump character with a jolly expression and a white beard, wearing a red suit?? Right? It seems it wasn’t always the case. The image of Santa Claus ranged from big to small, and he wore colors from red to green and even brown. The variation is because Santa represented several stories from different countries. The Coca‑Cola Company began its Christmas advertising in the 1920s in an effort to increase sales during the slower winter months. Several different images of Santa were used, but none proved to be popular with consumers until 1931. As per the company's own website, Archie Lee, an advertising executive for Coca‑Cola, commissioned illustrator Haddon Sundblom to paint a Santa that was both 'wholesome and realistic'. Sundblom took inspiration from Clement Moore poem “A Visit From St. Nicholas” and his own Scandinavian heritage to create the big, red, jolly vision of Santa that the Company used for more than 30 years. The Company commissioned Sundblom to paint Santa for the last time in 1964, but by then, the popular image of Santa was the Coca‑Cola Santa Claus. So yes, while Santa is not a creation of Coca Cola; modern day imagery of Santa is a result of efforts to deseasonalize the beverage category!!!  #marketinglegends #culture #santa - The world needs more Santas!

A brilliant man said to me, "Take a piece of bread and it's worth 10 cents. Add a second slice and a piece of cheese and suddenly you have a sandwich that sells for $5.99" And that's the real gist of selling and marketing, isn't it? How do we fulfill a convenience, a want, or a need and pack it up in a pretty package to make it appealing to the consumer? I was at Publix last night and a 6-pack of chocolate covered strawberries was priced at $5.99. Instead, I bought 2 lbs of strawberries and 1 bag of chocolate chips. Melted a tablespoon of coconut oil in with those chips and dipped all the strawberries. Dusted a bunch of them with dried coconut. Total price: $10 Quantity: 48+ berries. According to Publix pricing, I could make a hefty profit off of these. 🤔 And/Or I saved a bunch of money by doing it myself AND adding in the dark chocolate I wanted and dried coconut. Making these is the only way that I've ever celebrated Valentine's Day. I might secretly hope that someone will surprise me and spoil me with love, but that's never happened. So for many years, I've spoiled my kids with love and chocolate covered strawberries, in a pretty package 💖💕🍓 (but I've digressed...) In any case, the whole thing has me thinking about what I have that costs 10 cents, but I can sell for $5.99. 🤔 Feel free to shout out ideas! And happy Valentine's Day! #ValentinesDay2024 #JessDoIt💎 #SalesAndMarketing #Sales #Marketing

Storytelling is really powerful. #storytellingmatters #marketingmagic #translatingtales #wordwonders #brandstoryteller #copywriting #translationtreasures #storycrafting #transcreate #digitalstorytelling #xl8 #english #greek

The number one tip I will share in sales is never sell your product or service.. But then sell what? Sell how it made the other user feel, how it helped them, how it is so convenient. Sell how Ashely could deliver her brother the thanksgiving gift effortlessly and not why she should deliver the gift with your assistance. Sell feelings! #salestips #salesmarketing

Customer services can be fun too... this made my day! I received an interesting enquire from a customer named Mrs. Thompson about our silicone bibs. Mrs. Thompson called us and asked, "Can your silicone bibs handle spaghetti explosions? My grandson is a master mess-maker." I reassured her, "Absolutely, our bibs are designed to tackle mealtime messes." She chuckled, "Great! Do you think they also work as an impromptu superhero cape?" I laughed, "While they're not officially superhero gear, they can certainly make mealtime feel like an adventure." Mrs. Thompson replied, "Alright, one more thing. Can they make my grandson love broccoli?" I smiled, "I wish they could, but they're not magic bibs. They're just great at keeping clothes clean." Mrs. Thompson ordered a bib and said, "Well, at least they'll save his outfits from spaghetti storms. Thanks for your help!" In the world of e-commerce, even practical products can bring a touch of humour and joy to our customers' lives. #ecommercebusiness #customerexperience #customerservice #customerservicetips #funatwork

Trying to make a Christmas wish list but have nowhere to write it? ✍️🤷♀️ Then today's prize will be right up your street. This gorgeous wire-bound notebook has plenty of space to write all your Christmas wishes and even your shopping list so you don't suddenly remember you forgot to buy the cranberry sauce on Christmas Eve. As usual, if you want to get your hands on this prize, follow the 2 steps: 1️⃣ React to the post 2️⃣ Tag someone in the comments that you think would like the item. Why not also add what is top of your wish list this year to drop a hint? 😆 #brandednotebook #promotionalmerchandise #christmascountdown #brandedproducts

My Worst Valentine's Day Ever. Back in 2017, Dough Man Foods was barely a year into operations. February 14th was going to be our first Valentine's day, and little did we know that it was going to be the worst day in our history as a company. We came up with the heart-shaped doughnuts idea and only did it so we could stage a photoshoot. Then, as usual, we blasted the images to everyone, tagged everyone on Facebook, and just sat and waited for the d-day. That Tuesday morning started as normal. I had plans to take my girlfriend out, so I packed extra clothes so I could change after the day's work. The first order came in around 6 am, requesting for 12 heart-shaped doughnuts by 8 am. That was a good sign, or was it not? Before 7:30 am, the number of orders had surpassed the quantity we made for the day, so we had to quickly dash into the production kitchen to begin preparing dough. The dispatch rider who would deliver these 20 plus orders came in around 8:30 am. We had missed some order timelines already. Tempers were starting to get a bit edgy. The phones were just ringing; the messages were just pouring in. Myself and my two co-founders, Karen and Prosper, were completely overwhelmed. We decided to turn off the phones, sort out the orders we had before taking on more. Wrong mistake! 😅 Our social media posts on Vals started gathering comments. Our DMs were flooding with messages. People who knew our personal numbers were calling. Others were texting. Some were trying to get their orders through. Others were trying to follow up on their orders. Others had already sent money and were trying to get their order through or get a refund. We were literally frozen on what to do. Stupefied is the right word. For hours, we blacked out, unable to answer calls, unable to respond to texts. Confused. Karen gathered some courage and started sorting the orders we had. I followed suit until we got the orders out. We had a lot of remaining products we couldn't deliver by 6 pm and a lot of angry customers to deal with. I couldn't even go out on the Vals Date anymore. At least Karen understood the situation, so I was okay on that side. But the only thought on my mind was today is the last day of Dough Man Foods. The whole world was angry with us. How were we going to face tomorrow? How were we going to get away with ruining people's Vals Day? How did we get around it? I'll tell you tomorrow.

Do you want to stand out in the Christmas gifting game? 🎁 You want your clients remember your brand by sending something special but you don’t have time to trawl the internet sourcing multiple different gifts, suitable for everyone’s differing needs. You don’t need to! Our chocolate is not just a free from chocolate, it’s an inclusive chocolate, great for those with special dietary requirements and those without! It tastes amazing too! 👅 Our process is super simple. Markie recently came to us for her business Christmas gifts. 1: We had a brief chat about budget and the number of giftees. 2: I gave her some options choose from. 3: Markie picked her favourite. 4: We delivered the gifts. Job done! ✅ It’s as easy as that! 🎁 No minimum order quantities. 🎁 Super quick and easy ordering process. 🎁 Gifts that leave a mark with your clients/prospects/employees. 🎁 More time for you to do other things - like put your feet up and have a mince 🥧 pie! 🎄 If you’re ready to order your mouth-wateringly memorable gifts without lifting a finger, I’ll meet you in the DMs! #LuxuryGifts #BrandedMerch #Gifting #Merch #Gifts

The Countdown to Good Vibes and Cookie Connection As we get closer to #ValentinesDay, we think it’s important to celebrate all kinds of good vibes - including camaraderie, respect, and appreciation as we share in our professional and personal lives. 💗 🍪 We often get so caught up in deadlines and targets that we must remember to appreciate the people who make our professional journey worthwhile. Our colleagues, our mentors, our teams, our leaders - they all contribute to our growth and success. 💯 And it doesn’t have to be a grand gesture. At Hot Box Cookies, we offer an easy step-by-step process for our corporate clients to indulge in something sweet, from heart-shaped cakes to red velvet ice cream sandwiches to beautiful tins filled with fresh, all-natural cookies and a thoughtful note. Let’s start the countdown to creating memorable experiences leading up to Valentine’s Day by spreading appreciation and positivity in our professional and personal networks. 🎉 Since we have a busy season coming up, pre-order today before we sell out! The deadline for pre-orders is February 8th. For organizations interested in placing corporate gifting orders over 400 in quantity or more, please connect with Whitney Henderson; she will streamline the process for you. Submit your corporate pre-orders via our website here or get in touch with us at sales@hotboxcookies.com: https://lnkd.in/gEWa2V58. #EmployeeAppreciation #CorporateGifting #HowDoYouHotBox #HotBoxCookies

I cost my mom a sale. When I was nine, my mom signed up to work for Country Peddler, one of those MLMs. Picture a Tupperware party where they sold farmhouse chic decorations to ladies. My mom was nine months pregnant at the time, so I came to help, and she paid me. I was ecstatic. We arrived at the party host's house, unloaded and set up the goods, put out some yummy snacks, and waited for the guests. My mom did her presentation. People perused the catalog and placed their paper orders (it was the 90s). One woman planned to order the least expensive item. In the catalog, it looked like an oversized bowl, when in reality, it was teeny-tiny. Nine-year-old me would simply not have this. I interrupted the sale and jumped up to show her the product, which wasn't visible from the display because, well, it was tiny. Once she saw the size, she changed her mind. It cost my mom the sale. The customer was happy she didn't buy a product she didn't actually want. My philosophy then and now is to keep your customers happy, even if that means losing the deal. Clearly explain your products and offerings; better if you can show them. No one wants a thimble when they think they are buying a salad bowl. Want to run a pitch by me? Want to practice your practice description? Let's chat. #businessdevelopment #marketing #lawyers