Sorry Burt Brothers...We've Moved On (Literally)

 In days past, the message that hit my phone at 3:43 a.m. might have been welcomed (not at three in the morning, but you get the idea...).

Those days are past.

I understand the process. To the company, I'm a small bit of data, a few lines of code that tells their computers to spit out an e-mail to notify me of rewards and promotions that are available to me.

If' you're not familiar with the tire company, they're a local concern with several facilities available to service people's vehicles--they focus on tires, but they can do most other repairs as well. They built the Farmington branch years--even decades--ago. I used them. My in-laws used them. They were local and convenient. My nephew even worked there many years ago.

Were they good?

For the most part. 

I know people who swear by them, and others that swear at them. Like most relationships, there's good and bad, ups and downs.

Many months (possibly years...) have passed since we showed up at their front door. They reached out to me in the middle of the night, asking me to return, to re-kindle whatever flame that once existed, to remind me of what I was missing. Yes, breaking up is hard to do, and in the end, I terminated the e-mail as we have the relationship...

With closure.

Saw This...Thought It Was Effective

 Last week I was picking up some food at a local diner. Instead of waiting in line in my car and using the Drive-Thru, I decided to go inside and order. There is no inside eating (like it is with many eateries...) but I was able to order and soak in the restaurant's ambiance.

That's when I spotted the interesting tables. 

They had a clever idea of rounding up ads from local businesses and laminating them atop the tables. 

There was a time when I thought I'd make a career out of marketing. It's a tough world, especially because there's no "final answer," no "best way of doing things." In marketing, imagination is vital, at least, how I understood it. Sure, you can run statistics and use numbers to justify decisions, but I think there's a lot of "gut feeling" when it comes to marketing.

That's why I thought the tables were genius. Local businesses can advertise as people chow down. As with all ad campaigns, you never know just how effective they'll be. Will the diners actually look at the ads? Will they decide to use Mountain Transmissions over another transmission shops just because they see the ad while they scarf down a burger and shake?

I'd like to think so.

Unfortunately, as I said before, in-eating dining is not an option. Too bad...all those ads not being seen. Even a good idea can have its drawbacks.

Signs In A Pizza Joint...

 We're slowly getting to know the area. We've visited both local groceries stores, both local furniture stores, both local hardware stores, the post office, the city offices, the dry cleaners,  and a local restaurant or two. You can learn a lot about an area by visiting the places people go to shop. You can also find out a lot about the kind of people who own the businesses by what they hang on their walls.

At the local pizza joint, Pizza Plus, home of their famous breadsticks (they are SO good...), they have a few things hanging on the walls. The one on top was the first one I saw, then I saw the others. I just had to get pictures of them. They also had several pictures of old Tremonton. That section of the restaurant didn't appear to be open. Next time I'm going to check out those pictures. I love seeing life the way it once was.

There was also a mini-shrine to a couple of Bear River High School athletic teams, specifically, the 2016 Bears football team, a baseball team, and some "thank yous" from the students. Funny...didn't see anything after Trump was inaugurated. Coincidence...? Maybe.

The restaurant had my daughter-in-law's business ad hanging up and I appreciate that. It's always good to spread the word. Yes--you can learn a lot about a community by the pizza joint they serve. Ours seems to be a fun place that offers great food and provides a fun place to eat.

Within reason, of course...