Trinidad Carnival 1957

Take a look at what Carnival was like in the yesteryear. Today its quite different but most of the inspiration, motivation and original concepts of this celebration are still very much alive.

Enjoy this short clip.

CARNIVAL HISTORY (TRINIDAD CARNIVAL)

How to Lose Stubborn Belly Fat, Get Flat Sexy Six Pack Abs the Right Way

When Trinidad And Tobago Businesses Advertise Locally They Get the End of the Stick with Doo-Doo

Critiquing The Snail Pace Evolution Of The Advertising Industry In An Emerging Market


As a small cosmopolitan emerging market with strong economy and a population of 1.3 million people Trinidad and Tobago is an ideal model to showcase the development of information industries.

The local advertising industry specifically, has not kept pace with what is accepted as normal in the more developed markets.

It is accepted that media advertising is an indispensable revenue generating tool for most businesses. In fact, every year local businesses shell out literally billions of dollars to advertise their products and services.

Ninety percent of those dollars spent on advertising is never leveraged. The professionals in the industry continue to prey on the ignorance of their clients. Well “prey” might be a bit harsh word to use when most of the clients run like lambs to the slaughter, money in hand to purchase full page newspaper ads or high frequency TV ads at premium prices. And most of them know exactly what they want because it’s their money and their business.

All of the media establishments to include all the local daily and weekly newspapers, radio, television, advertising agencies, and magazines sell high priced, ineffective advertising. Truth is that they should all be forgiven, for they know not what they do. Only in a rare exception are advertising results measured.

Businesses and individuals purchase advertisements for one reason and one reason only; to sell, rent or some how enter into a transaction with their targeted consumers.

There are the exceptions as in the case of well known companies using it to maintain their brand, image or top of mind awareness For example, RBTT, First Citizen’s Bank or in the case of large international conglomerates like Pepsi and Coca Cola.

Then there are extraordinary exceptions where government ministries advertise their programme with out any intention of generating revenue or acquiring employees. It is extraordinary that the responsible authorities would take out a full page ad to inform the pubic of the existence of something like the CEPEP programme. Questions are rarely raised. Read More

Profitable Humpty Dumpty English

Stand Up For Your Rights

We should all learn this marketing lesson from Digicel TT, one of the two cell phone providers in Trinidad & Tobago. This company spends millions wooing customers then they enforce operating policies that recoups insignificant investments in phone chargers. Yes, you read that right, phone chargers.

Here’s Digicel’s unwritten policy: Customers get a 30 day warranty on every cell phone purchased but there are no warranty on accessories. Their humpty dumpty language says that "chargers are accessories" the meanings of accessory has changed so as not to make Digicel liable for defective chargers. One would assume that intelligent people running such a huge company would be able to rationalize that chargers are "necessities" not “accessories”.

But here’s the kicker; this particular redefinition has nothing to do with profit because I’m sure that chargers are not profitable to Digicel. After all, they are selling AIR TIME in the tune of millions every month.

This is the marketing lesson: don't do unto your customers what you will not want done onto you. Most will not raise a fuss and just purchase the charger. After all, they have just purchased a cell phone that in some cases cost as much as $3000 TT. Buying another charger is simple. Then there are those who will not bend over...

Their response is,”dey go hear mih mouth, ah go give them back belly and side”. But take my advice, the best approach is to seek out the help of the Telecommunications Authority of Trinidad and Tobago (TATT). These people are there to help even if they “never hear bout that”. They will call the people at Digicel Headquarters who will quickly accede and promise you a new charger on the condition that you come to headquarters in Maraval to pick it up. Even if you purchased the phone in Penal, consider yourself lucky because now you can actually purchase more air time from Digicel.

In a country where wise governance for the people created an environment where almost everyone must use two cell phones because of the extremely high cost of crossing networks, we are left with no other choice. We either drop out and be digitally isolated or grind our teeth and take it. As we all know before Digicel we had different problems so why complain about buying chargers.

Now in a two phone country, without choices we cannot, NOT use Digicel services but we can put in place our own personal policy that we would just not bend over. We will be very vigilant and find ways around being willing victims. When we feel aggrieved, first we will let them know and if we get no satisfaction, seek the help of the Telecommunications Authority of Trinidad and Tobago TATT.

Above all stop crossing your fingers hoping that someone is looking out for your interest.