Did anybody else see/hear about this?

laurenclaire1386 · April 2011

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/os-orlando-unemployment-cape-20110415,0,6523849.story

Thoughts? I'm headed to lunch so this is P&R.

redheadfsu · April 2011

Oh gosh. Of course it is Florida. We are a silly state.

aragx6 · April 2011

The news media's new favorite story is to find these teeny tiny expenditures, call them wasteful, find three supporting quotes and pat themselves on the back.

Obviously I don't know all the details, but as a marketing campaign I think this makes a lot of sense. Everyone is out there crowing about the deficit, but the real economic problem that is affecting the day-to-day lives of Americans is employment.

The problem? Few people are talking about it at this point -- it's old hat. This group needs a way to make their presence known, and I think this is a clever way to go about that. If folks don't know the job-matching services of this agency exist, then they've done no one any good.

I am certain if they'd spent their money in a much more droll way such as plastering sad-looking people's faces on a bus no one would be complaining.

crfische · April 2011

I don't even think I have words about my feelings on this. But if you could see my face, you wouldn't need words. BELEE DAT.

Moneypenny424 · April 2011

Oh dear God. So, I'm supposed to demean myself and wear a cape publicizing that I'm unemployed? Why not just have me wear a sandwich board? Or a scarlet U?

I assumed people would get paid to do this, like you would if you were trying to sign up people for OxFam or something. Humiliation AND no closer to a job? I can't imagine everyone won't sign up for this.

Bubbalub · April 2011

Upon scanning the article, my initial reaction is that the group could have used that money (to make the capes) in a better way.

Loopyseven · April 2011

I think I'll wear a cape to my next job interview. I think it will increase my odds of being hired.

Mrs.B6302007 · April 2011

Huh. That's my local paper and I've not heard anything about it until now.

Moneypenny424 · April 2011

By not paying people to wear the capes and help with marketing, they are taking advantage of the unemployed. "Hey, you aren't doing anything else, so why not shill for us. For FREE."

waltzingmatilda13 · April 2011

That seems like a giant waste of money.

annakb8 · April 2011

If I was unemployed the last thing I would want to do was parade around in a stupid costume proclaiming it to the world. Also, it's kind of shitty that this company is using unemployed people as a form of free advertisement. They should give a cape (or, you know, something more normal like a t-shirt or bumber sticker) to everyone who finds a job by using their services. That would make a lot more sense and probably be a better advertising strategy.

hlq2011 · April 2011

WHY would anyone do this?

Snippylynn · April 2011

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_did-anybody-else-seehear-this?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:144839b8-099b-4aaf-84ab-7ff6cfe8e294Post:558e11a9-0670-40a2-bb20-f9b028dd3e84">Re: Did anybody else see/hear about this?</a>:
[QUOTE]The news media's new favorite story is to find these teeny tiny expenditures, call them wasteful, find three supporting quotes and pat themselves on the back. Obviously I don't know all the details, but as a marketing campaign I think this makes a lot of sense. Everyone is out there crowing about the deficit, but the real economic problem that is affecting the day-to-day lives of Americans is employment. The problem? Few people are talking about it at this point -- it's old hat. This group needs a way to make their presence known, and I think this is a clever way to go about that. If folks don't know the job-matching services of this agency exist, then they've done no one any good. I am certain if they'd spent their money in a much more droll way such as plastering sad-looking people's faces on a bus no one would be complaining.
Posted by aragx6[/QUOTE]
I don't think this is the case at all. Obviously unemployment is a HUGE problem, but even when we were booming we still had deficits. Wasteful spending is THE problem in the US, with pork budgets and all sorts of stupid shiit getting funded, all the while, important and useful programs like Planned Parenthood, go under the knife because they are "controversial". The US government is just made up of a bunch of assholes who are busy lining their pockets as well as a select few pockets in their home state/area.

Do I think the campaign has merit? Yeah, I do. I don't personally love the idea, but it's what they've chosen to do with the money. HOWEVER. I can't.freaking.believe. that it costs that much money to make some cheap ass capes. Secondly, if their whole purpose was to drive business to their company, they should have put more of this budget into actual work programs instead of what, at the end of the day, ends up in the garbage.

Bubbalub · April 2011

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_did-anybody-else-seehear-this?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:144839b8-099b-4aaf-84ab-7ff6cfe8e294Post:da5eba50-db19-4f7f-9538-1b038de0dbf2">Re: Did anybody else see/hear about this?</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: Did anybody else see/hear about this? : I don't think this is the case at all. Obviously unemployment is a HUGE problem, but even when we were booming we still had deficits. Wasteful spending is THE problem in the US, with pork budgets and all sorts of stupid shiit getting funded, all the while, important and useful programs like Planned Parenthood, go under the knife because they are "controversial". The US government is just made up of a bunch of assholes who are busy lining their pockets as well as a select few pockets in their home state/area. Do I think the campaign has merit? Yeah, I do. I don't personally love the idea, but it's what they've chosen to do with the money. HOWEVER. I can't.freaking.believe. that it costs that much money to make some cheap ass capes. Secondly, if their whole purpose was to drive business to their company, they should have put more of this budget into actual work programs instead of what, at the end of the day, ends up in the garbage.
Posted by Snippylynn[/QUOTE]

This is along the lines of what I'm thinking. Plus, I agree with PPs that the whole cape thing is demeaning and does nothing to actually HELP the unemployed find a job.

aragx6 · April 2011

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_did-anybody-else-seehear-this?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:9Discussion:144839b8-099b-4aaf-84ab-7ff6cfe8e294Post:da5eba50-db19-4f7f-9538-1b038de0dbf2">Re: Did anybody else see/hear about this?</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: Did anybody else see/hear about this? : I don't think this is the case at all. Obviously unemployment is a HUGE problem, but even when we were booming we still had deficits.

No we actually had a surplus through much of the boom years. Two things changed that -- the tax cuts and the two wars. That's it. 

Secondly, if their whole purpose was to drive business to their company, they should have put more of this budget into actual work programs instead of what, at the end of the day, ends up in the garbage.

This article has no information about what their total budget is, but if it happens that they spend a lot of it on this campiagn, then I would agree. But I think it's much more likely that this is a teeny tiny line item in a much larger non-profit budget.
Posted by Snippylynn[/QUOTE]

Snippylynn · April 2011

I don't think that changes the fact that $73k could help several more people find jobs than paying for capes.

aragx6 · April 2011

Example: I used to work for a large quasi-gov't laboratory (we were mostly funded by the feds but ran everything ourself)

We spent hundreds of thousands on a Open House for the community. It was just one day, we handed out loads of toys, brochures etc. and I bet most of them did eventually end up in the trash.

But you have to take the long view. They want to create a strategy that will make job seekers turn to this organization when they need help as well as (and possibly more importantly) find employers who are looking for new talent. They need to be more of a household name to meet those goals.

aragx6 · April 2011

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_did-anybody-else-seehear-this?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:9Discussion:144839b8-099b-4aaf-84ab-7ff6cfe8e294Post:e47a4e28-9360-4815-84d6-b0e912f75a89">Re: Did anybody else see/hear about this?</a>:
[QUOTE]I don't think that changes the fact that $73k could help several more people find jobs than paying for capes.
Posted by Snippylynn[/QUOTE]

How?

Snippylynn · April 2011

I don't think I have the power to argue anymore. Fishy's post took it right out of me.

Did anybody else see/hear about this?

Re: Did anybody else see/hear about this?

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