Once you have an invention that has turned into a product, you will have many decisions to make.  One decision:  Do you market and advertise with a soft-sell or hard-sell?  If you have a high quality product, you will more likely want to choose a soft-sell approach.  Establishing a desirable brand takes more time, but there are customers that are willing to pay the extra dollars for quality and a better brand.  It’s a choice based on desire and thought, not on a quick response to a “too good to be true deal”.  The hard-sell may be suited for products with a short life span, but not for the staying power of quality products that can last a life time.

We have all seen the common hard-sell approach with the product demonstration where you have to react quickly to get the “buy one, get one free” deal or the $19.99 special deal, today only. You will see this in many forms, including the side-by-side comparison, the product features demonstration and the quality-of-life advertising approach, which tries to get you to wonder how you were ever able to live without the product. This is a hard-sell approach because it tries to convince you that one product is superior over another based on a direct comparison. The advertisement is telling you that you must buy this product now because we just proved that it is better than the competition.

One example of hard-sell advertising is an infomercial.  It is a long commercial normally thirty minutes long and focuses on one product or one family of products. The fast pace of an infomercial is amplified by a loud sales pitch, large and often blinking computer graphics and the persistent repetition of the information needed to purchase the products.

Holiday advertising uses both soft-sell and hard-sell approaches, but the soft-sell advertising has created some of the more iconic advertising images. One good example of this is the evolution of Santa Claus as an advertising image for the Coca-Cola Company. Before 1931, images of Santa Clause had varied from a red suit to a green suit, and a thin man to a larger man. In 1931, Coca-Cola started running ads featuring a new image of Santa Claus created by artist Haddon Sundblum, drinking Coke products. That image remains as a memorable representation of Santa Claus and is also an example of effective soft-sell advertising.

Humor is commonly used in soft-sell advertising, according to the “Advertising Age” website. Humor is used to get the consumer’s attention without being too direct in the sales pitch. Beer commercials that feature humorous situations are some of the more popular soft-sell advertising approaches. The advertiser is using humor to associate a positive feeling with the product. The approach is to entertain the viewer rather than make the viewer feel like she is watching a commercial.

This was one of the easiest decisions for us;  Sharon Barber Purses for women and girls – Decision, Soft-Sell.

Today is Memorial Day 2012 and here, at Sharon Barber Purses, we are wearing our Remembrance Poppy.  We pause to remember and honor all men and women soldiers who gave the ultimate sacrifice of their life while serving as a soldier in a war.

Moina Michael was a U.S. professor and humanitarian who conceived the idea of using poppies as a symbol of remembrance for those who served in World War I. She was born in Good Hope, Georgia and  was a professor at the University of Georgia when the U.S. entered World War I. She took a leave of absence from her work and volunteered to assist in the New York-based training headquarters for overseas Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA) workers.

Inspired by the Canadian John McCrae’s battlefront-theme poem “In Flanders Fields”, she published a poem in response called We Shall Keep the Faith. In tribute to the opening lines of McCrae’s poem — “In Flanders fields the poppies blow / Between the crosses row on row,” — Michael vowed to always wear a red poppy as a symbol of remembrance for those who served in the war.

After the war was over, Michael returned to the University of Georgia and taught a class of disabled servicemen and women. Realizing the need to provide financial and occupational support for these servicemen and women, she pursued the idea of selling silk poppies as a means of raising funds to assist disabled veterans. In 1921, her efforts resulted in the poppy being adopted as a symbol of remembrance for war veterans by the American Legion Auxiliary.

Known as the “Poppy Lady” for her humanitarian efforts, Michael received numerous awards during her lifetime. In 1948, four years after her death, the U.S. Postal Service issued a commemorative stamp honoring her life’s achievement. In 1969, the Georgia General Assembly named a section of U.S. Highway 78 the Moina Michael Highway.

We Shall Keep the Faith

Oh! you who sleep in Flanders Fields,

Sleep sweet – to rise anew!

We caught the torch you threw

And holding high, we keep the Faith

With All who died.

We cherish, too, the poppy red

That grows on fields where valor led;

It seems to signal to the skies

That blood of heroes never dies,

But lends a lustre to the red

Of the flower that blooms above the dead

In Flanders Fields.

And now the Torch and Poppy Red

We wear in honor of our dead.

Fear not that ye have died for naught;

We’ll teach the lesson that ye wrought

In Flanders Fields.

In Flanders Fields we fought

Resource:  Wikipedia

Women, are you planning your daughter, or granddaughters’ birthday party? Not sure what theme to choose? Not sure what to do at the party? You want your kids to have a great party, one they will remember for a long time and create some lasting memories for them and for you.

You don’t have to spend a lot of money taking them some place and paying the bill for all the little girls and boys around.  Having a party at a “mini casino” pizza company can be very expensive and it is so busy and terribly noisy that you don’t get to enjoy it while they are running around all over the place.  Young girls like to do “purse parties”, so why not choose a purse themed party and have the party at home?

Consider having a party activity that allows each attendee to make their own little creation.  The girls would have so much fun making their very own purse, or coin purse, and they would have something fun to take home with them.  You might enjoy it more than they do.  There are some very simple DIY purse tutorials on the web that will give you step by step instructions on how to make a purse out of duct tape, why not search around for those and see what would work best and be age appropriate for the birthday girl and her friends.  Duct tape comes in all colors, even metallics and you could provide some embellishments for them to glue onto their purse to dress it up.  Simple low cost supplies would be:  Duct tape, glue and embellishments (skip the glue and find stick on embellishments or glitter glue, but allow for drying time on it).

A purse cake would be the perfect birthday cake.  You can custom order a purse shaped cake from the bakery, but you could also make your own purse shaped cake and decorate it how you choose.  Opt for cupcakes decorated with a purse design if you choose.

Give your child a birthday party they will remember as the greatest party ever and you’ll have as much fun as the kids at the Purse Party!

Girls, it’s wise to be prepared with a first aid kit in your purse.  You never know when an emergency or minor illness will occur.  Simply tossing loose items into your purse will make them hard to find and when an emergency or illness strikes, you want to be able to quickly reach in and grab just what you need.

Carrying a full size kit is inconvenient and bulky, but a small, simple one to keep in your purse will fit neatly and take up little space.  You can purchase a small cosmetic bag to use as the container or just use a clear plastic zippy storage bag and make one yourself.  It will allow you to see and access the contents quickly.

Personalizing your first aid kit is easy and simple.  There are many items that you will want to include in this kit, but space is limited. so select your first aid items carefully.  Of course, it is important to keep all medications and equipment that you use regularly with you and maybe in your purse.

How to Build Your Purse First Aid Kit:

• Choose a container that will fit conveniently inside your purse.  A small makeup bag works very well, or use a clear plastic zip up bag.
• Choose your items to complete your kit.

Suggestions of What to Include:

• Tissues are always a handy item to keep inside your first aid kit. Tissues can be used to blot a wound.
• Band aids are essential. It is common for someone to get a cut or other minor injury that requires a band aid.  Include a few of different sizes.
• Travel size containers of your favorite pain relief medication make them perfect to slip into your purse as part of a first aid kit.  Or, you could make little packets out of the small clear plastic zip up bags and simply fill and refill as necessary with identical medication from a larger bottle found in your medicine chest. This tip helps saves money, too.
• You may want to include some eye drops in your purse.  Individual one dose packages are the perfect size for your kit.
• Lip balm is an item that can be used to treat many things. Keep a tube of it inside your kit, as well. You never know when you may need to treat a sore nose, or a paper cut, let alone the valuable lip treatment.
• Alcohol pads can be used to clean a wound.  Individual pad packages are available.
• Antibiotic cream single use packages are convenient and a good idea to add to your kit.
• Small tweezers would be good to have on hand to remove a splinter.
• A few Antihistamines in a small single use self contained package will come in handy for an allergic reaction.

It is important to always keep these essential items on hand, so be sure to restock your first aid kit regularly.  If you notice that you begin to run low on supplies in your first aid kit, refill them as soon as possible. Also, be certain to check the dates on any medication to see if they are past their expiration date.

Women, take a few minutes now to prepare your purse first aid kit.  It can really save you in the future and you never know who you might be able to help by coming to their rescue.

Typically, most people associate the purse with it being “a girl thing” and a desirable fashion accessory today.  But, the very first purses were not carried by girls and were not considered to be a fashion, or fun accessory.  They were purely functional and carried by men thousands of years ago, way before pockets were invented, to contain their valuable or necessary items.  Pouches, usually made of leather, or cloth, with a draw string at the top, or purses, were used to carry survival items such as flint and also to carry their money, in the form of coins or other valuables.

It is not uncommon for men to carry a purse today and the term used for the man purse is a “murse”.   After all, pockets alone, can’t hold all you need to carry at times, such as electronic equipment, books and documents.  A purse, it’s not just a “Girl” thing.

Although the Birkin bag, by Hermès is free of logos, it is one of the most recognized purses in the women’s fashion industry and by the public. It is highly coveted and, for several years, was believed to have a waiting list of up to 6 years – the longest wait for any purse in history.  As a result of the strong demand, the Birkin purse has a high reselling value in many countries. The bag is a symbol of wealth due to its high price ($9,000 to $34,000 for one of crocodile skin), meticulous craftsmanship and elusiveness to the public. Each purse has a number-coded lock and key. The company’s signature saddle stitching, developed in the 1800s, is another distinctive feature.

The purse is named after actress and singer Jane Birkin. In 1981, Hermès chief executive Jean-Louis Dumas was seated next to Jane Birkin on a flight from Paris to London. She placed her straw bag in the overhead compartment of her seat, but the contents fell out, leaving her to scramble to replace everything back in her purse. Birkin explained to Dumas that it had been difficult to find a leather weekend bag she liked. In 1984, he created a black supple leather purse for her, based on an 1892 design. And, thus it became known as the Birkin bag.

Birkin bags are sold in a range of sizes. Each purse may be made to order with different hardware options and customer-chosen hides such as calf leather, ostrich, crocodile, and lizard. A variety of color options are available such as pink, red, brown, baby blue, navy blue, olive green, orange, white, black, and golden tan. The lining is made of goat skin and the interior color matches the exterior color. There are other individual options, such as diamond-encrusting. The purses are handmade in France by expert artisans. Each purse is hand-sewn, buffed, painted, and polished, taking several days to finish. An average purse is created in 48 hours.

The Birkin Bag, with it’s meticulous quality, is very desirable to us girls and has a high price tag. If you can’t afford the real thing, don’t buy a knock off purse. Buying a fake makes you a fake and it is illegal to sell them.

Resource: Wikipedia

You may, or may not feel the need to buy a gift for Grandmother on Mother’s Day.  If your Grandmother is anything like Sharon Barber, quality time spent with her granddaughter, or grandson, would be the best gift you can give.  As women get older, material things matter less and time is valued more.  A one of a kind item that you handcrafted especially for her would be a great gift.

The author is unknown, but this is a perfect quote: “Grandmothers are just antique little girls.”   That would mean she still wants to have fun and likes tasteful, whimsical toys and things.  So, if you really want to purchase a gift for her think,  puzzles, fun, whimsy.  You may even consider toys or books from the baby boomer generation childhood years, something that she can relate to when she was a little girl.

Consider a zigsaw puzzle, crossword puzzle or word search puzzles.  There are many different puzzles, in many different forms, even purses and jewelry, that are fun and provide many hours of entertainment or enjoyment accessorizing herself.

Yellow is a happy color and an attention getter.  It is a hot women’s fashion color this year and it’s showing up everywhere, in all shades, from bright sunshine yellow, cheerful mustard yellow to the soft pale yellow.

Little girls are able to dress “head to toe” in bright sunshine yellow and look adorable, but it’s a little tricky for us big girls.  You don’t want to look like Big Bird. Not everyone feels as though they look good in yellow clothing, but it’s all about choosing the right shade that looks good on you.  Finding that right shade makes all the difference.

Yellow accessories work well for all girls and women and they still give you the trend with just a touch of the color.  Try some fun yellow shoes, glowing jewelry or even a bright sassy purse to brighten up your day.  Chill out with a little yellow fashion fever this season.