Having grown up in New York, I’ve experienced many of the same cultural adjustments other “Yankees” have made upon moving to the South.

I’ve learned about the differences in popular food choices, pace of life, recreational activities, vernacular and more.

Yet, I realize – that in spite of having resided in North Carolina for over 10 years now – I still have more to learn about life in the South.

In the interest of furthering relations between Northerners and Southerners, I’m graciously going to share a somewhat embarrassing anecdote to illustrate my point.

Just this morning I was working my way through my email inbox when I came across a link to a newsletter from East Carolina University’s Division of Research and Graduate Studies. One particular article headline caught my attention. It read, “Studying the Monster of Kudzu and its Sustainable Tourism Opportunities.”

It sounded intriguing. What, or Who, is the Monster of Kudzu, I wondered? Is it some kind of Southern legend similar to other “creatures” such as Bigfoot (with which I was obsessed as a kid by the way)? And, if so, what does it look like? For some reason, I imagined a greenish colored creature that lives in the swamps by day, hunting on land by night. And what’s the tie-in with tourism? Are people thinking of promoting this legend in order to attract curious travelers hoping for a sighting in the tradition of the Loch Ness monster in the Scottish Highlands?

So, imagine my embarrassment when I read the article and learned that Kudzu is actually kudzu, a plant that pretty much everyone south of the Mason-Dixon line, except for me apparently, recognizes as a menace because of its fast growth.

In fact, the article actually starts out, “Anyone who lives in the U.S. Southeast has seen the encroachment of kudzu onto the landscape.” What’s more: “Since its introduction to the region 130 years ago, kudzu has literally engulfed thousands of square miles and cost millions of dollars in eradication measures.”

To which I say, “Okay, yes, so that’s probably something I should have known. But tell me this Southerners, how do you make an egg cream?”

Anyway, the article is quite interesting even without any involvement by a mythical swamp creature stomping around on webbed feet scaring hunters and campers with its scaly skin and turtle-like claws during rare sightings.

Dr. Ashley Egan of the Department of Biology has received National Science Foundation funding to study kudzu. Egan will collect samples of kudzu from the U.S. and from its native environment in Southeast Asia in order to learn how it might be more easily eradicated in areas where it becomes problematic.

Kudzu’s potential benefits are pointed out by Egan. They include possible use as a biofuel and its role in Japan as a food source (it can even be used to make wine and jelly).

Egan’s main focus – the sustainable tourism connection – involves developing a program through which area parks teach volunteers about this member of the legume family as well as about “eradication measures.” The program could spread to other parks – a win-win situation for all involved – except the kudzu.

So, all in all, I learned yet something else about the South, its environment, agriculture and related research. And I think the article shows how, at the end of the day, Northerner or Southerner, we Americans are all about ingenuity, innovative thinking and overcoming obstacles.

But, I still think Southerners need to look into egg creams because y’all (or, as we would say in New York “you guys”) are missing out! 

There is an age-old question business owners large and small face each year.

How much should your business spend on advertising?

There are two answers to this question, one being the more traditional method, the other being the more effective. Let's see which one you choose.

Let's look at 2 home improvements centers as an example.

Business A uses the "percent of annual revenue" approach and consults with an accountant to get an idea how many dollars to allocate for advertising and marketing. So, let's suppose Business A has annual gross sales of $500,000. The account runs a few profit and loss statements, prints some balance sheet and tax returns and tells the business owner, "based on your profits, you should spend $3,500 this year on advertising."

Now, armed with this information, you begin considering which media to use, i.e., how many units of "advertising and marketing" you can buy for $3,500. You meet with the local account executives from print, radio, television, web and direct mail. You learn $3,500 doesn't go very far, but you decide "what the heck, I need to advertise anyway, so I'll just go with the guy I used last year. Didn't work well, but it's something and I'll probably get a tax write-off anyway."

During the year you're approach by reps from different companies, but you "get rid of them" by telling them "we've already budgeted for this year." Of course, it's not working but you can avoid the sales call. Unfortunately, you are also avoiding learning about new methods, opportunities and effective ways to reach you audience.

Business B skips the trip to the accountant. Instead, the smart owner sets time aside to analyze his or her business and asks "what products should I sell," "who should I sell them to" and "how do I get the word out." So Business B decides that its line of garden tillers is especially popular from February through April. Business owner B knows this based on past year's sales. In fact, Business B notices the competition really hits the airwaves each year about this time advertising garden tillers.

So Business B decides "you know, I better be ready to advertise my garden tillers if I want to hit my sales goals." So, Business B makes a plan to sell 25 garden tillers at $750 each. Business B also know that when folks come into the store, they are likely to buy other products, so each garden tiller is really a $1,000 sale. So Business B sets a goal to sell $25,000 in garden tillers and related products from February to March.

Next step: Business B calls in an advertising and marketing professional. They discuss an advertising campaign that helps the business meet its garden tiller sales goals. They agree to a $5,000 budget and set the campaign timing. Wait, isn't that a lot higher than the accountant's plan? Isn't this risky?

Well, business is risky, isn't it. I love accountants, but isn't it riskier making decisions based on someone's opinion who doesn't work in the advertising or marketing industry? But by targeting the right product, at the right time, with the right message and the right results, Business B not only sells $25,000 in garden tillers and related products, but builds repeat customers and increases sales to all products.

So Business B, now sits down and takes the next product or service and repeats the same process. Each campaign can be tested and improved upon.

Business A, meanwhile, has allocated its $3,500 and stubbornly sticks to the "accountants plan," watching Business B take its customer base away.

One day, panic sets in and Business A has to "make up lost ground," only to find it will take many more dollars spent on full page advertisements, direct mail, radio, television and the internet to catch Business B.

The moral of the story: the right plan, the right time, the right budget, the right media equals the right results.

Consult with us on how you can be more like Business B and grow your sales. Call us at 252-413-0418 or write Casey Turton at casey@ncdbs.com.

The Pitt County Women's Journal, which is part of the national family of syndicated County Women's Journals, places emphasis on articles written by our contributors rather than just trying to be another magazine filled with display ads and coupons. We believe this builds trust and respect from our readers for our authors and in fact, has led many competing publications to attempt to imitate our success.

Our articles are then placed in the appropriate category for you. Why write an article about home health care, only to have it appear in the Sports section next to an ad for bowling balls? Doesn't seem right, does it.

Articles are also "passed along" by the reader, who take them home or to the office and tell others "I read this in the Women's Journal."  How often have you heard someone tell you "I saw this great ad in the newspaper?"

So why are there display ads in the Pitt County Women's Journal?

Our job is to help our contributors target women and most of the time, the display ads are in conjunction with the author's article. This may be to point out a special promotion, hours, location, method of payment or other basic information to assist the reader.

Take a look for yourself next time. The Pitt County Women's Journal is distributed throughout Pitt County to 11,000+ readers.