Decisions, Decisions


Virgil Winston:
Marketing Guru

Sadie Hawkins Day* is November 15th – a fact I happen to know because my little girl has spent the last two weeks agonizing over which boy to ask to the Sadie Hawkins dance at her school. She can’t decide between Spence, the football hero, Quinn from Drama Club or the shy poet, Stephen. She’s afraid she is going to make a mistake and choose the wrong one. I don’t think she has anything to worry about…but rationalizing with a teenaged girl is as effective as herding kittens. My daughter’s unbridled angst about making the wrong decision reminded me of something my own father used to tell me when I was a kid…the only wrong decision is the one not made. In other words, there are no wrong decisions. In my daughter’s case, choosing the “wrong” boy to ask to the dance won’t actually harm her—the worst that can happen is that he’ll say “no” and she’ll suffer a bruised ego (something most men can relate to), or he’ll say “yes” and step all over her feet or spill punch on her new dress. Either way, she’ll have learned something—the former is a jerk and the latter is a klutz.

The same is true when it comes to choosing promotional products to support your marketing campaign. While it can seem daunting to select the perfect promotional item to put your company logo on—the truth is, even a misstep won’t totally tank your core messaging. Sure, slapping your logo on a tooth shaped stress toy if you aren’t in the dental business isn’t the brightest idea, but it won’t put you out of business either. Perhaps you are agonizing over what type of pen your customers would most appreciate, or which brand of t-shirt will make your logo pop. The choices are endless, which can make decision making difficult. The great news is, Rush Imprint can help you with that—we have experts who are available 24 hours a day to assist you in making the best decision for your business. So stop stressing and pick up the phone, shoot us an email or log on to live chat—we are here to help.

Well, I promised I’d take my kid to the mall—she may not have a date yet, but she still needs a new dress. That’s a lesson she learned from her mother. Remember, “In any moment of decision the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing.” ~ Theodore Roosevelt

* Sadie Hawkins Day, an American folk event, made its debut in Al Capp’s Li’l Abner strip November 15, 1937. The basis of Sadie Hawkins Day is that women and girls take the initiative in inviting the man or boy of their choice out on a date, typically to a dance.