At BaselWorld, you will hear a lot of flowery, friendly and prose-worthy language bandied about. You would think that this must be the friendliest place on earth ; )
There is one key turn of phrase that to the uninitiated will certainly mislead you -
"My Friend"
This is often used in key exchanges with brand managers and distributors, distributors and retail partners, and all of the above and journalists/bloggers.
So for your edification, here is a "cheat-sheet":
1. Brand Manager to Retail Partner -
"So nice to see you my friend, I hope business is going well!"
Translation?
Where the Hell's my money, and why are you "never in" when I call?
2. Retail Partner to Brand Manager -
"So good to see you my friend, I can't wait to hear about your marketing/advertising plans for this year!"
Translation?
I've bought over $50,000 worth of product from you, you promised co-op advertising and where the F*&K is it?
3. Brand Manager to Writer/Blogger -
"This is our good friend who writes so many nice things about us!"
Translation?
We are not now, or for the foreseeable future, going to advertise with you. I hope this bag of chotchkies will keep you happy ; )
Here's the thing, BaselWorld is a microcosm of what the watch industry goes through every day - for better or worse, those of us involved depend on each other whether we choose to admit it or not. It is a strange, challenging, and sometimes perverse little ecosystem. But none exist without the other.
And most importantly - it doesn't exist without you! So PLEASE - continue to be passionate - because NONE of us can do what we do without YOU! And I hope you will understand if when we meet, I don't say - "How are you, MY FRIEND" ; )
There is one key turn of phrase that to the uninitiated will certainly mislead you -
"My Friend"
This is often used in key exchanges with brand managers and distributors, distributors and retail partners, and all of the above and journalists/bloggers.
So for your edification, here is a "cheat-sheet":
1. Brand Manager to Retail Partner -
"So nice to see you my friend, I hope business is going well!"
Translation?
Where the Hell's my money, and why are you "never in" when I call?
2. Retail Partner to Brand Manager -
"So good to see you my friend, I can't wait to hear about your marketing/advertising plans for this year!"
Translation?
I've bought over $50,000 worth of product from you, you promised co-op advertising and where the F*&K is it?
3. Brand Manager to Writer/Blogger -
"This is our good friend who writes so many nice things about us!"
Translation?
We are not now, or for the foreseeable future, going to advertise with you. I hope this bag of chotchkies will keep you happy ; )
Here's the thing, BaselWorld is a microcosm of what the watch industry goes through every day - for better or worse, those of us involved depend on each other whether we choose to admit it or not. It is a strange, challenging, and sometimes perverse little ecosystem. But none exist without the other.
And most importantly - it doesn't exist without you! So PLEASE - continue to be passionate - because NONE of us can do what we do without YOU! And I hope you will understand if when we meet, I don't say - "How are you, MY FRIEND" ; )
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