I’m Proud as Hell — That We’re Not Taking It Anymore!

By Jim Gilbert

“I’ve officially had enough, and I’m done sitting around letting it happen. This morning I paid $3.97/gallon for regular unleaded gas.”

I wrote the above paragraph just three short months ago in my April 29 column.

Yesterday, I paid $3.87 for a gallon of regular gas, and, believe it or not, I was thrilled to death. It’s incredible how quickly perspective can change.

The truth is, gas prices are down about 30 cents here in Florida in the last few weeks. And part of that’s because we finally took a stand. As of last Friday evening, oil prices were just more than $115/barrel, down from their almost $150/barrel high.

And I’m proud! We made this happen. Oil consumption is down more than 2 percent — enough to show we’re serious.

But I’m also worried; worried that we’ll become complacent and take the pressure off!!! We’re still not out of the woods yet. Not even close!

We must keep up the pressure. We must complain and speak out.

I renew my stand I made here in April.

I’m calling on you and myself to act now. Here’s four things you can do to help take a stand.

1. Make your voice heard by contacting your government officials. Not sure where to find this information? Here’s a link to ease your search: http://www.usa.gov/Contact/Elected.shtml. I don’t care about your party affiliation. If you’re for alternative energy, say so! If you’re for more oil exploration within our country, say so! If you think the government is conspiring with big oil, speak your mind.

2. Drive less! (I canceled a trip to Disney this summer.)

3. Carpool if you can. OK, I hate this idea. I love the solitude of my drive to and from work. But the less gas we use, the larger the message we send to the oil industry.

4. Tell everybody you know to take a stand. It’s your right to make our country better!

How’s this relevant in a catalog marketing forum? You think your costs are high now! Catalogers are dealing with an explosion in costs, thanks in large part to the fact that everything you do requires fuel and transportation.

I’m doing my part by writing this column and practicing Nos. 1-4 above. I’m part of the solution. I’m not sitting back and just taking whatever is dished out and accepting it!

How about you?

Speak to you next week. Thanks for listening, and thanks in advance for taking a stand! Let’s keep it up!

Jim Gilbert is president of Gilbert Direct Marketing, a full-service catalog and direct marketing agency. His LinkedIn profile can be viewed at http://www.linkedin.com/in/jimwgilbert or you can post a comment here or e-mail him at jimdirect@aol.com.

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Jim Gilbert Author's page Jim Gilbert has been creating direct marketing programs that drive superior ROI for almost 30 years. Fluent in consumer or B-to-B, creative, operations, and analytics, he marries the strategic and tactical sides of direct and social media marketing in a seamless fashion that gets results. He's CEO of a multidiscipline direct marketing agency, Gilbert Direct Marketing, Inc., which focuses on direct mail, catalogs, DRTV, telemarketing, print, alternative direct marketing media and social media marketing. Jim has been involved in start-ups, expansions and turnarounds, and is an expert in helping multichannel marketers get to the "next level." He's a former adjunct professor, teaching direct marketing at Miami International University, and is President of the Board of Directors of the Florida Direct Marketing Association. Jim loves to talk direct marketing, and has done many lectures on direct and social media marketing.