Name withheld
Public relations manager
West Chester, Pennsylvania
I enjoyed reading "Where the Bucks Are." You illustrated an excellent example of how marketers and advertisers continue to try to build their demographic boxes around assumptions and generalizations created by marketers many years ago. By doing so, they continue to miss out on marketing opportunities. As many conversations among women will reveal, we are not really rejecting the reality of getting older. We are discovering the irony of having finally gained a sense of personal confidence and inner peace only to start becoming invisible, suffering the loss of power and social currency (if I can borrow your excellent phrase) that each year brings once age really starts to mark our bodies. We are reaching middle age with stamina and perhaps better health than prior generations, and we simply do not want to be limited and disregarded.
Marcia Taylor
Stay-at-home mom/former human
resources compliance specialist at
Dresser Worldwide Headquarters
Dallas, Texas
Regarding "China's Next Great Thing" (March), thank goodness someone is finally talking about this issue. My company helps Western companies transfer their manufacturing to China, ultimately running it for them. During our initial talks with companies, I often hear some very disturbing assumptions. American managers think that the Chinese companies are producing such inferior products that China is far from being a threat. The bottom line is that the Chinese are getting better at production every day. If set up properly, their manufacturing plants are capable of producing things that only a handful of companies can make worldwide. The Chinese have access to everything that we do, and they are investing in Western machinery to ensure high-quality products. I've seen it firsthand.
The real issue is whether Chinese companies can crack the United States. Any Chinese or other foreign company wishing to develop its own brand in America will need the same structure for sales and marketing as any other company. Because they won't have a cost advantage in sales and marketing and no production advantage over other companies manufacturing in China, it will be very difficult for Chinese businesses to succeed in the U.S. market.
Jon Korbonski
President
Atea Inc.
Irvine, California
Gee, thanks for the lighthearted article on AOL's barrage of CDs ("A Gazillion More Free Hours From AOL? Gee, Thanks," March). Like every other resident in the country, I was miffed at the daily delivery of the "New Look! New Features! 2 Free Months!" ads in my mailbox. Then I got creative. I now use them for coasters under candles and beverages, hanging decorations and mobiles for the kids' parties, and I am seriously thinking of hot-gluing them on the wall behind my rec room bar as people used to do with vinyl records. I've even picked up a few extra at the post office to complete my wall project!
Robin L. Johnson
Sales representative
Stitch Wizard Inc.
Elyria, Ohio
In March's "Fast 50" feature, the identities of Ken Block and Damon Way of DC Shoes were reversed. Also, we reported that Jeff Mendelsohn of New Leaf Paper believes people will someday pay more for paper made from waste as opposed to trees. Mendelsohn asserts that recycled paper will someday be the cheaper choice.
In "Surprise Package," our February story on UPS, we said the dollar value of the global supply-chain market is $3 billion. The figure should have been $3 trillion.
Send us an email (loop@fastcompany.com) Submission of a letter constitutes permission to publish it in any form or medium. Letters may be edited for reasons of space and clarity.
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