Monday, January 17, 2005
Big Game Hunter
When was the last time your business received volunteer state employees to help out with a marketing venture? Your monopoly business.
If your name is John Henry, the answer is "earlier this month." Because incredibly, state tax dollars are paying to not only sponsor the Boston Red Sox World Series Trophy Tour, but state employees are also coordinating the New England advertising blitz.
According to the Red Sox, the Massachusetts State Lottery "will serve as presenting sponsor of the World Series Trophy Tour." (source: Boston Red Sox, 1/4/2005) The tour will cost the Lottery $225,000 of its $10 million ad budget, a budget that was intended to pay for Jackpot Awareness. (And if the Lottery kills that link, here's another showing the ad campaign was intended to create "jackpot awareness in the casual player." (source: Lawrence Eagle Trib, 1/27/2004))
So the Lottery will be reaching out to the casual player by ... bringing the World Series Trophy to a junior high school near you? How did the marketing wizards at Philip Morris let this opportunity slip through their fingers?
Worse, according to the Associated Press, "the Lottery will work with the team on sites, security and logistics of the tour." (source: Associated Press, 1/5/2005) Security and logistics? Isn't this just a wee diversion from the Lottery's mission, which is to raise monies for local aid?
So what does Beth Lindstrom, the Fraud Governor's director of consumer affairs and business regulation who also sits on the Lottery Commission, say about the fact that Lottery jackpot awareness monies are funding a Boston Red Sox public relations tour that is being coordinated by state employees?
Who knows? She hasn't said anything, yet.
Questions:
-is it a coincidence that Beth Lindstrom, the Fraud Governor's director of consumer affairs and business regulation who also sits on the Lottery Commission, used to work for former Treasurer Joe Malone, and Lottery chairman Tim Cahill's First Deputy Doug Rubin used to work as a political consultant for Joe Malone's brother, Russ? (source: Boston Globe, 11/7/1999)
-did the Lottery Commission vote to spend $225,000 of the Lottery's $10 million marketing funds on a Red Sox goodwill tour?
-did Beth Lindstrom, one of Romney's Lottery Commission appointees, vote to spend $225,000 of the Lottery's $10 million marketing monies on a Red Sox goodwill tour?
-does Beth Lindstrom, Romney's Lottery Commission appointee, think that Massachusetts state employees should be used to help run what is essentially a private sector company's marketing campaign?
-the Red Sox Trophy Tour will be travelling throughout New England. Is the New Hampshire State Lottery paying for the New Hampshire part of the tour, or are we paying for that, too? How about Maine? And Connecticut? And Rhode Island? And Vermont?
-will Romney's Lottery Commission appointees send state employees to other private sector companies around the Commonwealth to help run their marketing campaigns?
Earlier this month, Willard Mitt said he wanted to increase local aid by gradually doing away with the Lottery cap. (source: office of (fraud) gov, "Romney pledges 4.3 percent increase in local aid," 1/7/2005)
Forget cap. If the Lottery has enough money that it can pay and coordinate a Red Sox goodwill tour, we say lose the cap, the shirt, the pants, everything. Well, almost everything.
Even we have standards.
When was the last time your business received volunteer state employees to help out with a marketing venture? Your monopoly business.
If your name is John Henry, the answer is "earlier this month." Because incredibly, state tax dollars are paying to not only sponsor the Boston Red Sox World Series Trophy Tour, but state employees are also coordinating the New England advertising blitz.
According to the Red Sox, the Massachusetts State Lottery "will serve as presenting sponsor of the World Series Trophy Tour." (source: Boston Red Sox, 1/4/2005) The tour will cost the Lottery $225,000 of its $10 million ad budget, a budget that was intended to pay for Jackpot Awareness. (And if the Lottery kills that link, here's another showing the ad campaign was intended to create "jackpot awareness in the casual player." (source: Lawrence Eagle Trib, 1/27/2004))
So the Lottery will be reaching out to the casual player by ... bringing the World Series Trophy to a junior high school near you? How did the marketing wizards at Philip Morris let this opportunity slip through their fingers?
Worse, according to the Associated Press, "the Lottery will work with the team on sites, security and logistics of the tour." (source: Associated Press, 1/5/2005) Security and logistics? Isn't this just a wee diversion from the Lottery's mission, which is to raise monies for local aid?
So what does Beth Lindstrom, the Fraud Governor's director of consumer affairs and business regulation who also sits on the Lottery Commission, say about the fact that Lottery jackpot awareness monies are funding a Boston Red Sox public relations tour that is being coordinated by state employees?
Who knows? She hasn't said anything, yet.
Questions:
-is it a coincidence that Beth Lindstrom, the Fraud Governor's director of consumer affairs and business regulation who also sits on the Lottery Commission, used to work for former Treasurer Joe Malone, and Lottery chairman Tim Cahill's First Deputy Doug Rubin used to work as a political consultant for Joe Malone's brother, Russ? (source: Boston Globe, 11/7/1999)
-did the Lottery Commission vote to spend $225,000 of the Lottery's $10 million marketing funds on a Red Sox goodwill tour?
-did Beth Lindstrom, one of Romney's Lottery Commission appointees, vote to spend $225,000 of the Lottery's $10 million marketing monies on a Red Sox goodwill tour?
-does Beth Lindstrom, Romney's Lottery Commission appointee, think that Massachusetts state employees should be used to help run what is essentially a private sector company's marketing campaign?
-the Red Sox Trophy Tour will be travelling throughout New England. Is the New Hampshire State Lottery paying for the New Hampshire part of the tour, or are we paying for that, too? How about Maine? And Connecticut? And Rhode Island? And Vermont?
-will Romney's Lottery Commission appointees send state employees to other private sector companies around the Commonwealth to help run their marketing campaigns?
Earlier this month, Willard Mitt said he wanted to increase local aid by gradually doing away with the Lottery cap. (source: office of (fraud) gov, "Romney pledges 4.3 percent increase in local aid," 1/7/2005)
Forget cap. If the Lottery has enough money that it can pay and coordinate a Red Sox goodwill tour, we say lose the cap, the shirt, the pants, everything. Well, almost everything.
Even we have standards.
