It's all relative...

There's an old line about the guy who complained about not having shoes, until he met a man with no feet. Shoeless Guy learned a valuable lesson--Relativity applies to more than particle physics.

And so it is these days. Just when I'm ready to pronounce the Incentive Market "dead", or "terminal", I spend a few days with Promotional Products distributors. I get whacked upside the head with a Sam's Wholesale Club-sized can of Relativity.

I mean, every piece of news they hear--EVERY ONE--is bad. First, the Pharma companies decided giving out pens and notepads to doctors was a bad idea (never mind the decision was only a bargaining chip to keep consumer groups from insisting they stop giving out samples, but that's a story for another time).

Then, one of their major client groups, the Financial Services sector, went into Cardiac Arrest, revived only by a gazillion Federal dollars. Then, grandstanding members of Congress tried to create onerous new reporting requirements on companies giving out ANYTHING to clients.

If it's not one thing, it's another. But somehow through all of this there is a relatively positive vibe going through the community. Sorta like "well, what doesn't kill us makes us stronger". Amen to that--given the hits they've taken they ought to be REAL strong now.

So it's always relative--no matter where you think you are, somebody's above or below you. A little perspective, and assessment of relativity, will probably serve us well...


Pete