Ladders HQ

1. Don’t make assumptions

It is easy to pigeonhole the UK Student population following years of stereotyping and spoofing via modern media. The common assumption is that a typical student:

* is aged eighteen and straight out of school
* follows a distinctly “grunge” dress code
* is lazy and sponges off the government
* follows a strict diet of canned-goods on toast
* binge-consumes copious amounts of alcohol on a regular basis
* spends all their spare time in pubs and clubs However, whilst there will be some students who commit to this list religiously, not all students are the same, and their interests, hobbies and lifestyles as individuals differ tremendously, and these common presumptions are often inaccurate.

For example:

* With regards to age, not all students go into higher education straight out of school. For example, students over the age of thirty make up a third of the student body at Oxford Brookes University alone (http://www.brookes.ac.uk/facts/mature_students). Understandably, there is a huge leap between what appeals to a teenager compared to that of a person in their thirties. Therefore, promotion which involves free entry to clubs or free booze might not be of interest to the slightly more wizened scholar.

* Fashion seems to be high on the agenda nowadays for modern students. The days of getting away with being as scruffy as possible are entering their final death rattle, with websites like ASOS proving popular with young people, and student discount offered at retailers like New Look. So, promotion via platforms which largely attract the “grunge” crowd, such as music festivals, might not have the impact you’d expect.

* It is a myth that students are spongers. Every UK citizen is entitled to three years-worth of student funding via the Student Loans Company. That money is there for the taking if you are climbing the education ladder, but it isn’t much in the grand scheme of things and, if you live away from home to study, doesn’t stretch very far. Most students are forced to hold down a part-time job alongside studying full-time – quite a feat considering the amount of coursework required of them, and the tight deadlines which must be met. Therefore, students are not always lazy, and they do have money to spend, but they will want it to stretch as far as possible, because they work hard for the little they have.

* Most of the money students accrue will be spent on food. Most discussion forums suggest that an average student spends around £25-£30 per-week on groceries. That’s £100-£120 per month, which is a lot when you have to pay rent, utilities, and buy books for study. Therefore, promotion incorporating discounted supermarket shopping would reach a wide student audience.

* Alcohol consumption amongst students is high, and most universities boast pub and club facilities with subsidized bar pricing. Going back to the issue of age, this will not appeal to all students, as mature students may feel that part of their lives has been done to death. Socially, students spend a lot of their time at the computer, in the library, at the cinema, or shopping – just as much, if not more, than being in a pub or a club. The best approach is to fully research the age range you are playing to, and create ideas which people of all ages will find alluring. Bear in mind student habits and routines based on fact and not assumption, and you will be ten steps ahead of the competition.

2. Fresher’s Fairs and freebies

A great way for students to get familiar with your brand is the Fresher’s Fair. Held on-campus during the week that students register with their university, these events often have rows and rows of stalls and stands, set up by local businesses who wish to capitalise on the population of students new to the area at that time of year.

Often, students will be given a bag to fill with the many flyers, business cards, vouchers and freebies that these companies are eager to hand out. Flyers and leaflets are light and easy to carry, and a student at an event like this will find these easy to slip into their carrier bag of goodies.

However, what the students really look for are stalls which are giving away free items, such as sweets, sample groceries, and promotional items like t-shirts or hats. This would ensure that your brand is remembered by the students who attend throughout the academic year, as Fresher’s Week occurs right at the beginning of a student’s journey, and they are nervous, impressionable, and will stick closely to anything that feels familiar.

If your way of doing things is the first they encounter at such a vital, life-changing time, they are likely to adopt that way for the foreseeable. Contact universities directly for information on the cost of acquiring a pitch for the day.

3. Utilise Social Media

As mentioned earlier, students spend the vast majority of their time in front of a computer screen. Spending hours on a three-thousand word essay brings with it the inevitability of looking for a quick distraction. So, if your average student is stuck and wants to ask a friend for help mid-essay, or is in search of some moral support, it is often the social networking sites that they will wander to. Sites such as Facebook and Twitter are now so essential in the world of communication. They enable the public sphere to gather in one place and discuss that which is relevant in their lives.

Many companies have taken to setting up Facebook Groups and Pages, as well as Twitter sites to create awareness for their brand or business. If this is where your target audience is spending much of its time, then it makes sense to have a presence there. Also, this is a great way to generate word-of-mouth advertising too, as sites such as MSN, and Facebook‘s Live Chat option enable people to swap information they’ve acquired online instantly. University campuses are like small villages – once word gets around, it spreads like wildfire. If people on the computers in the vast, university libraries swap info over the web whilst working, then chat to each other about it, pretty soon it’ll be the talk of the campus.

4. Gossip is good: Viral Campaign

On the occasions when advertisements are discussed, it is often the ones that kept people guessing until the last minute. Television campaigns such as the Cadbury’s “Gorilla”, or film teaser campaigns such as the “1.18.08″ posters for the movie Cloverfield (2008), are the ones that stand out in people’s memory, purely because they maintained an air of mystery surrounding the product.

Why not consider a set of flyers in the colour of your brand’s logo, featuring only the date of your launch? Or, an email to students with just a place or a time, leading them to you? They say curiosity killed the cat, but I say curiosity peaks your audience’s interest.

Students love to gossip, and have access to so many discussion forums that everyone will be speculating as to what it all means. It’s a great way to create buzz and have a strong impact all at once.

5. Student Sites and in-house publications

Most modern universities produce their own media by which to communicate to attending students. The University of Hertfordshire, for example, boasts their own website entitled StudyNet. Exclusively for the use of registered students only, StudyNet is an essential part of student life at this university. Tutors mostly communicate with their students via StudyNet email; university events and offers are advertised on StudyNet’s homepage, and there are also links to student union and academic referencing sites via Studynet.

It is a central hub for students at this establishment – an epicentre of information accessible to students only. It is a great place from which to promote if you are looking to market exclusively to students, or running a student-based offer, and other universities now have similar websites, so this will become a more common platform in time.

Often, a university will run their own in-house newspaper, which will largely be produced and distributed for free by the students themselves in conjunction with the student union. An advertisement cleverly placed, or a promotional article in such a publication would reach a large number of students at any given campus. Again, contact the university direct for information on how to achieve this.

6. Discounts

Students are always appreciative of the companies who offer to save them a pound or two. The more they save on the mundane things they need, the more they have to spend on some hard-earned down-time. Students spend £10.00 on their NUS Extra Cards – a card that allows them discount at certain retailers, restaurants and websites. With students being so careful with their cash, the fact that they are willing to spend money in order to save in the long term shows how important discounts are to them.

If your product/venue/service is something that will primarily interest university and college attendees, then consider a limited-time discount offer of some sort, or perhaps make it possible for them to save money elsewhere by using your product/visiting your venue/utilising your service. Promotional tie-ins with local businesses might provide the perfect opportunity for all to benefit from such an offer.

7. Outside the Box: Gaming

A relatively new idea which is emerging is the idea of gaming as a means to promote your business. Most recently, a gaming application called FooPets on Facebook – where the gamer must adopt and maintain the health of a digital pet dog or cat – used real-life pet food brand Purina in its graphics, which boosted their sales. Also, gamers on FooPets are encouraged to spend real money on FooDollars – the currency with which you first adopt a pet and then buy it food and drink – making it a lucrative business in itself. Other example of gaming as a means to advertise is online real-time, alternative-reality game Second Life. Shops within this game sell digital wares for real money, as well as configuring their digital retail space to place advertisements for the gamer to see.

A popular game amongst students at the moment is a Facebook application called Bejewelled – a Tetris-style, “match-the shapes” game which has proven highly addictive to players. It might be worth looking into how much a simple game like this would cost to program and produce. Bejewelled is something which has proven popular with Facebook users (a vast number of which are students) and has everybody talking – now imagine that with your company logo running on it, or along-side it – it would certainly drum up some awareness for your brand – perhaps even without the gamer even realising it.

Would you like a free PR resource pack and 10 day trial of our media request club?  Visit www.doyourownpr.com

The most unusual franchise opportunity that I have come across specialises in cleaning mattresses! They have turned this business into an art form. The way I clean my mattresses is by taking them out on a cold day and hitting them with a hard brush. The brush dislodges all the loose material whilst the cold kills any bed bugs.

This franchise has all the specialist equipment needed including hi powered cleaners, UV radiation equipment and specialist hygiene sprays. They claim that a properly cleaned mattress will also reduce many allergies. It can also help in reducing Asthma attacks by removing dust & tiny skin particles from the mattress and thereby reducing the amount of dust in the air. If you are scared of bed bugs or creepy crawlies then this franchise opportunity is not right for you!

Another franchise that I found unusual was a window cleaning franchise – why would any one buy this type of franchise? Surely all you need is a van, a decent ladder, some cleaning material and you are ready? Not all window cleaners are the same…

This window cleaning franchise I looked at can also clear your gutters, decks and fences, roofs, patios and a whole lot more. Their aim is to make what was simply window cleaning turn into a full time business opportunity offering a wide variety of cleaning functions.

All their franchisees are insured specially for the job and use special cleaning solutions to get rid of the dirt and grime as efficiently as possible! They have high pressure washers and use “high tech” ladders and all the safety equipment that you can think of. Not one for people who are scared of heights!

I found an even more unusual franchise that specialises in bird feeding and watching. They find a great location near a busy road which is renowned for the different types of birds that visit the area and create a business which specialises in displays and merchandise for bird watchers. According to their marketing material bird feeding & watching is a 4.7 billion dollar industry!

There is a retail chain franchise in the USA that specialises in cigars, pies and other gifts for the smoker. I don’t know how this will fare in today’s environment where it’s getting more and more difficult to smoke in planes, trains, cafes, bars and shopping molls! This would be an ideal business for someone who loves his pipes!
There are many franchise opportunities available today and some of the more unusual franchises can also be the most lucrative as the standard types of franchise businesses usually have a lot of competition. It is also important to get into a business that you enjoy and one which suits your lifestyle.

By investing in a franchise you are taking the gamble out of starting a business as you are buying into a business model that has already been proven to be successful. Just make sure that the franchise you choose is in a niche that you will enjoy.

Always ensure that you get the best possible advice from experts in the field of franchising before you buy a franchise.

One of the most popular outdoor toys for all age groups to enjoy are garden trampolines. These outdoor toys have been with us since the early 20th century when a young inventor decided to make a free standing version of the safety netting aerial gymnasts used. Today manufacturers produce a variety of different sized garden trampolines. Modern trampolines are often surrounded by netting held in place by padded pillars for safety. Trampolines are normally oval, octagonal or rectangular.

Cortez Garden Trampolines

Cortez manufactures trampolines up to 12 ft in diameter and in a range of shapes. They all include safety enclosures which have a zip and clip mechanism for securing the netting. It also includes a ladder and all of the equipment required to get started.

Duplay Garden Trampolines

Duplay is another leading brand of garden trampolines. They use tubular steel frames with no welds, which means no weak points and arched legs for maximum stability. This manufacturer also provides safety enclosures with padded steel support. They should also include a cover and toolkit.

Rebo Garden Trampolines

These trampolines are also constructed from galvanized steel frames with arched legs. Their safety enclosures attach to the frame without bolts and the netting attaches to the poles with specially designed fittings. They also include a ladder and toolkit.

Accessories

In some cases you may wish to purchase accessories. Aside from spares for specific trampolines you can also get covers in a range of sizes and colours, additional padding, ladders and anchor kits for securing your trampoline to the ground.

Moriya explains – Soul Beings

Japanese Buddhist Hymn, 8th century A.D.

Blind, blind are all sentient creatures

Yet know they not their Blindness.

Again, again they are reborn

To darkness and to sadness

Again, again they pass and die.

==

“Do you remember, C.C.,” Moriya asked, “how many times I have told you that as our true self, as Soul, we already *know* everything we need to know in order to be realized? I have already told you that we don’t need to learn anything more besides opening our heart to let our heart-chakra energy flow, one interaction at a time.”

It seems that what we define as learning is simply finding ways to remember from the ancient wisdom that, along with our karma, has been passed on to us through our *recycled* soul – bless her.

One day, Moriya reminded me that my car was the symbol of my inner self. When

I come across *conflict energy* on the road, such as the rumbling of trucks or the clattering of a train on the overpass, a traffic jam, a driver who pushes in

dangerously close to my bumper – together and separately – each event symbolizes an aspect of my inner state.

Flip side: when the traffic is fluid and a string of green lights waits for me to go through before turning orange; when a driver hangs back to let me slip in the lane

I need to move to, that, too, reflects my inner state such as it is at that moment.

It presents me with the encouraging message that I am doing well and flowing.

“You see,” Moriya explains, “EVERYTHING is always right there in front of our eyes and everything is surrounded by magnetic field, including us.

You already know that like attracts like. When we are blocked, we attract to us similar persons, conflicts and frustrations that pashoot reflect our inner state. And when we are flowing and don’t lean on too many crutches, it reflects energetically and things flow better. How could it be otherwise?

People completely accept matters of energy when it comes to the TV, radio or their computer, but they have problems in accepting it when it concerns themselves. Let’s not forget that all these inventions are but symbolic images of our capabilities.

“C.C., you have to pay attention and learn to identify the symbols,” Moriya adds. “Observe. It is time to understand that the outside world is your stage. Why complain? You have free access to a big production on a huge stage and wonder of wonders is that you are the leading actress, the producer and the director. What more could you ask for? So observe and enjoy.”

v

A few days ago, I had a dream, one of these early morning dreams that are said to come straight from the soul.

I looked out of a window and I saw that my car, a red jeep-like 4-wheel drive appeared a lot bigger than expected.

** Pashoot = simply

The soft-top that protects the cabin had been removed and the support frame appeared to have been torn off. Bits of metal protruded unevenly from the rest of the body.

The damage to the car is clearly irreparable and further along the dream, I learn that it was a friend of mine who did this as a joke.

Calmly, I try repositioning the soft-top cover again, but it is not something that I can do on my own.

So I wait patiently for the arrival of a friend; the one who turns up is the one who admits to the deed done to my car.

She gets on her phone and begins chatting with someone else while watching me wrestle with the problem.

So I tell her that I don’t get the joke and that maybe she could help me fix the mess she created.

Reluctantly, she joins me in my efforts. Together we try to climb on the roof structure, bits of which have just reappeared but we still can’t do much.

Finally some young men arrive. They climb on the roof and they attach the soft-top to it. Visibly, they have the strength to push and pull things into place that we didn’t have.

Deconstruction:

car = higher self

i look out of a window and I see that my car … much bigger than in real life = inner expansion, increased awareness

the soft-top that protects the cabin had been removed = my disguise – how my persona presents itself to the world – exposing the self as one does through teaching and writing

torn off as bits of metal protruded unevenly = all kinds of thoughts and emotional clutter that were covered up are now exposed

a friend of mine = protection, support

who did this as a joke = take things easy like a game – not take myself so seriously

calmly, I try repositioning the soft-top cover again = patience and good control over emotions and thoughts

it is not something that I can do on my own =  still unable to evolve on my own – in need of help

so I wait patiently until the arrival of the friend = protection and a connection to soul

the woman gets on her phone and chats = inner communication with higher self

so I say that I don’t get the joke and that maybe she could help me fix the situation she created = I still need help on The Path

together we try to climb on the roof structure that has just reappeared but we still can’t do much = still unable to climb high enough

some young men arrive. They climb on the … they have the strength to push and pull things back into place = help has arrived. I have all the assistance that I need in order to expand and evolve on The Path, and the feminist that I am need not be bothered that it is through male help that I was able to get things done. The nice young men in my dream represent my Yang – my male side.

v

Back on the topic of symbols in the material world, Moriya has this to say: “Everything humans have ever built expresses the longing for their inner connection. Look at the vast palaces, the gothic spires and huge temples of old. Look at the modern-day skyscrapers and huge theme parks, the multiplex theatres. Look at the always bigger stadiums and also look at the latest technological inventions created by the persona. All of them are the product of a human brain that has reached the maximum of what can be achieved, at least for now.

But even if the force of gravity can be conquered up to a point, there are always limits, a point beyond which no human can go. You need to ask yourself why create a new ‘world’s highest’ observatory needle from which to see humanity below as pin pricks?”

Super Sizing, in every field, has got to be the label for our culture. And thousands of people are already dreaming up the next world’s tallest tower while the current record holder is not yet finished.

In fact, each feat of gravity defiance and thrust towards the heavens leads to the rhetorical question of why is marine exploration so little developed?

In reference to the colossal greediness, envy, jealousy, anxiety and despair that brand us, as human beings, along with a generally aggressive nature, J. Krishnamurti wrote, that though “There has been outward progress from the bullock cart to the jet plane, psychologically the individual has not changed at all.”

Freedom from the known was first published in 1969, and if the reference to the *jet plane* feels a tad dated, simply substitute Virgin Galactic’s Space Shuttle II to revive the quote’s currency.

Anyone with $200,000 to spare will soon be able to enjoy lounging in zero gravity for 2.5 hours in the comfort of their own personal space suits. How good is that, huh?

Our love affair with height, not depth, started with the first tree that was tall enough to climb.

What I say is, that though we constantly build bigger and higher, we, as a species, have not grown all that much over the centuries and it could be argued that our extravagant acts of expansion outward and upward are simply the material expression of the western world’s *Little* Man Complex.

“Soul is inseparable from the whole cosmos,” continued Moriya, “and she cannot but see things as big and vast and wide that contain everything, not like persona’s limited perspective. Aval people don’t understand the real meaning of their big houses and even bigger mansions, big cars, big theatres, big stadiums, big skyscrapers and bigger everything. They want them for status, for fame, until they have so much that is so big that they lose themselves in this enormous kish-kushim and find relief only in sleeping pills, anti-anxiety pills, drugs, alcohol, which cannot protect them from dreadful illnesses, loneliness and suicide.”

v

“You see, the human brain can invent only so many crutches on which to lean, in order to climb as if on a ladder, and with credit cards, money is no object. Ambition is no object either.

Why think small when you can think beyond limits? That’s true, but in order to really go beyond the highest point of anything man-made, we need nothing except to unveil ourselves and go naked the way we were born, pure souls free of the ego.

v

“All man-made creations are symbols that reflect our inability to let go and stand free of crutches. C.C., remember that when symbols are idolized, whether it’s the emblem of a football team or the players themselves, or a high profile Rock star or that sex symbol or anyone someone would die to meet, or the bronze statue of the Priestess I gave you, the worship of each and all amounts to idolatry. You are soul, C.C., but a statue is only a statue.”

Indeed.  From soccer stars to royalty, every high profile person is only a person, small and vulnerable, who relies on chemical cocktails of one sort or another, on emotional crutches and stimulation that are substitutes for love. They clutch their status symbols, as we hold on to what we have. They hide under the glitz, the fracas, the pomp and ceremony – just to keep going, just to get by. Just like the rest of us, little Indians.

“The minute you put someone on a pedestal, you do separation. You create the ‘us’ that stands opposite ‘them’. In doing so, you invest these logos, these people with a power they do not have. All the people behind such objects and their personal fame,

without exception, feed off the so-called little people without whom they are absolutely nothing. C.C., you need to learn to see beyond what your eyes do not yet perceive.

** Aval = but Kish-kushim = rubbish

v 

“The matter of incarnation is as straightforward as the information that comes in on a SIMS card once you have acquired a new cell phone number,” Moriya explained, “except that your SIMS is a very old card that has travelled to you through eternity.

Your soul has been on its way to you – and will live beyond you – ever eternally.

v 

“Through each of her incarnations, your soul has accumulated more and more data that you can now access once you free yourself of your ego.

Most traditional books on dream interpretations separate the symbols from the dream’s story, which is not helpful.

The point to keep in mind is that the content of our dreams is made up of messages sent to us by our soul. Ze lo tov interpreting such messages as if they were intended for the ego-persona, who can only understand things literally while dreaming events that are of a higher order.

“For instance, the traditional interpretation of a snake is ‘deceit’ because of the serpent’s involvement with Adam and Eve but, be-emet, in times even more ancient, the snake was already considered the symbol of wisdom and of kundalini. This is the reason why snake imagery all over the world became the symbol of healers and, even to this day, the symbol of doctors represented by the caduceus.”

“C.C., ze lo tov transferring to animals negative aspects of our ego-personas such as deceit or cowardice. They are our brothers and sisters. They deserve better from us and what they really symbolize is our ability, as humans, to evolve.”

Most of us would agree that, as humans, we should see ourselves as custodians of all creations more clearly.

**Ze lo tov = it’s not good Be-emet = really