Please, Do Not Use The "M" Word When Speaking About Balloons!

The balloons in this image are made of FOIL. Over the short, 25 years or so, life of the FOIL balloon, a large misuse of the "M" word has been going on everyday. Looking back at some of our older catalogs, I see that I too have been guilty of this atrocity.

I do not believe this use is a negative for the makers of "M". I believe it actually helps to build their brand. The balloon industry has made efforts to avoid & even eliminate the use of the "M" word, however; it is very difficult to change an ingrained public habit. I have caught most my staff using it, in just the past few weeks.

Why would the balloon industry, let alone the maker of "M" want to make this change? For the industry, so the "M" guys can leave us alone?


I received an email from a watchdog group hired by "M", to examine our industry & our use of the "M" word. I was very pleased when I did a little research on the Brody's 800-4-Balloons web site & found only 17 public uses of the "M" word (F.Y.I., we have over 8,000 items on our site). I was even happier when none of those uses, was associated with BALLOONS! I immediately replaced the "M" word with FOIL in each case. The watchdog's email also noted some 400 plus times where Brody's 800-4-Balloons had the "M" word in our meta tags. We are removing these! So, if you search "M" balloons you won't find us! Brody's 800-4-Balloons is a good corporate citizen thanks to these efforts.

My web research into our industry speaks volumes about the wide-spread misuse of the "M" word. Companies have the whole word in their names! They are using it in their descriptive copy and are even purchasing the search phrase "M---- Balloons!" I would suggest the "M" people go after Google & make them stop selling anything to do with the "M" word & balloons. I am sure there is a big difference between the foil material balloons are made of, & the "M" stuff. So let's respect those differences. Our recent presidential election was all about acceptance & change, I see an opportunity for unification in the balloon industry. We do not sell "M" balloons, "warm fuzzies" & "happiness" is what we sell, no matter what anyone calls the material!


I suggest we all expand our vocabularies with better descriptive words; such as, Foil, Metallic, Reflective, Silver, Holographic, Magnificent, over-the-top, WOW, Supra-Foil (You go Qualatex), Xtra-Life (by Anagram). So get out there and sell the "H" out of these wonderful balloons, but remember, call them FOIL balloons, please. Thanks for your cooperation. Lee

Bittersweet times of our lives....

I received this picture today, as you might guess it is a mother and daughter. The mothers is Brody's, Anagram International CSR. I see in this picture, happiness, sadness, joy, caring, fear, longing & love. You might see other thing as well, but we (parents & even children of parents) understand the richness of such moments.

It was 10 years ago today that my father, the man who shaped me & taught me everything he could, lay on his death bed preparing to go somewhere he had never been before. I was happy for him, truly! I was very sad to see him go, but I knew he wasn't happy in his body anymore & needed to move beyond it. He was in hospice. My brothers & I had decided that one of us would stay at his house with him & our mother on alternating nights until something changed. I had spent the previous night & had not slept well. As more & more family members & friends called & stopped by, I felt a need to be with my young family. I found a quite moment with my father to tell him good bye, have fun, I love you. I embraced him one last time & went home knowing, that would be the last time I would see him alive. I was happy with that, I had no urge to see him draw his last breath or to experience the moment of death.

When I got home I was greeted by my 3 loving children ages 10, 6, & 3 as well as my beautiful wife. They where happy to see me. We all talked for a time, we where sad to lose him. Alice (my wife) & I knew he was the glue that held my extended family together. Without him there would be a void with no sign of a way to overcome it. We decided to take a walk in the woods even though it was a cold & grey day. It was a quiet, somber walk, with each of us absorbed in our own thoughts, but we where together & knew we had each other for support. I remember how sweet is was for me to have my little family to cling to and anchor me at this time of my life. I am still amazed that the business was able to survive this period, I believe that speaks to how solid a staff we have & how strong our customer base is.

This period of my life was when I recognized how bittersweet life can be. Terry, I thank you for sharing, & allow me to use your picture as a catalyst! I recognize now that we choose to be happy or sad, angry or accepting, it is our choice. Everything we do is a choice, choose to look for the good, & encourage others to do the same. Lee

Who is Marty Fish?

Isn't he the guy at the gas station with the toupee?

No actually Marty Fish is a woman, and someone who I enjoy dancing with, even though she is a much better dancer than I am.

Marty Fish is the executive director of the IBA (the Intenational Balloon Assocication). A position she has staffed for about 10 years.

Catch Phrases for the Balloon Industry

As you may or may not know, I am the immediate past president of the International Balloon Association (IBA). Over the last 2 or 3 years, the IBA has been discussing the use of a phrase that could be used in a national advertising campaign. The basic concept being similar to "Got Milk" only for the balloon industry.


It is clear to me that having & using phrases of this nature can be very helpful in many aspects of our lives. Think of "Just Do It!" or "Say NO to Drugs." My father had this little winner printed on the front our our warehouse back in the seventies "Brody's, where your $'s have more ¢'s." My father also published this one on our catalogs & brochures: "Our best advertisement is a satisfied customer." Not only does using a catch phrase tell your customers you care about their experience, it tells your employees how much you value the customer & why they should too.

Here are some of the ideas being tossed about in recent discussions. Some may be new (I have heard it said that there are no NEW ideas) while some have been used for years.
· Need Balloons?
· Say it with balloons!
· Bring Balloons!
· Share smiles. Give balloons!
BALLOONS CREATE SMILES !
Share Smiles - Give Balloons
Create Smiles - Give Balloons
· Balloons send smiles.
· The party doesn’t start until the balloons arrive.
· The party starts when the balloons arrive.
· Buy a balloon, save a tree.
· Color the world with balloons.
· Balloons: Smiles that float.
· Celebrate with balloons.
· Fun looks like a balloon.
· Balloons bring smiles.
· No balloons? Party hardly.
· Smiles never go out of style, send some balloons.
Balloons = Smiles
Balloons = (insert smile face symbol)
Give a smile... Give a balloon!
Get a smile... Give a balloon
Celebrate life with balloons
Balloons....celebrate life!
Create happiness with balloons
Balloons create happiness
Celebrate Balloons
Balloons = Celebrations
Without BALLOONS it's just another meeting.
Say it with Balloons
Enjoy Inflation! Buy Balloons!


These are good ideas that any of us could put to use in our businesses today. Doing so will almost certainly help your customers & prospects remember you when it is time to buy balloons.

I welcome your stories & ideas. Lee

Online Resources for the Balloon Industry

Welcome to the Humble Balloon!
This blog is unashamedly created by http://www.brodys8004balloons.com/ in en effort to increase our visibility to our past, present & future customers. Brody's 800-4-Balloons is located in Chicago's West loop neighborhood at 1101 West Randolph Street. Oprah's Harpo Studios surrounds us. Our showroom & warehouse contains millions of foil & latex balloons, as well as toys, hats, tableware, party favors, helium, decorations, gifts, bags, cellophane, masks, boas, & more. Please have a look around at our web site http://www.brodys8004balloons.com/. We have a $50.00 minimum order, both on the web & in our showroom. We welcome you to shop if the minimum is not an issue. We are strictly a WHOLESALER of balloons, we do not offer inflation or deliver services. If you are in need of a "professional balloon decorator" do give us a call, tell us your zip code & we should be able to hook you up with someone in your area.

Ok, enough about us, here are some online resouces for Balloon Professionals.
#1 http://www.balloonhq.com/ Brody's is a sponsor & advertiser here, they link to our site.
#2 http://www.balloonresourcecenter.com/ Brody's is a Supporting Distrbutor, they link to our site.
#3 http://www.hi-float.com/ Brody's is a distributor of Hi-Float,they link to our site.
#4 http://www.qualatex.com/ Brody's is a full-line Qualatex Distributor, they link to our site.
#5 http://www.ibaonline.net/ Brody's is a Distributor Member, I am the current Past President, they link to our site.
#6 http://www.anagramintl.com/ Brody's is a full-line Anagram Distributor, they link to our site.
#7 http://www.betallic.com/ Brody's is a full-line Betallic Distributor, they link to our site.
#8 http://www.ballooncast.org/ Brody's is considering sponsorship, they do not link to our site

You can expect to see new listings as time permits, thank you for your interest. Lee