On My Birthday
Posted by Jaci Russo
Happy Birthday
I woke up this morning, on my 40th birthday, and thought about what I would write in the blog today. I had other thoughts as well about age and the passage of time and accomplishments, but ‘what to post’ was a prevalent thought.
Yesterday was Valentine’s Day, and for forty years my birthday has been overshadowed by much bigger events. It’s always been a standing rule that my husband would separate the two. One card or one gift wouldn’t cut it. They need to be recognized as separate events.
Every few years, and this year is one of them, Mardi Gras falls on or near my birthday as well. The year I turned thirteen it was on Mardi Gras day. And this year, Mardi Gras is tomorrow.
On the one hand it is really cool to have such big holidays on my birthday. Everyone is celebrating and there are parades and school is on vacation. But on the other hand, it’s a little tough because then the birthday becomes overshadowed by the other events. The association with the holiday has as many positives as it does negatives.
I started thinking about Brand Association. So often companies look to celebrities or testimonials to get some borrowed glory for their products. But that brand association can really work against them. Just ask all of Tiger’s former endorsements. Very quickly the brand can become overshadowed by whatever is associated with it.
As I spend this day, focused on all that I am associated with, I look forward to the next forty years. The goals and accomplishments still to come. This is an exciting time in our industry and our business and I’m looking forward to what comes next.
This afternoon, as I load a few tons of Mardi Gras beads on a float and then this evening when I ride in a parade through Downtown Lafayette, I will be very glad that I get to celebrate my 40th birthday in such a special way. The whole town and about 350,000 of our closest friends will all be out celebrating with me.
This may be the shortest month of the year, but February 2010 has more events than any other - Saints win the Super Bowl, Winter Olympics, Valentine’s Day, my 40th birthday and Mardi Gras. It’s a great month to celebrate.
