Wunderlich

Non-riders have a tendency to laugh at the shiny, often gaudy cycling clothes worn by even casual bicyclists, but if they rode even a few miles, they would understand that cycling shorts are second only to a helmet in crucial importance to the rider. Cycling shorts may not be made for fashion, but they provide a critical element of comfort to any kind of bicycling effort.

The first cycling shorts were nearly more work than worth. Made of wool, with a leather chamois stitched for padding in the crotch of each pair, they were hot and they were nearly impossible to launder. The wool took forever to dry, and the leather became so stiff it often hurt more than it helped. Today's cycling shorts are as far from these old models as our laptops are from main frames. They weigh next to nothing, they dry in no time, and their padding stays soft and supple, just as it's supposed to be. With or without straps (the so-called "bib" style), a pair of cycling shorts is essential for any bike rider.

Really, the only thing today's cycling shorts have in common with their ancestors is their style. With the exception of some of the models made for mountain biking, cycling shorts are still long enough to cover most of the rider's thigh and basic black is still the predominant color. However, any ride through a town with a sizable population of road riders will also reveal what passes for fashion sense among bicyclists: the basic black cycling short is now frequently festooned with so many advertisements for events and products and companies in the most garish colors on the spectrum that the black is all but unseen! For some reason, road riders seem to thrive on clashing colors and excessive advertising. And the more devoted a cyclist you observe, the more logos and screaming slogans you are likely to observe!

Still, there is a real reason to wear cycling shorts, no matter what they look like: their padding. It, especially if combined with a good bicycle seat, will vastly increase your comfort level as a rider. It, rather than a particularly delicate area of your anatomy, will absorb a lot of the shock of bike riding. Cycling shorts are made as they are for good reason. They absorb shock, let perspiration evaporate, and keep you aerodynamic on your bike. Being aerodynamic matters to speed, of course, but also to safety. Loose fitting clothing can get stuck in a bicycle's moving parts as well as making your form more resistant to any wind you encounter.

Find further information on cycling shorts at http://www.bikecyclingreviews.com, your online resource on road and mountain biking reviews, the hub of cycling information.

I am always baffled at the amount of advertising dollars that flow freely without a real working game plan in place other than a strategy to just include a few basics of the business and then bombard the public with really embarrassing, lack-luster at best, commercials that were all suppose to just jump up out of our seats for. While this approach may not be unique to many would be advertisers whose radio and cable reps encourage them to go with the in-house production team, it is really a futile attempt at best to suggest that youre going to increase your overall revenue and create a company image with credibility that the public is going to buy into with this approach.

Consumers need and want a reason to purchase your product or service. Sometimes the need is a felt need. For example - the need to belong or the need to be needed. Sometimes the need is out of pure necessity I am hungry now show me with incredible pictures, tasty and mouth watering food that I will eat the next time that I am out. Your job is therefore to figure out what your customers needs are and then get them into print onto the radio or TV in a way that demands, without sounding demanding, a response to want them to buy now. I didnt say get them. I said want them to buy now. Were not trying to force anyone into buying, we want them to want our product or service.

How do we do that, and furthermore, how can we do that in such a way where the viewer thinks about our product or service more than just at radio play times? Have you ever noticed that a song more times than not in three to four minutes, makes more of an impression and underscores the point much greater than the key note speaker speaking for 45 minutes at a conference or a pastors sermon. Weve all been there. The fact is that when a message is coupled with music, it is sensed in other areas of the brain that are stimulated creating a much greater response than if the message were spoken alone. With that information we can create commercials with much greater overall impact.

If music can play that great of a role in our companys image and marketing, than why do so many fall into the trap of using the in-house voice over and production music that are no where near the mark. Sure custom jingles cost more to produce, but your overall results should in fact be incredibly higher. Now there are some pitfalls to avoid. You want to go with a music company such as ReelMusicianPro.com that offers a wide variety of production styles and experience 30+ years that will truly create a need for your product or service. If you go with a cheap jingle company offering the idea freebies and highly discounted music, you might as well be paying the neighborhood kid down the street with little to no experience, but who has a computer keyboard and a mic to do your commercial. I dont know about you, but I want someone with years of experience who can really direct my efforts and create that customer base because they want my service or product.

Nobodys suggesting that you spend this much, because most of us dont have it to spend, but watch the pharmaceutical company ads and look and watch at how much detail is put into the music and voice overs to create the need for their medicine. There is an incredible amount of design and detail in their advertising. And the same, while your budget will be smaller, should be the same goal. If youre going to advertise, you need to focus on the need for your product and then secure experienced folks who can create that on screen and with the all important music element to forge way beyond your advertising budget and create an image true to who you are with sales that support it!

Mr Gauger is an accomplished TV and radio writer with too many credits to list here. You may contact the author at tgauger@reelmusicianpro.com or 615-300-5030. You may visit the author's website at http://www.reelmusicianpro.com This author works with small business to national brand names.