Written
by Bob Meyer, Editor of BarterNews
From the desk of Bob
Meyer...
3/14/06
It Would Be Interesting
To Know
Australia�s Tourism Ministry plans to spend the
equivalent of $135 million over the next 2-1/2 years
promoting the fresh tag-line, �So Where the Bloody
Hell Are You?� It is set to start airing in
commercials this week on major U.S. television
networks.
The old slogan, �See Australia in a Different
Light,� wasn�t doing the trick so the Ministry spent
$4.6 million to hire M&C Saatchi to conduct focus
groups for six months. What the ad agency found is
that people like Australia not so much for Australia
but for the Australians who are friendly, genuine
and unpretentious. Australia is a welcoming nation!
It would be interesting to determine how much of the
considerable $135 million budget will be covered on
a bartered basis. I ask that question because years
ago, back in 1986, George Stergiou from Canberra had
contacted me and indicated that he was interested in
helping Australia�s Tourism Ministry promote travel
to their country.
At the time, he wanted to trade with a large media
company in the U.S. where various travel
accommodations in Australia would be exchanged for
advertising. After many hours of phone calls and
faxes, nothing ever materialized.
Later that same year Stergiou came to Los Angeles,
and we had a chance to spend some time together.
While here, he subsequently made a visit to M.J.
(Mac) McConnell, one of our industry�s top salesmen
and the founder of Business Exchange (BX). Before
Stergiou left town he was designated BX�s �man in
Australia,� as reported in issue #12 of
BarterNews on page 31.
The Biggest, Best & Brightest Barter
The latest example of the ubiquitousness of barter
centers on Liberty Media Corporation. They firm
wants to barter a portion of its 4% stake in Time
Warner (valued at about $3.1 billion) for operating
assets that may include the Atlanta Braves baseball
team.
The Englewood (CO)-based Liberty Media is looking
both to unwind its stakes in companies such as Time
Warner, Sprint Nextel, and Motorola in a
tax-efficient manner and to beef-up its roster of
operating assets. The exchanging stock for an asset
could facilitate a tax-efficient monetization for
Liberty Media.
Google Embracing Barter To Settle Ad Lawsuit
A settlement by Google in response to the
class-action lawsuit on behalf of all advertisers on
its site, filed by Lane�s Gifts & Collectibles, has
been proposed. Google has agreed to pay up to $90
million, with much of the payment in the form of
barter. Advertisers who may have been the victim of
�click� fraud will receive credits toward ads on its
system.
(The $90 million translates into less than 1% of
Google�s $11.2 billion revenue during the past four
years.)
Traffic News Likes Barter, Too
Provider of real-time traffic information,
Traffic.com has secured a multi-year contract
renewal with Emmis Communications. Traffic will
provide Emmis with content for their radio stations
in New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles, Phoenix, St.
Louis, Indianapolis, and Austin markets. In exchange
it will receive advertising space in the Emmis radio
network.
Clever Location For One�s Message
Man�s creativity never ceases to amaze. We�ve seen
ads appearing on spaces as diverse as men�s urinals,
food trays in sports stadiums, and even dry-cleaner
bags. Here�s the latest...
Advertising is being placed around electrical
outlets in the corners of the Indianapolis
International Airport. Ninety two-foot stickers are
found around these outlets in the airport�s
departure lounges and eating areas, emblazoned with
the J.P. Morgan Chase name, logo and message.
The message reads, �This outlet works, now you can
too.� Also highlighted are either the e-mail address
or a local phone number for Chase�s
commercial-banking unit, which targets businesses
doing between $10 million and $500 million in annual
revenue.
New Global and U.S. Listings In Our Barter
Contacts Section
We welcome the following companies.
Global listings:
BAFICO Barter Finance Company Group
Alicante,
Spain
E-mail:
alicante@bafico.us
BAFICO Currency Service Corporation
Panama City,
Panama
E-mail:
panama@bafico.us
U.S. listings:
BAFICO Holding Corporation
Newark, DE
E-mail:
holding@bafico.us
www.bafico.com
BCB Barter Clearing Bank
New York, NY
E-mail:
bcb@barter-clearing-bank.com
www.barter-clearing-bank.com
|
$2
Million BBX Trade Dollars Used To Purchase $8.3 Million Resort
Australia�s BBX Holding Ltd. (BBX) announced their successfully
completed sale of The Apollo Country Resort at Wamberal, New South
Wales. The hotel, restaurant, and convention center is located on
five prime acres only minutes from Crown Plaza Terrigal Beach.
The contract price of $8.3 million included $2 million BBX trade
dollars, with the balance paid in cash. The resulting transaction
fees of $440,000 for a single transaction is an Australian record,
according to their news release. The company completed $10 million
in real estate sales in February.
BBX has $83 million in real estate offerings for members.
Additionally, it plans an IPO (initial public offering) of the BBX
Property Investment Fund Ltd., which has $130 million in Australian
and New Zealand real estate.
For further
information see
www.ebbx.com
The
Growth and Use of Secondary Capital (New Money) Creates
Unprecedented Wealth In Today�s New Age Of Possibility
There are many forms of secondary capital�which can
be defined as any financial instrument that measures and
communicates value in a common language. Would you like to see and
learn more about the many forms of secondary capital?
We have 75 free,
informative and inspiring, articles for you in our �Secondary
Capital Section.� Check it out...
www.barternews.com/secondary_capital.htm.
IMS Eyes 200+ Monthly Enrollments
International Monetary Systems (OTCBB:INLM.OB) announced it enrolled
a record 216 new clients in January and February. National Sales
Manager Barbara Martin says the company�s outside sales force is now
fourteen people, with plans to hire more.
The firm�s goal is
to be signing up over 200 clients per month by the end of 2006. For
more information go to
www.internationalmonetary.com.
Trade Exchange Owners...
Would You Like To Make 2006 Your Greatest Year Ever?
Then it�s time to
grab-a-hold of the most powerful marketing tool in the barter
industry! The Competitive Edge newsletter is a monthly, ready
to use, professional 4-page publication...no work is needed! (Click
here.)
ITEX Continues Posting Strong Figures
The ITEX Corporation (OTCBB:ITEX) has posted results of the second
quarter of fiscal years 2006, ending January 31, 2006.
Highlights include:
- Revenue was $4,029,000 compared
to $2,656,000 for the second quarter in fiscal year 2005, a 52% increase.
(Revenue for six months was $7,750,000 compared to $5,163,000, a 50% increase.)
- Operating income was $315,000
compared to $234,000 for the same period in 2005. (Operating income for six
months was $663,000 compared to $460,000, a 44% increase.)
- Operational cash flow increased
126% to $1,350,000, up from $598,000 in the six-month period ending January 31.
- Outstanding notes payable
(acquisition debt) were reduced to $872,000, from $2,346,000 at July 31, 2005.
- Bank line-of-credit increased to
$1,000,000, from $500,000.
- Completed transaction volume of
more than $65,000,000 by processing over 90,000 transactions.
ITEX Corporation�s report on Form 10-QSB can be found at
www.sec.gov. For
information on ITEX visit
www.itex.com.
Influential Fund Manager Assails U.S. Economic Report
Bill Gross, a Newport Beach fund manager of Pacific Investment
Management, a.k.a. Pimco which manages $594 billion in assets, says
the U.S. annual economic report fails to address the trade and
budget deficits which are undermining the economy.
In his monthly newsletter the Californian is now advising investors
to put their money overseas because of the deficits, exacerbated by
rising U.S. health-care costs and a crumbling education system.
Gross suggests, �Investment markets in the United States will not
ultimately prosper under such an increasingly onerous environment.�
He asks his readers to consider this: �Have we borrowed from the
future to pay for today�s party, and will our future creditors allow
us to pay it back on our own terms with low yields and a strong
dollar.
Get
New Money-Making Ideas And Valuable Contacts!
You can obtain
useful, informative ideas and contacts in every available back-issue
of BarterNews.
Making Money On Second Home A Fantasy?
Jeff Brown, a business columnist for the Philadelphia Inquirer,
believes a second home is an indulgence if it�s being acquired
primarily or exclusively for one�s own use.
The following quotes are from a recent article of his:
�Say you bought a place for $300,000, borrowing $240,000 at 6%.
Suppose the property appreciated 6% a year � about double the
inflation rate. After five years, the property would be worth just
over $400,000, for a $100,000 �profit� on the $60,000 initially
invested as the down payment. But interest would have cost about
$70,000, reducing the profit to $30,000.
�A $30,000 gain on a $60,000 investment over five years is an annual
return of about 8%, which is nothing special. But you might also
have paid $5,000 a year in real estate taxes, and another $1,000 a
year in homeowner�s insurance. That�s $30,000 over five
years�erasing your profit.
�If you pay a standard 6% realtor�s commission to sell the property,
you�d be $24,000 in the hole. And we haven�t considered maintenance
and utilities, cost of furnishings and traveling to the property.
�Sure, some people
make money on second homes, but I bet many are making less than they
think.�
Every
barter company in the world is listed on our web site,
click through to our Global List
of Barter Companies.
Your
Questions...And Answers
Every week we receive e-mails from visitors to our web site. As
space allows, without redundancy, we will air your pertinent
questions. All answers will be from Bob Meyer unless otherwise
noted, and as space allows we�ll print letters responding to
questions appearing earlier in the Tuesday Barter Report.
(Minor editing of the letters will sometimes be made for the sake of
brevity.)
Question:
I moved to London
last year, where I am doing my Ph.D. in International History at the
London School of Economics and Political Science. I haven�t been
active on the barter scene, and I would like to get back into the
swing of things.
Do you have any thoughts on who I can contact in London to join a
barter group and really start to engage in bartering? I will also be
going to Africa soon and I want to see if there are opportunities
there for reciprocal trade.
Harcourt Fuller,
England
Answer:
See �Barter Contacts� on our horizontal navigational bar and click
the menu drop-down titled, �Global Barter Companies� where you will
find listings of barter companies around the globe including the
U.K. and African nations.
Editor�s note: Harcourt Fuller authored the article, �Ecuadorian
Exchanges: Bartering & Bargaining in the Middle of the World,� in
issue #63 of BarterNews, pages 54-56. To read his story, go
to:
http://www.barternews.com/ecuadorian_bartering.htm.
Don�t
Cancel Vacation...Barter For It!
If there�s an economic slowdown in your life (you�re just meeting
the bills every month) don�t consider taking action that you might
regret later on�like canceling your vacation. That practice should
carry a Surgeon General�s warning: Canceling your vacation is
dangerous to your health.
If you are considering canceling a vacation, and if you have a
choice in the matter, don�t do it. A growing body of research links
long-term vacation habits and health.
A 14-year study of 13,000 men, published in the journal
Psychosomatic Medicine, found annual vacations sharply reduced
the risks of death among middle-aged men.
Similarly, a 20-year study of middle-aged women found a link between
a lack of vacations and higher risk of hearth attack and death. Both
studies conclude vacationing may be good for your health.
So if you�re questioning your own vacation plans because of the
economic downturn, or money is a problem, it�s time to place a call
to your trade broker.
See what�s available locally and nationally through your barter
company, then make those plans that suit your desires. Whatever you
do, don�t cancel that vacation...it could be dangerous to your
health!
Editor�s note:
One place to look for accommodations from various barter companies,
is the Caribbean...because of excess inventory. The pace of tourist
growth last year was half that of the previous two years, according
to the Caribbean Tourism Organization.
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Here & There. . .
-
Some private schools in Sydney, Australia, are
allowing financially stretched parents to pay fees with cows,
valuable art collections, and other valuables in lieu of cash
payments. Among the Sydney schools to consider the alternative
of offering creative payment options is The King�s School at
North Parramatta.
-
Have you signed up to
receive a summary via e-mail of the Tuesday Report
every week? If not, go to the top of this issue (right hand
corner) and sign up!
-
XM Satellite Radio Holdings used to brag that its
music programming is commercial free. No longer. They will start
carrying advertising on four of their 68 music stations, under
terms of a recently negotiated settlement between Clear Channel
and XM.
