Why does the TSA prohibit bringing a water bottle through security?
Ramzi Yousef was arrested after creating a bomb from liquid that he carried on to an aircraft out of the Philippines. Youssef got off at a stop, the bomb blew up in mid-air putting a hole in the side. The pilot managed to safely land the plane but one person was killed and 11 were severely injured. Significant damage was done to the plane (including eliminating the ability of the pilot's yoke to steer the aircraft). Yousef also miscalculated--on the model of that plane, his bomb would have been directly above the fuel tank but he planted the bomb on a variant so the seat it put it in (actually, a life preserver under the seat) was a couple of rows ahead of the gas tank) so it didn't combust the fuel. Youssef was tracked down and then captured. The Philippines Airlines 434 bombing was a test for what was called the "Bojinka" plot...a plan (in part) to smuggle liquid on to 11 different US airlines planes and use that liquid to make bombs. These bombs were to detonate either over the Pacific or over the Atlantic (and thus near no convenient emergency landing locations plus the possibility that they'd go down and no-one would ever know what happened to them). Since then, the US and Russian governments uncovered information that Chechen separatists sought to smuggle explosive material in toothpaste tubes on to airplanes and blow up planes headed to the Sochi Olympics.It's not that you're banned from bringing bottles or tubes. It's that you're banned from bringing certain amounts of liquids or creams or gels as you go through security.Yes, some of the other posts are absolutely right--TSA isn't foolproof. For instance, you could get 15 co-conspirators to all board the same aircraft with travel-sized toothpaste tubes, combine the explosive material in each travel-sized tube and that would be enough to bring down the plane (assuming you then add a detonator and plant it at the right place....all doable). But TSA reckons that some risks are such a low level that it's worth tolerating them. Thus,....you can assemble the equivalent of a box cutter with super glue, a razor blade, and a toothbrush with a notch cut in it to hold one end of the blade--but TSA doesn't ban razor blades and toothbrushes. Just like it doesn't ban all liquids. Or doesn't strip search everyone. It's about identifying the most obvious threats and creating strategies for them that take some calculated risks.
What are some word-of-mouth marketing tactics and strategies?
In today’s socially engaged and networked marketplace, word of mouth marketing has moved to the top of the marketing campaign elements at your disposal. Your goal in this type of marketing is to do things worthy of your customers talking to others about. These good things may be from other parts of your business, such as customer service or customer experience, or in your marketing messages.In this article, we are going to focus on how to get customers talking about your messages. So how do you craft messages worth your customers talking about? Consider these 7 tips: Focus on customer needs end state …and not the meansMake the message as clean and simple as possibleUse comparisons where you can … even direct with competitors, if you can solidly substantiate the claimBe different … avoid normalcy at all costsIt’s OK to be controversial … create conversation through the ‘buzz’Paint the picture of value …makes the value standoutUse pictures / visuals … they aremuch better than words “You just can’t say it. You have to get people to say it to each other”- James Farley, CMO FordWant to see some awesome word of mouth examples? Secrets of Effective Word of Mouth Marketing ExamplesMike Schoultz is the founder of Digital Spark Marketing, a digital marketing and customer service agency. With 40 years of business experience, he writes about topics that relate to improving the performance of business. Bookmark his blog for awesome stories and articles.